I’m having a problem . After 5 years away from the flashlight world was asked for advice in a purchase .
Five years in this world is a lot of time . I have no idea which flashlight is good and more importantly which seller trust.
My son want the most powerful flashlight for long distance , the price range in the spirit of the site of course.
Much progress has been made with the power in Lumens; but there are temperature problems; how long does your son want to keep it on at maximum brightness? Seconds? Minutes? More than three minutes? More than 10 minutes? Or do you aim for pure distance, i.e. seeing a bright spot at 2km? All these questions could be summarized in one: What does he need the flashlight for?
What can’t he give up and for what is he willing to compromise?
Welcome back. Right now I’m thinking about the Emisar D1S: https://intl-outdoor.com/emisar-d1s-thrower-p-926.html
Top notch quality both hardware and UI.
If size matters, and you still have time (6 months? 
), you could wait for the BLF version of the Sofirn SP70: over 6000 lumen and likely 250 kcd. The current version is good but the BLF version will be better. Price under $60
Many thanks to all of you . The most powerfull is how he ask me , my wording would be the current decent thrower under 30 .
The Astrolux Ft03 is a nice thrower in your price range
Saludos
Convoy C8+ and Sofirn C8T are two that come to mind for under $30. Not immediately sure what else might beat those without finding a coupon or sale.
(Edit: nice deal on that FT03 
)
I’d second this if he wants something small.
If he doesn’t mind something a little bigger I’d go for the Convoy L2 or L6. Best bang for the buck in my opinion.
I believe FT03 is the best thrower in $30 range
Yes. The FT03 would be your best bet.
Many thanks to all of you !!
He got the Sofirn C8T for 17 usd in the Aliexpres official store . The batteries are the most expensive thing , the good enough ones cost at least 26 usd.
Too many nice things out there , the current emitters are very tempting . Currently I´m tinkering , a lot , with old stuff bought prior 2015 , xlm , osram oslon , some nichia .
Thanks again