Thanks, and thanks for the succinct explanation. I’m learning as we’re discussing this and I appreciate your patience.
Back to the question of best throw led and my own use case. The IF22a is a great light, with a famous LED and fantastic throw as that picture that I made a couple years ago shows. However when I got the SBT90.2, I felt that it is a world apart from every other throw LED that I had, including SFT40. In comparison, it throws further, to a kilometer, and more importantly for me, with a wide hotspot (much wider than IF22a IRL). And that’s not the end of it, there is no comparison in the spill either. SBT90.2 lit up everything close, and far, with a very bright, very wide spill. For hobbyists it’s a fun and bright OMG view.
IF22a with its pencil beam and dark spill is for my use annoying and not helpful. When I shine on target, there is a tiny round bright beam, with a weak spill that is relatively VERY dark. I use my flashlight for safety reason, to locate coyotes and “mean” people on my walk, and I just can’t safely see with that tiny hotspot with no view around it. But now I’m learning it’s just my use case and there is a different “best throw LED” for everyone, AND for different hosts. Next I would like to compare the run time but let me look at some youtube reviews first lol.
It is quite a privilege for me to have this discussion with someone so curious and observant, very much in the spirit of this forum.
Between the IF22A and the TS30S, the emitter is not the only difference: the TS30S has a larger head, which allows it to throw much further with any LED, and more thermal mass, which makes it possible to drive a high-power emitter for more than a dozen seconds. The farther throw of the TS30S is entirely attributable to the larger reflector, not the SBT90.2 emitter, which instead explains the much higher output. Emitter comparisons are best reserved for the same light, to avoid such confounding variables.
The IF22A uses a TIR that is designed for all hotspot and no spill, hence the pencil beam. Interestingly, I’ve never seen a large TIR-based thrower outperform a reflector-based thrower of equal size. The TD01C, for example, is a major flop compared to the L21B, achieving only 60% of the luminous flux with the same emitter and similar driver. The L21B has more output and way more spill. It seems that for your use case, a reflector-based thrower ought to be preferred over a TIR thrower, and instantaneous output/coverage might be more important than sustainability.
I believe The Anduril thermal setting can go to 70C. It won’t step down for a while at that setting certainly well over one minute… Our hands will turn it down before it gets over 70 c. It also depends on what time of the year.In the summer probably 2 minutes. In the winter 3 or 4 easily.
I just remembered Mine is modified. Doesn’t have a step down. I guess he disabled it or when he set it to 70c it basically eliminates the step down. Honestly I can’t remember! All I know the output is only reduced by battery depletion.
What makes any led for flashlight a good thrower led is their reflector.
The same emitter using different size of reflector available will show significant differences.
Even emitter in two same light of same brand , series, set ups, might have different results.
I once mention this , regarding reflector build or manufacturing by flashlight manufacture; when any new led type shows up, they should spent more time and money to study the interaction between the new led and their reflectors.
This consideration apply for Reflectors and any Secondary optics; TIR’s, Fresnel’s.
This is a very important and often neglected point. The recent Wurkkos TS10 SG, due to a poor choice of secondary optic, only reaches half of the intensity that is achievable by the same host and emitter, demonstrated by a fellow modder who simply replaced the stock optic and essentially doubled the intensity. It is not difficult to see how a poor choice of secondary optic can adversely affect the throw:
(Source.)
When I made a small thrower light from a Convoy S2 (the one with the deeper smooth reflector compared to the S2+) with an Osram 1x1mm led a few years ago, I ordered 5 smooth S2 reflectors from Simon, and their performance varied from poor to extremely good (yes, I maximised focusing of the led). Nothing to see from the outside but a throw difference in the order of 30% among the reflectors. I used the best one for the mod of course
Btw, the led in the picture above is very a-centered, it will not throw very well, even if the reflector was smooth.
