The best Single Cell* thrower?

So best can mean a lot of things - furthest throwing, brightest, best spill / throw combo, best heat management, etc. Originally I wanted to do this poll to find out what the farthest throwing single cell light is (I Think I know what it is), but I am now more interested in what people vote for given all of the parameters (throw, lumens, spill, HEAT, etc).

*single cell, meaning Not a 3x / 4x batterier carrier, (2) in series is like your holding a single cell regarding battery tube diameter. That is what I mean.

Well, it’s going to be an LEP for longest throw, rather it’s the Maxtoch L2k single celled version, or the Acebeam W30.

From my experience using pencil beam throwers, I find that I only look at their hotspots anyways, so I personally rather have an LEP instead of a pencil beam traditional LED. Very efficient reflectors still only put ~50-60% of the LED’s lumens into the hotspot, so a 1000 lumen Osram is putting out 500 lumens into a hotspot, which is what you’re getting with an LEP anyways.

I personally wouldn’t vote for anything using an SBT90.2. The SBT90 gets its throw from sheer lumen output, but it’s such a power hungry LED, that it’s very impractical to use past 30 seconds for anything less than BLF-GT sized hosts.

The larger LEPs’ beams stay so tight for such long distances, that I think they lose some practicality as well outside of impressing yourself and friends. Something smaller like an Acebeam W10 still puts out the same lumens, has good runtime and heat management, and its beam diverges sooner, so you get more useable coverage in real world situations.

I would probably use a W10 or equivalent.

Another light I would most likely use would be the Manker U22 III using an Osram. The optics will make for hotspot+corona with soft and minimal spill. Heat management will be okay, with great beam pattern.

Oh wow, yea Stupid me, i didnt put any LEP on here.

My Apologies!

Make pretend the title also says Best LED single cell thrower.

I guess i didn't even think about the fact that I dont own a LEP and most people wont even think LED anymore for max throw.. maybe this poll is useless ... lol.

Don’t think I can pick just 1. My favourite single cell throwers are:

  • Manker MC13 SBT90.2 - who needs run time anyway? (Haven’t taken this outside yet)
  • Lumintop GT Nano - you never know when you might need to see 300m away
  • Convoy Z1 with W2 - a zoomie but please don’t ban me

But if there’s a right answer then it’s probably the K1, which I don’t own.

I disagree.Impractical in terms of What? Heat? Battery life?

I have Two single cell SBT90.2.K1 and NI40.In the winter I can run them 10 minutes plus.In warmer weather about 5 before I dial down.I have plenty of P42A to replace a depleted battery…that takes 30 seconds!

This is one of Thousands of examples on these forums where it comes down to preference and opinion.When it comes to my preference,what others think and choose is negligible .

Impractical in terms of everything. They get too hot past 30 seconds to hold, and they drain the battery life in no time— especially if just a single cell. Off single cells, the output of the SBT90 drops very quickly, down to less than half of its initial ~4800 lumen output within seconds to minutes.

The SBT90.2 is amazing for a minute of turbo burst, but beyond that, it has limited use in extended practicality.

Yeah, I can see the NI40 host handling heat decently in cold European winters, but you’re definitely not sustaining that 4800 lumen output doing so.

I guess my tolerance is higher than you.I can hold either of those lights for close to 3 minutes in the summer.Way more in winter.30 seconds of use is an exaggeration.Yes…it is not 4800 lumens after 5 min. Of continuos use.At least 3500 in my eyes.In winter I have used 15 minutes probably around 2800 lumens at that point and time for a fresh battery.

I Love this LED…My TN42 also has its cousin…CFT90.I am Not fond of.pencil beam osram or LEP lights…they do nothing for me.

I do agree that that emitters’ sweet spot is around 3000 lumens. I think 3000 lumens for a continuous 5-10 minutes is pretty practical. Hosts don’t get too hot at that output either, but do get very warm after around 10 minutes.

I agree with the 3000 lumen amount, for extended run time of course. But really one of the most impressive throwers ive handled lately was the L21a with CULPM1, it can handle “turbo” for over 7 minutes, and doesn’t get hot. I dont undertsand it as it is almost identical to the setup of the K1 with the same emitter and almost same amp driver, but the K1 gets Hot. must be how HEAVY the L21a host is. makes a huge difference. Theyre both great lights with output, decent spill for an osram expecially, and longevity. I really like the xhp35 4000k for throwers too, in my K1 its nice! And ive heard nothing but grat things about the MF04 with it.

I also have that light.It Never gets hot.I run it for 20 minutes straight on max then switch batteries.For $45 you can not beat the price.As summer approaches I do not seeing that getting to hot to hold before battery depletion .

I just prefer more lumens and more throw which is what the K1 SBT90 2 gives you.

Acebeam L19 has incredible throw for its size, thanks to the tir optic

All of these are far too big for me to consider any of them the “best” thrower for my uses. Something like an M21A would be the largest I’d ever go for a light that I actually wanted and expected to use regularly. Acebeam L17 (wish it used 21700…), Lumintop X9L and Convoy M21B w/WF2 have been some of my favorites recently.

A minute or so of turbo burst is all I would expect or need from a light with that size:power ratio, just like how I view single-cell hotrod triple/quads/etc. that are pulling the same amount of power.

At reasonable currents SBT90.2 exceeds the output and efficiency of smaller emitters while still maintaining reasonable throw and having a very practical/versatile beam.

Sadly only the Acebeam L18 and L19 are 21700, the two button ui is must better than the L17

GT Micro is a winner in that it is so small and “gram for gram” great throw. - so I voted “something else”

SP70 is one I have that is on the list. I think its two 26650s should disqualify it, but I really like it.

TS30S is one I have too but not on the list. Just a nice well made reasonably priced light.

I have the convoy and ft03, both excellent. For thrower, Osram rules.

To me, “the best” is one that I’d actually carry and use. Love my original L2s, but haven’t taken ’em from their boxes in, like, forever.

The GTmini/P30/C8whatevers are all similar in size and output, pocketable but that’s in a jacket pocket, really, unless you’re wearing Hammer pants.

The GTnano is ridiculously impractical with 3¼sec “turbo”, so I don’t even consider that.

So my choice would be the GTmicro, in that sweet spot of decent throw with decent and sustainable runtime. Still wouldn’t EDC it in a pocket with the big head, but it’s a great “wtf’s out there??” light you can grab in a jiffy and still go in a pocket at least for a short time.

i have to agree with the gt micro here. I wasnt expecting much when i ordered it recently, especially with the cslnm1 i thought itd have a pencil beam, but it beats out my KR1 (Great edc thrower, probably my favorite), probably because of the bigger head size, in throw and spill. the micro is a really impressive litttle light.

The ’micro almost universally attracts oohs and aahs when someone sees it. With its “reach”, people expect a bigger light, but when they see it, it’s almost always a “HS!!” moment. And it’s hella bright even when the battery’s down into the mid-3s after going a while.

So while of course it won’t have the runtime of an 18650 (or 21700) light, it’s sustainably bright, has decent runtime, and in a pinch, impresses the Hell outta people.

agreed. It is my favorite lumintop i own, followed closely by the X9l, but the brass really helps the micro take the #1 spot. just a Great designed & executed light. its in my top 10 list of the lights i own, definitely. And i definitely wasn’t expecting it to be when i ordered it on a whim.

Obviously a broad question, but here’s my 2¢.

Thrower is a relative term. So I break them down into classes. I also have a general opinion on optic type per class/ use case.

EDC - like 365/365 kind of ‘E’:

This is a weird one, but the edc class for me has competing variables like NW and HiCRI. For me its the FW1A with SST20W 4000k in a narrow spot TIR. I’m getting around 22kcd in a ~11° fwhm ~25° total beam. No crazy lumen output but per watt my cd on target is awesome considering 95 CRI.

Next tier up is the the ‘ADIN’ (any day its needed) class :smiley:

Here there are a few that stand out. GT micro WF1, Convoy M2 WF1, modded ET TX25C2, KR1 WF2, and presumably the FF T1R.

In that class about 35mm head diameter is a cutoff and length below 140mm. These all will come in somewhere around 100kcd with Osrams, and can fit in any pants pocket and stay there all day if need be.

The small LEPs like TK30 and W10ii.

The ‘tactical’ class ranges from the 36-45mm and has so many competitive offerings I wouldn’t know where to start. Acebeam L17 for TIR, NM1 C8+ for budget king. X9L for 10second bursts. Another ‘toy’ in this class is the D4S with WF2, awesome but impractical for me.

46-55mm… the awkward class. Too big to come with you easily, too small to make the effort worthwhile. But this is BLF, and we find a way top justify everything. GTmini Osram for side switch, P30-21700 modded for FC switch, B158B for zoomie (best in category imo), NI40 90.2 for searchlight duty. Maxtoch Archer M1 for a wildcard.

56-65mm. Ahh yess. The truest ‘thrower flashlight’ class imo. Here again its a crowded field. My favorites are the L19
and L2K short, in theory at least. T9R for a powerhouse/searchlight. I wish very strongly that more TIR optics enter this range.

Above this I think anything with a single cell is dumb. Reflectors should only be deep (near 1:1) and paired with big emitters like 90.2 or SST70 (soon the SFT70 and hopefully 50.3HI) for use as ‘searchlights’, anything with <6mm² LED should use an aspheric with a collar. LEPs cut into this realestate though, offering binocular range throw in more power and space efficient packages. … Big emitters with a collar/aspheric would be awesome too, and might be the subject of my next scratch build.