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Comment by Zak | Hacker News Reader

I suppose it depends on what you want out of a flashlight. It's kind of cool that you can flash the firmware over USB, but the rest of it is middling, and there are quite a few flashlights today running open source firmwares with exposed flashing pads.

Regulated, open source, flashable, USB-charging, and a standardized battery describes most lights from https://www.firefly-outdoor.com/

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The hexbright's body is the main thing. The insides could be completely new.

My plan is to keep it running. Perhaps replace the emitter by a more efficient one at some point, and repair anything as needed. If somebody bothers to make a better board someday, I will upgrade to that as long as it is still open hardware.

I think the Hexbright's body would be a source of complaints from present-day reviewers. It's bulky and heavy for a 1x18650 light; having to expose the bare LED to the elements to charge or change the battery is risky; anodized threads between the LED and outer body are bad for heat transfer.

LEDs with higher luminous efficacy than the XM-L2 exist now, but for a large increase, they usually have a larger light emitting surface. That means a less focused hotspot and less useful beam distance with the same power input. On the other hand, it's possible to achieve a more focused hotspot and more beam distance without giving up more output with some newer LEDs optimized for high output from a smaller surface. It's also possible to greatly improve color rendering.

Good to know there's been significant progress in the last 15 years or so.

Still a huge fan of the body, unfazed by the potential opinions of present day reviewers :)

I will get a "known-good" modern LED torch, in any event. Can't hurt.

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