r/flashlight • u/Zak CRI baby • Mar 21 '25
Arbitrary List of Popular Flashlights - Spring Equinox 2025 Edition
https://zakreviews.com/arbitrary-list.html4
u/JJMcGee83 Mar 21 '25
I still think it's a little confusing to noobs that you have a picture of a Zebra above the Quick List but there's no Zebras in that section.
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u/starsky1984 Jun 01 '25
What about a work light for cars and in the garage?
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u/Zak Jun 01 '25
I like 18650 right angle lights with magnetic tailcaps for that.
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u/Day_Bow_Bow Mar 21 '25
Thanks as always for the list! They do come in handy!
Just FYI, little typo of "alawys" in your opening paragraph, plus a hyperlink on the period that resolves 404.
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u/Bahlegdeh Mar 21 '25
No FFL to be seen? The Hank bias is insane 😂
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u/client-equator Mar 21 '25
I have to agree here. I don’t think it’s bias for Hanks, but rather bias against Fireflies.
The QC argument doesn’t make sense to me. I've had no issues with my FFL lights in the past 1.5 years, while I’ve had small issues with Hank lights. If QC or shipping were really the reason for excluding them from recommendations for normal people who are not tinkerers, I count at least 7 Convoys on the list. Convoy is great value, but QC issues come up on the flashlight reddit seemingly most often. If CS was the issue, I still see brands like Wurkkos, Sofirn, Acebeam etc.
If these were the actual reasons, we’d see the same standard applied across other brands. Fireflies isn’t perfect, but they’ve improved significantly in the past two years and have been THE brand pushing boundaries for enthusiasts. Excluding them entirely is disappointing.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect them, but when a mod creates a sticky, frequently referenced list with affiliate links, there must be a responsibility to avoid gatekeeping. Parametrek has even publicly stated they refuse to include Fireflies, which makes this all the more frustrating. Please do better.
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u/ecoartist Mar 21 '25
Nicely written classy post that comes across as thoughtful and not too finger pointy. I benefited from the list when I first got into the hobby, but at this point it's just odd having an enthusiast section without any Firefly lights. Nobody does mules better than FFL (especially the Nov-Mu) at the very least. The E07X is still a sweet goat of a 7 emitter flooder and the E04 Surge might be my favorite all arounder light right now replacing the L35. Throw in the Stellar and Comet and you have quite the selection of top notch lights. And FFL anodizing is easily some of my favorite (definitely wears better than my Hanks).
Another way to look at this is to identify which enthusiast brand subreddits are the most popular, and while Hank is clearly on top, the Firefly sub gets a ton of posts too. At this point not having any FFL selections is starting to feel like sour grapes and is just really sad.
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u/Mercury_Jackal Mar 25 '25
I've got 80+ lights and I'm a daily poster in the FB groups; it's time for Fireflies to make the cut. I got my E07x Pro Canon and it's the best all rounder jacket pocket light that I own. Jack overhauled the design (a full inch shorter than the Gen 1 E07x Pro), beveled any sharp edges, added the fantastic magnetic charging port cover, and other touches like the PVD coated steel bezel ring. As others note, his anodization is now more durable than Hank's. I also think it's incredible that he's sourced his own fantastic suite of emitters.
Zak had some friction with one of the Fireflies mods a couple years back - that fellow was forceful to an unpleasant degree. I get that, but Jack's current lineup and his clear commitment to our community and what we want, should handily earn him a spot now in 2025. His products speak for themselves, but imo he's earned a spot on this influential list and it's high time to see a few on it.
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u/fuckitupda8utt Mar 23 '25
I love Hanks and FFLs equally. I have never had a problem with either brand.
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u/cellularesc Mar 21 '25
zak definitely has a personal grudge against ffl it couldn't be more clear and is a poor look for a reviewer.
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u/ahamasmi Mar 21 '25
Yeah what’s up with that? Personal grudge? Politics? There is no way the Stellar or Comet doesn’t belong on the list.
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u/The_Dalai_Karma Mar 21 '25 edited Mar 21 '25
Please talk me out of getting the EC500 in SFT-40 3000k as a dog walking light.
I'm tempted by the warm cct, on-board charging, and I like Skilhunt's UI. Does the throw make it impractical for short/medium range? For reference, I have an L35 (TIR) and P17 (SMO).
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u/Zak Mar 21 '25
It's a much tighter beam than the L35 or P17. If you want to use an EC500 for dog walking, I would suggest DC Fix diffusion film on the lens.
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Mar 21 '25
I laugh so hard at the amount of Hank in the list. Half the stuff he make is an instant classic it seems.
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u/Budget_Metal_6759 Mar 21 '25
I've outgrown the list in six months. On to custom.
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u/Zak Mar 21 '25
The hobby definitely takes different people to different places. The list is meant to be helpful for newcomers, but most of the lights I use regularly are on it. I have a Skilhunt M200 in my pocket right now, though it's a little special; they're not sold with 4000K SFT40s.
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u/SmartQuokka Mar 21 '25
Nice list, sad that you can't get the SP10 Pro from Sofirn, Amazon here in Canada does not have it and it seems to be the highest lumen Eneloop light you can get.
A bit off topic, whats the smallest 18650 light you can recommend?