I have that SST-80 with an aspheric lens from DX fitted. It's probably the best thrower I own with a very bright square spot and virtually no spill. The lens basically fits as a direct swap without need for modification to focus the beam. The dark lines of the led are visable closeup but not a problem at a distance.
Good luck with whatever you choose as there is always another day and another cool torch.
Sorry, as being relatively new to led torch collecting I dont as of yet. Althought I would add that the SST-80 with aspheric lens and the trustfire X6 SST-90 throw pretty comparible with the amount of light being throwen being the difference. There is a gum tree in the next street from me ( my test tree) that would have to be at least a 150m away and and both lights hit it easily but the X6 lights the whole tree up. Having said that the little single 18650 torch from EBay hits it equally as well just with a small dot in comparison (a couple of feet diameter in all that distance). I might try to take some beam shots tonight.
Is a Trustfire ST-50 with a SST-50 emitter. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustfire-st-50-sst-50-5-mode-1300-lumen-memory-led-flashlight-2-18650-36031
From reviews I've seen it is very fussy about battery quality (Shuts down after a few minutes on blue/grey Trustfires), and some have had driver problems.
I just got a Masterpiece Pro 1 and I'll tell ya what folks; if you think the "lowly" XR-E hasn't got game, you need to see this thrower do its thing. A full review is coming (I'm waiting on an F15 to come for my big thrower contest) but suffice it to say this one hell of a nice flashlight.
Here are some pics I took last night. (be kind...first time)
Wall at 1.7m. SST-80 with aspheric lens on left, Trustfire X6 center and K8 right
K8 hitting tree in next street
K8. You can see most detail of the tree.
SST-80 with aspheric lens.
SST-80 is much brighter.
Trustfire X6.
X6 just puts out masses of light.
Although blurry this what the SST-80 looks more like to the naked eye. Really stong beam.
This is a shot of my TK41. It's not exactly 'budget' but it's truly an awsome light.
As far as the SST-80 goes I can only go by what is written on the side of the torch, although it does look identical to a SST-50. As you can see the K8 does a mighty job especially for the low cost. My son likes it because it looks like a light sabre when he shines into the night sky.
The best controlled result I’ve obtained with my UniqueFire HS-802 was 500m (measured from map).
Granted, it was in the clearest air, moonless night, and the target was a light-painted house which I could then just make out against the dark background. From our window, there is another suitable house 450m away and even my unenlightened wife could see it without any adptation.
My sample, equipped with an XR-E R2, draws 1400mA from a fresh 18650, so it’s slightly overdriven. That being so, I’ve never tried to power it with 2CR123 or even 2RCR123, which, according to the specs, could be done. I don’t want to push my luck as I need that light on my regular night walks to determine whom those reflecting eyes in the distance belong to (whether it’s deer or brown bear).
It's almost impossible to go wrong with the HS-802 for the price. It's easy to see this light does not (and never claims) to put out a huge amount of light, but the percentage of light concentrated at that hotspot is crazy. Just snapped this beamshot for you with the iphone, so please forgive it's blurring of the hotspot. In reality the hotspot on the wall from ~10ft is 2-3 inches max. Outside, this thing is just a beast, but I don't have any good shots for ya.
To add, my light sounds severly underdrive compared to other results I've heard. With a fresh Trustfire flame 18650 it pulls just under 1A. As said above, this light can handle up to 9V, so 2xCR123, or if you can find an extension tube it could handle 2 18650's.
Trustfire Tr-1200, 5xQ5 on the left. HS-802 on right
Recommend a thrower for my friend for hunting purposes.
it sould be 2x 18650 maybe to fit to glovebox.
Needs at leas 1 hour runtime on high, at least two modes.
Should throw perhaps 200m or something like that. Not looking for smallest spot so I quess XM-L is ok.
