There is definitely some good value coming through on these smaller flashlight companies. Emisar / Noctigon is charging more than their direct competition, but for good reason. Then relative to the other much bigger makers, I agree Emisar quality gives them a run for the money. Sometimes there are models that stand out as better quality, not necessarily tied to price. Regarding Nitecore, I was pleased with the EA4 (1st edition) but wasn’t happy with the control button. They switched it out for a 2 button system that works very well, something they used on the EC4GT. Now that light is superb. Super seriously solid build. Rugged 2x18650 construction. It had so much potential, but… they kind of squandered it. The EC4GTS came with XHP35, but actually less throw. Then the EC4S totally dropped the ball, various problems, lower throw, more of a broad spill. Looks like they’re going to discontinue that form factor, which is a shame because I think it has a lot of potential. I could see a slightly larger version using 2x21700.
I’d really like to see Zebralight step up and release a version like that. Still single emitter. And who knows, in another year or so, perhaps they’ll further enhance their UI, a kind of “Anduril lite.” I’m very curious to see what Emisar comes up with down the road as well.