If you had less than $50 to spend and wanted a thrower what would you buy and why,….modding is not allowed! 
Best meaning shear power/light output!!!
in my collection of lights it has to be the DST. ( Defiant Super Thrower. ) I have 7 of them. Stock and various levels of mods, and 4 being used for a monster custom thrower build.
For under $50…
No modding…
Hmm.
12 defiant 4c spotlights taped together at $4 each.
But seriously, I’m thinking HD2010 at about $30. If you’re lucky and snag a DD version and you’ve got a good high drain battery then you’ll have the best light in the <$50 bracket.
An HD2010 works well as a thrower, I think it would get my vote, but the one in the above post is a nicer light.
Trustfire T8 Huge reflector and great driver.
http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S022823
COURUI Cree XM-L2 U2 LED 3-Mode 1200 Lumens Flashlight (3 x 18650) Better run time throws pretty good too.
Or you could buy two of my all time favorite budget light the ZY-T08
[quote=UliBär] This one: http://intl-outdoor.com/xintd-x3-xml2-3aa-flashlight-p-739.html [/quote]
I was going to agree, but...
The OP actually defined best, something too many forget to even attempt. I'll have to assume that in context, "shear power/light output" means throw or lux, so I'll have to go with the HD2010 too.
It seems a “good” HD2010 is hard to beat for a less than $50 thrower but can you order knowing you are getting a good one?
Are all the XinTD X3 good or do they also have cheaper versions?
These lights are at the top of my list but I worry that I will get a bad HD2010 which makes me lean towards the XinTD X3.
I would buy a Convoy L4.
Great build quality, side switch and hidden strobe.
It’s perfect for me.
If you order a XinTD X3 or C8 from Hank (intl-outdoor) you can rest assured to get a really good one!
The X3 is also sold by other dealers, but there are rumors, the used drivers and build quality are not the same as from Hank. Also intl-outdoor offer many different mode setups and a range of tints to choose from.
[edit]
…and also the X3 from Hank has low voltage protection!
Very important, cause protected cells don’t match out of the box.
Workaround: Loosen the head 1-1.5 mm, then protected cells match.
X3 is a decent light but is it a pure thrower? All Xs with NANJG (AMC7135) based driver have low voltage warning. Unfortunately Hanks X3 doesn’t have the same, solid metal battery carrier like before. The only good thing is that you can choose LED tint/bin and number of modes, other than that other sellers are much cheaper.
Smallsuns ZY-T08 and ZY-T13 are nice throwers, especially for the price. And if you’re not afraid of soldering iron, they can kick butts. There are also all time favourites like FandyFire STL-V6/Skyray STL-V2 twins. Just like Smallsuns they have older XM-L emitter. COURUI mentioned here is nice but it’s slightly underdriven and I’m slightly worried about heat transfer.
YEZL Y3 has good reviews as well:
Oh, i didn’t knew that! 
Any proof of that?
My X3 from Hank has a head made from a solid alloy block with excellent heatsinking, it’s from around May or June last year. :~
Just a couple of people got X3 from intl-outdoor with cheap plastic battery carrier you can see on pictures from another vendors. There’s never been a problem with X3’s heatsinking.
That's the first I've heard of this. I would think the complaints would be very loud if this happened. Hank's pictures still show the better carrier. There'd be a paypal claim if I got the plastic carrier.
I am a little surprised that the “best under $50 thrower” is still up in the air,……I thought you guys would have it narrowed down by now.
I little more info as to what I want,….little to no spill, but not a lazer beam either, …will be used outdoors at ranges from 40 yards up to 100 yards, size is not a concern.
I really like that perfect circle zero spill spot light look but I understand with this budget I may be asking a bit much,….a while back I watched a youtube video of a German light (MT,MTM,…something like that???) that I loved the look of the beam.
Sorry for the confusion, it was a misunderstanding on my side.
Well i don’t use the AA-carrier anyway, cause of the less light emitted.
Yes, I'd like to see proof of that. Surely those people posted about it or phantom23 wouldn't know of it.
MTE H8? I’m pretty sure it’s Chinese and it’s way over your budget (around $200 IIRC). Maybe something simplier like UniqueFire UF-T20?