What 'present' should i get myself for 2012?

Currently i own a DRY nw, a kd C8 and sipik clone.

I was planning on buying a thrower but then i was thinking, maybe i should get something which combines a lot of spill with great throw: HID.

My plan was to buy a compact thrower but that's the main issues with HID's they ain't compact at all :).

I saw this one which is fairly compact http://www.dinodirect.com/hid-flashlight-h24-24w-mini-snapture-currency-EUR.html and i was wondering if anyone knows if this is a good light (has some good reviews, but i don't know if DD reviews are that reliable :p).

I think my budget is about 100$ so for LED thrower i was thinking about an olight m3x but i don't know what HID alternatives there are. I want a HID with the typical flashlight 'stick' look, not a big bulky cube or an antenna like reflector :).

greetings!

Has anyone else noticed how the reviews on DD are all really generic, essentially the same length, say essentially the same thing, and have generic male names?

Ye that's why i'm rather suspicious :d and in the description they are constantly talking about LED instead of HID :p

2100 is our resident HID guru. And that's a subject I'm not touching. This hobby of ours is expensive enough as it is and I don't need to open that can of worms and add a second mortgage to my house. :D

As for DD "reviews", just ignore them. Most of them are fake or were copied without credit from some other place (often Amazon). I've spend a lot of time on their site and I've only recently started to see reviews that look legit and not generic, four or five star blurbs with no actual content.

There's a Amondotech (sp?) HID on Ebay for $99 right now from marrsinc.

I would just buy the M3X. It really is the king of production XM-L flashlights no doubt in my mind. You won't regret buying one. Heck I wished I had 3.

Unfortunately you'd need size for throw. If not you are just using brute strength for throw, not that it would not work...but you'd need obscene lots of power. 2 pcs of DRY, one in the left hand and one in the right hand, would hang around an Olight M3X for throw. (ignoring the size part of the equation for a second)

1500W HMI. (or is it 1200W?) But this light would not throw as far as my 100W HID due to its ~ 4" reflector. However the light is devastating for < 500m work. It probably lights up a whole damn block. LOL! For a bike light, you don't need 2km throw.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/6lTPixt9210

Those generic flashlight body HIDs, the 75W would very comfortably get you past 200k lumens range for the majority illuminated area of the main hotspot. The Peak Beam CandlePower reading of my 65W one is 235k cd. They have a 3 inch reflector. You still can't EDC it, so i don't see what the difference in reality is between those 6" hosts and these flashlight host. The aluminum hosts would fit into a haversack though, I have done that before. 6" you'd need to sling. Both cases, you need to "sling".

2100 would this one http://www.dinodirect.com/hid-flashlight-h24-24w-mini-snapture-currency-EUR.html be a good deal or should i go for a m3X as ilike suggests? both are probably around the same size.

These bikelights look awesome but problem is probably them having to be custom made.

The 24W HIDs are not that efficient and your DRY would beat it easily, usually the higher the wattage the higher the efficiency. So I am pretty sure you'd be underwhelmed by the 24W HID. You need to get the 75W, but they are large.

Mmm i guess it will be between these two

sm5200 http://360autoparts.en.alibaba.com/product/403408771-211967726/SM_5200_portable_spotlight.html

m3x http://www.dinodirect.com/flashlight-m3x-triton-cree-xlamp-xml-led-700lumens-currency-EUR.html?cur=USD

Like mentioned already, the Olight M3X is a great thrower. It's surprisingly light weight and easy to carry in it's holster.

If you would rather have a good thrower with extra modes and runs on AA NiMh batteries, the Fenix TK41 is a great light. Doesn't throw as far as the M3X but it's not far behind. It doesn't come with a holster though. These two lights along with my Shingingbeam Blaze are my three favorite lights.