Are there any such beasts ? I would definitely want a thrower on18650’s
Except for the next mode driver, in original form they're not bad.
I've done one with an XP-G2 R5 and a 5x7135 Nanjg 105C and it's pretty good.
The original thread about them is at: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/18202
Honestly I think that if you are on a budget you should just buy an XP-G2 for three bucks from Fast Tech soak it in gasoline for a few hours until the dome falls off and put it in the cheapest light with the biggest head that can power a T6 halfway decently. If you don’t have a soldering iron you can get a dirt cheap one of them too. Small Sun ZY-T08 comes to mind.
Yes I have a soldering iron unfortunately not the dexterity or experience yet , only reason iam asking about and xpg light now is after gords mentioned they make better throwers than xmls so I was hoping I could find a decent one under 40.00$ or so just checking that or lightmalls c12xml2 not sure yet just gathering data now and I always feel better after getting Input from here.
How about a P60 drop in?
The high > low > strobe isn’t ideal though but you could probably change the driver to push it to its limit anyway.
https://www.fasttech.com/search?xpg
Also, a $40 budget would buy a lot of practice parts to get some experience, along with a pencil tip if you don’t have one (like me) with your iron.
buy a cheap c8 and a few emitters and drivers and practice.
Once you have done a successful build, you will have figured out what you need.
I still feel an xp-g2 at 3a in a convoy l2 is a dammed impressive thrower, but as suggested above, a zy-t08 with an xp-g2 swapped in would give similar performance for much less money, the last one I got from fasttech was putting out 3a at the tail so it would really only be an emitter swap if you could live with the flashy modes and next mode memory.
The zy-t08 does have a 25 or 30mm star which makes centring a bit of an issue but no biggie, the c8 would be an easy first buipd and fall well below your $40 limit whilst still giving interesting throw.
Find some old electronics to practice with. If you're like me, you have plenty.
Here is a deal I just found on AliExpress it’s an X8 clone. These make a great thrower with an XP-G2 in them. It’s the cheapest I have found them for and much less than the last one I bought. It’s the same light I gave away for my 1,000th post and it’s one of my favorite mods yet. I had to find another one because I missed the one I gave away.