I’ve got one of these, albeit mine is bronze coloured and I got it on a special from KD for $5 shipped.
Stock it throws quite well. I rather like the light too, not sure why. But it just seems nice. I’ve recently converted mine to direct drive, now it’s single mode, which I like and even brighter. It easily out throws any XM-L I have in a similar reflector size.
The UF V3 is a nice light with a super nice beam pattern but it’s underdriven and is not a thrower at all. I like mine from T-mart though and I think there is a coupon around plus a first time buyer discount if you do decide to buy it.
Jacob A60 from DX is under $15 and it’s small and throws a long way. (but DX takes their time shipping)
http://dx.com/p/jacob-a60-cree-q5-3-mode-310lm-white-led-flashlight-w-strap-black-1-x-18650-114268
Better yet if you can solder, you could de-dome the emitter on the C8 and make a decent little thrower out of your C8 for free. If you have access to a soldering iron and solder that is. The De-domed C8 won’t throw quite as far as the Jacob but you will still be putting more light down range and it will seem like it’s brighter than the Jacob plus when you de-dome it you get a nicer neutral tint.
If you are interested in working on the C8 let me know and I’ll talk you through it step by step.
Welcome aboard but watch out this place gets expensive fast if you get hooked. I stopped in six months ago to find one good light. Now I have close to thirty and have modded 25 of them, and bought and sold and modded another dozen or so. I bet I have $500 or so into my little collection. But who knows how many hours of fun, money well spent and not THE most expensive hobby either.
You might be surprised at the C8 from Amazon that you got.
Might.
I got my 2nd C8 from an Amazon seller, a T6 like yours, and till today, it still may be the brightest C8 I have, including a Convoy C8 and a C8 with a P7 emitter.
I don’t think all of the T6 C8s are like that (in a good way), but there’s something really weird about the one I got.
Re. your question, and while it’s not a pure thrower, I’ve really been surprised by this light https://www.fasttech.com/p/1300400.
Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful responses! The C8 has shipped, so there’s no backing out at this point. It ‘could’ be returned if it doesn’t impress, of course!
I need to read up on de-doming and all the other mods. Soldering is a thing to be avoided for me…we’ll see. Thanks 18sixfifty, for the kind offer on the mods!
Keep those recommendations coming, I’ve learned a LOT since posting this earlier today!
Ohaya, I already have a nice little ‘thrower’ in 123 format, the NiteCore EC1. It goes on my hat when I ride me bike!
A big +1 on both lights 18sixfifty is is suggesting. Both the A60 and dedomed C8 are awesome throwers.
This, the Jacob A60 for sure. It is probably THE best thrower for that size and price. Nothing will beat it. The only downside is that it gets a little hot, but that’s expected from such a power house which throws INCREDIBLY well.
55kcd, versus a Fenix TK41 of 45kcd.
Wow, 55kcd from 310 lumens?!
Yes, it really is a laser, and when you dedome the A60 it literally becomes a pencil beam thrower.
55kcd might even be a little conservative. I have two A60’s. One is stock except for the resistor mod (eliminating next mode memory) and it throws right at 72kcd. The other one has an XP-E2 with the IOS driver putting out 2.8 A and it throws about 115kcd. I love these little lights.
After looking at some reviews, the Jacob A60 beam might be too tight for what I’m going to do. I’d rather achieve throw from higher power vs. pencil-thin beam. At this price range, that might be asking too much! Seems like the EA4 might be perfect but a bit pricey.
if your considering a jacobs, just get a zy-t08 and be done with it, the head size is not that much different, I’ll get a comparison shot later if you wish
C8 was just delivered. Excitement turns to sadness when the battery won’t take a charge and the flashlight won’t operate on 2-RCR123s. 
Love the form factor though!
Is there some way to tell if the flashlight is functioning without a battery?
if you have a 4.2v battery and some wire, or a 4.2v power supply, then yes, using two cr123 cells is worrying as 6v may have killed something, may not, I’m slightly worried about the cell you recieved and hoping like hell the problem is a poor tailcap assembly.
What do you have available to mcgyver a test rig?
Honestly, I’ll probably just send it back to Amazon. The battery is for sure no good, as it only charges to 1.15v and is bulging on the + end so it only goes in from the top. The light looks like they may have sent it out to someone else before too.
Thank you, gords, for helping…this is quite disappointing because the light itself seems perfectly sized and I’ll bet it throws enough for me.
I wouldn’t write off the c8 form factor yet, serious suggestion, you can get a half decent but trust worthy charger from fasttech, I have used one for a while and bought a few as gift packs for friends and family, cells, fasttech is good for them too and they have a selection of c8’s under the convoy and fandyfire brands. May be worth a look.
For the best of the best of the best of the best c8’s though, as dale suggested, go to intloutdoor, order the new xintdc8 v4 and be happy.
Yes, I love FastTech, but it’s at least a week and a half to get anything.
Got an i4 Intellicharger, works great, but not on a bad battery!
What I ‘think’ I really want is an EA4 w/XM-L2, but can’t justify the $$$. This C8 probably would’ve been fine for what I’m going to do with it, might just order another.
Hi, Tallboybass…
One thing to remember about C8s (I’ve had 12 of them!) is you never want to take a chance on a super-cheapie unless you are going to mod it. Most are so cheap they will fall apart in a month of regular or light use. The V4 from Intloutdoors is always reputable and Lightmalls has the best cheap C8s and C12s with bukus of output (1,000+). Even above the KD versions, I always go there when buying one for someone else.
Also, when you see cheapie batteries being sold with lights, always count on them not working. Or, if they work at all, will only have 10 minutes of runtime or so. I’ve used ones that did work to power XR-Es with their low current since they weren’t good for anything else. And never ever compromise by buying cheap batteries for your lights.
Go all out and get the V4 or a C8/C12 from Lightmalls, or you could make an XPG2 de-domed 501B like a few of our members have done for real easy EDC use. If you are going to keep it with you a whole lot of the time, I’d never go above C8 form-factor. Then again, there are a lot of good suggestions here. And nothing wrong with getting two or three switch-out lights like I have and when you get bored with one, grab the next in line!
building vs buying opens up many many many options, I do hold that the best throw/lumen ratio is the xp-g2 and I do intend to build up an xp-g2 c8 for myself, I already have pills and reflectors to try out, just need another good c8 host (cnqg) and to order qlite drivers and noctigon xp-g2’s,
If any of this sounds interesting I’d be happy, once I’d confirmed all the bits go together to build one for someone interested.