Yeah, I agree.
A flooder is my usual go-to light, because I’m looking around me, fairly close-in, and not looking for the USS Star Track.
If I want a thrower, I get a thrower. Even my GTmicro for around the yard, etc., as I don’t need to stress about looking what’s a half-mile out, and a tight hotspot from my 'micro, or CatMini, etc., is plenty. IF22A if I want more oomf and a bigger hotspot.
“Usable spill” is a phrase that’s to me like nails on a blackboard. If you’re looking way out in the distance with a thrower cranked up, “usable spill” means washing out the area immediately in front of you to ruin your night vision enough to not be able to see what’s in the damned hotspot.
I’d put the P17 as a intermediate-range “compromise light”. No need to crank it up at those ranges, either.
You could always slap on some diffusion film to make it a nice “blanket of light” flashlight. Fewer harsh shadows and no sharp cutoff like an aspheric, but a smooth even beam with nice wide range.
1 Thank