How about the good old Convoy C8+? What are your existing head torches? Do any of them use 18650’s? For the Convoy you would need a battery and charger if you don’t already have that. Failing that, anything from Sofirn (or Wurkkos) with a bundled battery would be a good choice to get you started. As mentioned, the IF22A looks like a great new offering by them.
I totally agree with this. 21700 based with a spare cell slot would be ideal imo. For a really budget and practical option I like to recommend the Convoy L21B with SFT40.
What range do you need? What terrain and conditions? Runtime?
No, I was offering Fireflies since it has very narrow beam and I don't think SAR requires super robustness as in caving.
My comment was only regarding Fanix which in my experience are not as robust as some people think. The H series is popular light for caving since it is compact and cheap but I have seen many Fenix lights fail
The range of throw will be limited if you stick to more compact options. A large reflector is practically a requirement on a true searchlight. But maybe there is smaller light that will throw well enough for your needs. How far does this light need to be able to throw?
Yes, the comparisons at the end of this video will give a quite good understanding of typical setups: https://youtu.be/W68DWHYhotw YouTube channel, comparison video
And off topic, I can see why they call it flashoholics.
Some person coming in asking for an advice, gets jumped by 10 friendly persons: “of course you have to try this one, but this is also good. Come join us in our addiction, come flash with us” cut your credit card now, and run. RUN!
Thanks for the feedback. It’s like being a kid in a sweet shop but there’s so much choice you can’t make up your mind!!” I loved the IF22A but the only place I found them was on Ali express and then when I ordered it said they couldn’t deliver to my country, (UK) !!! The Convoy L21B with SFT40 looks great but I have the added expense of batteries and charger, I don’t think it’s rechargeable in the torch like the IF22A so I’d have to buy batteries and a charger.
The Convoy M21D is a compact thrower with a 21700 battery and onboard charging. It normally comes with an XHP70.2 which is bright but not the throwiest LED. You could ask Simon to swap it out for an sft-40 or something, he’s very obliging like that.