Some friends and I do alot of hunting here and DX/Manafont etc lights are ideal for the task and of course so cheap to buy.
We have used alot of the modded 501/2, X2000, HS801, WF800 type and found them great, but the recent XMLs are a new ballpark in terms of performance.
What we look for is maximum throw plus reasonable spill and I see you can get zoom XMLs, and also deep reflector XMLs.
Questions:
How successfully do the aspheric lensed zoom head XMLs concentrate and throw all that diffuse light output. do you really get long distance or only some of the output at distance?
Which of the XMLs give best long distance throw. The Beamtech T6 on DX does well, and the Fandyfire HD2010 also reviews well here though it appears to have no mode memory - a necessity otherwise you run through all 5 modes and give the bunnies migraines long before you can shoot them.
Very interesting. I see on the Maxtoch site the SN6X-2 you mention is rated out to 700m. Another one I noted was the zoom ZO6X-2 rated to 750m. I wonder if some of the zooms do ok, or wd there still be loss of output with the tightened beam.
Unfortuantely not many would like or accept such stuff.
1. Plastic host....what the?! 1A. Because it is a plastic host, it cannot even survive a 0.5m drop.
2. SLA battery, what the?! That's very low in power density, but well at least it's cheap to replace and it's cheap for the watt-hours.
3. Size. Some folks need a lot of coaxing into believing that you need size for throw though.
4. Warm up time. It takes approx 20s for it to warm up. But overdriven bulbs take about 8 seconds, pretty fast.
5. UV, but actually most are ok because it's filtered by the quartz envelope as well as the glass somewhat. (I know because my lens is transition lens, i use it to test)
Positives - it throws, coupled with lots of lumens. HIDs have intensities that actually hurt your eyes and cause a REAL danger in blinding you. You can stare at a M3X at 1m and still be happy, but with the SM5500 you'll be blinded even at 6 metres. It's like comparing the stuff below....both are nice, but the difference is there. :)
Do a search on the SM5200 and SM5500 13" one which i just got, there is info/beamshots on CPF too. I'd not recommend the Ebay/Aliexpress flashlight aluminum tube ones, unless your application is very specific that you need that kind of beam profile and you need a long tube flashlight, which is easier to transport in a backpack.
Well if spill is what you are looking for in a thrower, an XML thrower will be perfect. If you want ultimate throw, you are looking at the wrong emitter. You need to look at something with an XR-E.
I feel like I am on a constant publicity campaign for the Solarforce MPP-1, its a simply awesome thrower and you can get this setup for $55 shipped. Its a solarforce too so the quality is great. I don't think you can get a better light for pure throw than this for this price. Next best would probably be the Crelant 7G5 but I think thats around $75
As a bonus you could also pick up a regular P60 drop in for $17 and swap quickly back and forth with the same body, as this setup comes with the regular P60 head as well.
Have had an email back from Maxtoch and they recommend four lights as exc throwers - see their site:
They suggest the model Old4570 notes above - the SN6X-2, plus the TA6X-7 and 8, and the zoom head ZO6X-2 - all rated 650-750meters or so.
What is unusual is that the Tactical TA6X-7 they recommend as a 650meter thrower actually has a micro orange peel rather than smooth reflector - and that normally inhibits throw. Also their ZO6X-2 zoomie is rated at 750meters which if true makes it a seriously long thrower - contrary to people's experience with zoomie XMLs.
First things first: To get good throw from an XML a larger reflector is a must, anything over 50mm (reflector, not bezel) is good. This is because of the size of the die and the angle the light is emitted. You will find that almost any XML thrower will also have a good level of spill as well, again a byproduct of the large die.
The beauty of a XML thrower is that not only does it throw well, but it also covers a larger area... this is where a well focused XR-E falls on its face for searching out rabbits at short and medium ranges.
Edit: The link Old4570 posted above is a Fandyfire STL-V6 / Skyray STL-V2
Some XML throwers that come to mind are:
Fandyfire STL-V6 / Skyray STL-V2 (same torch, different name). This is regarded by some as the best XML thrower out these without spending more then $60-$100 USD.
Trustfire X9 (I have one and cover it a bit in my note on FishnHunt). Great torch but may need a little tinkering with to get it performing to its potential.
XML-C8: more compact then the two above with a smaller reflector but according to the large number of people who own one, it still throws well.
XMLs with focusing lenses do not really appear to have a big following. This may be because to focus the light from the die you need a very large lens (think very thick) which results in a relatively small amount of light out the front. The "750m" torch you mentioned earlier is a good example of this, you would be lucky to get 600 lumen from it. (this torch also looks suspiciously like this one: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/3223, see the C8 beam shot in the thread for a comparison).
Edit: The link Old4570 posted above is a Fandyfire STL-V6 / Skyray STL-V2. (Which one/s is/are re-branded I do not know)
Regardless of Maxtoch claims of 750 meters throw, I don't think I'll bother with the zoomer aka as Trustfire Z1 and Z5.
Will take the advice and look for bigger diameter reflectors and the Maxtoch SN6X-2 aka as Fandyfire STL-V6 or Skyray STL-V2 will be one light we get.
So too will the Fandyfire HD2010 - as shown in the beam shot collection thread here.
Manual man - have a look on the Maxtoch.com site and see what looks good there for bunny shooting i.e. good sharp throw plus spill for scanning fields.
All the throw distances are way too optimistic, unless you are using at least a 50mm objective to view something in total darkness eg in the desert with dark adapted eyes (at least 30 mins of adaptation). There is a way to determine throw distance, be it 1 lux @ target or 0.25 lux. I think they might be using 0.07 lux @ target. *scratches head*
You can check out CPF LED flashlights, there is a current good thread titled "Dedicated throwers" and there is some decent info regarding hunting. You can take your pick based on your preference on XM-L reflectored or XR-E aspheric.
I have just done a quick scan though all 77 of Maxtochs products and these are the only ones that I consider to meet your criteria (listed from best to worst):
I will chuck up some links to a few more lights off DX and Manafont once I have time, although to be honest I do not think you can go past the SN6X-2 / STL-V2 / STL-V6 unless you are after a more compact set-up.
In terms of spill I find having a good sized hotspot more useful... but then again I spotlight in areas where the grass is generally fairly long which makes it hard for your eyes to pick up anything when in contrast to the hotspot.
Final options taking shape now. We want 3-4 to test to see what will work best. Main candidates in order are:
1. Maxtoch SN6X-2 (aka Skyray or Fandyfire STL V2)
2. Fandyfire HD2010 (see beamshot collection thread here) from DX
3. Maxtoch TA6X-6 single battery aka Uniquefire B1
4. Maxtoch TA6X -8. New model with 2 batts
All are rated at about 1 million chinese lumens which is approximately 4 candle power, and are listed at 650 - 700 meters so will undoubtedly reach to the letter box. Progress...
I took my X9 to a nice park , and it was good for about 200Meters [ 30,000Lux @ 1M ]
I dont know what cal you'l be hunting with , but if its a 22RimFire , then almost any larger head XM-L will rock , if your going centre fire [ 222 and up ] then , you may want a little more power ...
For the 22Rimfire , almost any XM-L should do ... My weakest is the Keygos KE-5 , and it would work a treat .. Lower current = less heat and longer run time
X9 VS Maxtoch , 30,000Lux VS 50,000Lux , yeah there is a difference , as to how that would affect you in the field , from a throw perspective , and how well you could spot rabbits within rimfire range ? Obviously brighter is better , but enough to matter ?
As a rimfire shooter myself , out to say 100Meters , I might prefer a smaller lighter XM-L that throws almost as well , 17HMR , 200 Meters , yeah , you will like the extra power of the Maxtoch , + you can always bump it down to medium for 20000Lux , and longer run time ...
There is a way to determine throw distance, be it 1 lux @ target or 0.25 lux. I think they might be using 0.07 lux @ target. *scratches head*