Sunday, May 13, 2007

Conversation: Flashlight features

12:00:25 AM Me: its early, did you get kicked out too?
12:00:41 AM Mike: no i went straight home from work
12:00:56 AM Me: ah, pre-emptively kicked yourself out
12:03:35 AM Mike: shouldn't you be out testing flashlights?
12:05:45 AM Me: yes, actually
12:06:14 AM Mike: throw
12:06:19 AM Mike: longevity
12:06:41 AM Mike: patented
12:06:46 AM Mike: adjustable
12:08:40 AM Me: or flood
12:08:43 AM Me: tint
12:08:48 AM Mike: hue
12:08:50 AM Mike: saturation
12:09:09 AM Me: glare/bounceback
12:09:37 AM Me: ergonomics
12:09:44 AM Me: retention
12:10:04 AM Me: ease of activation
12:10:07 AM Me: versatility
12:10:13 AM Mike: weight
12:10:16 AM Mike: size
12:10:19 AM Mike: color
12:10:22 AM Mike: finish
12:11:29 AM Me: clip design (if applicable)
12:11:33 AM Me: interface
12:11:42 AM Mike: lanyard hole angle and position
12:11:44 AM Me: tailstanding/candle mode
12:12:01 AM Me: stealthiness
12:12:24 AM Me: waterproofness
12:12:59 AM Mike: lens material
12:13:04 AM Mike: reflector material
12:13:08 AM Mike: body material
12:13:11 AM Me: reflector surface
12:13:13 AM Mike: openable without special toolsable
12:13:25 AM Mike: extra bulb in tailcap
12:13:55 AM Mike: underwaterness
12:13:57 AM Me: anodize type
12:14:18 AM Mike: assembled by which minority
12:14:45 AM Me: out of parts from which country
12:14:54 AM Me: what type of led, if applicable
12:15:10 AM Me: what kind of bulb fill, if applicable
12:15:22 AM Mike: tungsten
12:15:27 AM Me: thats the filament
12:15:30 AM Me: more like xenon
12:15:34 AM Mike: argon
12:15:48 AM Me: krypton
12:16:15 AM Mike: ability to crush walnut
12:16:55 AM Me: ability to not be crushed by a truck
12:17:04 AM Mike: float or not float
12:17:20 AM Me: battery chemistry options
12:17:38 AM Mike: battery combustibility
12:17:44 AM Mike: finish toughness
12:18:06 AM Me: finish matching of components
12:18:47 AM Mike: do i go get another 4x4
12:18:50 AM Mike: i'm hungy still
12:18:59 AM Me: you already have a 4x4
12:19:24 AM Mike: i ate it!
12:19:30 AM Me: ranger!
12:19:34 AM Me: no!
12:19:42 AM Mike: we're off topic
12:19:56 AM Mike: ability to swap lens for colored one
12:20:16 AM Mike: ability to affix shock resistant gear
12:20:27 AM Mike: shock gear material
12:20:34 AM Me: heft
12:20:48 AM Me: accessory assortment
12:21:14 AM Me: shock/recoil protection
12:21:44 AM Me: circumference to hand size factor
12:22:25 AM Me: knurling comfort
12:23:07 AM Me: levels spacing, if applicable
12:25:00 AM Mike: gasket type
12:25:03 AM Mike: gasket material
12:25:08 AM Me: /o-ring
12:25:15 AM Me: number of o-rings
12:25:18 AM Mike: oring is a gasket type
12:25:27 AM Me: yes, the type that flashlights use
12:25:34 AM Mike: i'm sure there are variations
12:25:44 AM Me: I don't have one with anything else
12:25:48 AM Mike: sure you do
12:25:54 AM Mike: i bet that old one is just pipe thread
12:26:13 AM Me: actually the threads are just the molding of the metal
12:26:20 AM Me: its like crimped into threads
12:26:29 AM Mike: thats a joint type then
12:26:40 AM Me: k
12:26:45 AM Mike: little hook or no little hook
12:26:48 AM Mike: did we do pocket clip?
12:26:53 AM Me: I think so
12:26:57 AM Mike: pocket clip removable if applicable
12:27:09 AM Mike: oh yea, i finally killed the black widow
12:27:15 AM Me: good job
12:27:17 AM Me: how
12:27:17 AM Mike: i used a 3d mag too
12:27:20 AM Me: nice
12:27:28 AM Me: black widow killability
12:28:26 AM Me: non-removability of clip when not trying to remove it, if applicable
12:28:57 AM Me: ease of clip use / pocket retention
12:29:46 AM Me: thread smoothness, length, and strength
12:30:05 AM Mike: pitch
12:30:08 AM Mike: metric or standard
12:30:34 AM Mike: focal length if applicable
12:31:15 AM Me: silence on all levels; or volume, pitch, and annoyance factor if not
12:31:54 AM Me: value
12:32:20 AM Mike: nono no
12:32:23 AM Mike: value is subjective
12:32:28 AM Me: beatability (related to cost and toughness)
12:33:13 AM Me: value is subjective, but some lights are just clearly a good value, like when theyre cheap but have performance above what youd expect at their pricepoint and don't give up anything critical
12:34:03 AM Mike: oh like every mag
12:34:04 AM Me: for example, my surefires are ok value to me, but are very poor value overall, but my highlighter is a good value, even though I rarely use it
12:34:15 AM Me: but mag gets you on the bulb and D cell replacement
12:34:18 AM Mike: larger than 5D or not
12:34:30 AM Mike: its cheaper to just buy a new maglite
12:34:35 AM Mike: with 2 bulbs and fresh duracells
12:34:49 AM Me: they dont come with fresh duracells unless its a minimag
12:34:58 AM Mike: yes they do
12:35:07 AM Me: my 3D didnt
12:35:09 AM Mike: my 3D definately came with duracells
12:35:11 AM Me: 2C didnt either
12:35:16 AM Me: when did you get it?
12:35:26 AM Mike: 5 years probably
12:35:29 AM Me: I think they used to supply them, they definitely dont anymore
12:35:30 AM Mike: and it came with a minimag
12:35:38 AM Mike: which also had batteries
12:35:40 AM Mike: and the holster
12:35:45 AM Me: my 3D came with a minimag, mini accessories, and 2 AAs
12:35:55 AM Me: 2C came with nothing
12:36:01 AM Me: 2Ds Ive seen come with nothing
12:36:22 AM Mike: they make a 2d?
12:36:30 AM Me: of course
12:36:42 AM Me: its 15 bucks, same as 2C
12:36:56 AM Me: I have one, check it out
12:38:13 AM Mike: a 2d?
12:38:15 AM Mike: its probably ugly
12:38:23 AM Mike: all stubby
12:38:23 AM Me: it looks like a 3D
12:38:29 AM Me: only one that has 2 Ds
12:38:31 AM Me: instead of 3
12:38:48 AM Me: its actually not all that stubby, still pretty long
12:39:03 AM Me: but definitely stubbier looking than the 3
12:40:33 AM Me: you forgot shininess
12:41:42 AM Me: grabability in temperature extremes
12:42:36 AM Mike: theyre all aluminum body mostly, thats probably pretty god aweful
12:42:49 AM Mike: steel will isolate the temperature alot better
12:43:00 AM Mike: but at the same time aluminum allows the whole body to become a heatsink
12:43:18 AM Me: yeah, if theyve been sitting in a cold car they are pretty uncomfortable, thats where polymer bodies are really nice
12:44:00 AM Mike: no you need a flashlight glove
12:44:18 AM Mike: like a falconer has a glove
12:44:27 AM Me: no, just need to pick the right material for the temperature you'll be facing
12:45:01 AM Me: or, if it'll be used in the cold, you'll probably want two gloves regardless of the type of light
12:48:21 AM Me: bezel sharpness
12:51:29 AM Me: switch durability
12:51:31 AM Me: switch noise
12:52:07 AM Mike: one thats overlooked alot
12:52:10 AM Mike: smell
12:52:15 AM Mike: some of them are just horrible
12:52:21 AM Me: that's true
12:52:31 AM Mike: and it gets on your hands
12:52:34 AM Me: I have some lamps I don't like to use anymore because they smell when heated
12:52:48 AM Me: rubber coated ones can leave a smell on your hands
12:52:54 AM Me: and copper/brass ones like the old one
12:53:56 AM Me: this isnt a big factor to me, but taste when mouth holding
12:58:59 AM Me: color rendition
12:59:07 AM Me: is it better suited to indoor or outdoor use
1:09:15 AM Mike: ok using the laptop sucks i'm gonna go do other stuff
1:09:23 AM Me: okbye

No comments: