My T01 with a Windyfire 14500 high drain cell is typically around 25k. The X5 and T01 should give very similar numbers since they are both XPL HI emitters, use the same exact reflector and are direct drive (Manker may have some regulation in turbo mode but not much).
Let me be the second to second the blf d80.
Very small pocketable 18650 light. It’s half the price of the x5 also.
But also bigger than the x5. But do believe….the d80 is one heckava thrower for its size!
If j were you, just buy it. Even if you do decide on the x5.
Can’t go wrong with a $20 blf d80
As a incentive to you or anybody else, and to show you what the little d80 can do…. DBcustom helped me mod the light with a new driver and dedomed xpg2, now this sucker is doing 116 kcd / 681 meters in throw and 1111 lumens.
And the cells were not even fully charged.
Lol oops I meant to just edit and add that last paragraph, not quote myself. That’s funny
Haha. No prob. Looks cooler when you quote yourself.
Is the D80 only available at gearbest?
Also, can anyone point me in the right direction for codes to the x5 and T01?
Brings back a lot of good memories. 
I wonder if I still have mine somewhere?
My very first led! It was the one that drew me into lights.
I still have mine, its modded with an XP-G now. way brighter than the XRE and still throwy
The Aluminum X5, for the money… size… throw… definitely a tough one to beat. The UI is very configurable, right out of the box, with thermal turbo step down it’s head and shoulders above virtually everything out there in it’s class, oh, wait, is anything actually IN it’s class?
You can do a spring bypass top and bottom and be doing around 1500 lumens from an 14500 cell. Anybody else? ZebraLight? Fenix? Yeah, that’s what I thought. The EagTac is nice, I have one, but even modded it doesn’t compare to the X5.
My modded X5 does 3000 lumens, same 14500 cell. Fenix? Nitecore? Anybody? uh huh…
Came on here to tout the T01 (favourite light) and nearly found myself buying an X5. Even though it looks like the same amount of throw and 4 times the weight.
Damn this place.
I would go for the t01 over the x5 just to be able to run regular as batteries.
Wow. It seems the people are divided into two groups for the T01 and X5.
What’s the output on the T01 on an eneloop? Is it even worth using regularly on nimh? That’s what I’ve got the most of and I don’t particularly like worrying about li-ions unless I have to.
T01 does 300-500 on NiMH, 900 on Li-ion.
Or about level 4 of 7 on the X5.
I do really like the T01, don’t get me wrong, but TK’s UI and the finned mass of the head on the X5 really make it a no brainer as far as I’m concerned.
Either one of those will surprise and amaze.
Better get both just to be sure. 
I use my T01 exclusively on AA NiMH. Ample light for everything indoors from walking around at night with moon mode to lighting up an entire room on turbo. Pretty solid for outside use, but I prefer a little more light like a nice EC4S.
Does anyone actually have both? It’d be awesome to be able to see long distance beam shots too compare.
The coupon on the X5 makes me lean towards it more but the exclusivity of li-ions still deters me. I’m already babying my 18650s. Don’t want to create another batch of babies to have to take care of.
Any comment on the modded X5 vs the modded D80?
I’ve got both, and then some. Don’t know what to think of your nursery issues. I’ve got probably 300 Li-ion cells and over 40 NiMH for my flash units. No nursery problems.
Beam shots will have to wait for dark-thirty…
The modded D80 is a different class light. I put a Buck driver in it to use 2 18350 cells, run time will not be it’s strong point, but downrange throw is what was needed and 5.5A to an de-domed XP-G2 S2 0D was how to get there.
There was a parameter listed of a 30mm max head diameter. The D80 doesn’t meet that parameter. Technically, neither does the X5 at 31.1mm. The T01 barely makes it at 29mm.
The real problem is about the logistics, to get throw a larger diameter reflector is needed. A small light has too small a reflector in ratio to the die size to really put light downrange. The big throwers are big lights, by necessity. That said, the reflector in the T01 (same as the X5) is pretty phenomenal at looking like a bigger light in use. Since throw is the concern here, and since the T01 and X5 use the same reflector, personal preference in design style, UI, and cell selection are going to be the determining factors.
Okay, no dog shaving! Shaving cats, OTOH…. }
If unscrewing the head & replacing the reflector isn’t too much modding, this fits your bill:
A working, built Convoy S5 (at 115mm * 23mm the smallest of the Convoy “roll-of-coins” form factor). I EDC my homemade S5 clone, but the bespoke one linked costs less now than DIY! I wear “engineer pants” (aka “khaki”) and semi-tight jeans; and this one disappears when I slip it in my front pocket. SWMBO even sewed a line along the front of my work pants pockets to make a ‘pocket-within-a-pocket’ to hold it vertical.
Almost there…
Also, get either the 8° on the same order or go elsewhere for a 10° TIR optic. Unscrew the head, remove the pill, reflector and lens (not the O-ring!!) and drop the TIR in then replace the pill tightly.
I can’t confirm the performance of this package, since FT has lost their minds & can’t seem to get mine shipped.
As soon as (IF!!) it comes in, I have two of these with 60° optics with which I can show side-by-side beam shots. From what I’ve studied, it should give a lot of throw for its size. I will try to find something 200m away to see if it throws that far.
The optic does more than shape the beam, it also mixes the weird Cree colors into a smooth, even White. In a package that will hide in your front pocket.
HTH…
I am looking for this. Can you recommend a smooth reflector?
Edit: sorry, I am looking for a reflector for S2+, not S2.
https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10007056/1575001-aluminum-alloy-smooth-reflector-for-s2-s5-s6-s7
This is the one I use and works awesome.
Edit: Misread that last part.
I think there may be a TIR but may require a spacer too. Someone will chime in soon I bet…