what is the most important feature for you in flashlights?

me it is all about size the smaller the better welli should say high lumens per small size

Nice beam shape and tint, floods for up close and neutral-to-warm color. Accessibility and handiness when carrying is becoming more important to me. Good pocket clips help, as on the Malkoff MDC bodies.

For me,
I do NOT care about maximum output !

I care about Low and Middle ranges !
Cuz' that's what I'll be USING, 90+% of the time !

Most important for me is reliability/dependability followed by UI then my preferences. At the end of the day, i can use 4k,5k 6k to see with. But if i have to click through lots of modes, strobes and discos, its a no no. Large or small, that would depend on use as well, the bottom line for me is light OTF every time i want it.

After that i need a nice beam, no fugly rings and green beams. I do like to enjoy using when i can, so preferences there are 4-5k in temp. Hi cri is a bonus, but not to come at the expense of too much yellow or off tints. In fact , some of my actual fav beams are 80+ cri.

Reliability/dependability for me too. It makes no difference how feature laden, powerful, efficient, or pretty a light is if it leaves me in the dark. Flashlights are primarily a tool to see things in the dark for me after all.

Size. They gotta be small and easy to carry in a pocket, or I probably won't use them much.

A version of size is most important to me, more like efficiency...something like lumen-hours-per-size at the brightnesses that are most useful to me (~800 lumens sometimes, HDS levels the rest of the time). The accompanying feature that goes with that efficiency is the beam profile, tint, and CRI--the efficient belching of lumens isn't of interest to me if the tint and CRI don't meet my taste, and the light isn't where I want it.

Quality, UI, tint, and then output. A quality light that has crazy output and a decent UI can be fun so the tint isn't that important(aka x70) but for a daily use, lights like my HDS check all the boxes. That being said when walking in a residential at night while competing with all kinds of light pollution, I'll use something with a useable 2000+ because 300 lumens out of the HDS doesn't cut it.

Reliability period! That's first and foremost. Really doesn't matter how bight or what tint it has. If it doesn't turn on every time I hit the switch it's useless.

For me, size and UI. If it's to big I won't carry it...for long. UI, I like medium 20to 30 lumens first. That's usually enough to see where you are walking

Real low moonlight (0.01 to 0.07 lumen) and reliability.

(1) Beam quality
(2) Switch/activation feel

Tied between beam pattern and color...

raggie33 said:

me it is all about size the smaller the better welli should say high lumens per small size

Click to expand...

Same with me. That is why my Nebo Mycro 400 is my favorite light.

400 lumens and 90 minute run time at 150 lumens. LiPo batteries are amazing.

If a light does not work then nothing else really matters.

^^ This

Comfortable in my jeans pocket so head < inch and light weight. Max throw for small head. Uses CR123A. No yellow or green. White or blue white.

Different tasks, different flashlights... size, beam, brightness... on and on. Even dependability is on a sliding scale. I really don't care how reliable say... uh... the $5 cheapo flashlight is in my firearms cleaning box. If it fails I'll grab another. That's a lot different than the light I depend on at night going into the woods with my dog. If that fails... it's a problem.

Nice inquiry, very difficult for me to come up with a firm answer... but I'll try. It definitely depends on the application, but in general, what I prefer in order:

1. Appropriate modes/spacing (or ability to configure)
2. Beam shape
3. UI
4. Tint
5. Size/weight
6. Efficiency
7. Fit & finish

Luckily my Zebralight's check most of these boxes! (tints are sometimes off depending on when/where I use them). I'm not super concerned with efficiency because most decent lights are good these days. Silly modes, inappropriate beam/ shape, and a bad UI will rule out the flashlight for me.

AVService said:

If a light does not work then nothing else really matters.

Click to expand...

First it should turn on and then we will worry about the trimmings.