There has been lots of discussion/testing on HID lights on this site recently - all of it interesting.
My question is: are there any high performer HID lights that are small enough for rifle mounting - even off a scope. There are of course plenty of larger lens (5-8”) units available, usually cable connected to battery packs. We have one. But my interest as a hunter is in the possible use of smaller HIDs in 18650 battery tube configuration - hopefully of a comparable size to our current XML hunting lights, eg the superb Maxtoch SN6X-2 aka Skyray STL-V2. I guess key criteria for a hunting HID might be:
- small size and weight - not more than say 600gms
- short - not more than about 10”. Max 12”.
- good runtimes - at least 60+ minutes on high
- use 18650 batts in a normal tube torch config
- able to be switched on and of frequently
- quick warm up time
- preferable at least hi and lo mode
- tube size to fit available mounts for torches
- not excessive price…
Alter these criteria as needed …. but my own personal interest would be a small, fairly light HID unit with own 18650 batts that can be quickly mounted on scope. Big top mounted 5-8” units plus back-carried batt packs are ok, but not ideal for shooting from trucks or for carrying around scrubby hills.
Maxtoch/skyray XMLs are superb hunting lights with excellent throw/spill balance, weigh only 262 gms empty (0.6lb), and add little weight/bulk to a hunting rifle. We also have other cheap high performance torches like the A60 or the dearer Dereelight - ideal for hunting. Do we have yet any HIDs that can improve on them in terms of size/performance/price?