Hi, first post so apologies if I broke any rules.
I've used BLF A6s for the last 4-5 years and am looking to upgrade to something brighter. I e-skate at night and streetlights overpower the A6 on turbo, which I use to see and be seen.
I really like the multiple brightness modes, including true moonlight. I also like the size but I don't mind something a little bigger. I personally can't stand cold color temperatures.
Specs wanted:
>2500Lm
Multiple brightness modes
BLF A6ish size
No cooler than 5500k
Decent CRI
Under $75 USD unless it's exceptional.
Thanks in advanced!
Welcome to BLF rdriggett. 
Before suggesting anything i’d like to clarify your usage. You say street lights are brighter then the A6…?! Then why use a light? If it is to be seen then you probably need something like a bike light with a flashing part?
A good replacement for the A6 is the Emisar D4. Can spit out 4000 lumen in a smaller package, but it will get hot very fast. Any light this size will not be able to sustain more then 600 lumen anyway.
I ride in lighting conditions from mountain canyons to 45mph 6 lane expressways. My A6 is sufficient up until I encounter the brightest streetlights around me but they are far between.
I don’t care for flashing because I ride in unlit nicer neighborhoods late at night so I prefer to stay low key and only use as much light as I actually need.
My a6 with a full ncr18650b can sustain mode 5 longer than my Boosted Board can. Below 60F, I can continuously re-engage turbo as much as I want due to 15mph air cooling. It still gets borderline untouchable near the lens because of how hot it is but holding it from the rear is toasty but fine.
I doubt you will find that.
Anything small will not have the heat dissipation to run longer than 2-3 min above 1000 lumen.
The A6 already steps down. For low battery or high heat.
Additionally any single 18650 cell will have trouble going above 1600 lumens at all.
There are some 2 and 3 led bike lights that run on 4 18650s that might work.
They are not all that expensive.
Usually they also come with or can be adapted to head or helmet mount.
but i sort of also question your real goals.
I;m guessing when you put the A6 in max bright mode, it is not really at its capabilities, which are 1600 lumens.
Either your battery is too weak, or the heat dissipation is causing it to step down.
If you have been trying this long, you may have also damaged your LED making it less bright.
By how much, is impossible to guess without seeing
Maybe something like the astrolux EC01? You didn’t comment on the beam size/intensity you want. The EC01 I think will have a similar beam size as your A6, maybe a bit narrower. It sounds like you go in and out of turbo frequently, and this light’s UI would be good for that.
Unfortunately it looks like it’s only available in relatively cool tints.
Another option is the sofirn C8F 21700 size. It’s got triple XPL.
Hey rdriggett! Welcome to BLF 
Take a look at the Convoy S21A.
21700 cell + different led/tint options + different User Inferface options
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33026858558.html
You can also check the Convoy S11.
It is bigger and eventually heavier.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32989392493.html
All have Convoy quality, so you can’t get wrong!!
I came in to suggest this too. I just saw the EC01 is available in 5000k, and there’s a coupon discount on it somewhere. It’s head is not as big as the C8f or probably the C8g.
The S21a is a really nice, simple and compact light. It’s what an A6 / S2 might dream of being when they grow up. As a bonus when you buy diretly from Simon at his Ali store, you can usually ask for any specific config changes you may want.
There’s one thing to know before you buy though. At least when I bought mine, the S21a has a very snug bore. Some protected or re-wrapped 21700 will be just a hair too thick to fit inside. The Sofirn 21700 that came with my C8f doesn’t fit in the S21a. I think the one in it is a Samsung 50e, but I’m not sure.
Wait one - you’re worried about being seen under a streetlight bright enough to drown out your a6? Movement under that level of light should be fairly easy to see.
I’m not going to suggest a higher power light will not help, but I will say higher vis clothing might be a better ROI for a well lit area.
Also, don’t get sucked in with the max lumen values. Pay attention the levels a light can sustain for a while. Max levels will time out or step down because of overheating.
You need lighting closer to the ground on bikes/skateboards/roller skates/etc. to cast shadows from bumps and other debris in the road. Overhead street lights might not show them well.
A panny-B going full turbo in a tubelight? Yeah, that’s not gonna be the brightest…
Try a 30Q. A bit less capacity, but less voltage-sag. Still won’t be helping all that much, but at least you won’t be cooking the cell as much.
Try a C8F. Bigger head and more dissipation, triple emitters for more efficiency each, and if you’re willing to size up to the 21700 version, lots more oomf and runtime.
I like the beam pattern of my A6 with its hotspot and some flood. I frequently cycle between turbo and different normal modes.
I have no idea how but my A6 will run at max non turbo for quite a while. Weather permitting I can force it to stay in turbo for severals minutes at a time.
I need to stay eagle eyed for any sticks or rocks that can chalk my skateboard wheels and send me flying. I also want to overpower the street lights temporarily to be seen when traffic approaches. My a6 can sustain mode 5 so I'd like to find a light that can sustain a brightness greater than that.
I would like to get a 21700 light over an 18650. I've been meaning to upgrade my battery but I might as well upgrade my light at the same time.
C8F, definitely.
The C8F 21700 seems like a decent upgrade from my A6, I think I'll go with it.
Thanks everyone for your help! I'll see you guys in 4 years when I get bored of the C8F.
Doubt it. It’s a fun light. I got almost every variation of it, from the original with XP-G2s right on up to the 21700 version.
I’m a big fan of the A6, so I think that anything that is going to put out significantly more lumens is also going to burn through juice and create heat more quickly, which would lead me to consider not only the 21700 but also the 26650 lights. The Emisar D4SV2 might be a candidate depending on the beam pattern you want and how much throw you need.
I would have said TC20. Or maybe WowTac A5. It’s $40 on Amazon and can sustain 1800 lumens regulated. I use that the most currently for walking my dog on my Segway. Though I use the medium mode. My only criticism is I wish they had a mode between 300 and 1800. Also quite enjoy C8f family. I’ve had 3 or 4.
I forgot to add that I'm going with Samsung 40Ts.