My first Flashlight: need suggestions

[gktii]

Hey everyone. :wave: I'm looking to purchase my very first custom flashlight. Looking for a very high quality, titanium light, that i can use as an EDC. I've been told, by several people, that McGizmo (haiku) is the best, but wanted your opinions as to what light i should get, and the configurations (the LED options are very confusing for a newbie like myself). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jimboutilier]

Hey everyone. :wave: I'm looking to purchase my very first custom flashlight. Looking for a very high quality, titanium light, that i can use as an EDC. I've been told, by several people, that McGizmo (haiku) is the best, but wanted your opinions as to what light i should get, and the configurations (the LED options are very confusing for a newbie like myself). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Best means different things to different people so you have to understand your needs, wants, priorities, and options to make the best decision.

While the quality and beauty of McGizmo lights is indisputable, they are not the best choice for everyone. In my case I don't own any McGizmos and probably won't for a number of reasons. First, I generally prefer aluminum over titanium as it's lighter and offers better heat transfer. Titanium is generally tougher but so hard to machine I'm unhappy with the quality of finish on most Ti lights I've tried. Second I prefer more brightness settings and a higher maximum brightness than McGizmo lights offer. Third I prefer a User interface that allows instant access to both the highest and lowest output settings. So for me McGizmos don't work. They are terrific lights and seem well loved but you just have to understand your needs and priorities. If they match a McGizme that's a great choice.

 

[gktii]

Best means different things to different people so you have to understand your needs, wants, priorities, and options to make the best decision.

While the quality and beauty of McGizmo lights is indisputable, they are not the best choice for everyone. In my case I don't own any McGizmos and probably won't for a number of reasons. First, I generally prefer aluminum over titanium as it's lighter and offers better heat transfer. Titanium is generally tougher but so hard to machine I'm unhappy with the quality of finish on most Ti lights I've tried. Second I prefer more brightness settings and a higher maximum brightness than McGizmo lights offer. Third I prefer a User interface that allows instant access to both the highest and lowest output settings. So for me McGizmos don't work. They are terrific lights and seem well loved but you just have to understand your needs and priorities. If they match a McGizme that's a great choice.

thank you for the advice Jim…it is greatly appreciated…what would you consider the best custom edc light for you? (money not being a concern)

 

[cjmorris]

Check out dark sucks and lenslight. You will probably find what you are looking for at one of those sites.

 

[Per-Sev]

If money in not a issue then get a titanium Lenslight KO 2X123. This is my carry light and before that I carried the aluminum version of the same light with a titanium strike bezel. The light allows you to focus the beam from spot to flood and it has two modes low and high. On low its only 5 lumens but its enough to light up a dark room, I use the low setting 90% of the time then switch to high and get 440 lumens and it will give you a wall of light with the flood focus or go to the spot focus and see the house down the street. Make sure you get the newest version to get the upgraded led the XPG-2 its got 40 more lumens on high and longer run times on low than the original led. I had the old one in my aluminum light and it's still a great light but the newer one is a bit better. Here is my ti light. I had two McGizmo haikus and they are great lights but I like the Lenslight adjustable beam better but its personal preference so you can't go wrong either way.

 

[gktii]

Check out dark sucks and lenslight. You will probably find what you are looking for at one of those sites.

yeah i've checked out dark sucks and they make some incredible looking lights…i'll go check out lenslight now…thanks!

 

[gktii]

If money in not a issue then get a titanium Lenslight KO 2X123. This is my carry light and before that I carried the aluminum version of the same light with a titanium strike bezel. The light allows you to focus the beam from spot to flood and it has two modes low and high. On low its only 5 lumens but its enough to light up a dark room, I use the low setting 90% of the time then switch to high and get 440 lumens and it will give you a wall of light with the flood focus or go to the spot focus and see the house down the street. Make sure you get the newest version to get the upgraded led the XPG-2 its got 40 more lumens on high and longer run times on low than the original led. I had the old one in my aluminum light and it's still a great light but the newer one is a bit better. Here is my ti light. I had two McGizmo haikus and they are great lights but I like the Lenslight adjustable beam better but its personal preference so you can't go wrong either way.

ok great! thank you for the detailed info…and your light looks awesome!

 

[jimboutilier]

thank you for the advice Jim…it is greatly appreciated…what would you consider the best custom edc light for you? (money not being a concern)

The HDS EDC Rotary is the best custom light I've found for me. It's not pretty, except in a high level of workmanship kind of way. But it's super tough, reliable, efficient, compact, works on any flavor of its cell type, provides a wide variety of output levels, has a great beam quality with a nice mix of flood and throw, and has a great UI that gives you instant access to several output levels. It's even pretty inexpensive for a custom light at about $200.

It's a light I'd recommend anyone looking for a high quality EDC light take a look at provided they did not mention a criteria that excluded it. One of a handful of lights in my regular EDC rotation and the one I would put in my pocket if I was anticipating severe use conditions.