I’ve been enjoying the sheer lumens of these LED lights, but a few trips to the woods leads me to want a thrower. I’m aware the XinTD C8 V3 seems to be the current recommended budget value thrower of choice, but should I wait for the new XML2 version? Or is there another light I should be considering?
What about the HD2010? Not sure how they stack up against each other.
How far do you need it to throw and what is your budget? The C8 is a good combination of throw and flood, it is not a dedicated thrower.
If you have a Solarforce, the MPP-1 head is a pure thrower. It has a tigger beam and is more focused than any of my other lights.
I have a Small Sun T13 on order but have no reason to think it will throw as well as the MPP-1.
Some of my lights that are considered throwers
HD2010
Fenix E21
MXDL SA-16
Keygoes clone
UF-C8
My MPP-1 out throws them all by a wide margin. If you want a spot light, look into it. If you don’t have a Solarforce host, it is about time you got one anyway.
I’m thinking of under $50, but I’m willing to go over that if it’s a good value. I want to stay away from aspherics. The emitter square on my Sipik isn’t so great.
I'd go for a HD2010, Tmart has them for around 30 dollars shipped from the US. It is in the 50kcd range while the C8 only does around 25-30 kcd.
+1… Thats my next purchase 
HD2010 or Fandyfire STL-V2 for dedicated throwers. Hands down, best throw for the money. No way to argue against either of those.
I think the zy-t13 is hard to beat for $24,and as I understand from other comments here the reflector is the same size as HD 2010.Awesome thrower and adequate spill,lots of bang for the buck.
+1
Why do people say the HD2010 is a thrower? Its not. It puts out a ton of light but it is not a dedicated thrower. I felt like I was led astray on the HD2010. I bought it because I heard it was some sort of monster thrower.
I was very disappointed in it when I first got it. I wanted a thrower and the HD2010 is not it. Since then, I have grown to like my HD2010 but not as a thrower. It’s a good all around powerful light but it is NOT a pure thrower like the Solarforce MPP-1 head.
Yes, due to being an XM-L it also has flood. But it does do something like 50 kcd, I'd call that a thrower.
It really depends on what your needs are. A year ago last summer I was able to use my Fenix HP10 to spot and chase off bears all the way across the meadow. I wouldn't call the HP10 a thrower, but it threw more than well enough. The bears seem acclimated to campers with weaker lights as they'd run off a short distance and wait. I believe they stopped because at that range, they'd be invisible to campers with weaker lights. I ran them off much further. I assume the bears had a hard time believing I could see them because they were reluctant to run away until I started chucking logs at them and running at them. It's a lot of assumptions, but all that matters is that I could see the bears from across the campsite and all the way across the meadow until they disappeared behind the tree line.
If you got a Zebralight H600, you should have the beam pattern and lumens to see critters from much greater distances. It's expensive, but I think the combination of beam pattern, lumens, range of modes, bulk and weight make it a very tough light to beat as a backpacking light. The only downsides I see is that charging would be a hassle on very long hiking trips, and battery choice can be a gamble because Zebralight doesn't seem to know how big the battery bay is on the light they supposedly engineered themselves.
For a day hiking (non-overnight hikes) light, the HD2010 is pretty amazing. It's largely a thrower, but it can light up a trail pretty well too with its spill aided with a little side-to-side wobbling. The only problem is that the low is still bright enough to blind other hikers. When I'm on a crowded trail on a night hike, I bring a second dimmer light to use when I approach other hikers. Ideally that second light would be hands free either via a neck lanyard or headband, and a magnetic tail cap would be nice for attaching it to sign posts on city trails. A coin light can work great with a HD2010 if hung from a cord around your neck. I have a Xeno e03 with wand. The wand is great for lighting when in a group. It gives plenty of light for everyone without blinding anyone, even (especially?) when it's used with a 14500. The wand also fits perfectly on my Fenix HP10. The Trustfire Z2 with a 14500 performs a lot like the Fenix HP10, with a convenient magnetic tail cap, but with a narrower beam and a very blue tint. Unfortunately I don't have a diffuser or wand for it, although it should be quite floody if the reflector assembly is removed.
Because it throws quite far for $30. I don't believe anyone called it a pure thrower. That would be kind of neat, but I'd use it a lot less if it was indeed a pure thrower. I wouldn't use for cycling, it wouldn't be the first light I grab a light to inspect oddities around my home, I wouldn't use on for city night hikes...it'd pretty much be relegated to a gee whiz light that's used to impress a few people.
In any case, if you want it to be more of a pure thrower, black out the center of the lens. I doubt it'd make the light throw further though. It'd just kill the spill.
Or if you want a pure thrower and don’t need a lot of spill then you should consider the Jacob A60. I love my HD 2010 also but the A60 will definitely out throw it. It even throws a little farther than my Crelant 7G5 V1 and that is saying something. For $14.70 nothing can touch it for all out throwing. It does have enough spill to be useful but nothing like an XML light.
I agree with the A60 and the HD2010 mentioned by others. Both are great throwers for the money. If you want mostly concentrated spot and a little spill, go with the A60. If you want good spill with good through, then the HD2010 is the smart choice. You can expect 45-55K with the HD2010. And 60-75k with the A60.
I personally have always been fond of the HS-802 for a dedicated thrower with a budget in mind. Very tight beam with very little spill. Very deep polished reflector. Not as many lumens as a xml with it’s xr-e r2 led but still able reach out and touch someone. Modded with a 1400ma amc7135 driver it becomes even more impressive.
What will the XML2 do for the HD2010, and how long until they will be available? I was contemplating the XinTd but now think the HD2010 will be my big white light. Just seems like maybe I should wait a few more…weeks?
Heck I’ll tell you to get the Small Sun ZY-T08 for the money. But rikr tells me the HD-2010 is pretty awesome for just a little more on sale. I don’t have a 2010, but I do have a ZY-T08.
Go look at my beamhshot at 110yds in the XM-L thower thread that is a sticky here.