I measured 230kCd on my NW FT03 with a UNI-T UT-383S
But what Jos said is quite important, this luxmeter has an accuracy of ±5% beyond ≥100,000Lux
Calculating with 5%, 230 kCd differs from 230 * 0,05 = 11,5 kCd,
so in reality it will be something between 215 ~ 245 kCd, where 215 is more likely 
Keep in mind that this light uses a FET driver so output varies based on the battery used, unlike a boost driven light. Also, people might be measuring from different distances and some at turn on and some at 30 seconds. So there are a lot of variables.
I always measure at 10 meters and 30 seconds. Did everyone do the same? Did they say what battery they used?
I measure throw (always at 30 seconds) at 7 meter but usually the beam is pretty well formed from 5 meter upwards, even from this 50?mm reflector.
My 230 kcd is from a black Liitokale 5000mAh, which is not the highest drain 26650 around.
i have used a 30Q at different distances, all my readings were quite consistent
usually i place the light on a chair or something and then walk with my luxmeter to the wall, to measure at several spots and angles in the hotspot, so almost all my readings are at 30s.
the spreadsheet doesn’t work for me, also, is there still a discount gb price link some where? is this still the best budget thrower?
What spreadsheet?
I think it is the best budget thrower. Both the SST-40 and xhp50.2 depending on your needs. Freeme has deals on both.
I read on reddit this light turbo doesn’t last long and heat soak will keep the thermal throttle to output low for a while. The hunt continues for the holy grail.
You can turn off the thermal stepdown off if you want. What is the “holy grail”?
Will the turbo heat ruin the led/driver/etc or lead to significantly shorter life?
Holy grail would be cheap, and all the desirable quality
Get the SST40 version. I have run it for over 5 minutes on turbo does not get very hot and no stepdown as far as I can see.
Ask about flashlights here, not on reddit.
Ok I am sold, will get that. I see the xhp version, sounds like that’s a less turbo friendly one?
How hot do you want it to get? If you generate a lot of watts, the heat has to go somewhere. It should handle 80°C with no issues. I assume your talking about the 50.2 version since it’s the really bright, powerful one.
The SST-40 version makes less heat. People have disabled the thermal stepdown and ran it on turbo until the batteries went down.
I have both. The 50 is a higher output light, so I am guessing it may get hot faster.
I just ran them side by side. At two minutes the XHP stepped down. It was uncomfortable to hold and tested at 42C, my set stepdown
At FIVE minutes the SST40 stepped down, it was warm but not unpleasant to hold, tested at 41C
So make your own choice.
I agree. The SST-40 generates a LOT less heat. It does not have as much total light output, but I find it throws farther. YMMV.
Sst-40 can draw 36 watts with high drain battery.
Xhp50.2 can draw 60 watts with high drain battery.
Neither really needs a high drain battery, so you can run a high capacity cell to get less heat and only a tiny bit less lumens. Not really enough lumen loss that you could tell from the naked eye.
Cool
I had high drains in both for my test - Vapcell 21700 in the XHP, AWT 75 AMP (alleged) in the 40.
But I took the XHP out with me to walk the dog, I can confirm it does get hot in a hurry.
Man, now I see the chaselight photo, and I am tempted. It seems brighter, but the photo might be lying since you can also see the sky with cloud, so the white balance? Seemed different, but if it wasn’t then it’s cheaper. Only thing is it’s using xhp50 so it might also have heat issue, despite the larger/longer body?
What about any xhp70 thrower? Anything comparable to ft03?
I may have missed it but how do the two compare with run times?
What do you mean? How long each of the 150 brightness levels can theoretically run on a particular battery? I don’t think anyone has tested that. Maybe someone has done some type of test and can link it.
The Chaselight is good for the money. It has a good throw, not as good as the S70S or L6, but way cheaper. It does not get hot. At one point I ran it all the way up and it did not step down for like 45 minutes. It is a good cheap light. That you can have in your hands tomorrow or Monday from Amazon.