The Title pretty much says it all, except I would like something available on the big “A” store, and under $50. I have the Wurkkos FC12 (advertised 2000 Lumens, Turbo 345M, but I can’t find specs on how long it can maintain Turbo before stepping down (I haven’t tried it yet due to illness). Regardless, I would like the longest Thrower that WILL NOT STEP DOWN (or burn me!). If you don’t have a particular light in mind, I’d still like to know about the most lumens I should expect to find in a light that meets my desires.
Thanks.
PS - I’m also interested in the same specs in a Flood (max lumens, WILL NOT STEP DOWN (or burn me!). I realize that lumens in a Flood and lumens in a Thrower are apples and oranges.
Thanks again.
You can buy big Convoy lights and configure the UI to cap max output to 50%. Or use medium mode and pretent it’s the highest mode.
But it would be a waste. Turbo is meant to run in short bursts to take advantage of thermal inertia. Without turbo, almost all flashlight will have their peak output capped at 30% of what the electrical system is capable of.
So just look at reviews to see how much sustained lumens a light can output and use that mode instead.
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Consider the Convoy L21B with SFT40. Lightweight, around 2000lm turbo, and a sustained output of 800lm until the battery dies. Over 300kcd intensity (equivalent to 1.1km of range).
I don’t have one myself so I can’t tell how hot it gets in turbo, but the tailswitch should keep your hand away from the heat. Worst case you can just use it on 30%.
You’ll need a 21700 battery and a charger though, the battery needs to have a CDR of 9A minimum.
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Everything steps down eventually
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Yep, the Convoy L-series with SFT40 would be my suggestion as well. 
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Thank you all for the replies. If I understand correctly, for simplicity’s sake, it looks like I should just look for a light (any brand that has a good rep and mentions “Throw” or “Tactical”) around 800 lumens that does NOT have a “Turbo” (or equivalent) mode. (Although, from my limited education on the subject, any light that is considered “Tactical” is probably going to have a Turbo mode - even if its Turbo mode only reaches 800 lumens or so!)
Thanks again.
Unless you really need the tactical set of features, I’d recommend steering clear of lights explicitly marketed as tactical; they are optimizing a different set of parameters than you’re looking for, which is my polite way of saying they won’t have the performance you want. You won’t find a single tactical light that has both more output and more throw than the Convoy L21B SFT40, which is the best you can get for the budget.
Sofirn sf47t can handle 1500 lumens whole time, 1500 lumens is turbo in that flashlight.
Not.
It does a good job however at keeping 70% for 2 hours.
From the review;
The flashlight maintains its full output for about 7 minutes before thermal regulation (ATR) is triggered at approx. 50°C surface temperature. Afterwards, the output is more or less stabilized at 70% of turbo mode (I guesstimate about 750-850lm) for almost exactly 2 hours. Meanwhile, its temperature is maintained at approx. 54°C. Looking at the fluctuations of the lux meter graph I can see that ATR is always triggered to keep the temperature at that level, resulting in brightness fluctuations of about 10%. The human eye however will not notice these small increases and decreases in brightness. In comparison to Sofirn’s SP33 V3 with its mediocre and way too aggressive thermal regulation I can confirm that Sofirn’s engineers did a great job improving their ATR algorithm.
Another reviewer tested it outside, in real conditions, when you walk with that flashlight, there is small wind, it can handle 1500 lm
Fenix PD35 v3 is an almost mini thrower EDC light that when put on its high setting, will hold 550 lumens for 2 hours. Its like the fc12, but better in every way. Better construction, simple UI, phenomenally better regulation and runtime. It is a 25mm diameter 18650 light, but with a deep reflector, like a Convoy S6.
Its not really a thrower, but on high will hold 200m of throw and has multiple setting you can put it on that will not step down. Its also like $80, but you get what you pay for. If you do happen to run it over a few times with a bobcat or mount it on a steel lance and put it in an industrial furnace, they warranty it no questions asked over and over.
Streamlight and Surefire are the only brand I can think of that doesn’t put turbo on their lights. They seem to set their lights up to have an output it can maintain the whole runtime, usually moderate output. Build quality and price are waaaaaaay over your $50 limit.
Tactical often means turbo at the press of a button. Or forward click momentary turbski. You aren’t looking for a high momentary candela, you want a candela that’ll stick by your side through thick and thin.
The answer under $50 is probably what errbody else said, convoy L21B in group 8.
This light has been a bit controversial around here, and I don’t even have it yet, but it can be throwy (cd/lm ≈ 30), and in addition of high power momentary modes, can maintain constant ~350 lm / 10,000 cd for 4.5 h and at least ~700 lm for 2.5 h (albeit in a floodier fashion). All that in a pretty compact and solid package.
If you want extreme distance, you’re better looking at lux than lumens.
To use an extreme example, the Maxtorch Lsword L2K does over 2mcd (3KM) for 3.5hours, this light “only” has 500lm.
If you’re just looking for an “impressive” throws light, then disregard above. The same physics applies to all lights, you’ll want a cool white LED, big head for heat sinking, and big reflector.
Within budget, I also recommend the convoy L21b.