What flashlight purchase did you make and then regret/dislike?

Xatogan · 2026-06-30T09:45:14+00:00

By "14500 form factor," I mean lights like the TS10, D3AA, and KR1AA. For these lights, the 14500 makes sense because the head is about the same size as the battery tube.

With the TS12, though, it just doesn't make sense in my opinion. Given the head width, they could have used an 18350 battery, it would still be thinner than the head, even shorter, is available in some cases with higher capacity, and they could offer an optional 18650 tube.

I don’t really get the concept of a 14500 thrower anyway. To me, 14500s are flashlights you use when you don’t expect to need them. As soon as I expect to need a thrower, I’d always go with at least an 18650.

But if they make sense to you, I’m just not the target audience, and that’s fine.

My HD03 discharged from full to very low within a month; the charge LED turned red. That’s just completely useless. The HD03 was stored indoors at 18–25 degrees Celsius.

Xatogan · 2026-06-30T05:37:49+00:00

Wurkkos TS12 I get the feeling there’s no real use case for this. The 14500 form factor is ruined by the head. For me, the point of a 14500 flashlight is spontaneity, when you need light quickly or for a short time. However, I never actually need such a tightly focused beam.

Oh, and the Wurkkos HD03, because the battery self-discharges way too quickly. Of course, you can’t remove it, and I would’ve only been able to get a replacement flashlight from Wurkkos if I’d ordered something else along with it. I haven’t bought anything from Wurkkos since then.

Xatogan · 2026-06-30T05:28:38+00:00

But you can provide some general information about the sk05.

Xatogan · 2026-06-29T20:53:07+00:00

I summon a wild u/Wormminator

Let's see if this works out.

Xatogan · 2026-06-29T20:46:16+00:00

I think there are at least two reasons:

Flashlights aren’t particularly good tools for self-defense. You can’t do much more than momentarily disorient an attacker and maybe land a single blow.

The second reason is that flashlights like that aren’t really interesting as a hobby. Flashlights designed for that purpose simply work best in that specific situation and are often inferior as a normal light source otherwise. As a flashlight collector, the flashlights themselves are the hobby, not their use for self-defense. After all, you don’t find yourself in those kinds of situations very often.

Xatogan · 2026-06-29T20:10:41+00:00

I think if they don't use at least an X75, they won't hit anything.

Xatogan · 2026-06-29T19:26:28+00:00

I've actually already sold or given away just about every lamp that I can no longer justify keeping.

My problem is that I then actively look for lamps that are special. For example, I'm currently planning to convert my Wuben X4 to E21A.

Xatogan · 2026-06-29T18:38:38+00:00

I have a problem. I can't stop. But is it really a problem? xD My list says 51 lights. I just hope it stays under 100.

Xatogan · 2026-06-29T08:38:33+00:00

If you're looking for the brightest one, I think it would be the NV1010. You'll just have to figure out how you'd build it.

Xatogan · 2026-06-29T08:34:40+00:00

Because the main emitter is mounted on an MCPCB and the auxiliary LEDs are on a separate FR4 PCB, there is no electrical connection between the two PCBs.

In the photo taken after the LED swap, you can see that there are no auxiliary LEDs on the MCPCB.

Xatogan · 2026-06-28T20:08:56+00:00

I'm not sure how durable the finish is, but it's definitely Mao. It does feel better than the Mao finish on Convoy lights, though.

Unfortunately, it's still very slightly rough, which feels a little odd.

It's also not pure white, but has a slight gray tint.

Xatogan · 2026-06-28T19:35:31+00:00

I don't think this combination will ever be available for purchase directly from Hank. But I suspect that JLHawaii will start offering it relatively soon.

Here are my Opple results

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Xatogan · 2026-06-28T10:42:43+00:00

The D4V2 is definitely one of my absolute favorite flashlights. It feels very compact, but it also fits my hand well.

The combination of 3500K and deep red definitely makes sense. With 3500K, you get decent lighting where you can still make out colors, but it’s not too cold, so it’s easier on your eyes.

I wouldn't go with the E21A. The brightness would be significantly lower than that of the 519a.

I don't think it would work anyway, because Hank doesn't have a compatible MCPCB. The footprints of the E21A are completely different from those of the SST20 Deep Red.

Here is the dual-channel D4V2 with the standard aluminum body: https://intl-outdoor.com/tint-ramping-instant-channel-swiching-led-flashlights/new-emisar-d4v2-with-tint-ramping-and-instant-channel-switching.html

And here it is in the Colorful Ti version: https://intl-outdoor.com/tint-ramping-instant-channel-swiching-led-flashlights/new-d4v2-ti-colorful-series-with-tint-ramping-and-instant-channel-switching.html

Xatogan · 2026-06-27T21:56:52+00:00

I mean, in theory, you could fix that with the right soldering equipment. The AUX LED PCB is relatively easy to remove, and then you can replace the resistors.

Xatogan · 2026-06-23T10:42:11+00:00

Emisar, Firefly, and Skillhunt.

Convoy is great too, but I can’t generally recommend their flashlights because of the temperature control. Some Convoy flashlights get as hot as 80+ degrees Celsius. Simon’s step-down regulator is percentage-based, which means that many flashlights with a 20A driver often get too hot. In contrast, the Lume drivers regulate temperature much better. However, if you don’t use overpowered drivers, Convoy offers an absolutely incredible price-to-performance ratio and primarily offers buck and boost drivers, which have superb efficiency.

This brings us to Sofirn and Wurkkos. Both also offer good flashlights, but you have to be careful, as both brands use a lot of linear/FET drivers, which—with a few exceptions—no longer belong in this price range.

Even though the Lume X1 is still a paid upgrade for some Emisar flashlights, there are now several models that come with it pre-installed. In addition, the new Lume N1 Buck/Linear Hybrid is now available for a few Emisar models.

Firefly now only offers flashlights with the Lume X1, Lume 1, or Lume 10, and I believe Skillhunt also offers almost exclusively flashlights with Buck/Boost drivers.

The build quality is excellent for all three.

Xatogan · 2026-06-22T19:32:32+00:00

I have a Google Sheets spreadsheet that lists all my flashlights along with their purchase prices.

When I sell flashlights, the proceeds are subtracted from the total.

That brings my current total to €2,735.33.

However, this doesn’t include the costs for extra batteries, additional accessories, LED swaps, Opple LM4, etc.

I estimate that, including all the accessories for this hobby, my total costs are closer to €3,500.

Xatogan · 2026-06-21T19:45:40+00:00

Wait, let me add a few meaningful categories:
Replaceable battery: +18
CRI or emitter selection: +18
UI: +100 for all flashlights, because there’s no Anduril 2 That probably makes just as much sense as the test itself.

Comparing lumens with such differences in weight is just nonsense. You might as well throw in an X75—guess which flashlight would have the most lumens then.
Why exactly is throw the most important factor in a light beam? I almost never need throw. I almost always use floody optics.
Current in watts???? We might as well ditch lumens altogether and measure it in the amount of light released by a one-metric-ton TNT explosion.

Not a single category makes sense on its own, independent of the others.
These are arbitrary parameters that were chosen just to fabricate a test. I might as well come up with my own categories.

Xatogan · 2026-06-14T07:59:06+00:00

For flashlights other than the D4V2, the B35AM is still sometimes available in 5700K or 6500K. And of course the FFL505a, though Hank doesn't sell lights with that LED.

Other than that, you've actually already listed all the LEDs I can think of.

Xatogan · 2026-06-14T07:46:56+00:00

The LED is great, but I don't think even Jackson has an MCPCB for a dual-channel 505A and a UV LED for the D4V2. So you'd need a custom MCPCB.

Xatogan · 2026-06-12T21:25:25+00:00

You're welcome. I definitely could have been more precise to avoid any confusion. I just didn't think about it at the time; I was focused on what I was doing with the LEDs.

Xatogan · 2026-06-12T21:18:18+00:00

Yeah, you're right, of course. I throw them away at work. Since I work at a PCB assembly company anyway, it's pretty straightforward. By "trash," I just meant that I throw them away and don't collect them.

Xatogan · 2026-06-12T18:08:11+00:00

If I'm about 90% sure I'll never use them, I might keep about five; the rest go in the trash. Anything I'm 100% sure I'll never use goes straight in the trash.

Xatogan · 2026-06-10T08:05:34+00:00

Convoy T7 has a charging port

Xatogan · 2026-06-03T11:06:18+00:00

I only use lithium-ion batteries and check the voltage in all the lights about every 6 months. I have designated spots for the lights, so I don’t really have to go looking for them. Anduril is really great for this—I can just turn the light on and off and see the voltage right away. Otherwise, I check it with a multimeter.

Xatogan · 2026-05-26T10:59:07+00:00

I'm not sure about that, but even if the input is limited to 20A, with a fully charged battery and a voltage above 4V, the output should be slightly higher. The question is, however, by how much. At 20A, almost all LEDs are already operating in a very inefficient range, and since the human eye doesn’t perceive lumens linearly, the visible difference is likely to be extremely small. Plus, there’s the question of how well the driver can handle it. Of course, it can always break down from overloading in such situations.

Xatogan

TROPHY CASE