A good thrower would be the BLF D80 . It throws very well for its size and puts out a lot of light at the same time. I can see mine in daylight. From about 3 feet in direct sunlight I can see the spot on the ground pretty well considering the 100 trillion lumen ball of fire in the sky shining in the same spot!
OK, I will start there and order one of those. I have gotten other stuff from Gearbest in the past, they are a good company.
Is that a reputable place to get batteries? I have purchased batteries before that must have been fake, and failed.
I am a total newb, I see what I think are color choices for the light output… 1A 6500-7000K
5A 4000-4200K
3C 4700-5000K
1A is a cool white, 3C (my personal favorite ) is a neutral white while 5A is a warmer white.
I know some others have had issues with gearbest, but I haven’t personally had any problems with them in the last 25 orders. I always get the shipping insurance, though.
My thoughts would be an Eagle Eye Hi with XPL-HI led in cool white to contrast with the shadows.
Amazing how affordable these are. I can see how you folks get addicted…. I am gonna have to get more than one light.
Is that how the illness starts?
Illness? Is it contagious? I’m outa here. 
First, I’ll reiterate that $$ doesn’t always equal quality. Take the “Monster” lights you mentioned above. Those appear to be nothing but re-branded cheap Trustfire type lights with outdated/low-bin emitters and dubious output claims. All for the low-low price of 10x more than you can find them for elsewhere lol…
Also, keep in mind that the total output in lumens is just one metric, and that more throw typically comes at the expense of fewer total lumens. For instance, you can have a 2000 lumen flooder that lights up a large area right in front of you, but doesn’t reach very far at all. Conversely, you can have a 500 lumen thrower that reaches quite far, but has much narrower beam and hardly any “spill”.
The soup-can lights are nice, but they are usually flooders not throwers, so when using parallel to a wall, a high-lumen soup-can might wash out the area close in, and not reach very far out. That said, there are modified versions available with respectable throw numbers. The Noctigon M43 with de-domed XP-G2s as modded by Vinh Nguyen at Sky Lumen is one that comes to mind. In fact, if budget isn’t a concern, he has several other lights that might fit your needs/application a bit better as well. Or, you might reach out to the resident “modders” here, like Dale @ DB Customs. I am sure he could whip something up that would put your buddy’s “$400” light to shame, lol.
For an unmodified factory light, I would probably be looking at something with an XHP 35/50/70 emitter in a large single reflector. The Acebeam K70 with the XHP35 is an excellent thrower, but might be a bit on the large side of your requirements. Or, seeing as this is the “budget” light forum, you might also consider something likek the Convoy L6. It also might push the limits of your size requirements a bit, but it will give you nearly 4k lumens @ 80k+ lux for +/- $60. 
Wow - you folks saved me a lot of grief. Much appreciated.
I will get several of the suggested lights. I can hold one in each hand as well, washing the wall and looking for the “dent-shadows”.
That size will work for me - and that looks like a very bad-ass high quality light. I have a toolbelt with various pouches like the size of a beer can, and that thing would fit. I find it amazing that a single LED puts out that much light. I guess us non-educated newbies get into the “more LEDs are better” trap.
When I get time I am going to research the forum for battery suggestions. It looks like the 18650 format is the most common, and I keep hearing “Panasonic”.
I just want to make sure I get real ones that aren’t fakes.
Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Efest, Sony, etc… there are some good names out there. One of my favorites is the Samsung 30Q. It’s got plenty of capacity and can deliver the umph in any situation needing extra powah!
Illumn has 30q on sale till the 9th for $5 
I want to thank everyone for bringing me up to speed on what will help with my job.
I feel like I have travelled from the outhouse, to the penthouse in understanding what will work, and why.
I ordered the ACEBeam K70 CREE XHP35 for the “get it done” light
and also ordered a BLF D80 Cree XM L2 from Gearbest, along with a Eagle Eye Hi with XPL-HI led, and the small Convoy s2+ that will always be in the tool belt to light up dings in aluminum that is within arms reach (aluminum clad windows, things you are looking at in front of you).
I got 6 Samsung batteries and a NITECORE i4 Intellicharger.
Again thanks for all your help. I will post photos of these guys showing up the dents, but it will take a while for them to arrive.
Dang, going all out, huh! I have one of those k70’s. You will be very pleased with the output of that thing. It feels like you could see for miles with it! All in all, I think you have made some good purchases. Be careful, though, it can be very addictive!
I think you’re going to like those lights. I’m certainly interested in seeing what your results are. As you’ve noted, this is much different than what we normally think about using flashlights for. My prediction is that either the Eagle Eye or the D80 will become your favorite. Both of those should be plenty bright with good batteries, and the compact size will make them the go-to for daily use. That larger light will probably be overkill, but will be great for impressing your friends and co-workers.
Because my use is during the day, I will be pleasantly surprised if the Acebeam K70 helps to show dents down a wall of aluminum siding.
Usually I spray the wall with a garden hose, then move around to get the right angle for the reflections to show the flaws. But there isn’t always a garden hose, and sometimes it’s an odd arrangement - like trying to sight down aluminum fascia on a 2 story house. Sometimes the dents are quite small, but we are expected to determine if they are damaged or not.
I also have to see if the aluminum gutters have dents or not. Being able to shoot a light (during the day) across the top lip or bottom pan of the gutter and having it show shadows like 15 to 20 feet away would kick ass. I know that smaller lights (like the garbage CR 123A ones I have) will show dents right in front of you when the light is parallel to the surface. I read that the Acebeam K70 is 4 times brighter than sunlight at a meter distance - that would make the dent shadows really show up.
I’m sure there are other bright lights you folks have, but for an “out the box” solution, I am really thankful for the guidance. Like a 16lb sledge hammer, I may not need it everyday, but be glad it is there when the job calls for it.”
Most of the insurance workers who do what I do are literally “in the dark”. I remember about 5 years ago working a storm in Indiana when a contractor brought out this big honking searchlight that must have weighed 10 lbs. I thought it was a joke until I saw the dents in the metal that I had just overlooked. Ever since then, I knew I needed to “up my game”. Thank you folks for your guidance. I will post some photos of the result in a few weeks after I put the gear to use.
I agree. BTW I worked a hailstorm in North Carolina just south of Charlotte a few years ago. I was there a long time, rented a Harley to ride on Sundays. Beautiful state, Blue Ridge Parkway, etc.
Hope you get a good one! (K70) My first one was DOA, the second one was perfect, some have had other issues! Acebeam K70 Lemon (Problem) Thread and here…. post #100 Acebeam K70 & K50 V3
OK so here is the Acebeam K70 today in broad daylight.
It was awesome for showing the hail impacts to aluminum at a good distance.
I love it. Mine had none of the issues that were described in that other thread.
I want to thank everyone who helped guide my decision.
The “little lights” haven’t arrived yet. I am sure they will be the tool of choice for finding dents in things nearby, like inspecting windows and aluminum trim in front of you.
Nice! Thanks for the update.
Of the 3 “small” lights I got based on recommendations on this thread, THIS one does the best job of showing the dents-shadows in daylight.
It’s kind of like a mini Acebeam K70. For the lumens that it has, it throws them really, really well without much spill.
Hey mate I was looking at the Stanley light it would have a max output of 1000 lumen even less if it is a XML2 running at 10 watts so these lights will all be brighter.
I’m glad you got some lights that work for you. Your work mates will be queuing up now. 