Hi All, I’m looking for a 1x18650 that pumps out more than 70kcd. Needs to be a thrower. Budget is <$70.
Currently, it appears that the Jacob A60 is at 70kcd. Problem is the low quality and in some instances the paper disc that is used under the led.
Are there any other options??
Guess nothing from big brand in stock form with a reflector.
That makes me think of the Maxtoch SN6X-2X. It has good quality with good throw in stock form but it uses two 18650.
Other than that you might need to do some modding on certain flashlights to achieve that. Swapping the LED of a HD2010 (with real direct-drive driver East-092) into this XM-L2 on Noctigon will simply give you >70kcd.
Pretty much every budget light may come with a paper or plastic insulator under the emitters base. I had several lights arrive that way. These lights are likely assembled by very low paid workers that don't know/care what is actually going on in the light. Plus, mistakes are made when doing something repeatively over the course of a long day.
Many here will check to see if the light works, but only run it briefly through the modes. Then they disassemble and fix any assembly-line errors or other deficiencies that exist. It's also a great time to upgrade to a better driver, emitter, and copper base if you really like the light.
You may want to keep an eye out for this when it gets back in stock.
http://www.mtnelectronics.com/opencart/index.php?route=product/product&path=80&product_id=164
If you choose the de-dome and the highest amperage option it should be in the ballpark of 70k. Maybe more ?
The XinTD C8 has always been highly regarded as a excellent quality light on the forums.
Richard at Mountain Electronics IMO is quickly moving up in the ranks to be a A+ dealer.
To me the Jacob A60 can throw, but the beam is thin and the XR-E LED it has doesn’t put out enough lumens.
I think you might be happier with a de-dome XM-L light
De-dome XM-L2 U2 in C8 only do 52kcd at 3A, only XP-G2 de-dome driven at 4.27A do 76kcd in C8 but the battery won’t last long at this power. Numbers come from this very useful test : 2014 Project Build- Cree Trifecta *Bucket's C8/Cu data in spreadsheet*
I think you should look at aspheric lights with de-dome XP-G2, Uniquefire UF-T20 with de-dome XP-G2 driven at 3A seem to do +100 kcd. 
You beat me to it. That’s an excellent choice and creates a light that does so many things well… except heat sinking. Still not bad for a zoomie.
Mod or buy a SS ZY-TO8.
Having played with throwers that I actually USE now, I can say I have developed an especially deep fondness for 2x18650 throwers like the V2s and Maxtochs since the one-celled wonders all tend to sag when used at length at any good level of output. Bucking down 8.4 volts seems to eliminate that altogether. A 1x26650 is another way to go, but I still notice some drop-off.
If carrying a longer light is an issue, let me assure you that when you decide you really “need” a good tool (not just a toy), a back pocket works wonders. I know that sounds rather stupid and pointless to say, but I’ve totally gotten in the habit of taking out a light to sit down and grabbing it back up without fail every time before heading back out on patrol again. It’s a force of habit today and I love the easy access to “play” with a light with better capacity, as well as use it. No case to frisk the side of a chair or having a bulky pocket to carry it. And I always know I have it on me and am ready to work as I reach back to remind myself it’s there. I prefer it that way now.
Of course, that is for patrol purposes. I know in many settings that would be awkward. Still, it’s become like a second limb to me.
At least at 3 amps, I did not notice much output drop from heat in my UF-T20 mod, in 10 minutes the lux at 1 meter went from 108 to 100, that is very good. So I'd say that even the heatsinking is very adequate in the Uniquefire UF-T20.
C8 with SMO reflector, 3.85A, XM-L2 U2 1A de-domed does 95 to 100 kcd -- I've done this consistently. So RMM's build of 4.1A de-domed cost is $56.25 and should do 100 kcd on a low resistance cell (mtnelectronics custom XinTD C8). It will get hot, won't maintain that high level of output for long, and will have a limited run-time but that's what you get. You could drop to a XP-G2 and run it at lower amps and get the same throw, less heat, better runtime of course.
I second to the modded C8
Tonight I was busy with a mod for a friend of mine: Convoy C8 dedomed xp-g2, Qlite 10 chips, smooth reflector. It is one of those nights that nothing goes smooth: the smooth reflector only focusses if flat on the led-board and of course it was a Convoy C8 host with the *@# 16mm board pill (unswappable), I hate the Convoy host for that 
. Got it done by soldering the ledwires really really flat on the very edge of the board and Dremel the solder blobs as flat as possible. Beautiful beam in the end, but then the driver appeared to draw only 2.5A (on Panasonic PF's) where it should do 3.5+ . So more work needed to fix that.
Morale of the story: at just 2.5A this C8 with dedomed xp-g2 measures 75 klux at 1 meter and so already fits the requirement of the OP.
Hi dijozz, did you do the copper braiding mod on both the tail spring and the positive spring?
While modding is really a bright idea and good way to achieve high output the OP still have not told whether he can do soldering or not (I guess good chance he can do it better than me). I do some mods too but I encountered some issues like flickering and sometimes I find it hard to diagnose them. I do the mods just for fun and when I really need to use flashlights for more serious occasions (travel for example) I will choose and bring along those unmodded lights :bigsmile:
Hi bibihang, I know the OP did not mention modding skills, but there are hardly any options for a unmodded 70klux 1x18650 flashlight, while a modded C8 fits the desire perfectly and is cheap as well (if you do not count the labor of modding, this mod costs me a few hours to be honest, but for me hobby-hours do not count :-) )
(I did not copper braid anything, but I did two identical Convoy C8 mods parallel and the other one did 3.5A, as expected.)