once a year I email my favorite flashlight manufacturer to ask if they’ve finally made a flashlight that just turns on and off when you push the button, and every year they’re like, “no, but thanks so much for your feedback!”

be honest, have any of you ever used the flashing feature on your flashlight? did it actually come in handy? handy enough that I have to scroll past it every single time I want to turn my flashlight on or off

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    27
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    Just

    • on off switch/button
    • rotate the head for bright-dim-wtf

    That’s it. That’s what I want.

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    I don’t know, but I hate that, too. Modern flashlights have every advantage over the ones of old, but they ALL seem to have stupid things like that.

    Clicking through multiple brightness levels is one thing, but strobe, SOS, and 5 levels is ridiculous. Just give me on/high, low, and off.

    • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      I’m a slut for Emisar, they have one button and a stupid amount of functions, but you can put it in Muggle Mode where it’s just PRES BUTAN TO TURN ON, PRES BUTAN TO TURN OFF if you don’t wanna deal with all that.

      I like it with all the functions though, the software is mega easy once ya learn a couple basic functions. Also I’m a dweeb.

      • The Ramen Dutchman@ttrpg.network
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        But man they do not appear professional.

        Their about page is just a broken English “We are flashlight company”, their delivery information page just says “Delivery information”, they added every SNS icon under the sun (even ones that were disbanded years ago) to their footer but they all just refer to the front page, and the “FREE CALL” from the settings menu(??) is just a second mail to link.

        This website reads like a scam mail, my guy.

        • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          10 months ago

          It’s one Chinese dude. I’ve ordered a couple flashlights from him years ago and they’re all still in daily use for me now. It may sound weird but my experience has been excellent.

          Edit: also you have not linked to intl-outdoor or whatever site I got them from, I linked it in another comment

  • electromage@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    10 months ago

    You’re describing a UI that I’ve only seen in cheap hardware store flashlights. Yes it’s infuriating when you can’t just turn a light on or off, and choose the mode you want. I use strobe when crossing streets at night but my lights make it easy to access that feature when I want it.

    Who is this “favorite flashlight manufacturer”? I find it odd that you both have a favorite, and buy lights that act like this. There are thousands that don’t.

  • 11111one11111@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    10 months ago

    Couldn’t find one of the two bottles of doe piss and doe estrus piss I bought today. Went to my grandfather’s car to look for it and sure as shit he hands me a flashlight with one button that turned it on and off as well as having a rotating head that was kind of threaded so as you turn it, it will move closer and further from then bulb making the light adjustable the same way a garden hose nozzle that only rotates works. All the way out = wide flood light style beam. All the way in and it produces a bright pin point wide beam of light. It looked brand new too. If I remember I’ll ask him tomorrow what brand it is.

  • Valmond@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    10 months ago

    Same with bike lights, no I don’t want 16 different strobes, it’s not a vibrator.

    Thinking about it, vibrators should have a on/off button too.

  • estutweh@aussie.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    10 months ago

    Rescued my daughter in the cliched flat tyre in the rain scenario, the flashing light was good to alert other drivers. I think it’s something that could be useful very rarely.

  • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 🏆@yiffit.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    The maglights I have in my emergency kit only have 2 settings: On and off. It’s a switch not a button. If they ever put goofy ass strobe lights or whatever in maglights, I will stop buying them. I just need light; not an epileptic seizure.

  • Badabinski@kbin.earth
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    Flashlights that use the open source Anduril v2 interface are… tolerable, I’d say. It’s not good, it’s not intuitive, but it does at least make it easy to just turn the damn flashlight on and off.

    1. Click once to turn it on, once to turn it off
      • While it’s on, hold the button down to change the brightness
    2. Click twice quickly to put it in turbo mode, click twice quickly to take it out of turbo mode. One click turns the light off
    3. Click twice and hold your second click to turn the light on in turbo mode. Once you let go of the button, the light turns off. I actually really like this mode
    4. Strobe is three clicks, but it’s not the discotheque-ass crazy strobe, it’s usually an SOS pattern. One click turns it off
    5. Click four times to lock the flashlight. This stops it from turning on in your pocket. This is a big deal for some flashlights because they’re bright/hot enough to burn you if left on in an enclosed space. Four clicks takes it out of lock mode

    The interface gets way more complicated after that, but I don’t bother with any of that shit. Luckily, it’s hard to accidentally activate the crazy bullshit.

    There are also lights that mimic this pattern, but differ in a few key ways. The Wurkkos FC11 is a great option that’s relatively cheap. The 4000 K version is $35 and is bright with a nice neutral color temperature (I find it much easier on the eyes.) It follows the interface rules I outlined above except that it’s missing number 3 and the strobe is of the flashy hold-a-rave variety. Still, you have to specifically press the button 3 times in a row pretty quickly to trigger it. I never have accidental raves with mine.

      • Badabinski@kbin.earth
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        10 months ago

        lmao, kinda. There are a fair number of flashlights that are sold with Anduril though. I’ve personally never installed it/flashed it.

        EDIT: if what I’ve described sounds like an acceptable solution, you should check out the Wurkkos I mentioned. I absolutely hate lights that put a strobe between me and the the mode I want, and I’ve been very happy with mine.

      • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        10 months ago

        Emisar lights come with it already installed. I’ve never flashed mine. Just pop an 18650 in and you’re good to go.

    • Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      10 months ago

      Can confirm point 5, melted through a pocket with my Emisar D4, i just twist the cap off slightly when not in use rather than shutdown mode.

      • Badabinski@kbin.earth
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        10 months ago

        I like the shutdown mode because the moonlight mode thing it does is great at night. Like, I use it if I need to find something in my nightstand and want to avoid waking up my partner.

        EDIT: also, hello fellow flashlight nerd. I’m writing this with an Emisar D4K in my pocket.

    • electromage@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      It’s not intuitive in that someone with zero knowledge can pick it up and understand all of the features, but it is simple enough that someone can at least turn it on and off. If you know how to use it you can immediately access the lowest level or the highest level, without having to scroll through a bunch of modes you don’t want. You have to ramp the output up or down, but you can always turn it off with one click.

  • atrielienz@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    10 months ago

    If you’ve ever tried to read something off a label in the dark and outshined what you were looking at because the light was too bright, you know why.

  • randombullet@programming.dev
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    10 months ago

    I have a two button flashlight. One button to change settings and one to turn on and off. It has memory so it uses the last setting used that’s not strobe or the highest setting

  • huginn@feddit.it
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    10 months ago

    I got an Acebeam EC35 Gen II a couple years back and while there are many settings you can use there’s a big button onto he back that turns it on full blast and you click it again to turn it off. Done.

  • 474D@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    10 months ago

    The vast majority of flashlights just go to your last setting with one click, what flashlights are you using that this is an issue?

  • tty5@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    10 months ago

    Peak power can only be maintained for a minute (if you are lucky) before it overheats. Peak power is the main advertised spec, so it has to be high and default mode so you don’t feel cheated when you turn it on for the first time. The other modes you toggle through are settings that can be sustained for extended periods of time.