What was your best flashlight of 2016

On The Road M3 and M6 with XM-L2 - U2- 5C

Convoy BD06

Convoy L6 and Skillhunt H03R

I built my first light this year… a green Convoy S2+ triple, with Hoops gorgeous heat sink and lots of advice from this forum. I got green because that’s what MTN had in stock at the time. She is affectionately called, The Green Lantern.

I travel for work most of the time and wish I had more opportunities for building/modding, so I just put together a very basic mobile flashlight building kit. I’ll be building my second triple tomorrow at the hotel in Austin (I live in the San Francisco area).

The real blessing though is that my amazing wife is very supportive of my new hobby/obsession/lifestyle and even brags to people we meet about it.

I’m still a novice and love to learn. So this forum is perfect. Thanks you all.

For presents or people not knowing about li ion, Convoy BD series
I am still liking my Convoy C8 with the good parts of the Kornos X6 light
I did mod a uking with the good parts of a Kronos X5 and this is now my go to light (review coming).
Jaxman Z1 XML2 NW stock best zoomie hands down.

And most used, every day, still going strong after drops and slams the Thorfire S70
Carry it with the strap, just now I am getting inside after splitting wood with the S70 lighting the area I was swinging the axe. And when done making the blocks to get our three burning wood heaters going for the night I could light the way hands free so getting more wood inside as I walked back to the house.

My two Convoy L6’s in both neutral and cool white, and my Armytek Wizard Pro V3 XHP50 in “White Light”

Skilhunt H03 NW
Nitecore MH20 NW
But I’v got the BLF 348 and lumintop Cu nichia underway (never had a nicha torch in my hands) but the skilhunt stands, don’t think I’ll ever find a better headlamp for that price.

Eagle Eye X2R U2-3C very nice white with very little yellow tint
Eagle Eye X6 V2-3A no tint but a bit too cool for me

Skilhunt H03R NW

Off the rack, I like the Jet-1 just for its utility, size, impossible-to-accidentally-turn-on twisty, and modes, even though I EDC-holster a custom ’502.

Custom made, yeah, I really like that ’502. 5000K XP-L, 1.4A driver, nice balance of brightness and runtime, nice white color, pretty smooth beam with lots of throw for when I go all Hirojen on invading mosquitoes. (My S2+ is a bit too floody for that, despite being brighter on high.) Lights up stuff across the yard quite nicely, too.

Honorable mention to my thrown-together C8 clone, 4300K XP-E2, 1A driver, not all that impressive close-up, but lights up trees nicely at a distance. Tightest beam I’ve seen in a while, only outdone by my L2.

I admit, it’s probably personal preference why I like the aforementioned ’502 and C8, because I built them the way I want them, not the way they’d come out of the box. Despite having other newer lights, those 2 are the ones I keep repeatedly coming back to. They’re my comfy warm blankets of the flashlight world.

Should play more with the Jet-2 (16340 version), maybe I’ll prefer that over the 1, dunno.

Small: Nitecore MH20 NW

Powerful, "small", & SUPERB: Noctigon Meteor M43 (Nichia 219C, 6600 Lumens, 5000K)

Headlamp: ArmyTek Wizard Pro XHP50 Warm

Best Regards,

George

Small: A6 triple 219C
Big: Convoy L6 resistor modded

My Best 3 of 2016

Astrolux A01 - LOvE the high CRI tint esp the moonlight mode. I have one of each color and a couple more.

Lumintop Tool - best looking AAA flashlight. I have the copper, Ti and 3 alum versions.

Thorfire TG06 - great little pocket rocket on a 14500. I don’t even use my 18650 based lights that much anymore.

BLF A6

Convoy L6.

Maxtoch 2X Shooter new model, the throw is unreal.
Astrolux S41s - I don’t own one but by crickey they are nice in silver, with 18650 extension.

BLF A6

BLF 348

Thrunite TN 42 —-Pretty amazing for a stock light—just a few years ago only certain modded TK61 hit distances like this

Love that picture

Xtar Moon Rc2, a very different light distribution, more useful for close quarter work, clips onto clothing for odd jobs and make a decent lamp in a crunch.
I wish it had a 1000 lumen mode :smiley:

My best for 2016 is the one I missed the deadline for the competition but am still working on.