flooder… ok, that helps narrow the search
which one of the two lights in the search link, do you like better?
my personal opinion is the sofirn q8 Pro seems like the best buy atm however there is not enough reviews on it specially on run times and heat handling, but its not about which i like better, its more of a comparison for most Lumens flooder per $ in a usable package (usable package means a flashlight that has more than a single cell and is dependable for longer run times than what a single cell provides and has capable thermals to avoid quick overheating.)
This is the one that interests me, mainly because it is single cell. 
Unfortunate, it's not for sale right now, and I don't know enough about it to decide if I really want it or not.
the cool thing about these can size flashlights is that they provide outstanding battery life without being that much thicker/bigger. its really a fair trade off IMO
Oops...
The NIGHTWATCH NSX4E can take a 26800, so it's too big for my taste.
(I didn't catch that detail earlier.)
I reviewed the DL70. It’s a fantastic light. I got a hair under 12k lumens and the beam is versatile with great throw and flood. I tested it underwater also. Will run until the batteries dump.
The Lumintop GT3 comes to mind. It’s often available at under $110 US. It won’t hold Turbo long, but thr lower modes still have high output.
IMO your disqualifying flashlights based off your very limited knowledge of LED flashlights. Many folk here know EVERY light mentioned in this list and what it’s basic specs are, some own all these lights too. Some folks hate USB charging ports they have a small advantage and a many disadvantages like the extra size, the weak point a charging port can be is dust, water. Some won’t buy certain lights in your list because of poor reliability. The MF01s is a well made light that really lights things up. Discounting it over a charging port is silly IMO but we all make different choices. A decent 4 slot charger only cost $20-$50.
And single cell is not much of a disadvantage these days with 5000 mAh and 6000 mAh 21700, 26650, and almost 7000 mAh 26800’s becoming available for Astrolux lights. I’d rsther have a single cell than lug around a 3 or 4 cell light sometimes. I’d take the convenience than more runtime.
Why are you discounting single cell lights? Lights such as the Convoy M21C/D have almost as good sustained brightness (which is more important to me than max brightness) as most multi battery Soda Can lights. There is also a high-CRI option in the GT-FC40. I would recommend getting a decent analysing charger such as the Vapcell S4 Plus over internal charging.
thats the q8 BLF completely different to he Q8 pro that just got released
thanks for sharing YOUR opinion.
however I never claimed to have great knowledge about flashlights but I understand the basics very well, I’m a beginner, and I welcome all opinions. as the Original post intended, I was trying to figure out what the highest lumen output flashlight is under 150 dollar with multi cell battery as outlined in the first post at the top of the page. not sure which part of that you did not understand, I only disqualified single cell recommendations because I clearly said no single cell but I still appreciate the recommendation so that is why I have disqualified them. either way thanks again for sharing your opinion.
Now about the astrolux, its %50 more expensive, again please read the title, it says Highest lumens per $ so ill let you do the math. as far as USB charging that is not why i rated it higher, i did so because the q8 pro is cheaper and delivers more bang for buck, furthermore the attolux is a more compact device compared to the sofirn with less heat fins in the head. it is known to get way too hot in its highest setting as written in reviews. to the point of burring your hand. so know that I have counted that in as a negative.
I’m sure some folks hate USB charging due to the chance of water leak, but I’m not one of those people. I don’t take my flashlights swimming and I’m sure the extremely tight fit USB cover can handle a little rain if I ever chose to use it in the rain. again that is not why i rated it higher than the astrolux, its because its %50 cheaper.
that is a great point if it was powering a single LED. but when you are powering 3 to 4 LED’s a single cell 6000mah will not run for long and it will have less than half the run time of a can size flashlight with 4x3500mah
nice, that is a little pocket rocket, ill add it to the list.
so far this is the list:
Sofirn Q8 Pro 11,000 lumens $65
Astrolux Mf01s 15,000 lumens $96
Emisar D18 14,000 Lumens $99
Lumintop GT3 18000 Lumens $140
as for the best choice in these 4 recommendations I recon its a toss up between the sofirn and the astrolux. there is one other model that comes to mind that can take the top spot but its not released yet, the convoy 3x21a in xhp70.2 x 3 configuration and 3x21700 5000mah batteries! that will be a tough one to beat at the price they will sell for. it will most definitely have the best thermal and best battery life and support quick charge USB charging, and the cheapest one.
Q8 pro looks like a value winner according to your desires. Cheapest by far and checks all your boxes. Doubt anything else will beat it out. More than 11,000 lumens won’t be held for nor than a few fading seconds with anything else this size. You’d need 2-4x the LED area to get meaningfully more efficiency out of the same wattage/heat
yes the matter gets more complex once runtime and heat dissipation come into play. which would have the longest runtime in high mode without much stepdown is the second part of this equation. only runtime graphs in high settings will show this. the Q8 pro just does not have that kind of detailed reviews yet.
Very true, sustained lumens is often more important than maximum lumens.
I also prefer buying multi-cell larger flashlights. Their high lumen output excites me. Single-cell flashlights with a “practical” utilitarian design (and usually in Black) may be cheaper. But I don’t find them attractive. Do we really want, let along need, more than one of them in our collection?
I would consider Astrolux MF04S XHP70.2 a good contender for one of the best buys, highest lumen per $.
Now I am eagerly waiting for the group buy of Wild Trail WT90 Silver.
TermsakC
I already have a charger, forget the USB charging for a second, its my fault for mentioning it as its more if a personal preference. lets just focus on lumens per $ in multi cell configuration. (no single cells for the sake of the post we are only mentioning multi cell lights for dependable battery life)