State of the Union

Torches are way harder to track than knives. If knives are suffering from a deluge of choice, flashlights are a tidal wave. But the enthusiast market is a bit more “trackable.” There is still a lot of good stuff out there and most of it is under $100. A $100 light is almost always better compared to the competition than a $100 knife. I generally carry the Mini Turbo Mk 3 with the TRM N2. The light is $80, the knife is $100 more. So value is still king in the flashlight world.

This year saw the release of the CWF Peanut, a light that really has my wallet locked in a tractor beam. Only the excessive price bump associated with a titanium version has helped me resist its siren’s song. Man is this a cool little light. How Charles managed to pack in all those eletronics pieces in a torch that compact blows my mind. He is clearly one of the best custom makers out there right now.

Jason also released a new Preon which I have had to stay my hand a few times to resist buying. Its sporting an upgraded emitter and a classy “Java” colorway. This has always been a solid torch. I just wish it could tailstand. If there was an adapter ring for it like the Quarks, I’d have on already.

The biggest news, which happened over the last 18 months, is that Surefire is releasing lights with competitive features. The EDC-1 is REALLY good. A review will be posted soon, but I am very impressed with this light, its build, design choices, and its throw. What a cool light.

I am not as bored with torches as I am with knives, as you can probably tell, but some of the market niches have been “solved” for lack of a better term. In other words, the lack of new entries from the 2023 list is not because the market is boring but because some products are just that much better than stuff released last week.

Ten Best

While drafting this list I realized that I have never done a “by battery” best of which seems stupid on my part, so I have remedied that this year.

Best CR123a for EDC: FourSevens Mini Mk. III Turbo in Ti (Review and Buy)

This has been a light that has lived in my pocket for years now, first as the original aluminum version and then as the Ti version. Both are great. The combintion of size, throw, and output make this a light that can do real work without gobbling up space in your pocket. The pocket clip, despite being a friction clip, really works. I have never had it pop off during use or carry. If you need a one and done light, this is a great choice. If you have a dozen torches in a felt-lined case, you would still be smitten with this little gem. I also think the Turbo, with its real optic, is a step up from the non-Turbo version with a TIR. I don’t even hate the twisty UI. Not once in the years I have carried this light (in both versions) have I dropped into a mode accidentally. Its great, its under a hundred bucks, and it will last a lifetime.

Best AAA for EDC: Reylight Mini Pineapple (Review and Buy)

If you are planning on being a normal human, your best option is a 1xAAA. It lights up the underside of a table or beneath the seats in your car. It can get you from an elevator to your car in a dark parking garage. And it can do the shiny diamond trick. But if you need throw or runtime or a lot of lumens you are out of luck unless you go full custom and embrace your Li-Ion overlords. This is the perfect convenience light, but is probably outclassed by most outdoor tasks that take longer than 10 minutes. For me, most of the time, a 1xAAA is perfect. I have had a few versions of this light and they have all been great. The current versions run more lumens (500) and have a new clip and new tailcap both of which are marked improvements. I love my Beta QR v3, but the Reylight is both cheaper and brighter. Its a damn good value for what you get.

Best AA for EDC: Zebralight SC53c (Pictured below is the SC5c II LE, which is functionally similar, with a different body tube, but is out of production and reviewed here)

Boy has Zebralight found its niche. Other than mega pricey custom or small batch lights, nothing beats a Zebralight 1xAA. I have an earlier model and the differences are slight, but I am confident that the build quality, compact size, and ease of use remain the same. The UI is a bit silly (Don’t believe me? Here is a 15 minute video on the “simple” and “intuitive” programming system), but I have never dropped into some weird mode by accident. Still, it could happen and so I don’t think these lights are perfect. But they are very, very good.

Best 18650 for EDC: Nothing, this is a trick question.

Most of these lights are way too big and bulky. I like the IDEA of an 18650, but like with Homer’s admonition to Marge—communism is good IN THEORY. In practice I just haven’t found a light that makes sense. The small ones have horrendous optics and laughable beam patterns with throws that only embarass an LRI Rabbit. The big ones are too big. Alas, maybe I need to try a Zebralight 18650 and see if they work. Stay tuned.

Best 10180 Light/Best Budget Light: Sofrin SC01

Where did this light go? Its off Amazon, but you can find it on some of the other “we sell everything” sites. Think of it this way—it is the cheapest charger for an 10180 cell on the market AND a superior flashlight. With a twist, twist more UI, it does quite a bit for such a small package. I love this light and carry it regularly when I need to be discrete or when it is whitheringly hot out.

Best High End EDC: Dawson Machine Craft Hoku Clicky (Review)

If I made a checklist of all the features I want in a flashlight I would have created the design specs for this light. The light just hits every single point that matters. It is good in the pocket, plenty bright, with a real optic, and just the right shape. It tailstands. If money is no object, get this light. Its not as complex as the BOSS35 or as expensive as the CWF Peanut, but I think those are features not flaws.

Best Light in a Power Outage: 47s MXS Maelstrom (Review)

Jason operates on another level from most torch designers and this is proof. With its instant on feature when power goes out and a charging stand the light is ready for emergencies. Its huge battery capacity and massive optic/array makes it a photon howitzer. You won’t find something as well thought out as this light anywhere. Hat tip to Jason, yet again.

Best Light for a Night Stroll: Surefire EDC-1 DFT (Buy)

My wife and I take a walk almost every day and on the weekdays it is always at night. After a few failed attempts to find a good torch, I bit the bullet and jumped back into the Surefire pool. The EDC-1 is a brilliant torch with impressive specs and a mindblowing amount of throw. Other than a LEP, like the light below, you won’t find a compact torch that throws like this. But unlike the LEPs out there, the EDC-1 has a very functional beam with real spill. After a car stopped us a few months ago to warn us that a bear had crossed the street in front of them, we don’t walk without a torch and nothing I have seen comes close to this gem. Its also a suitable “One Ring” light—compact enough to carry daily (if you REALLY have to) but durable and flexible enough to do whatever you need it to. The dual fuel really ups the light’s versatility.

Best Light to Delight Children and Star Wars Fans: Maratac Mini Cosmos LEP

LEPs aren’t practical at all. They are pretty awful as an EDC light and as a searchlight, their complete lack of spill makes them less than ideal. But you don’t buy a Pagani Utopia because it is practical. You do it because it is fun, it has that Gee Whiz factor that is hard to ignore. If you want a light to delight in using or to fulfill your lightsaber fantasies, this is it. It is so bright with such a tight beam that even on a clear night you get a tight, focused column of light. On a foggy night or near the ocean, this thing is immensely fun to play with. Add to that the durability of a real flashlight and maybe, just maybe you can justify buying this thing. If you want something that makes you giggle when you turn it on, pay the $90.

Best OOP Light that Needs to be Made Again: Veleno Designs Quantum D2 (Review of prototype Steve Ku 40DD)

Just like with knives, I want to highlight a torch that needs to be remade. The D2 was so small and so capable that even to this day, a decade later, nothing has come close. It was a pretty inexpensive light too. I have the prototype, the 40DD and it is still a fun light to use. The Sofrin SC01 is a kinda sorta replacement (same battery) but lacks the incredibly small size, QTC UI, and the ability to tailstand. This is a true gem that needs to be made again.

Dual to the Death: BOSS 35 (Review) v. CWF Peanut

The top of the market has two really interesting choices right now—the BOSS35 and the CWF Peanut. Both are clickies and both are about as small as you can get without using a side clicky format. And the CWF Peanut is actually a bit smaller than the BOSS35. This set up—18350 and tailcap clicky is a really great foundation. I prefer the BOSS35 for the machining and body tube as well as the unique programming mode, but I wouldn’t toss the Peanut out of bed for eating crackers (at 46 I am now allowed to unironically use that phrase borrowed straight from my grandfather). I didn’t like the Micro Arcadian for the inability to tailstand and the wonky programming, but the Peanut seems to fix the tailstanding problem. One might be in my future, once Charles releases a run of aluminum torches. I like Ti and all, but not enough to pay $200 more.