Hello everyone, OP here.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate all your comments, … some make me laugh out loud, all good fun, some make me think, some point out things I haven’t thought of. I feel very welcome here.
Thanks to you, I have realized that a flashlight is probably best used as intended (a light source) with no extra duty or expectation.
My use case has then become much simpler. I just want to have quality bright light while car camping out in the boonies (mainly national parks and forests).
What a journey it has been in the last few days. I went from complete ignorance of flood/throw, Lumen/CRI, Andúril, etc. to having a rudimentary understanding of the topics.
Apologies for a long post/update. TLDR: I think I have found a good flashlight, almost perfect for me. Super thrilled 
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Realizing that it’s best to use the flashlight within the confine of its intended usage, my research has been more focused. I decided to limit my choices to only those with USB charging, so SP70, C8G, C8F, Q8 were out.
SC21 and SC31 Pro were out as well because they are on the lighter side of the Sofirn line-ups.
SP35 is interesting but at 2000 lumens, I was a bit hesitant.
SP36 Pro sounds fantastic, 8000 lumens and all, but a bit heavy at 300+ grams. So the search continued.
SP33 V3, what’s not to like? Respectable 3500 lumens, 26650 cell, light enough at 144 grams, simple UI for a beginner like me. I almost pulled the trigger and called it a day. Then I stumbled onto the topic of color temperature. More readings ensued. Afterwards, I opted to pass on the 6500K option, but unfortunately the 5000K option was not available for picking.
My last hope was the IF25A. It ticks all the boxes. Except for … turbo mode can get very hot very fast, so it can’t stay in turbo for long. Grrr! I felt exhausted and overloaded with all the information by now.
Back to square one! There is no perfect flashlight that rules them all. I went through the entire line-ups again, debating/looking for the option with the least downside for my use case. Reading and re-reading a bunch of reviews.
SP36 Pro was back in for consideration, since I figured I’m not looking for for an EDC, 300+ grams is not that big of a deal. This could be it. Hallelujah!
Only if it was that simple! I googled for more info on the SP36 Pro, and came across a discussion about CRI.
Bad news! The SP36 Pro has a weak link … low CRI.
I went back down the rabbit hole, and the hard work paid off.
In pursuit of the latest and greatest, I mistakenly discounted older versions/variations of all models. So glad I looked again and left no stone unturned. I’m now a proud owner of a Sofirn SP36 BLF Anduril 5000K (scheduled to deliver in 10-14 days). It has many things goings for it: high CRI, better emitters (Samsung LH351D) than the SP36 Pro’s; better tint options than the SP33 V3; can stay in turbo mode longer than the IF25A. Although lower lumens than the SP36 Pro (5650 vs 8000), I read that it takes 4x the lumens to double the brightness. Good trade off, all around well-balanced.
In hindsight, may be I should have gone for the 4000K. But for real, I wouldn’t know any better. I have not seen neither the 4000K nor 5000K in real life to have an opinionated preference. May be ignorance is bliss!
No matter what, there is no turning back now, I’ll learn to enjoy my new light. I hope the hype is real, and expectation will me met. Can’t wait to be blown away when it gets here. I hope it’ll knock my socks off. Well, my bar is kinda low. The only reference I have for comparison is made by a brand called “refun”, powered by 3 AAA batteries, and bought 5 years ago for $10.
My journey is far from over though. I’ll have to learn Anduril, and learn it quick. I’ll need to find a way to attach a lanyard. The para-cord solution is neat, but I’m not sure I can do a good job. I’d like to add a diffuser to turn it into a poor-man lantern, but wondering how bad would it compare to a full fledged BLF LT1.
I’m glad I have found this forum. There are a lot of knowledge and wisdom on here.
:+1: 
