I like tiny but for me the Zebralight SC64c LE is the best size/performance combo I have seen.
Head Diameter: 0.96 inch (24.5 mm)
Length: 3.64 inch (92.5 mm)
It supports lumen levels of 900, 579, 341, 183, 90, 40, 16.6, 6.2, 2.1, 0.67, 0.19, or 0.05 that can be programmed in the order you want. I think typically only the 900lm mode needs to step down.
I know that some people love getting by with the minimum number of lumens possible for the smallest footprint possible but for my money (literally) this is the best of both worlds.
Respectable battery capacity. Primarily using an 18500 Vapcell L22 (2200 mAh).
2700K and 6500K SST-20
Aqua switch backlight and raised switch retaining ring.
It’s great having a variable tint light with good ui, good hand-feel, massive output, and small size. Looks great in light blue.
Other notable lights from 2021:
Acebeam TK17 Ti - expensive light, but I found one heavily discounted. Still expensive, but looks nice, has good output and feels great in the hand. The artsy silver and gold clip was useless though and needed to be replaced.
Zebralight SC52w - gutted and innards replaced with triple SST-20 4000K FD2 with Anduril UI.
DQG Tiny III and IV - Had these awhile, but redid the innards. Both now have Anduril UI and are running triple SST-20.
I did my DQG Tiny IV mod somewhat similar to Dutchee’s mod.
Not the easiest mod, but still substantially easier to mod than the DQG Tiny III, mainly because I could actually get the head off the body.
I used a 20mm e-switch driver from Mountain Electronics that I reflashed to Anduril.
I super-glued a microswitch to the top of the the Atiny on the driver.
The driver fits in the cavity between the head and body tube and is not glued in.
In the optic compartment I cut pieces of copper sheet into disk shape with a slot in it for the driver wires and the switch. Layered them up and then soldered them together. The copper raises the star to the correct height and provides additional heat sinking mass.
the triple Noctigon and triple TIR sits on top of that. I think I may have had to slightly file down the edges of the star and legs of the TIR.
The bezel is the same 20mm width as the TIR. This means something else is needed to prevent the TIR falling out: either a fat o-ring or a lens.
I used a 22mm UCL acrylic lens from Flashlightlens.com. I used a small file to shave down one side of the edge of the lens so it would fit under the bezel.
This makes for a reliable build and while not the easiest mod, it was far from the hardest.
The DQG TinyIII was much harder to mod since I couldn’t get the body tube off… too much threadlocker (in contrast my Tiny IV had little or no threadlocker). For the DQG III I ended up dremeling out most of the driver, mounted a contact plate below and the driver in the cavity in the middle, then made a little hollow platform out of copper to support the star and provide heatsinking.
I only bought two lights this year, so the choice was pretty simple for me:
WildTrail WT90: This is my first “monster” flashlight; they kept posting deep discount codes in the BLF thread, and I finally caved. When I got the light, I put fully charged batteries in it and turned it on Turbo while sitting at my desk— and started laughing. While I was just pointing it at the wall. I can’t wait to take it to the lake next year and really stretch its legs!
It’s gotta be Emisar D4SV2 2-channel for me. With W1’s for throw, LH351D’s for flood, a 26800 tube for awesome capacity & ergonomics, and a modified KR4 clip for occasional pocket carry, it’s my most versatile and fun light.
Does it give you any trouble using a battery rated for 4A discharge in a light that can pull 18A on turbo? Or do you just actively avoid high modes?
Awesome clip mod, by the way! I’ve been searching far and wide for a satisfactory D4V2 clip and that specific modification of Neal’s FW series deep carry clip might do the trick for me.
I don’t know about best, but my two coolest are a tie.
Noctigon k9.3 looks wicked from the front, and deep red complements the sst-20 well. My most common setting is mostly red with just a bit of white for a pinkish nighttime beam.
The other is the Fireflies t9r. It throws and holds its heat well for its weight. The ice-cream shape is actually smart, much more packable than the typical plunger shape.
