If you need to see clearly at 850m I would say get something which throws 3 times as much. For 850m that would be 2550m. My FT03S could throw around 4-500m even though I measured it at 1.26Km. This is because the 1.26Km rating basically means it’ll bright as moonlight at that distance which isn’t very bright. It’ll be hard, if not impossible to find a light which is floody and throws that far and even that would be big and cost $300+. Have you actually measured the distance using maps or something? BTW what do you mean by flood? Do you mean the hotspot needs to be big or it needs to have enough spill?
800m and more, is a heck of a long way. What is it you want to see that far away?
The atmospheric conditions will play a role out that far.
Lights with bright near flood will tend to wash out the distance.
I know you want to stick to one light, but you might consider a flood headlamp for everything up close.
Then a super throw hand light for reaching way out there.
Only fairly large lights will run on turbo for extended periods with the kind of output you are looking for.
For throw, Lumens are not as important as Candela. Which is a measure of throw.
Lumens are also non linear. 2200 Lumens will not really be noticeable brighter than 2000. The throw patter is more important.
Give us a little more info on what you want the light to accomplish.
All the Best,
Jeff
u must ask yourself, what do u want most, throw or flood ? its hard getting both and be able to have it perform good at 800m, that is quite far, hard to see details almost 1km away…lumens and numbers dont really mean much sometimes on paper it can look good but outside u can be dissapointed maybe if u only go by numbers…
Hi
Thank you kindly too everyone for your advice.
By flood I meant spill or to brighten up a wide area immediately in front of me.
Jeff we live in a huge rural farm area with hills and mountains, but if there are intruders, then we can use the binoculars with the throw of the flashlight at night. Crime is rampant on farms here (including murders).
I have a Petzl headlamp, and when I used this for the first time at night outside, I realized this is not bright enough at 500 lumens (it was just bought recently and yes it has excellent wide flood, but not bright enough) - it was a mistake to buy 500 lumens even though review said it was bright enough (unless its my vision that deems it to not be bright enough in the darkness of the night when there are no other lights).
But it looks like you people don't think that, considering all the limitations, the best "balance" would be the Haikelite HK04 with a claimed 850 metres and said to have reasonable flood according to one review (of which there are hardly any), and compact plus reasonably priced when adding on import taxes.
Just another question if I may, if a flashlight gives 9000 lumens at turbo, then what are the general principles, when going down to the next 2 level of brightness? In other words the turbo mode might last 1 minute, but how long would the next 2 levels usually last if the turbo is 9000 lumens. I can't find these figures with regard to the Haikelite HK04 9000 lumens.
Thank you again to everyone.
Best regards
Peter
Make yourself at home, NewbieNewbieNewbie!
If you stick around long enough, and I hope that you do, you may want to change your username. 
The two lights you are comparing are completely different from each other. One is a lot heavier and a lot higher lumens. Not real sure what the goal is. Personally, instead of getting the HK04, I would get the Astrolux® MF01S. 15K lumens and highly customizable UI. $85 with coupon.
I recommend the Haikelite MT04, thanks to its head and wider reflectors, it manages to launch further than the HK04, while having a good flood, I have it and it seems to me a highly recommended flashlight, without spending much more money i don´t think you find nothing similar.
I also have the MF01S, which a colleague just recommended, and it is not at all what you are looking for, it does not have a good throw, it is eminently flooding.
If you want more throw, losing flood, and spending a little more, without having a quick drop in the turbo, perhaps the Astrolux MF02 with the XHP35 is ideal for you, it is bigger and heavier, but for this same reason you get more turbo time, I also have it by the way.
You need to suggest us a budget (before your import taxes), otherwise the recommendations may be senseless.
Sustainable output will be roughly limited by the flashlight size, compact flashlights just cannot dissipate heat fast enough. For maximum throw you want a big reflector with a single domeless LED, triple or quads like the SP36 will throw less despite the higher lumen output.
Ok, so if you want throw, try the MF02S, its a great complement to the MF01S. The MF02S has crazy throw.
Hi
I first want to thank everyone for the excellent advice.
Hi ggf31416 and Zoulas, thank you, I would say the price of the MF02S would be the max that I would definitely not exceed. I like this flashlight, despite it being very heavy and bulky for the hiking backpack.
But I looked at a video review by Charles BridgTec, but not once did he comment on whether this can be charged via USB or not. Therefore I assume one can't charge this flashlight?
Hi Miguel_79 thank you, but I could not find the HK MT04 anywhere. Did you perhaps means the HK MT40 which I read is a good combination of throw of 850 metres together with good flood, but one must then pack in a a charger with it, and get an adaptor to fit the American fitting (I am not in the USA). Does anyone know if this can be charged via a different technique when out in the bush (I have a TP solar 100 watt, but not sure if it would fit)?
I have now also learned from you that a thrower must have a single LED. I always like to be prepared in an emergency and my idea (I could be wrong) was that if there is more than one LED, and one breaks, then there is a back up LED or 2 etc. Am I wrong to think like this?
Any chance of a recommendation similar to the specs of the MF02S, with the enormous throw and flood, but USB chargable and slightly more compact and not exceeding that price? This would be the absolute highest price??
Thank you to everyone (including Th558, Jeff51 and Mortuus), and raccoon city thank you for the welcome and the excellent humour!
Best regards
Peter
Throw is extremely misleading. A flashlight may have a throw of 1.5 miles but you cant see that far. So much like a rifle, you would also need a scope for a light like that. This makes it pointless. There is a lot of redundancy with lights. All the flashlights on the market can basically fit into 3 or 4 categories. Pick the one that makes the most sense to you. Remember, you will have to make many sacrifices with one single light. Any light that has 3-4 18650s will be heavy and bulky.
Also, the USB charging is nice but there is no substitute for having another set or two of extra batteries.
At the minimum, you are better off having a single 18650 based light, then a soda can style as well. This way you will have the best of both worlds.
You are also better off with a quality charger like the MIBOXER.
Good, yes, my mistake, MT40 is what I wanted to say. Regarding the plug, I am from Spain, and I use a simple power adapter, which I even think I remember that Banggood sent me along with the flashlight. Regarding charge in the mountains, I cannot help you.
Do you mean this MF02S (review) ? Be aware that it’s the floodier XHP70.2 version, maximum output is doubled but throw is reduced compared to the regular MF02 XHP35 HI version ( review ) (1281m to 880m on turbo, 980m to 550m sustainable on high, numbers from the reviews), as the XHP70.2 is a big LED with a dome. Given your requirements (how critical is seeing intruders at long range?) I’m not sure if the throw is enough, you may need to see some video reviews to compare, I’m afraid I don’t have much experience with throwers. Sometimes a thrower has a beam which is too thin, for example the newly developed laser throwers.
The most common domeless LEDs are the Osram “W1” aka “white flat 1mm”, the XP-L HI, the XHP35 HI and the SBT90.2 in increasing order of maximum output. There is a MF02S SBT90.2 version on the making that should have higher output and throw than the regular MF02 version, but the price can easily be $50 - $100 higher going by the FT03 example (there is a group buy on the forum that may reduce the price a bit). For expensive flashlights you should search the forum and reviews for coupons or group buys before buying.
Regarding the risk of LED failure, LEDs don’t fail randomly in the field. If the heatsinking is defective for some reason either will fail within the first hour or it will decrease output very slowly with areas burned out, you will eventually notice that something is wrong , but if the heatsinking is adequate it will last for many years. If something breaks because of a bad fall, etc. it will be the driver. If you are concerned get a cheaper flashlight ($30 or less) as a backup, some flavor of C8 with XP-L HI if you need it to be a thrower. Edit: if you are ok with something large as a backup the Astrolux FT03 SST40 (review) is on sale, however for maximum reliability I would rather get something from Convoy even if the output is lower.
Hi Guzoff
Thank you, but remember I am a novice - I could not see the range there, neither the weight.
Does it also have reasonable good flooding/spilling to lighten up a broad area in front of me?
Thank you
Regards
Peter
Hi ggf31416
Thank you ggf31416 and to Zoulas, Miguel_79 and Guzoff
ggf31416 can I ask you, can we conclude that the Astrolux MF02S SBT90.2 with 6000 lumens and throw of 1039 metres also has reasonably good flood/spill to brighten up a broad area immediately in front of me? I noted there is 20 % off via the group discount you kindly advised me of. Then at Banggood I saw for new users they said $20 off.
On another note I see its very heavy at 818 grams (and will need to add the weight of 2 batteries). I am guessing that its flood will be less than the Haikelite MT40???
Thank you ggf31416
Regards
Peter
Hi Zoulas (or anyone else who knows)
Thank you for this info about the external charger for a lithium battery. I am not familiar with this.
I have an external charger for standard double A and AAA batteries that has a USB connection to a plug that fits into the wall socket, but do you know if the charger you are talking about also comes with a USB connection to the plug that fits into the wall?
I ask this because my solar charger has a USB input.
Thank you again Zoulas
Regards
Peter
You will need a new charger…capable of charging diff types of batteries.Unless the light you purchased comes with built in charging port (type C)
To charge batts such as 18650/26650/21700 these…
I dun think there is a flashlight that can actually fit both your requirement.
I read it as your requirement : A flooder tat can light up bout 800m ~ 1km distance.
Mayb you can consider 2 diff type of lights?
A flooder light also depends where you shine at, if its wif trees, u will be amazed, bcos lights shine infront of you 360° , so u see more…if its empty land, flooder may dissapoint you, the empty space does not hv much to reflect back lights to your eyes.But you will see the band lighted up.
For thrower, there R many good choices, believe u will really need a good one to actually shine to “search” intruders so many metres away…i guess, a good thrower wif wide fat beam is your best bet.
Cheers.
I know this is above your stated budget, but just for perspective, in addition to everyone’s excellent guidance here and all of whom know more than me, the acebeam k30gt seems to be a great size, spill and throw with the sbt90 emitter.
Hi All
I just wanted to sincerely thank you all for the excellent help and advice.