Wanted: Defense plus utility - does the egg laying wool milk pig exist?

photonmuncher

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 16, 2018
Messages
9
Hi all,

after a so far very disappointing experience with the Foursevens QS2L-X which seems to suffer catastrophic software crashes several times a day and thus is useless to me right now (that's a different post), I am now looking for alternatives.



Basic requirements:

=> Reliable

=> Robust

=> Pocketable. 2 x CR123, possiblye 1 x 18650. Head diameter is the critical part. Length doesn't matter too much.

=> Tail switch

=> Might be ok with having an additional side switch, that depends on the UI, but side switch is not required.

=> Minimum of two output modes, maximum of three output modes. Flash is useless to me.

=> Simple UI. Ideally a true tactical UI that can not stay on from pressing the tail switch.

=> Roughly at least 500+ lumens.

=> Not too throwy / spot like.

=> Good regulation that maintains the max output beyond 2 minutes would be nice, but isn't crucial for my use case.

=> Bonus points if it has a high CRI. I love that, but it's not a deal breaker if it doesn't.



I LOVE flashlights, yet I'm the kind of guy who does not actually like thinking about flashlights all week, so what I want is to find one light that I'll choose carefully, and which will then do its job for as many years a possible before I ever need to think about what light to buy next again. I get the biggest kick out of pulling my flashlight out of my pocket and pushing its switch for the millionths time after a decade or more, and having no doubts at all that it comes on yet again this time as well. That may not be the typical flashaholic thing to do, but I'm funny that way...

The goal is to have one single light for daily utility as well as for very rare but crucial tactical use. Hence the "egg laying wool milk sow" header of this post. I know I'm asking for a lot. I often find that what I'm looking for doesn't quite yet exist.

Please, do prove me wrong in this case!





Some candidates I am considering so far:



=> Elzetta Charlie: Pro's: Indestructible, likely a light that will outlive myself. I really do like the beam pattern. High output for a long time before it drops. High-low tailcap can be set to low constant on, and then overridden to temp high by sideways pressure on the tailcap. Con's: Large head diameter for in-pocket EDC; however its length doesn't matter to me, hence Charlie rather than Bravo. No true tactical interface if I choose the high-low tailcap, which I will need. Also, I really dislike the Elzetta clip, it's way too bulky, and would have to source or make a bezel down low carry clip for that light. Alternatively consider an in-pocket "organizer" type solution that holds the light side by side with my phone in my left main pants pocket.



=> Elzetta Alpha: Pro's: Acceptable head diameter for in pocket carry. Same beam pattern and high-low tailcap as Charlie. Lower output - since the QS2L-X, I really value being able to adjust light output to my needs. With any light that only has two fixed outputs, having a "lower" high might actually increase utility for many situations. Con's: After the QS2L-X, 400 lumens suddenly feels a little low, although it maintains these 400 longer than the QS2L-X stays anywhere near its 1000. Same clip issue. Lower output also has disadvantages, of course.



=> Surefire EDCL2-T: Pro's: I LOVE the two stage switch. Acceptable head diameter. Don't mind the length. Con's: I am surprised that after the many (!) problems Surefire seems to have had with that type of switch in the past, they brought this switch back now. Do you think they have fixed the problems that that switch had now, or should I rather stay away from it? From a UI point of view, this two stage type switch would be my perfect user interface. Also, I really dislike the clip, and would have to source or make a bezel down low carry clip for that light, or custom make said pocket organizer. Much more rapid drop off on max than the Elzettas, however that is a minor con in my use case, as I only need max very briefly when I need it.



=> Surefire EDCL1-T: As above. Pro's: As with the Elzetta Alpha, lower output for more utility. Con's: Lower output also has disadvantages, of course.



=> Surefire Tactician: Pro's: Very compact. Likely more long term reliable than two stage switch. True tactical UI. Con's: I dislike having to change my grip to switch between high and low. In my situation, it is most useful if I can have the light on low with my thumb already on the tail switch, and without changing away from that grip, going to high - this allows for unintrusive lighting of people, while still being able to instantly go to high if I need to if the situation should change. I won't know before the situation whether I'll need high or low, so having to change grip to do that is not good for me.




Can you suggest any other lights that might fit my requirements? Pretty please?

In desperation, I have considered just putting a Foursevens Mini Mk2 on my key chain for utility, and an Elzetta Alpha with tactical single output switch or a Tactician or other compact single high output light in my pocket for defense. I wonder if I will be forced to do that in the end just because what I really want doesn't exist (yet), despite the huge selection of lights the market offers these days.



But doing that is not my first choice - because if the light I use much more frequently for utility is also my defense light, the motor memory will be much better when I need it under stress, my body will know what to do without thinking. That is not so much the case if the defense light sits in my pocket and barely ever gets used. Regardless of training, this would still make a tangible difference I believe. If it's just one single light, I am "training" important aspects of the motor memory every day when using the light for utility. This is true especially if it is the tail switch that is used for "low". In my view, that is a very very strong argument for the EDCL2-T or EDCL1-T, and to some extent the Elzettas with a high-low switch as well, although they are clickies and thus not true tactical.
It amazes me that with the huge variety of flashlights available today, I still manage to be looking for something that so far I haven't really found quite the right answer for. The Foursevens QS2L-X seemed to be the ticket, as it ticked most of the boxes on my check list. Alas, with it constantly freaking out on me and having blue screen of death like freezes, it's useless to me, so the search continues...



Thanks for reading, would much appreciate any suggestions you could make! Have a fantastic day! :)
 

Modernflame

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 27, 2017
Messages
4,383
Location
Dirty Dirty South
Welcome to the forum. That's a fine list of candidates you are interviewing for the job, sir. One of them should get you pretty close. I don't know that I can identify the unicorn you are seeking, but I do have a question. What is the maximum head diameter you are willing to tolerate? A lot of people find the Elzetta AVS unsuitable for daily carry owing to it's diameter of 1.45". If I'm not mistaken the Alpha comes in at 1.15". This seems to be acceptable to you.

What about 1.25"?
 

photonmuncher

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 16, 2018
Messages
9
Just thought a quick update might be fair: I have since realized that the cause for the countless software crashes of my Foursevens QS2L-X was that I had not tightened the tailcap tightly enough. Since I am doing that properly - no more crashes! Yay!

This means the QS2L-X has since taken its intended EDC role in the left pocket of my pants every waking hour, 7 days a week.

I have used it a lot, on all output levels. I must say it is one hell of a light. And it has been nothing but totally reliable for me, not a single glitch ever.

For example, I have set the auto-off timer to fifteen minutes, which is additional insurance against accidental activation (which I have never had even once though), it gives a sense of time while working with the light, and it is really useful as a night light - put on the night stand and forget, light turns itself off.

The only gripe I have is that on most battery changes, even if I pop in new batteries immediately, the programming of the light resets to factory settings. For me this means not only do I have to reporgram it via the app (because some of the settings I want can only be set by the app), but also finding a friend with an iPhone, since I am on Android, and the app hasn't been released for that platform.

But considering how perfectly I can get this light to do exactly what I need, that's an acceptable price to pay in my book.

I do not feel that I could be happy with the Elzettas, because their head diameter is too large for me to be comfortable, I would not truly EDC them.

The tactician doesn't allow me to go from a moderate "friendly who-is-on-my-driveway" light to a blinding "get the hell away from me" output quickly and with just one hand. For my application, that is important. So the two-stage function of the QS2L-X where you can latch it on in a medium setting, and temporarily override that with maximum output by simply mashing down on the tailcap button, is really really helpful for me. I guess the new Surefire two stage switches could do that too, but honestly I am not sure I trust them, and their 5 lumens low output is rarely what I need, either too high or way too low - and with the foursevens, I can choose what output I want it to be latched on to.

Right now, for my use case, I see no light on the market that can provide what the QS2L-X can.

I wish there was a 1865 version of it - just 2 millimetres thicker. I don't really like using more than one lithium cell in a high output light. But I can live with it, I look after my batteries and only use them in pairs too.

Thought this info might be useful for anyone coming across this thread at some point.

Have a great day! :)
 
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