I’m not a fan of zoomies at all, but a SK98 would probably suit your needs.
Only thing I’d recommend as far as modding is to get a 1-mode 20mm driver for it, which you can pick up at Fasttech for a coupla bux, and they come in currents up to 1.4A.
Tailcaps (and remote switches) for WF502s will (at least should) fit it, so you can buy a remote switch for a ’502 and it would do what you want.
I hate the “batsignal” zoom where you actually project an image of the chip itself, so at best I defocus it to a sort of rounded-square when zoomed, and can pull it back to a really wide flood for close-in work.
I think I’ve understood the XP-L gives more throw than the Xm-L but there are two XP-L and I’m not sure which one should be the best. The XP-L HI is without dome?
And I like the L4 too but I don’t know if they are as moddable as the C8s and if there’s remote switch for them http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights … tml?wid=21
Also, because I’m going to use the “high” mode only I’m not sure if would be better to direct drive a multiple modes one (brighter?) or get a single mode one.
A zoomie has zero spill (for all practical purposes) when zoomed, which might be an advantage, ie, not lighting up your immediate area. Reflectors have “useful spill” which can be a detriment, lighting up the immediate area around you bright, and washing out what may be farther out but not as brightly lit. I prefer reflectors with a nice tight hotspot, like an L2 or C8.
A C8 with XP-E2 chip isn’t the brightest lumenwise, but has a nice tight hotspot that holds together farther. It’s probably my favorite toy. I don’t push more than 1A or maybe 1.4A, but it still has some nice reach without necessarily lighting up all of creation.
The XP-E and XP-E2 are 2 sizes down from the XM-L series, and 1 size down from the XP-G series. So the chip’s… what?… a quarter of the area of the XMs? Nice…
Yep. Smaller apparent chip, more surface intensity, all of the chip is proportionately closer to the “sweet spot” (single point in 3D space in the reflector) so more is focussed the way it should be.
(Now picture the way smaller XP-E2, and how much more in-focus the whole chip will be!)
Ain’t got, so dunno.
For any kind of a tac-light, I pretty much insist on 1-mode, so that’s usually DIY. Especially with with a remote switch, you don’t want a “flicker” in the remote-switch to go changing modes when you least want it to. Plus, 1-mode is unbeatable for a forward-clicky, momentary-on, flash’n’dash light.
