Recommendation for 18650/26650 thrower around $100

*Anyone got suggestions for what might be the current top performers in this class?
*(Dedicated thrower, 18650 or 26650 powered).

The light will be used for animal spotting at fairly high distances, maybe up to 1000 meters (3281 feet).

Preferrably it should be a stock light as it is for a collegue of mine who is not a flashaholic.
(But I can be talked into modding it for him if we fall short of good Stock candidates.

MN

Acebeam K70

Very nice flashlight it seems, but from the prices i’m able to find with a quick google search it exceeds the budget :-/
Unless someone’s got a very very good deal somewhere.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

I own the Maxtoch 2x Shooter. It´s a very compact and solid thrower for under 100 USD but needs 2x 18650 in series. Very simple UI, only 3 modes. Tint is a bit on the greenish side, good for outdoors.
See GB Oficially closed/// Maxtoch 2X Shooter (new version) for details and link.
Jaxman X1 or Manker U21 are both solid performers for compact single 26650 throwers.
Acebeam K70 or ThruNite TN42 throw much further of course, but are not inside your budget….
K.

the manker u21 cant throw over 1000m,

The only hope you have of reaching those kind of throw numbers in your budget is a zoomie. Even then it would be a hard task.

The 1405 / 1504 might work with a good build. Z1 could? I have not really paid attention to any of these for raw throw numbers.

Either way it will be a custom build for that budget.

If you want a reflector light then the only thing that comes to mind is a Boss1 if you can find one, with a rebuild I think people are getting close to those kind of throw numbers.

Although the ANSI throw numbers are not generally what you actually notice in the real world, generally you need to almost cut them in hald to get real world numbers.

Hey, I have an unused, brand-new Maxtoch SN6X-2Xvn. It’s modded by Vinh. Originally a 2x18650 but after the mod, it now use a single high-current 18650. Vinh sent a dummy Solarforce 18650 when he shipped the light back to me. I had it shipped to him directly when I bought it from Aliexpress years ago. PM me if interested.

Group Buy CLOSED: MAXToch SN6X-2X - I bought this from this gb.

Those are good, down to earth points Texas Ace. Thanks for the inputs. Will have at chat with my collegue who the light is for. I was allready thinking about the UF 1405 route.

About the 1405, what would you recommend in terms of emitter? I realise that the xp-g2 would give an awesome throw, but maybe not give so much light in lumens.

Tatasal: How does the SN6X-2Xvn perform?

I am always a fan of the XP-L HI in throwers. It may not throw as far but it has a good tint and a larger more usable hotspot. It’s my go to emitter for any thrower. Never have liked the XPG2, just not enough output for me.

Haha, in all seriousness, after I received it from Vinh, just like ALL my other lights that I don’t EDC, they are just tested for functionality, then put in a cloth sock-like material, kept in a suitcase. I have not tested it side-by-side with my other lights.

It has a de-domed xml2. Perhaps with the newer leds and drivers coming out, it still be be made to throw much farther than it is now.

Edit:

I just compared it to my de-domed, xml2 TK70 (done by saabluster). A stock TK70 has 114Kcd as tested by Michael Johnson.

It is drizzling now in my place and all I did was point both lights into the sky to know which ‘saber’ throws farther and the Maxtoch throws a bit farther.

I´m aware of that. But the OP wrote “up to 1000 meters” and both 26650 throwers can throw up to 700 meters and are relatively cheap (leaves some money reserve for cells) and very compact.
The Maxtoch 2x I mentioned throws 1KM+ and has 340+ Kcd and no stepdown.
K.

Tatasal: pm sent.
Still interested in other lights though. Will keep digging tonight.

Also important to keep in mind that ANSI throw distance means the target will be illuminated with 0.25 lux, which isn’t very much especially when you start considering losses from optics and level of night vision adjustment. 0.25 lux is about the low end of light from the moon on a clear night. Just saying if he’s expecting to “light up” something at 1000m considerably more throw would be needed. On the other hand at ranges up 1000m, so normally less and just searching for a moving target probably be fine.

I talked to my collegue about the actual use for the flashlight.

The real world performance would be to be able to light up an animal well enough to spot it across a field, about 400-500 meters.

I know some are sold on the XP-L HI emitters while some only want the XP-G2 to get the throw on out there without much spill and there are a lot of other debated points when talking about a thrower light.

In the $100 or less price range , I don’t think you will find a light that will out perform the Maxtoch 2X straight out of the box though to be honest , and the overall fit , finish and quality are exceptional as well.

I can only say what I learned from 2 particular lights , which are the Maxtoch 2X and the Maxtoch M24 when the building and testing were going on with them and we found that………

To get the XP-L HI to throw the same distance as the dedomed XM-L2 U4 1A (in the 2X at least) we needed 6 amps pushing the XP-L HI emitter with the buck driver used in these 2 lights , to get the same throw and Lux as we had with the XM-L 2 U4 at only 4.5 amps. It made sense to go with the XM-L2 emitter , if for nothing else the runtime gained without having that extra 1.5 amps having to pull on the cells.
The 2X is rated at 1300 meters right out of the box and I do believe it will at least meet , if not exceed that , as far as the Ansi-Meter is concerned , as I have taken beamshots at around 1000 yards without a problem with this light using my “old” point and shoot camera (have a new and much better camera now). The slight Lemon or “yellow” tint that is talked about is actually desired in this particular light , as it is much better for hunting purposes than a cool or really warm CRI emitter and shows the natural colors of the land and especially most animals well.

EDIT: The newest 2X is the latest version of what the SN6X-2X started out as. The newest version was lightened up by some 100 grams and the adjustments made to get the maximum output and runtime combined from the light also.

Here are a few beamshots that show fairly well the output of the 2X , although in person you can see things alot better.

Control 500 yards

500yards

Control 946 yards

2X 946 yards to beige oil tank

946 yards enlarged

Control 1041 yards

1041 yards

Enlarged 1041 yards

Thats some impressive pictures of real life usage, Robo. Thank you!

I see from other threads that there was a GB for the 2x that I missed. Darn. Well. At that time, I would not have jumped on the train anyway. Today I would…

I already got a M24 from an earlier GB.
How would you compare the M24 BLF TE and the new 2x?

The BLF-TE is a nice light no doubt, However I put the dedomed XM-L2 U4 1A in one of the BLF-TE and had pretty much the same results that were found with the 2X , in that the dedomed U4 makes more output and better throw with the 4.3-4.5 amp driver the GB M24 has in it , with better color rendition than the cooler XP-L HI.
Had I known all this when I did the GB on the BLF-TE I am sure I would went with the current setup of the 2X.

To answer your question directly though , the new 2X has another 100 to 120K lux more then the GB M24 and out throws the GB M24 by a fair amount.

Here is what the M24 with XP-L Hi and one with XM-L2 U4 1A dedomed , (both with same driver) look like compared.
The new 2X outshines the M24 with the dedomed U4 out past 400 or 500 yards by a fair margin. They are pretty close out to that distance though before you see how the 2X takes over.

Here is what the M24 with XP-L HI and the one with dedomed U4 1A look like compared…………

XP-L HI 500 yards

Dedomed XM-L2 U4 1A

Nitecore P30 is also nice for compact lights

For more throw you need a larger head ore overdrive a dedomed XPG2