Leatherman discontinues Monarch flashlights

[Gareth]

Well there are two ways to see it:

1: Darkness stays dark. Just because your light is more powerful, it will not get darker. So, if a Maglite Solitaire was a useful EDC, it still is. But there are better, cheaper, brighter lights now. So while it is still useful, it is kind of outdated. I will never understand people who give away their 2-3 year old LED lights, just because today it is not 150 but 300 lumen. My 4 yo Lumapower M1 was great than, and is still great.

2: Brighter is better! While there is no need to replace good lights, when you have to get a new one for you lost your EDC or something, get something up to date.

The Monarchs are great compared to old Maglites, maybe even compared to some low-end LED lights. But there are better lights in that price range now, so why should I get a Monarch?

Still, if it is OK for you, it will be a just fine light for years.

very nice summation Woz, couldn't agree more.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Well there are two ways to see it:

1: Darkness stays dark. Just because your light is more powerful, it will not get darker. So, if a Maglite Solitaire was a useful EDC, it still is. But there are better, cheaper, brighter lights now. So while it is still useful, it is kind of outdated. I will never understand people who give away their 2-3 year old LED lights, just because today it is not 150 but 300 lumen. My 4 yo Lumapower M1 was great than, and is still great.

2: Brighter is better! While there is no need to replace good lights, when you have to get a new one for you lost your EDC or something, get something up to date.

The Monarchs are great compared to old Maglites, maybe even compared to some low-end LED lights. But there are better lights in that price range now, so why should I get a Monarch?

Still, if it is OK for you, it will be a just fine light for years.

very nice summation Woz, couldn't agree more.

Indeed.

I've learned that it's not all about lumens...  beam profile and tint are far more important to me.  Anything more than about 150 lumens is overkill in an EDC light for my purposes.

My regular EDC light for the last 8 mos. has been a Zebralight SC50w+; 170 lumens max on a 14500 and even with the diffusion film I have on it, it's plenty bright for all my EDC needs.  In fact, the two lowest modes are the ones I use most.

The things I absolutely cannot do without in an EDC light is a moonlight mode, multiple modes, neutral tint, and a pocket clip.  If a light doesn't have all of those features, I won't even bother considering it.