STL-V2 can´t Deal With It, need more durable recommendations for 2 x 18650!

Being direct driver they will have the edge in throw, that is most C8s and the 980L are direct drive.

Actually the current seems like 2.6A to the LED. That I have been told. My XinTD L2 throws better than my Shadow TC6 which has the C8 reflector, however this is something that is far from a night and day difference, so it's a minimal difference, not something that will leave an impression.

Hmm... The user will not be a professional in beam inspection, if you know what I mean.

Maybe it is not yet OFF-the-list.

Oh bugger, it is so much in a good price-spot with about all other feats in the range. hmm, decisions.

Because it's bright, very efficient and throws nicely with proper reflector.

My thought exactly.

An XR-E would have a less bright corona and spill, which will yield a crisper target image, although with a narrower field of view. I don't hunt, but I do check wildlife at forest edge and for that I prefer any of my XR-E throwers to the XM-L TrustFire X9.

In lumen/watt, the XM-L beats the XR-E, but for distant targets the extra lumens (outside the hotspot) of the XM-L hurt rather than help.

Short range (under 50-70m) is a different story.

I was actually curious about this precise match up and here are crops of an XR-E vs. an XM-L light (top is LumaPower XR-E w/Turbo Force Kit and bottom is T40CS XM-L) out to 565ft. (172m) at the last column:


To be fair, I think there is something wrong w/the XR-E pill as I only got around 20K lux at 1m (vs. 40K+ for T40CS). Some guy on another thread got 50K+ for the XR-E in this setup.

Full thread here for those interested.

Me too. Comparing my X-RE (Q5) vs XM-L (T6), there's just no competition, XR-E clearly beats XM-L in light "crispness". Which is essential for long throws. The narrower beam maintains your night vision better too.

XM-L spill out a LOT of light, but also spill them out all over the place. Long range wise, it makes the target a little more blurry than the XR-E.

Foy's .02 -

The MPP 1 is going to out throw a lot of big hit lights, it's just not going to light up the target as well.

The XinTD L2 is slightly brighter than my M8 but the M8 out throws it noticeably.

Honestly; when you consider throw, demonstrated reliability, ruggedness and price, you could do a lot worse than an M8. A lot of people here own one and it is a respected flashlight. For the demand criteria listed, this is not the time to experiment with an unproven design.

Of course there are other proven designs that would do the job . . . .

goodluckFoy

This is exactly why I ask recommendations, you guys always seems to know what parameters can be questioned to get the most for the least amount of $$$.

I think MPP1 can be one option, even if it does not have XM-L.

Good throw, fair price, good quality and good selection of spareparts make it worth thinking of.

Does it make a difference in brightness when driven only with 1 x 18650?

What would the euntime be like when used with 2 x 18650?

Is this for example 1-mode or what? http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=LF&s=26&id=260

Foy, thanks for your cents!

I agree with ruggedness & price, Solarforce has really reliable flashlights (I should post my work beater some day...).

Going to work now, going to make a few recommendations... :)

Also, CT -

The MPP 1 works up to 16 volts so, it will actually run up to 4 18650s. It is pretty well regulated with only a small brightness increase with more batteries. I'll have to go find my old MPP 1 review - can't remember how many amps it pulled but if it's like most Solarforce lights, it's probably a little under-driven. Run time therefore with say, three 18650s will be quite a long time. It does make for a long flashlight, however and of course, 'tain't the brightest thrower there is.

One thing I will say; some of my flashlights have serious wow factor when it comes to sheer lumens but nothing in my humble collection throws as far as the MPP 1. It has phenomenal reach.

XR-EsurfacebrightkingFoy

At work now so just shortly:
had some talk with my friend. XR-E might do it but we will think about it.
One chance is, that I’m maybe ordering Xin-td to myself, he could test it to see, if it has enough guts.

Foy: did you mean these first impressions?

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/2448

Seems, like it takes a bit better amperage on two cells. 1,0A versus 0,75A on two.

Any idea how this will fit the longer batteries like Xtar 2600´s? Might be a problem if it does not...

In agreement on the M8, followed by MPP 1. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

M8 yes but it has a strobe mode.
How does that “A.I.” switch work anywa, can it be operated with tailcap button to go jus ON/OFF?

Yes. It comes with two tailcaps. The tactical switch is high mode only, on/off and is the brightest setting. If you are in a hurry, Lighthound will ship it out immediately and you can expect delivery in 2, maybe 3 days. With discount, it is only about $5 more. SF Sales ships pretty quick too though, 6-10 days.

Really nice quality light. I love mine. Versatile too, can run on 1 battery or 2. 1 battery mode is slightly less bright, but hardly noticible. Foy's review on the light is excellent - biggest reason I bought it. Well, that and it is a damn good looking light.

Edit: You know, it's really nice to talk about flashlights for a change, ain't it? Smile

CT -

The 18700s fit fine.

If I remember right, the M8 was slightly less bright with the AI switch. I never use it. For me, these bigger lights need modes even less than a small torch.

Because I've never liked blinkys, I'm sure fate will someday land me in the middle of the desert at night with a single mode M8 and no ability to SOS a passing plane . . . . or induce an epileptic event in a nocturnal gila monster.

horsewithnonameFoy

Thanks for these good points!

Ok, summing up here.

If we are speaking only about throw, list should go like this?

-MMP1 and higher priced lights like SWM´s, Olights and so on

-STL-V2

-Solarforce M8

-Xin TD L2

I just bought this last week,

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/small-sun-zyt620-cree-xml-t6-1200lumen-3mode-flashlight-titanium-218650-p-8454

But I bought it from DX, as last week there was a group buy offer from DX, cost $29 only. I don't know if this SmallSun version has a nice driver, but for its price I would just give it a try. If it's not satisfied I would consider swapping its driver.