I am looking for something smaller than my Acebeam K75 that is still a super thrower. The Thrunite Catapult Pro with its SFT-70 is getting a lot of love but, how does it compare to the Acebeam K65?
I have a Convoy L7 and Mateminco PD-90 with SBT90.2 emitters so, obviously I am looking for a larger head and reflector but, not something in the 5" range like the K75. I want a real range of at least1Km (1,000yd/1,000m) with a reasonable corona and flood so, no Osram W1/W2 suggestions please. I need to keep the price less than $200 with ~$150 being much better for me. I'm not a huge fan of soda can flashlights but, they do have their place so that's why I'm looking at the K65.
I want good quality and good circuitry, preferably "Buck/Boost", and don't mind waiting for something special to come into stock.
I guess the first question would be why you want something smaller than a K75. Do you want it to fit into a jacket pocket, or want something that isn’t so front heavy? I wouldn’t consider the K65GT a soda can light. It still has quite a bit larger head than its 4x18650 body.
Acebeam K30GT is more of a soda can light, and decently fits into a jacket pocket. It also isn’t front heavy at all, and its tube is a more ergonomically sized 3x18650. It was my first guess The K30GT hits a sweet spot in flashlights, as it’s one of, if not the only jacket pocketable flashlight that’s able to maintain a constant 2000 lumen and 100kcd for all of its battery life without worry of overheating. On that same note, I think Acebeam has the best overall drivers for the SBT90.2, as their lights seem to hold output the best. Most other SBT90.2 lights seem to drop to 1000 lumens and below after a minute or two. One of the reviewers at 1Lumen considers the K65GT the largest practical SBT90.2 thrower.
Being so front heavy, it isn't comfortable to hold for longer periods of time.
Soda can being its battery tube is ~2" in diameter which is a bit big for my hands. With its head and reflector though, I tend think it would be more balanced and hand carry friendly.
Think of the SFT40 as a tweener option between the W1 and SBT90.2. Not quite as throwy as the W1, but more throwy than the SBT90. Not as much lumens as the SBT90, but more Lumens than W1.
Hank does offer the SFT40 in his lights. I think the SBT90 doesn’t make much sense for single cell lights, as multi-cell lights are usually able to better drive and regulate it, while the SFT40 makes more sense in single cell lights.