Oh, EDC+ is another respected domestic vender. Also, not in Colorado.
+1 on the S3.
It has a wonderfull floody beam and the light itseld just plain looks nice. I find 18650 a bit too big for pocket carry but that Brass one from CNQG looks interesting however it’s $40. Is there a review on it?
I’ve got the Nitecore MT1C and the Niteye MSC10 hammered down as choices.
Am also considering the Fenix E35, The S6, and the Olight S20 (it’s a fair bit over my budget, but it has some really nice features).
Now that I’m stretching my budget a bit, I’m eyeballing the Jetbeam DDC10.
JUUUUSST TELLL MEEEEE WHAAAAAAAT TOOO DOOOOOOOOO!!!
lol, j/k.
Jetbeam RRT-01 is great and all you need.
Right now is a good time to get it here.
I got one from the same place at 50% off a few dyas ago.
I love it. If you like to use low mode, this light is for you.
Shipping is fast! 2-3 days in US.
Well, I’ve made my decision:
Going with the Olight S20 Baton, and I found one with the XML Cree emitter, which (I think) is a tiny bit older than the XML2 emitter this light is currently shipping with - in other words, I will likely be buying new-old-stock… but edison-bright on eBay is located here in the U.S. and the price…
Only $38.50 with free shipping!
Rats - starting bid, and $2.99 shipping. Oh well, the auction will conclude in two days.
Edison Bright is a decent vendor and they also have an Amazon store in case you want something in two days 
Here is one review:
Compared to the S3, it’s smaller, brass, significantly throwier (XP-G2 version, anyway), and has what I consider to be better modes (2, 25, 100% instead of 5, 30/40, 100%). It’s one of my favorite lights, and I put some DC Fix (sand) on its lens to make it even better. It’s one of four lights I tend to carry regularly (the others being a DQG Tiny AAA IV on my keychain, ZL H52Fw clipped to my purse, and a L3 L10-219). My Convoy lights mostly only get used when I bike at night.
That is a great deal.
The RRT01 and V11R are best-in-class, depending on whether one prefers a clicky or not, and that’s the best price I’ve ever seen on one.
I have a RRT01 and carried it for quite a while… but I’ve found I prefer thinner lights (1xAA instead of 1x18350), longer runtime (infinitely variable tends to kill battery life), and reference points so I can know how much light it’s putting out. It might sound weird, but for some reason it bugs me to not know what level a light is at, and then I end up always setting it slightly dimmer than I need, thinking my eyes are tired. But I’ll probably swap the RRT01 back into my daily rotation again anyway, because it’s too nice to not use.
Thanks. You have a nice collection of lights. I’ve just ordered the Ultrafire H2b (cheap ZL) for working in my garage. If I find it as easy to pocket carry as my AA twisty I might choke on the cost of the ZL for EDC for the runtime, moonlight, and hands free. Why do you carry the L10 and the ZL as they seem to cover the same bases.
This might be a nice option. Nitecore EC2 for $46. It looks like it meets a lot of your requirements.
Having mentioned the Convoy S6, I took a closer look at mine. I had originally set it up with an XP-G2. So, knowing what I now know, I set about upgrading it this afternoon. I built a BLF 17mm DD FET driver, giving it 4 modes at 10, 100, 462 and 1094 lumens. Picked a Neutral White XM-L2 out of the pile of left over emitters from previous mods. (Shining a UV light on the emitters will give you a good idea what tint they are, the bright blue/white ones show lime green, Neutral white shows more orange, and warm white shows very orange under the UV)
So now I have a nice slightly off white tint, with a Turbo mode that will heat coffee. It’s pulling 5.12A from a Samsung 26C. The Sony C5 will give it almost 6.7A, too much, so the 2600mAh 26C is a good choice.
Glad I made the swap, even if the XP-G2 was kinda nice…
FOG - maybe too late, but holy cow, that RRT-01 from IS is a great deal at $49! I've worked on one and did not want to send it back to the owner! Real class, real simple UI, very bright, nice runtime on 18350's. That adjustment ring for ON/OFF/Brightness is perfect for one handed operation. It's the best pocket light I've seen, and bright! Downside is the cells I suppose - rather have an 18650, but I do like the shorter length.
Dale - didn't know the trick with UV light... Nice!
Definitely thanks for the emitter tint trick, Dale!
The MT-G2 in a Solarforce S2200
The MT-G2 in a chopped AA MiniMag, as a mule with a superb AR lens in front of it
An XP-G2 R5 2B in a little mini C8 with a 16mm McGizmo Reflector
And an XM-L2 T6 3C in a SupFire F9
If you shine the UV on emitters as you get em, you’ll know what’s what and easily be able to identify most of em at a glance later. 
Amazing photos, Dale!
I’ve been working on my own compact 18650 collection. All but the F12 are within the last couple weeks. Loving the F6 for some reason.
I like the EagleTac too, but the Roche F6 has an appeal to it… not that the F12 doesn’t.
There ya go Nick, some more choices!
DBCstm,
outstanding photos! well done!
Ish. When I want hands-free light, I use the ZL H52Fw. It’s usually clipped to the front edge of my purse, but also works well as a necklace or headlamp. It’s awkward to hold while using it.
When I would rather hold and aim a light with my hand, or if I want better color rendering, or simply don’t want to get funny looks from people, I use the L3 L10-219.
In practice, this means I tend to use the L3 for a lot of quick tasks, or when there are other people around. The ZL gets used more when I’m alone and planning to use the light for a while. The L3 could really use a good clip though, so I’m hoping a D25A Ti 219 will be a nice upgrade.
This shows how I normally store/carry the headlamp, and also suggests some simple usage tricks: Zebralight headlamp tips / tricks / mods
I was wondering about that.
Very good information. Thank you.
However, I find it very convenient as a necklace. Whenever I need light, I can just reach for it and there it is. It’s far less awkward this way, except for the funny looks I get from people. This is how I normally use it when I’m working on things at night; it’s more comfortable than wearing it on my head, and less likely to shine into people’s faces.
For a hand-held light, I prefer models that I can hold between my fingers like a cigarette. This way I can still use both hands. So, 1xAA and 1xAAA tend to work well, but 1x16340 is generally too wide.