My all time favorite for $24 is the small sun zy-t13 2x 18560 a good thrower with a fair amount of spill too.Hard to beat for the price and no mode memory,so it goes back to high when the light is turned back on.
The HD2010 is by far the most impressive light I have. I have a C8 modded with XML U2 1C and it cant even get in the ballpark with the 2010! Both have the same driver. As long as you get a descent 18650 you wont have any issues.
@ MLC810WN i am not seeking a x2 18650 =/ but thanks anyway
@ apt323 damn that HD2010 i hear lots of good reviews about it! Is there any preferable brand or online retailer to buy from?
I found these and they all cost ~ $60 but i am not sure about the vendor nor the FandyFire quality. FandyFire HD2010
I just want to say, I haven’t found a better bang for buck light than the XinTD.
Yes, technically you can pay less and get more throw.
And yes, you can pay more and get a higher quality light. (usually a LOT more)
But it’s just plain an all around winner… You get to choose your modes, and there is no visible PWM (huge plus for me!), AND you can even choose the led tint!
Put it this way… it’s one of my only lights left I haven’t actually had to modify to get to my liking.
@ ChiggerPepi i cant judge but i got a pair of Trustfire Flames 14500 and i find them okay never tried anything else.
@ Vectrex XinTD it is buddy! just need someone with battery knowledge tell me which battery of these 2 are optimal for the XinTD Sanyo UR18650FM 2600mAh
@ pretzy I find the UF 980L kinda expensive. And from a review I read here they mentioned its a great light for experienced user (which doesn’t apply to me yet :P) it seems that it runs hot also
The HD-2010 is a great light, but I’m surprised no one has mentioned the venerable Keygos Ke-5, what I think is the perfect thrower with some flood, and perhaps one of the best all-around budget lights out there.
So far, in the last month, I have ordered and had delivered four ke-5s from keygos.com for holiday gifts in two separate orders. I have another order in now for another two, which will make six. I also have my original ordered in May. All have been blasters. I have received no low-performance bones. Tailcap current has been within specs. Finish and fit have been superb.
Some friends and I recently hauled like 15 or so of my throwers to a local park. The HD2010 was the winner for throw above several other very close contenders, including the ke-5 (and AO clone and Small Sun ZY-T08) In fact, the Ke-5 was the second favorite light of the informal contest. It’s also significantly cheaper than the HD2010. Plus (and I found this a BIG plus) the HD2010 is essentially a spotlight. It’s really not meant for taking a walk, for example. Even on low mode, it illuminates only a super bright eye-scrorching one-foot round spot about 5-10 feet in front of you. It’s just too bright even on low mode to be of any aid in walking without roasting your eyes.
So, yes, if you’re trying to find someone hiding behind a tree 100 yards away, by all means get the HD2010. If you want a 18650 light with a GREAT throw and a decent flood for general use, I wholeheartedly suggest the ke-5. It seems that inconsistent production problems have been solved. The lights I am getting are very consistent.
Oh, and it’s almost EDC size with cargo pants. The HD2010 needs a big jacket pocket or a holster to carry around when not in use. Weight? The HD2010 is a monster at 13.2 ounces; the ke-5 weighs in at about half at 7.2 ounce (with battery in both lights).
It’s also comparable in size and throw to the UF980L, but much less expensive, and it gets lots less hot, lots less quickly (in my experience). And slightly smaller and lighter than C8s, although I do not have the lauded KD C8.
I could go on and on about the ke-5, but a search on BLF will turn up much more than I could repeat here.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the HD2010 is a GREAT light and a great thrower, but I think if I had to have only one light, I’d choose the ke-5 over the HD2010 because it can be used for more things.
Hope this helps!
(Be aware that some batteries have issues with the ke-5, particulalry some TFFs. But then so doesn’t my HD2010 with 18650s. In fact, it seems that 18650s that won’t work in the HD2010 also won’t work in the ke-5. I use mostly unprotecteds and those work fine with both lights. The protected keepowers seem to work fine, as do no-name protected Samsungs on ebay. Protected Xtars and others also seem to work okay, it’s mostly the Chinese protected cells that have issues.)