I’ve found myself looking recently for a really light little thrower - if such a thing exists. Something light enough to be able to justify carrying as a secondary light purely for the purpose of picking out landmarks a long way ahead, whilst relying on another light (in my case a Nitecore HC30 headlamp) for almost all other use. Night hiking and running are what I was thinking about.
Something with a really tight beam - the only real point of reference I have would be a Jacobs A60 (in terms of the tight beam), with no real need for any spill - is that sort of pencil thin beam possible whilst keeping it light (say 100g max) and without spending a small fortune? If not, what’s the nearest alternative and where do compromises need to be made?
Maybe look at uf-t20 or uf-1505? A dedomed xp-g2 on copper throws quite well.
Not sure your definition of “small fortune” but I recently picked up the new Olight R20 Javelot. 85g, 314 m throw advertised. I measured mine at 26.7k cd, which is 327 m throw. You can definitely do better if you’re comfortable building your own, but for a factory light this ones pretty nice. It does have somw flaws though. If you’re interested I’ll expound on those.
Having received my sample of the new BLF X5 I must say I've never seen suck a tiny light throw so well. IIRC, Dale got over 40kcd from his. The only problem is you will have to sign up for the group buy and it will also cost around $45 but you will also get the BLF X6v2 with it which is an insane thrower from a small 18650 light. Another problem is you would have to wait until production starts to get it. Just throwing it out for consideration.
Eagletac TX25C2 with a dedomed XP-G2 or XP-L HI and a 22mm FET driver will throw amazingly well and be very pocketable…
I ordered the R28, one of the newer Niteye/Jerbeam models with XP-L HI, according to the specs they should offer decent throw for the size. There is a groupbuy going on right now which drops the price a lot.
UF lights too heavy.
Want it really for this winter - the sooner the better - so the BLF X5 bookmarked for future ref, but not ideal right now.
Eagletac looks a little expensive, and whilst I’m game to give simple mods a go I’ve no experience of torch modding.
R28 looks in the right ball park although a touch heavier than I’d like.
Be curious to hear more about the Olight R20 though.
Look at the manker t01
Cheap Sipik SK68 and run a 14500.
Sure. I posted a review on reddit a few days ago, so its all in there, but here’s some highlights:
I think the size is really nice, smaller than most 2-button “tube” lights but not tiny. Its got a very “traditional flashlight” look to it:
As I already mentioned, its got very good throw, XP-L HI emitter, simple reverse clicky UI with no disco modes. No memory either - always high first, which is probably good for your intended purposes. It does have onboard USB charging, if you care, and the port is hidden under a collar not a rubber flap.
Two biggest negatives to me:
1. Proprietary 18650 cell. It’ll run on any battery but can only charge its special cell. This may not matter to you though.
2. Fast regulation down from turbo. My runtime graph looks like this:
So you can see that its at half its initial maximum in about 3 minutes. It doesn’t even get very hot, so it didn’t need to be regulated it so quickly.
The rest of my thoughts and observations are in that review I linked at the top, but if you’ve got any questions I’m happy to help.
Here’s a few:
The gold one got up to about 2 amps I think? Gets a bit hot but I think it would work for occasional use. Pretty bright even on lower mode if heat’s a problem. Projects the LED.
The black zoomie next to the gold one has impressed me lately, even though it only has a Q5. Throws a tight beam. I got it for under $5, but might have a hard time getting without Lattice Bright LED’s. Might be true of the others, as well.
The long skinny one might be ok for throwing. A C8 would do it if you don’t mindthe size.
This seems to fit your specifications:
91grams (without battery)
33,700cd beam intensity
367m estimated throw
140mm x 25.4mm (length x diameter)
Might be worth a shot, especially if it really has an XP-E. Looks like it’s the same as the light next to the gold light.
Not sure how well this or the others I listed would hold up to being jostled in a pocket, while running, though.
Glad you started this thread, I’ve been looking closer at the small sun light, and it’s better than I thought. Seems to out-throw a C8, and has an XP-E or something, not a Q5.
I know I can’t really run with a phone in my pocket, so I don’t think youll be able to run with a flashlight in your pocket. Just too much impact imo.
Zoomed out, this one is about 117mm. The auction says 75g.
I suggest the Manker T01.
The Manker T01 has a nice reflector, same reflector that the X5 will be using and so I know it’s capable of a nice tight spot and some decent throw, but not anything like a Jacobs A60. To get that kind of pencil beam you just have to have a larger diameter head, not something that would be easily pocketable and allow comfortable jogging.
The T01 is quite small though, can be had for ~$50, and is very versatile, able to use AA, NiMH, or Li-ion cells. I have one en-route, couldn’t resist it’s small size and largish head and I already know how well the reflector works. So, it might be feasible to de-dome an XP-G2 for this light and improve it’s downrange throw for your type of usage, but changing the emitter might be problematic in this light as it already has a potted pill/driver.
There is a nice review (or two) on the T01 here in the forum, with one of them showing complete breakdown of the parts. I think when you see that, you’ll also have one en-route… 
if you can mod at all you might want to run small light with a tight tir optic strictly for throw .
or you might consider the lens offered to us all on BLF from illumination supply which can be added easily to a p-60 light
Boaz, if you know of a TIR that can out-throw a reflector, please share that information. Especially in a small light.
Remember, when the TIR claims a 10º beam they’re talking half-angle, the effective angle is 20º and no longer impressive at all. For a good tight beam, you’d need an XP-E2 with an Optic claiming around 3-5º to get the effective angle of 6-10º. I’ve searched all of Ledil and Carclo’s inventory, as well as Khatod, looking for such an animal. I’ve tried many in multiple types of lights, and they just don’t seem to get the job done.
Maybe there’s something I’ve been missing…
