I have had similar issues with lights. I got a light that was somewhat similar to your latter one, but it runs on only one AA battery. It, unfortunately, suffers from many of the issues you identified from the first light. It has thermal issues that knock it down from the brightest mode to the least bright mode at inopportune times, and it doesn't take very long. Often, I'll lose the bright light at the end of the driveway after taking the garbage bins down there, a 2 or 3 minute walk. It took me a while to realize that i didn't need to replace the battery every time it kicked out of the bright mode. As a result, I often default to the cheapo lights we can buy in 10-packs at the warehouse stores. They take 3xAAA batteries, are brighter than the lower modes of the expensive light, and aren't expensive to replace if/when they get broken. That said, they're small and light enough that they don't often break unless the children get ahold of them. Ill check out the one you recommend. I wasn't super impressed when you exposed the rechargeable battery, but the ability to use 2xAA in a pinch completely turned that around.
I thought the rechargeable was a bit odd looking but there are spares available & I love that you take it out and just charge it on any old USBC lead. After using it for a while I am really very pleased with it
I got a head torch for Christmas (£15) and it’s excellent. Leaves both hands free so I can operate the gate easily. Great video thank you Hugh. Give my love to Fiona x
Product Design with Hugh! Not going to lie, I was wondering initially what the video was for but as someone who is really interested in product design, specifically, user experience, this video is a really good explainer for students to demonstrate how the design of a simple everyday object can really make or break a product. Well done! More please!
Thanks 👍. I'm not averse to feature rich products - when those features meet a genuine need, but when they confuse the user & obscure the true purpose then the design does rather "grind my gears"
More 'grumpy old man' ranting videos please, Hugh. Love em! Seriously though, I'm right with you. It never ceases to amaze me how product designers can get things so wrong with, what should be, quite simple, easy-to-use devices. Don't get me started on modern alarm clocks. Eventually had to give up on fancy, complicated digital ones and get one of those old school types with the two bells on the top....you know where you are with them. (or am I just getting old?)
Thank you Hugh (and Fiona of course) for your videos. With flashlights I would care for their water resistance as well. Not that I would wait for a downpour at night and go outside flashlighting but being sure it will work despite high humidity or water splashes would mean a lot. The first example of yours shows a lot of wear but I it is made of some sort of metal and would last long. I thought the Nitecore was plastic but Amazon says it is aluminum so should be quite durable. Wonder how it looks in a year. Size of lens is also important. The larger the lens, the more light can pass through. But at the same time large lens are generally more fragile. There is always a rock on the road waiting for your torch to fall on it. So basically if the lens are set a bit deeper it is a safer choice. Cheers!
I have a 30 year old Mag light. It's huge, no way to put it in a pocket, but it does have a belt ring you can wear. It's HEAVY, you can clobber a bandit or a fox with it. It's BRIGHT, you can see the future with it. It's adjustable, a broad light to illuminate the whole hayfield, or narrow, you can set a rabbit alight.
oh my God! Those beautiful little creatures surrounding you looking like they're trying to understand what you are talking about....they're just lovely!
I'm a budget flashlight enthusiast. I can't recommend the Convoy S2+ highly enough. The interface can usually be selected between complicated to iterating via four levels of brightness. No magic combos. The C8 is a "thrower", and good to have handy if you need to light up the distance.
@@EnglishCountryLife Yes, the flashlights can be set to one of various "modes of operation". One of the modes is a simple on/off and nothing else. Another mode will cycle through dim (old men like me going to bathroom at 2 am), ordinary (around house) and full (cats fighting in garden). Need to check your pickled eggs video next. I spend a fortune on those.
@@EnglishCountryLife Yeah after watching the video noticed it was other forms of preserving. I know many will think I'm sick in the head but I love pickled eggs. And pickled cauliflower. Dill pickles not worth doing at home given how widely available they are at the eastern european shops here.
I like both. Head torches are good for having both hands free but not good at being carried in a pocket. Our choice for a headlight is the Petzl Actik Core. Rechargeable OR AAA, bright & light amzn.to/49NW5gX
I bought a SureFire G2X Tactical way back in like 2009, still have it - haven't replaced the led cob on it, still works - batteries last forever and the size is perfect for my uses.
Plus 1 for headlight torches. Walking the dogs,shutting up the chickens,checking on the pigs not to mention two free hands when you need to do something. The one I have is roughly the same size as the Olight you show with an elasticated strap.Fits in your pocket and can be angled to how you need it. Recharges on a USB cable in about an hour. Only downside I've found is during the summer you can get dozy moths fluttering in your face going after the light.
An interesting watch. My everyday carry torch is nearly thre years old now and was from Asda, I think it was £3. It holds three ordinary triple A batteries which I replace as and when needed with whatever is cheapest. I have tried rechargeable batteries in it but they don't seem to last as long. So far its survived really well from being dropped countless times, falling off the roof of my vehicle at 50mph and a 101 other incidents, including dropping it into a tin of gloss paint. I wish i had purchased more of them at the time, I have not seen the exact same one for sale since.
I have a friend living in a small village in the English countryside. You really need a torch when you walk the streets in the dark there. Also for cars to see you.
The settings on the torch are similar on all Olights, they do get quite hot, the lock function is useful if the torch is used as a backup in a car glove box or backpack as it will prevent accidental turning on. LED lenser make good torches that take standard lithium batteries, the head torches such as the H7R or hand torch such as P7R are excellent, also a lantern ML6 is very useful in the event of a power cut. Maglites are also an excellent if bulky torch for around the house that use standard D cell battery’s.
Nice video! American friend here that appreciates the unit translations :) - Might I ask what species of wood that is? It has a wonderful looking grain!
These "innovations" sound really great, but I hope it demonstrates they create a huge amount of problems in a practical sense. I was on a bit of a rant though... :-)
I love the larger more sophisticated flashlights IN THEIR PROPER PLACE. I carried them as a cop and they’re great for professional truckers, firemen, EMS, etc. (people that actually use those features and keep them plugged into the vehicle charger when not in use. BUT! As you say I don’t need all that for everyday life nor do I want to go through complicated manipulation. I used to love the old Mini-Mag from Maglite but the twist on/off switch had the same shortcomings you mentioned regarding accidental activation and running g down the batteries. I quite like your second one.
@@santamanone That second one just works. Bright, simple, light weight. I've never had a Nitecore light before (but I really rate their battery chargers)
Bacon chap here. Sorry old mate but a torch with a standard 18650 3.7V cell is a lot cheaper and the batteries are available anywhere and so are the chargers so I don't have to wait. I have been using 3 aluminium - high - low and flashing (that is annoying). Why? I got them off EBAY for almost nothing and I vape (which they use 18650's). In fact I use the old 18650's in the torches and the original one I bought 9 years ago is still lasting hours. Why did I buy new ones ? Gawd knows I don't. I do charge on an old brick, that's just for safety as they do go into China syndrome mode rarely. I did belt a nail through one and nothing happened - it was flat ?
@@EnglishCountryLife 18650 sized lights can be found in anything from a few hundred lumen to upwards of 4-5000 lumens at least. However, they can't hold that for long due to heat, almost regardless of size of the light. I think the most I've seen a 1x18650 light hold for a longer time is around 1000 lumens, most others will step down to something lower given a few minutes.
@@WarriorNN That's more or less my experience, I do like the capability of this torch to accept widely available AAs etc. if needed. I have got some 18650 torches and they work, but wouldn't be my choice for long trips
Yet another useful and practical video. On the subject of suggestions for videos, you may recall that about a year ago I suggested you make a video showing how you make your videos. A sort of 'fly on the wall' type, and you said it was a good idea and you would give it a go. I was just wondering how things are coming along ? 🙂ps. love and hugs to hop along. Xx
@@EnglishCountryLife I look forward to seeing the first instalment. My own videhave stalled a little. The poor weather is not conducive to filming outdoors and I have had to complete some projects just with photos so I will just have to do a voice over to explain things.
Mine has 2000 Lumen. I got it to use it in dark areas during the winter while walking my dogs and to temporarily blind an asailant. It's called Beizkna LED Torch. It comes with a black storage case, torch pouch, bike torch stand, lanyard, 3x AAA batteries, plastic pipe (for setting battery), USB battery charger and a battery holder. I paid 14 quid for it.
Hi Trev, it gets far less hot than the Ollight does. It's certainly warm to the touch but warm rather than hot. You wouldn't burn yourself on it or jerk your hand back. Want me to run a thermometer on it?
@@EnglishCountryLife I'd be interested in the result compared to the Olight. I was put of buying Nitecore due to quite a few reviews saying they where "hot in the hand". We are looking at hand torches for our emergency bags to complement our headlamps. It is a detail often overlooked when purchasing torches.
Hard to do a good comparison because the Olight switches off the "turbo" mode in 60s. But after 5 minutes, in continuous 1000lm, the Nitecore reached 41C on the metal right by the LED. The hottest part of the body that you hold was 32C. I could hold the whole torch with my fingers wrapped around the head. The head did feel very warm but certainly wasn't hot enough to cause a burn or pain.
@@EnglishCountryLife Sorry, we lost the internet until late today. Appreciate the temp check, some of the reviews I have read stated the torch became too hot and marked it down as a major design flaw, obviously not the case. Thanks again.
Hi hugh , one of my pet hates of modern torches is the strobe mode as i can't see a use for it unless you are lost up a mountain ( not many of them in Norfolk ) do you know how to disable that mode as its very annoying when you scroll through trying to find the brightness you want . Thanks Jim
Hi Jim, I don't think you can disable it. It drives me mad as well! That's one of the reasons I like the Nitecore, it doesn't have pointless modes that strobe etc.
Yeah, the second is a far better design. Surprised you don't use a head torch though. The major advantage is keeping both hands free, another is the beam is always automatically sychronised with your field of view. I use the one made by energizer combined with a small box of precharged AAA's. 3 modes, small, light, inexpensive, only 400 lumens max though... From a fellow sticks dweller 😊
We've lived without pavements and street lights for 30 years. Then we got ourselves a campervan. So we get your point. Petzl head torch with rechargeable battery pack or 3XAAA at a pinch aren't cheap but fulfil the majority of our needs. For a torch we use the pocket led lensers. Again not cheap. But both are simple to operate and robust enough for our needs. On dim, medium, bright, off. It's all you need. When out in the van and ambience is required we use little rechargeable lanterns. You are often better off with three items to deal with 3 situations well than trying to use one to cover all three badly May I take the opportunity to slap your wrist? If you're out on a country road at night popping down to see the neighbours put a £4 Hi Viz vest on. Doesn't need batteries yet can be seen in car headlights from 500 metres at night.
Petzl are excellent, Fiona uses one although I prefer something brighter for stock work. I know what you mean about Hi Viz but thankfully our fields are open here so it's easy just to step off the road if a tractor is coming.
I have had similar issues with lights. I got a light that was somewhat similar to your latter one, but it runs on only one AA battery. It, unfortunately, suffers from many of the issues you identified from the first light. It has thermal issues that knock it down from the brightest mode to the least bright mode at inopportune times, and it doesn't take very long. Often, I'll lose the bright light at the end of the driveway after taking the garbage bins down there, a 2 or 3 minute walk. It took me a while to realize that i didn't need to replace the battery every time it kicked out of the bright mode.
As a result, I often default to the cheapo lights we can buy in 10-packs at the warehouse stores. They take 3xAAA batteries, are brighter than the lower modes of the expensive light, and aren't expensive to replace if/when they get broken. That said, they're small and light enough that they don't often break unless the children get ahold of them.
Ill check out the one you recommend. I wasn't super impressed when you exposed the rechargeable battery, but the ability to use 2xAA in a pinch completely turned that around.
I thought the rechargeable was a bit odd looking but there are spares available & I love that you take it out and just charge it on any old USBC lead. After using it for a while I am really very pleased with it
I got a head torch for Christmas (£15) and it’s excellent. Leaves both hands free so I can operate the gate easily. Great video thank you Hugh. Give my love to Fiona x
Love head torches h invaluable. But not "pocket friendly" I find.
Thanks for the recommendation, bought one and it works fab for pottering around our smallholding 🎉
Great little torches aren't they?
Product Design with Hugh! Not going to lie, I was wondering initially what the video was for but as someone who is really interested in product design, specifically, user experience, this video is a really good explainer for students to demonstrate how the design of a simple everyday object can really make or break a product. Well done! More please!
Thanks 👍. I'm not averse to feature rich products - when those features meet a genuine need, but when they confuse the user & obscure the true purpose then the design does rather "grind my gears"
Thanks Hugh! I have had the same complaints. Best wishes to Fiona for her speedy recovery!
Thanks Pamela, I'll let her know!
More 'grumpy old man' ranting videos please, Hugh. Love em!
Seriously though, I'm right with you. It never ceases to amaze me how product designers can get things so wrong with, what should be, quite simple, easy-to-use devices.
Don't get me started on modern alarm clocks. Eventually had to give up on fancy, complicated digital ones and get one of those old school types with the two bells on the top....you know where you are with them. (or am I just getting old?)
Oh you're right on the clocks - plus those brass bells could wake the dead!
Thank you Hugh (and Fiona of course) for your videos.
With flashlights I would care for their water resistance as well.
Not that I would wait for a downpour at night and go outside flashlighting but being sure it will work despite high humidity or water splashes would mean a lot.
The first example of yours shows a lot of wear but I it is made of some sort of metal and would last long.
I thought the Nitecore was plastic but Amazon says it is aluminum so should be quite durable.
Wonder how it looks in a year.
Size of lens is also important. The larger the lens, the more light can pass through. But at the same time large lens are generally more fragile. There is always a rock on the road waiting for your torch to fall on it. So basically if the lens are set a bit deeper it is a safer choice.
Cheers!
Thanks Alexander. The Nightcore is a metal construction. its wearing well so far
I have a 30 year old Mag light. It's huge, no way to put it in a pocket, but it does have a belt ring you can wear. It's HEAVY, you can clobber a bandit or a fox with it. It's BRIGHT, you can see the future with it. It's adjustable, a broad light to illuminate the whole hayfield, or narrow, you can set a rabbit alight.
I had one of the 6 D cell ones. It was HUGE!
That's the one :D Handy if you need to take a swing at a mountain lion, not so handy for a pocket.@@EnglishCountryLife
@@WthrLdy We don't have any mountain lions left - so they obviously work 😁
@@EnglishCountryLife
Thanks for this one. Torches are a minefield in my opinion and any info is invaluable.
Glad it was helpful!
oh my God! Those beautiful little creatures surrounding you looking like they're trying to understand what you are talking about....they're just lovely!
Trouble is they just waste the batteries making shadow shapes on the wall of the coop!
I'm a budget flashlight enthusiast. I can't recommend the Convoy S2+ highly enough. The interface can usually be selected between complicated to iterating via four levels of brightness. No magic combos. The C8 is a "thrower", and good to have handy if you need to light up the distance.
I just want on & odd & maybe "bright & dim". Nothing more 😉
@@EnglishCountryLife Yes, the flashlights can be set to one of various "modes of operation". One of the modes is a simple on/off and nothing else. Another mode will cycle through dim (old men like me going to bathroom at 2 am), ordinary (around house) and full (cats fighting in garden).
Need to check your pickled eggs video next. I spend a fortune on those.
@cloudalien443 Never done pickled eggs sadly - onions, cucumber and others, but not eggs!
@@EnglishCountryLife Yeah after watching the video noticed it was other forms of preserving. I know many will think I'm sick in the head but I love pickled eggs. And pickled cauliflower. Dill pickles not worth doing at home given how widely available they are at the eastern european shops here.
I'm surprised that you favour a hand held torch. I find a head torch best, having found quite the ideal one yet so welcome suggestions!
I like both. Head torches are good for having both hands free but not good at being carried in a pocket. Our choice for a headlight is the Petzl Actik Core. Rechargeable OR AAA, bright & light
amzn.to/49NW5gX
I bought a SureFire G2X Tactical way back in like 2009, still have it - haven't replaced the led cob on it, still works - batteries last forever and the size is perfect for my uses.
I still have an incandescent G2. Great lights
I like a light-weight headlamp for work where I need both of my hands to work. I bought it for camping but it sees more use around the house.
Headlights are fantastic but I do like something more pocket friendly too
Plus 1 for headlight torches. Walking the dogs,shutting up the chickens,checking on the pigs not to mention two free hands when you need to do something. The one I have is roughly the same size as the Olight you show with an elasticated strap.Fits in your pocket and can be angled to how you need it. Recharges on a USB cable in about an hour. Only downside I've found is during the summer you can get dozy moths fluttering in your face going after the light.
An interesting watch. My everyday carry torch is nearly thre years old now and was from Asda, I think it was £3. It holds three ordinary triple A batteries which I replace as and when needed with whatever is cheapest. I have tried rechargeable batteries in it but they don't seem to last as long. So far its survived really well from being dropped countless times, falling off the roof of my vehicle at 50mph and a 101 other incidents, including dropping it into a tin of gloss paint. I wish i had purchased more of them at the time, I have not seen the exact same one for sale since.
That's so frustrating that you can't get them now!
Like you, I live in the sticks with no street lights, never had a problem with my 2 D cell Maglight.
Nothing wrong with a Maglight - but the 2D is a bit chunky for pocket carry
I have a friend living in a small village in the English countryside. You really need a torch when you walk the streets in the dark there. Also for cars to see you.
Yes, there are very few streetlights and it is a necessity
The settings on the torch are similar on all Olights, they do get quite hot, the lock function is useful if the torch is used as a backup in a car glove box or backpack as it will prevent accidental turning on. LED lenser make good torches that take standard lithium batteries, the head torches such as the H7R or hand torch such as P7R are excellent, also a lantern ML6 is very useful in the event of a power cut. Maglites are also an excellent if bulky torch for around the house that use standard D cell battery’s.
Hi Andrew. I'm sure you are right that it's a feature of the brand. I'm very happy with the Nitecore one for now
Nice video! American friend here that appreciates the unit translations :) - Might I ask what species of wood that is? It has a wonderful looking grain!
I think it's walnut burl if I remember correctly. It's a cutting board made by a military veteran (the other side is decorated). We love it
Thanks for this information 🌹
My pleasure 😊
You had me laughing out loud! 😂 I agree, if I need a flashlight/torch, I need it right away...
These "innovations" sound really great, but I hope it demonstrates they create a huge amount of problems in a practical sense. I was on a bit of a rant though... :-)
I love the larger more sophisticated flashlights IN THEIR PROPER PLACE. I carried them as a cop and they’re great for professional truckers, firemen, EMS, etc. (people that actually use those features and keep them plugged into the vehicle charger when not in use. BUT! As you say I don’t need all that for everyday life nor do I want to go through complicated manipulation. I used to love the old Mini-Mag from Maglite but the twist on/off switch had the same shortcomings you mentioned regarding accidental activation and running g down the batteries. I quite like your second one.
@@santamanone That second one just works. Bright, simple, light weight. I've never had a Nitecore light before (but I really rate their battery chargers)
Bacon chap here. Sorry old mate but a torch with a standard 18650 3.7V cell is a lot cheaper and the batteries are available anywhere and so are the chargers so I don't have to wait. I have been using 3 aluminium - high - low and flashing (that is annoying). Why? I got them off EBAY for almost nothing and I vape (which they use 18650's). In fact I use the old 18650's in the torches and the original one I bought 9 years ago is still lasting hours. Why did I buy new ones ? Gawd knows I don't. I do charge on an old brick, that's just for safety as they do go into China syndrome mode rarely. I did belt a nail through one and nothing happened - it was flat ?
What kind of lumen output do you get from them out of interest?
@@EnglishCountryLife 18650 sized lights can be found in anything from a few hundred lumen to upwards of 4-5000 lumens at least. However, they can't hold that for long due to heat, almost regardless of size of the light.
I think the most I've seen a 1x18650 light hold for a longer time is around 1000 lumens, most others will step down to something lower given a few minutes.
@@WarriorNN That's more or less my experience, I do like the capability of this torch to accept widely available AAs etc. if needed. I have got some 18650 torches and they work, but wouldn't be my choice for long trips
Yet another useful and practical video. On the subject of suggestions for videos, you may recall that about a year ago I suggested you make a video showing how you make your videos. A sort of 'fly on the wall' type, and you said it was a good idea and you would give it a go. I was just wondering how things are coming along ? 🙂ps. love and hugs to hop along. Xx
That's a timely reminder Chris. I suspect that it might be a short series rather than a video but it's something I can do whilst Fiona is laid up
@@EnglishCountryLife I look forward to seeing the first instalment. My own videhave stalled a little. The poor weather is not conducive to filming outdoors and I have had to complete some projects just with photos so I will just have to do a voice over to explain things.
@@chrishamilton-wearing3232 Poor weather never helps. I bought some cheap LED lights
@@EnglishCountryLife Do they stop the rain ?😁
@@chrishamilton-wearing3232 They do have umbrellas!
Mine has 2000 Lumen. I got it to use it in dark areas during the winter while walking my dogs and to temporarily blind an asailant. It's called
Beizkna LED Torch. It comes with a black storage case, torch pouch, bike torch stand, lanyard, 3x AAA batteries, plastic pipe (for setting battery), USB battery charger and a battery holder. I paid 14 quid for it.
2,000 lumens from AAAs 😳. I didn't know that was possible! What's the runtime like?
@@EnglishCountryLife I'll put fresh batteries and find out. I'll let you know soon.
@@loudloveen I look forward to it
@@EnglishCountryLife I didn't put new batteries. I recharged the one that comes with it. It'll run for about 11 hours on high mode.
@@loudloveen 2000 lumens for 11 hours on AAs is incredible. It must get incredibly hot!
Enjoyed the rant, do you find the body of your Nitecore torch gets hot when used for an extended period of time?
Hi Trev, it gets far less hot than the Ollight does. It's certainly warm to the touch but warm rather than hot. You wouldn't burn yourself on it or jerk your hand back. Want me to run a thermometer on it?
@@EnglishCountryLife I'd be interested in the result compared to the Olight. I was put of buying Nitecore due to quite a few reviews saying they where "hot in the hand". We are looking at hand torches for our emergency bags to complement our headlamps. It is a detail often overlooked when purchasing torches.
Hard to do a good comparison because the Olight switches off the "turbo" mode in 60s. But after 5 minutes, in continuous 1000lm, the Nitecore reached 41C on the metal right by the LED. The hottest part of the body that you hold was 32C. I could hold the whole torch with my fingers wrapped around the head. The head did feel very warm but certainly wasn't hot enough to cause a burn or pain.
@@EnglishCountryLife Sorry, we lost the internet until late today. Appreciate the temp check, some of the reviews I have read stated the torch became too hot and marked it down as a major design flaw, obviously not the case. Thanks again.
@@bgtrev Always a pleasure mate
Hi hugh , one of my pet hates of modern torches is the strobe mode as i can't see a use for it unless you are lost up a mountain ( not many of them in Norfolk ) do you know how to disable that mode as its very annoying when you scroll through trying to find the brightness you want . Thanks Jim
Hi Jim, I don't think you can disable it. It drives me mad as well! That's one of the reasons I like the Nitecore, it doesn't have pointless modes that strobe etc.
@@EnglishCountryLife ok thanks , always look forward to seeing from you both 👍
@@jimmyh8090 Thanks Jim !
Yeah, the second is a far better design. Surprised you don't use a head torch though. The major advantage is keeping both hands free, another is the beam is always automatically sychronised with your field of view. I use the one made by energizer combined with a small box of precharged AAA's. 3 modes, small, light, inexpensive, only 400 lumens max though... From a fellow sticks dweller 😊
We do use head torches to be fair (Petzl) and they are very, very useful. Not very pocket friendly though
We've lived without pavements and street lights for 30 years. Then we got ourselves a campervan. So we get your point.
Petzl head torch with rechargeable battery pack or 3XAAA at a pinch aren't cheap but fulfil the majority of our needs. For a torch we use the pocket led lensers. Again not cheap. But both are simple to operate and robust enough for our needs. On dim, medium, bright, off. It's all you need. When out in the van and ambience is required we use little rechargeable lanterns. You are often better off with three items to deal with 3 situations well than trying to use one to cover all three badly
May I take the opportunity to slap your wrist? If you're out on a country road at night popping down to see the neighbours put a £4 Hi Viz vest on. Doesn't need batteries yet can be seen in car headlights from 500 metres at night.
Petzl are excellent, Fiona uses one although I prefer something brighter for stock work. I know what you mean about Hi Viz but thankfully our fields are open here so it's easy just to step off the road if a tractor is coming.
Give me a torch with off the shelf battteries every time good old aaa and aa
They definitely make life easier when travelling - every country sells them
Steel coins = cheap out
@@merlingeikie There's been no silver in our coins for 77 years
👍