You sure? That feels high.
Donât worry, it isnât. Luxwad tested the DT8 W2 at 597m (89,130cd).
Maybe it feels high to you since itâs at startup? At 30 seconds itâs going to be like 200 lumens and not much throw lol. All Hanks numbers are at startup afaik.
Itâs not that crazy considering the D4/KR4 with W2 and 10621 optic is ~400-425m.
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Mister, what is Your point here? I propose a solution, give examples and You choose the worst of those examples in Your opinion just to be contrary. Do You really not like the idea of a squarish light (then say so), do You just like to go against the grain or are You such a yes-man for Hank? I donât see where Youâre headed with Your arguments
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With 3S cell, 2S LED configuration makes the most sense, current is what limits the power so itâs easier to make a 16A6V driver than 32A3V. With a minimum Vin of 8.4V and maximum Vout of ~6.5V full regulation can be achieved. Also the closer Vout is to Vin the higher the efficiency.
4A per LEDs is probably a good maximum current, that allows to use CSLNM1, but even for 519As 4A is IMO a more reasonable maximum than 5A.
4A per LEDs whould mean two 16A6V buck channels in 2S4P+2S4P configuration, about 100W per channel, 200W in â200%â turbo. There are buck converters ICs up to 20A available at raisonable cost and two of them would fit in a 3x18650 driver size. Itâs more the height of the inductors that would limit the maximum output current, a low profile driver (4mm inductor) would probably be limited to 12A (3A per LEDs), with 6 to10mm driver allowing 16A.
4A 16Ă519A is around 16000 LED lumens, 3A : 13000lm
So itâs definitely possible to match the direct drive output of the D18 with fully charged cells, even outmatch it if this is really wanted.
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That still seems so high to me. The dt8 w2 is so floody. Way floodier than the D4S. But maybe my perception of throw distance is just way off. And Iâve never tried using the dt8 at long distances really.
I grabbed a few lights and walked the dog to the nearest spot where I could test throw without shining lights at peopleâs houses, because who does that lol
All batteries were same voltage, all 4.0V in this case, was racing the sun a bit. So couldâve been brighter. But all brand new cells with <3 cycles on any of them. It was 5°C last night so thermal stepdown isnât an issue, more keeping the batteries warm.
And yaâŚit kinda does actually throw as far as the d4sv2. At the very least itâs comparable. Maybe even better. I was expecting it wouldnât even be half.
I made a little photo album. Not perfect comparisons, once dog started walking in front of light it all went downhill, but camera was locked to the exact same settings for every single photo. Idk if theyâre good settings, but they are the same settings. Also a catapult pro because it alleges 1000m throw and thatâs a nice round number, plus it doesnât get much use. And a q8 plus so I can still see where Iâm going without draining one of the test lights.
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Itâs the way throw is measured. The rated distance != the actual distance that most people find it actually usable at.
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Ya, I thought I had a pretty good idea of throw just based on the hotspot intensity up close. You know what I mean Iâm sure. You can kinda tell its going to throw when itâs a tiny hotspot but itâs burning your retinas just reflecting off the walls. But guess I donât. I wouldâve said for sure the dt8 had half the throw
A (linear+FET) W2 D4 has something like 400m throw by the standards of how itâs measured. Itâs essentially the same (relatively floody even at the throwiest one) optic, and ultimately, pushing >2x the lumens is going to increase throw as itâs measured in terms of being a measurable increase in illumination (IDK the exact standard) at that distance. Obviously, the most efficient way to do that is a concentrated beam, but just firing more photons in every direction will increase the distance at which there is measurable illumination - it just doesnât mean the intense hotspot goes that much further (although IMO it definitely does go further enough than a D4 to at least be noticeable with the naked eye).
A W2 D4S will still outthrow a DT8/K due to the optics. Thereâs some good data comparing different W2 lights here.
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Its real close. Both of them step down so quick that the one that throws the furthest is just the one that was turned on second. But the dt8 obviously much faster, so for all practical purposes and all real life scenarios the D4S throws further for sure. But it is closer than I thought.
Thereâs a 4 second window of straight to turbo with cold emitters where the dt8 noticeably outthrows the D4S with a 26800. Literally 4 seconds. Not even a thermal ceiling thing, still very noticeable on momentary turbo. Maybe with a dt8k you get a full 6 seconds. With a higher drain 26650 maybe it wouldnât get those 4 seconds, idk, those are getting harder to find. Probably kind of pointless to discuss because it comes down to such tiny things youâd have different results just based on the temperature of the air and of your pocket
Maybe, I only have high drain 26650s for the D4S, no 26800s yet.
I think they are very similar in discharge but with 26800 D4S is more beautiful and has more range
Well, more beautiful is subjective, and itâs beautiful either way 
- but a 26650 will have more output. There are 40A peak/30A constant discharge 26650s, and 26800s only do 20A constant.
I wonder if anyone has tried an SFT40 version of the D4Sv2, it would need a custom PCB but it would have very good throw and output. Not sure if the stock aux board would fit, though.
I agree, beautiful is subjective.
Depends on battery. What battery have you try?
Imo, not worth it. Neat, very chonky, but not worth buying new tubes and a new charger/DIYing one just for them.
Everyone says the D4Sv2 with the 26800 tube has better ergonomics. I disagree. Maybe I have small hands lol, idk. When I buy nitrile gloves I buy L or XL ones. I canât have the tiniest hands out there. Gotta be someone else that prefers the 26650 tube too
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Yeah 26800 is definitely overhyped, especially on reddit. Very much a niche battery inside a already niche hobby. In a couple of years they will find the next best thing to hype for 
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Wow. Ok so youâre saying itâs more likely itâll be dual channel, with 3-4A per LED, rather than my guess of 1.75-2A per LED?
Damn. Thatâs just awesome.
Hmmm. Do you think itâs just going to make the D18 obsolete then? Like if itâs just as/more powerful with full regulation, then maybe I should hold off getting another D18.
We already know itâs dual channel, for the rest Iâm just speculating, but the numbers I mentionned are reasonable.
Will this be able to accept flattops?
All Hanklights except the D18 do and button tops wonât work (although Hank can make them with a contact on the driver for button tops instead by request, at least for the D4 family).
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