I’m looking for a light that can reach out and scan fields for lost cattle, coyotes, etc, but I also would like it to have some flood properties as well. It doesn’t have to shine the moon (my BLF GT does that) but it should have decent reach and small enough for easy one hand operation. I’ve been looking at the Acebeam L35. I like it’s size and seems to have a good run time on a single cell.
Most reviews I find are Turbo focused. It should be efficient at a med or high setting for an hour or more of search time.
Any thoughts? The L35 seems to be what I am looking for, but I don’t want to spend that money and overlook something better.
Thanks for the input, keep em coming. I should also mention I need a light with a clip so I can……well……clip it to me and not lose it or have it get damaged by setting it on the ground.
I see a lot about Manker. Would an SBT 90.2 need more batter behind it like the MK37 or can a smaller U22 handle it, does it require too much juice and drain the batteries quicker?
I’m ignorant when it comes to these things, so I rely on you all.
The MK37 comes with a pretty nice holster you can put on your belt.
I have found that the 3x18650 gives decent battery life with the SBT90.2 and the form factor is compact enough for me so I don’t feel the need to buy a single cell light… if I did though I would lean towards 21700 or larger.
Comparing MK37 and U22 III
table(table#posts).
|| MK37 | U22 III |
|Turbo brightness| 5800lm | 5000lm |
|Max cont. brightness| 2800lm | 980lm |
|Run time @ max cont. brig.| 1h40m | 2h15m |
MK37 using 3x18650 has more “juice” than U22 III using 1x21700, assume top-grade batteries are used (VTC6 for 18650, P42A for 21700).
Capacity-wise, 3x18650 has about double the capacity of 21700.
Power-wise, 3x18650 has about double the power of 21700. However, sbt90.2 can’t handle the full power of 3x18650, so MK37 is brighter at turbo mode by a small margin.
Another difference is their thermal throttling, MK37 with larger cooling fins can sustain a higher continuous output.
If you need higher output continuously (longer than 1-2 minute), MK37 is more suitable.
If your only require turbo output for short duration, then U22 III has the benefits of being more compact and comes with USB-C charging.
Get a holster instead of the clip and grab the Astrolux FT03 SST40. I’m a farmer and run a hunting flashlight store, and that model has been a highly sort after. I measured just over 1000m on Turbo and that can hold it for 10+ minutes and High is plenty out to 300m of good usable lighting
Just remember that you ideally want 4000K or below so that you aren’t left with low visibility in fog, haze, rain, high humidity etc. The K65GT uses the SBT90 and that’s 5700K which is too cool.
I’d personally get the Astrolux FT03 and swap in an SFS80 4000K you’d need to use a low amp cell though to limit the current to 6A. I’ve driven mine at 8A, but some reported them failing above 6.5A
I know you said about having a clip, but I’ve seen big soda can lights recommended so I’ll chime in with something a little different. A Convoy L6. I LOVE my Convoy L6. It’s honestly become one of my favourite lights. I bought the GT-FC40 version in 4000K-4500K direct from Convoy. It throws really well, and with the OP reflector has a nice smooth beam. It’ll handle the “mid” and “high” modes quite well, and give good runtimes from 2x26650’s. I use Vapcell G53’s with the Convoy 26650 “Series” spacer that allows flat-top cells to work in lights like the L6, L7 etc.
I cannot recommend that light enough. There’s also the L7 which has an SBT90.2, but that’s a throw monster and you already have a BLF GT for that (fellow owner here, what a beast!). If you want, you can sacrifice some lumens for a lower CCT in the L6, right the way down to 1800K! Or all the way up to 5500K. There’s also the Convoy 4X18A and 3X21A for a more soda can sized light. Orrrrr a Sofirn SP36 for a more jacket pocket light.
The only issue with the Convoy L7, 4x18A, 3x21A and other models is zero thermal regulation in any other mode than 100%. The 3x21A hit 81.6°C and the L7 at 77°C. This makes it only useful for extended operation on the lower levels or use with smooth ramping and drop it a little below High
Ahhh I wasn’t aware of this, thanks for the heads up! I know my Convoy L6 does heat up after a while, but I’ve not ran it on turbo for really extended periods. A few minutes at most before I dropped it back down. It got warm but I wouldn’t say hot.
“mid” or “high” provide plenty of light without the heat of turbo. Plus the L6 can sustain those modes really well. I use “mid” and occasionally bump up to a higher mode for a few seconds then back down to “mid” because it’s such a good balance of flood and throw.
What UI do the L7 and 4X18A run on? Is it four modes like the L6?
The L6 has no thermal regulation, at least that was the story on the original and it looks to be unchanged. The L7 etc uses this operation . Ignore all the charging info since it’s for the H2 headlamp. I type up my own manuals for my customers. Such a hassle Convoy don’t include one.
I sold quite a few L6’s to farmers when it was released, then switched to the Sofirn SP70. That was until a whole order of SP70’s arrived with an uneven shelf causing the LEDs to fail immediately, dropped the model straight away.
I have an L6 with the FC40 5000K and thought it wasn’t quite as much throw as I wanted. Great for most things, but my aim was to replace the SP70 and it offered quite a lot less, nicer tint though. I find most general users don’t care about tint and cri, they just want the highest possible lumens. In saying that I’d still also recommend the L6.
