As long as you keep in mind that an Überthrower is nigh useless close-in, they’re still nice to have around.
Close-in, the spill would be quite dim relative to the concentrated hotspot, that the hotspot would wash out any semblance of night-vision to see what’s in the spill, whether bright or dim. It’s almost like shining a laser in your path.
That said, keep a flooder for close-in viewing (dark trail, etc.), while the second light, a thrower, will be able to light up what’s off in the distance that your flooder couldn’t even hope to reach.
Eg, over the summer I brought an assortment of lights to show the gf, and my GTmini seemed anæmic shining on the ground, such a teenytiny hotspot on black asphalt. Yet it lit up the trees in the distance very nicely.
My DC7, throwier than my BLF (vs Sofirn) Q8s, going full tilt, almost blinded both of us up close, but couldn’t reach those trees to save its life.
People often make that same mistake, thinking that one light will be able to do it all.
Great point. I usually have my Thrunite T1 in pocket. It is a great portable floody light. I just bought a Sofirn SP31 from a member here and I have to say it is pretty close to being my “jack of all tades” at the moment. It has some great throw and works out really well on evening walks.
I think a lot of my desire for a super thrower is the same as when I owned a sport bike. Do I really NEED to go 200mph? No, but the possibility is there.
Besides, I might need to light up the next town over if they lose power.
Throwing in here once more… I pocket both my Nitecore MH20 and my Xeno E03. It’s WW and has diffusion film on it, so it’s a nice wiiiiiiiiiide even flood. For most of what I use a light for in a pinch, the E03 seems handier, as most quick dashes for a light happen up close. So it may seem redundant to carry 2 lights (3rd, an SP32Av2 on my bag) is probably overkill, I don’t want to be caught without a beefier light like the ’20 for more “reach”, and much longer brightness and runtime… and onboard charging.
In fact, being that the regular MH20 is semi-floody, I could get the best of both worlds with the MH20GT (throw+flood) instead, but I’m happy with the MH20.
A lotta people bitch’n’moan about Nitecores being horribly CW, but even comparing it side-by-side with my WK30 (with its wonderful ’351 under the hood), the MH20 is actually a bit warmer than the WK30!
Again, dunno if it came with a NW option, or if I just won the CT/tint lottery, but I’m really really happy with it.
Oh, and moonlight is phenomenal on it. It ain’t firefly mode (I wish people’d make that distinction, and not want 0.00015lm “moonlight” mode), but it’s quite low and still quite useful.
Crisp clean beam with a nice tight hotspot, so it throws like Hell, and it’s a forward-clicky with a fully exposed button (no silly U-shaped cutouts), with a sideswitch to change modes, so is great for flash’n’dash.
And I think (just goggled it, and yep) it can also take a pair of ’123s as well as a single 18650.
At first I was wondering, “Okay, what’m I gonna do with Yet Another Compact Thrower?”, given my C8 Army™, but I got one, then got another. They’re really nice.
And while I’m using my GTmini in rotation (as far as throwers), the P30 is definitely the one I keep going back for.
I have to admit, that is something I love to do. I love that look when you pull out a light and fire it up and they were not expecting it to be so powerful! I was visiting my parents, who had retired out to the middle of nowhere, and thought it would be a great opportunity to test some lights. I ended up in the back field with them watching as I tried different lights. They were shocked at the area some of them could light up.
I would love to see some of the lights we talk about in more stores. I mean, these retailers import millions of those zoom lights that are flooding the market, and some of the prices are far and away more than most of the budget lights we are all buying up.
I shocks me to go into a major sporting goods store and see some of the garbage lights that are being sold for over $60. Or going there to see massive plug in spotlights that have worse throw than my C8+. SMH
Last year or so, I went to a Home Despot to get a pipe-cap to make a “quick” (har…) charger for my Q8, and wanted to make sure anything I’d buy would fit, so I brought the donk with me.
Oldster who knew his shtuff guided me to the different sizes, etc., but asked what I wanted it for (kinda odd asking for a pipe-cap but no pipe or nuttin’), and I showed him. “That’s a flashlight??” “Yeh.”
Quick 2click to turbo, and he was all like, “Holy Shiite, that’s bright!”. I just smirked.
I love doing that.
Speaking of which, anyone know how to thread the inside of a cap to fit onto a Q8’s battery-tube? Hand-tools only, no lathe or other fancies…
