Flashlight Review System

In evaluating flashlights I'll be using a ten category, twenty point system.  Each category will be evaluated and scored between zero and two; zero being absolute failure, one being adequate / average, and two being exceptional.  As always, I'll try to explain, as carefully as possible, my rationale for assessing a particular score to a category.

The categories are as follows:

Design Concept

Pretty things, pretty things, pretty things.  If the flashlight looks good, sports clean lines and is unadorned with useless crap it will score well here.

Materials

Most flashlights I own are constructed of machined aluminum.  Aluminum is great.  However, there are other materials, possibly better or possibly worse, from which flashlights are constructed.  With flashlights, the material from which the lens is constructed is exceptionally important.  Durability and weight are the primary considerations here.

Fit of Parts

How well do the parts fit together?  Are there wiggles, rattles, or other undesirables?

Output

Just how bright is the flashlight (measured in lumen).  Higher outputs aren't necessarily better.  Rather, achieving the correct balance of output to other variables (e.g., intended use, flashlight size, battery type, etc.).

Also, having a single well-balanced output isn't determinative either.  Having various output levels available, and having those output levels harmonize with one another (i.e., having two output levels, one of 200 lumen and another of 250 would be far from ideal), makes a light far more well-rounded.

Runtime

How long the flashlight can maintain useful light output.  Most LED flashlights have a digitally regulated discharge meaning that the flashlight circuitry maintains the selected brightness as long as it possibly can.  This means that the flashlight's brightness won't slowly diminish with use.  However, it also means that when the batteries die the flashlight is dead; there isn't any possibility of squeezing a few seconds of useful light out of a practically dead battery as you could try with an old Maglite.  Some flashlights have a "warning" system which is indicates when the power is almost depleted.

When it comes to runtime, obviously the longer the better (at a given output).  The ability to use juice efficiently is incredibly necessary in a good flashlight.

Beam Pattern and Quality

Beam patterns are typically described in two ways: flood and throw.  Flood is dispersing light evenly across a wide area while throw is the ability to focus useful light at a distance.  Finding a good metric for flood is rather difficult.  Throw, however, is typically measured in meters.

Often, lights have to trade off between flood or throw.  Some types of lights are designed to achieve a certain result while others seek to maintain a useful balance between the two.  Alternatively, a light can be designed to adjust between various patterns (using aspheric lenses and user-adjustable focus).

The best way for me to evaluate beam pattern is to look at the purpose of the light.  If it's designed for everyday carry and general use then a decent balance is wonderful.

Beam quality measures the uniformity of the beam pattern.  Any beam has two components: a hotspot (the bright center of the beam) and the spill (the dimmer corona).  High quality beams will typically diffuse softly from hotspot to spill.  Any inconsistencies in the beam will be noted here.

User Interface

User interface can make or break a light.  If it's difficult to use it's typically not worth using.  Most LED lights have multiple discharge levels and they each feature some method of switching between the various options.  A great user interface is easy to use and facilitates arriving at the desired output level quickly and efficiently.

Grip

How comfortable is the light to hold and use in the hand?  I use my flashlights in one of two ways, typically: a hammer grip or a cigar grip.  The ability to comfortably use these two grip methods and successfully operate the light is imperative.

Here, I'll also discuss a bit of hands-free use.  Sometimes it's necessary to use a flashlight and both your hands.  These sorts of tasks require a flashlight which is designed to stay put in a certain position.  Often, flashlights have features which prevent rolling and facilitate tail-standing.  While lights don't necessarily have to sport these features to be useful, having the option available is always great.

This category will be predominantly scored on grip with hands-free use a secondary discussion not bearing too heavily on the category score.

Carry Method

How is the light designed to be carried?  Many lights feature a pocket clip.  Some lights are small enough to hang around the neck or sit comfortably in the bottom of a pocket.  Depending on how the light retails (e.g., with or without a pocket clip, lanyard, etc.) I'll evaluate and discuss how the carry method suits the light and whether it's functional and effective.

In the event that there's a light that's clearly not intended for carry on one's person I'll evaluate it based on how I would typically carry the light (e.g., in a backpack).

Carry Comfort

I'm principally looking at carrying a light everyday in a pocket and how comfortable the light is in that role.  I'll be sure to explore and explain any other carry methods that might prove useful.  If the light can't be comfortably and conveniently carried on my person in a way that I would feel comfortable stepping out the door the flashlight will receive a zero.

Knife Review Methodology

I'm hoping to start reviewing knives, starting with the ones I own and moving onto ones I (hope to) purchase.  Of course, that means I'm going to need some sort of system to afford some semblance of elegance and objectivity.

I've used Everyday Commentary's system as a baseline (Anthony has devised a great method) and gone from there.  Many of the categories are the same, but I've tweaked it a bit for my purposes.

I'll evaluate knives based on ten categories each scored between zero and two.  Zero being abysmal, one being adequate, and two being exceptional.  As usual, this will result in a total score between zero and twenty.

Then ten categories and a brief explanation are as follows:




Blade Material:

Perhaps the most important material used in knife construction is steel. The choice of blade-steel largely determines the “quality” of a knife, its utility, and, more often than not, the cost of the product. Blade-steel comes in many different types with many different attributes associated with each type.

The most relevant considerations are (1) sharpness, (2) durability, (3) rust resistance, and (4) maintenance. Sharpness is predominantly determined by the amount of carbon in the steel; higher-carbon steels are capable of holding a finer edge. Durability is a balancing act. It’s affected by both how hard a particular steel is and its plasticity (steel should be hard enough to retain an edge and muscle through material, but should be soft enough so it’s not brittle and prone to chipping and the like). Rust resistance is important, too. Rust is bad. Ease of maintenance is also important; while I have no problem sitting down and sharpening a knife, it’s nice to have a steel which won’t fight you.

Blade-steel is still an enigma for me. I’m not a metallurgist and don’t pretend to be. I’ll try to do as much research I can about steels I’m unfamiliar with and make sure to provide my underlying reasoning as to a particular score.

Fit of Parts:

Is the knife well-constructed? Do all the parts fit together properly? Is there wiggle where there shouldn’t be? Etc.

Blade Shape:

Spear, clip, tanto, recurve, etc. There are plenty of blade shapes on the market and they’re all good for something (generally). In an EDC knife I seem to be looking for something that’s going to be a great general utility blade, something that performs well in most “traditional” tasks. Serrations are also considered here.

Blade Grind:

If you were to look at a blade from the point with the handle facing away from you the shape you would see is the blade grind. Simple grinds are good for EDC but more robust grinds have their place. Depending on the intended use, the grind can make or break a blade.

Mechanism:

All folding knives have some sort of mechanism. to keep them open, whether that is a traditional lock or otherwise. This will evaluate the type and quality of the mechanism used. Non-locking knives will not be prejudiced and in the event that I evaluate a fixed-blade I’ll evaluate the sheathing system.

Design Concept:

Is it pretty? Is the underlying design admirable or is it otherwise lacking?

Grip:

What good is a knife if it doesn’t fit well in your hand? This category will evaluate how well the grip portion of the knife is executed; this depends on the type and size of the knife and what it’s principally being used for.

Deployment Method:

How does the knife open? Is it manual, assisted, or automatic? Does it employ a thumb-stud, a flipper, a “wave” device, a thumbhole, nothing at all?

Carry Method:

How is the knife carried? Most pocket knives have a pocket clip (strange, huh). Some, however, don’t have such a convenient device (also strange). This will evaluate the type and quality of the carry method and discuss the ease of deployment and replacement into a pocket (or wherever it’s carried).

Carry Comfort:

Is the knife comfortable to carry? Is it oddly shaped? Does it sit in a strange way while in a pocket? Etc.

Writing Instrument Review Methodology Reconsidered

I've reconsidered the system I'm using to evaluate writing instruments.

It occurred to me that the subcategory system was improperly emphasizing certain things and resulted in less-than-accurate results.

I have kept the same categories (roughly) and adjusted the scoring system.  There are 10 categories which will be scored between zero and two; zero being a failure in all respects, one being "well-executed," and two being exceptional execution.

The updated system can be found here: writing instrument review methodology.

Bags and Pouches Review Methodology

I've tried to craft a framework consisting of ten criteria that evaluate basic things necessary to crafting a good bag.

Each category will be scored from zero to two; zero being abysmal, one being acceptable, and two being exceptional.  This will result in a total between zero and twenty, zero being a failure in every possible way and twenty being as close to product perfection as possible.


Design Concept:

The underlying concept of a product.  Sometimes something is a great idea on paper, but fails in execution.  Moreover, good looking products are far better than ugly products; as such, this category will evaluate aesthetics, too.


Materials:

What's used in the construction of a bag is particularly important.  A great design can be quickly ruined with sub-par materials.  Of course, depending on the particular use of the bag, materials will differ.

Hardware:

Snaps, clasps, zippers, and so on.  On many bags these sorts of things fail far more quickly than the fabric or stitching.  Of course, they're often the most irritating to repair.

Construction:

This is mostly a metric of quality stitching.  There aren't many other ways to hold fabric together...

Packing:

How easy is it to pack the bag?

Retrieval:

How easy is it to retrieve things from the bag both while it's on and while it's not. 

Organization:

How many pockets does the bag have?  Where are they located?  Are the pockets of the variety that one might expect?  Are they as useful as they should be?

Modularity / Expandability:

Multi-use, multi-function bags are wonderful.

On pouches and other such accessories this subcategory will be scored based on the attachment system (e.g., MOLLE, or what have you).

Weight:

Unnecessarily heavy bags are bad.  Lightweight is generally better.  I'll try to evaluate the weight of a bag based on its class.

Carry Comfort: 

Strap design, handle design, back-plate design, etc.  All these weigh heavily in the comfort of a bag.

Writing Instrument Review Methodology

In an effort to keep reviews consistent and objective, I will be adhering to outlines devised for various categories of gear (e.g., writing instruments; knives; flashlights; bags and backpacks; etc.).

I'll evaluate writing products based on ten categories, each on a scale of zero to two.  Zero being a complete failure, one being an average and workable, and two being exceptional.  This will result in an overall score between zero and twenty; zero being a complete failure in every way and twenty being product perfection (or as close to perfection as possible).

Being focused on everyday carry, I'll be testing most products by carrying them on my person - typically in a pocket.  I'm sure I'll come across some things worth reviewing that I don't typically carry in my pockets (highlighters, for example; I use a ton of highlighters); in those cases I will focus on how I principally carry them (in a backpack, for example) but will do some in-pocket carry for good measure.

I'll try to test a product for a minimum of two weeks before posting results.  This will include use through my everyday tasks, including various law classes and work (reading, strangely enough, is writing intensive) as well as my experiences tossing things into my gym bag at the end of most days.  I'll be sure to detail anything out of the ordinary that happens if it weighs heavily on my consideration of the product.

I'll keep an open mind when trying new products and leave as much prejudice at the proverbial door as possible.

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Writing Instruments

Materials:

In scoring the materials used in construction I'll try to remain objective. Certainly, a modicum of subjectivity falls into this category if the pen itself feels "cheap" in my hand.  I'll make sure to address any and all concerns and qualify the score I give with a well-reasoned opinion.


Fit:

Just what it seems.  Do the pen's parts fit well together?  Or, do they parts fit poorly as evidenced by rattling, wiggling, or other such annoyances?


Mechanism:

The mechanism used to "deploy" the pen (i.e., click, capped, twist, etc.).  This will evaluate how the mechanism has been executed in terms of quality and performance.

Line:

I'll be evaluating consistency, thickness (expectation v. actual), and ink quality.  With fountain pens the ink itself won't become too big a consideration (as it's really what I'm loading into it) whereas "disposable" pens will receive greater scrutiny.


Writing Comfort:

Both in short- and long-term use.  Basic ergonomics, I think; whether the grip section is easy to become accustomed to, whether the pen itself is well-balanced and fits nicely into the hand, etc.

Design Concept:

The overarching design concept of the pen.  I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to design; I'm sure my personal tastes will weigh slightly into the consideration of this factor.  Clean lines and well-executed design will receive higher scores while kitschy design will be scored lower.


Markings and Insignia:

I'll look to the text and markings on the pen itself (e.g., instructions, bar-codes, etc.).  Overly cluttered and superfluous markings will receive lower scores.


Carry Method:

This will principally focus on the pocket clip and how it functions.  Clips that allow deeper carry and easy access will receive higher scores while more intrusive clips that inhibit retrieval will score lower.


Carry Durability:

Durability will be measured in terms of both the carry method (i.e., the pocket clips durability) and the design of the pen itself.  If it's easily damaged or broken it will receive a lower score.


Carry Comfort:

Evaluated in front pocket carry (I don't believe pens should be carried in back pockets as normal movement can cause premature damage).  Comfort will be a metric of the pen's shape, size, weight, and how it sits in a pocket.  Bulky and oddly shaped designs will likely score lower.

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I'm sure I've missed something or neglected to consider something important; as such, comments and critiques are welcome and appreciated.