Small(ish) Floody Flashlight With Good Throw and Long Runtime

Manufacturer specifications are usually just another form of advertising. There is zero transparency or testing methodology shared with the consumer. They aren’t good information to base a purchasing decision on, because you have no idea how they got that number (if they did any testing at all.)

You know what gives a fairly good idea what lights are actually capable of? Real-world testing and reviews, and the more the better for consistency.

I hope you find what you’re looking for.

Emisar is definitely the way to go, a real shame if you think specifications are the issue.

Yeah, and because of this, comparing spec sheets (marketing BS to some extent) from various manufacturers is pretty pointless.

There are no specs that are going to show you how much of the light is in the spot versus in the spill. So your criteria is flawed from the very start. Do you want to actually be able to see clearly out to 30m or do you want the specs to show 30m? Again same question, in the spot or in the spill? Again specs are not going to specify spill throw distance so again your criteria is flawed from the beginning. There are so many good lights that you are not even going to consider because of your flawed criteria. Spell out exactly what you want here and people will respond. Do you not want a hotspot at all?

Sofirn SP35

Efficient buck driver. 21700 battery. Tube-shaped so should fit well in a pocket. On-board charging. Has last mode memory. Easy user interface.

If it’s not floody enough you can apply some diffusion film (or frosted scotch tape) to the lens.

Medium at 400 lumens lasts 5.5 hours. That should reach 30 meters.

$30 USD with $2 coupon and 5000mAh battery
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002848601801.html

I’d choose the 5000k option.

I’ve gifted this exact light to my father.

Manufacturer specifications are a starting point. As already mentioned, their specifications are not entirely accurate, but usually fairly close to actual operating conditions, at least for the main or reputable manufacturers.

Of course I look at reviews where and when available for lights of interest. The problem is that sometimes reviewers do not include outputs (Lumens) and associated runtimes for lower levels of brightness settings. They tend to test only for turbo, high and medium modes and leave out tests for the lower outputs.

The light I'm interested in must be principally a flood type but with a bit of throw as well. So I don't really want a light with a (noticeable) hotspot.

Actually it is possible to get an idea of beam and spill by calculating the beam angle and field angle respectively, provided all the data is available without testing. Beam angle is (relatively) easily calculated, but field angle is not so easy to calculate (for me) at the moment to determine the amount of spill (field) light.

Looking at Wild Trail WT3M light for the moment, thanks.

The Sofirn SP35 has a fairly narrow beam (hotspot) at around 17°. So this is not really suitable as it stands. I avoid having to add extra diffusion whether home made or a manufacturer optional accessory. It is something that could be lost at any time, plus there is usually a (slight) loss of light output. So I prefer a light that has a "natural" floody beam without the use of extra diffusion.

Maybe take a look at the Convoy S21D with 4 519A LEDs . High CRI. Several choices for optics from 60 degree flood to 10 degree. Several color temps. I think it ticks most of your boxes.
If you ask, Simon would probably send you a selection of the optics for relatively cheap.

He doesn’t publish much as far a specs, but there are a few good reviews out there.

Phenomenal floodlight, the best 21700 light I’ve ever used, but it doesn’t throw as OP requested. The beam is very wide and even.

And no manufacturer specs, the importance of which I will have to agree to disagree with the OP about.

(Edited a bit.)

I have no idea what the lumen levels are on my Convoy M21B with GTFC40, but comparing it to all my other lights, it is WAY brighter than any of them, is pretty floody and even with a not too defined hot spot, yet reaches impressively far.

Typically I will carry two lights. A flooder and a thrower. But when I only want to carry one light, the M21B/GTFC40 is my go to single light that can do everything I need. (Except reach dedicated thrower distances.)

I think I even prefer it to my dual channel Emisar D4SV2 with LH351D/W1. Which was my original solution to carrying one light but still having two beam styles. The UI is just so much faster and inuitive for me to have exactly the light I want on my target with no fuss.

>Regrettably, Convoy lights are not suitable as there is no technical specification available (apparently) for these lights for me to verify light data.

Many of the published specs from the manufactures are false or at least a bit exaggerated. There are a lot of reviews of Convoy lights out on the web and youtube where you could get specifications.

Yeah… I forgot he said that. Even though real world testing by trusted reviewers is much more likely to reflect the true capabilities of the light.
But, OK, I give up. the OP is imposing limitations that will result in him missing some really great lights. But, Hey. It is what it is. His money….

There are some nice 999999900lm lights out there if you look. :clown_face::clown_face::clown_face:

Thanks to those few with constructive comments.

Seems like I'll have to spend more time finding suitable lights myself rather than relying on folks here. It means more time searching light manufacturers light offerings and then finding (where available) reviews of interesting lights.

Anyway, I've found three lights so far which appear to meet my requirements. Neither are Convoy nor Emisar.

We are happy for you.

I have a great recommendation, but it's a Convoy, so that's out.

Exactly!

OK, here’s my last suggestion: ZebraLight SC700Fd (21700 battery)

I googled the MS03 to get an idea of what you’re looking for so I could suggest some lights which might compete.

I can’t find the specifications you want (beam angle or lux at lower modes) on the Imalent website… where did you find these?

Some questions which might help narrow the field:

1) What do you mean by 50 degree beam angle? is this Full Width at Half Maximum angle or does it include the ‘spill’ of the beam?

2) What do you mean by 30m of throw? ANSI standard uses 0.25lux on target which is generally considered to be quite low. Is this distance just for the center of the beam or do you want the full ‘50 degree beam angle’ to illuminate to 0.25 lux at 30m?

No need to be like that, the people here know what they are talking about and are only trying to help

Click the Technical Data tab at the Imalent website for specifications.

Beam Angle refers to the angle defined where the beam luminous intensity (candelas) has fallen off to 50% of its maximum value. Maximum value is along the center line of the beam. You can Google "beam angle" for more details.

Yes, the throw of 30 meters (as a minimum requirement here) allows for the fact that the throw is determined when the Illuminance (Lux) drops down to 0.25 Lux.

Thank you.