Have been lurkin' thru some threads for quite sometime now and i think its time to stop lurkin and introduce myself!
BTW, i'm Lester from Quezon City, Philippines! Aside from lots of info regarding to flashlights here, one thing i like about this site is that it feature some of those budget lights which i find to be affordable but also dependable!
Will be looking forward to have a compact and reliable thrower that will run on AA/14500's! Or an 18700 maybe? On a XM-L of course...
As Don said, throw needs diameter. However, aspheric lenses give better throw than reflectors; thus a flood-to-throw light might be nice:
The C78 (DX, 10$) and the Sipik SK68 (DX, 9$) are small, but quite well throwing choices. While the RC-G2 is a nice little light, it can't hold up to these.
If you want an XM-L, try something in the WF-501B format (18650) plus a good drop-in (Ultrafire 3-mode, MF, 16$) - great amount of light and some good throw.
I have some lights with some measured performance listed here (XM-L) and here (non-XM-L).