Small(ish) Floody Flashlight With Good Throw and Long Runtime

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Looking at getting a floody handheld flashlight that also has some reasonable throw as well. Also, the light should have a long runtime.

Prefer light that uses just ONE cell. Not sure what cell size, but probably 21700 as a minimum, and maybe up to 26650 size cell?

Prefer light that can use any appropriate sized cell (from above, ie 21700 or 26650 etc) and NOT be restricted to proprietary cells only.

Light MUST have mode memory.

Light MUST be relatively small and can fit in pants pocket.

Light beam angle should be at least about 50°.

Light throw should be at the very least 30 meters.

Runtime at the 30+ meter throw should be at least around 6 hours.

Flashlight price no more than around US $100.

One light I was looking at was the Imalent MS03. But there are a few things that I'm not happy with this light about.

1) Price. The Imalent is just a bit too expensive.

2) Proprietary cell only. This limits what cells can be used in this light. Especially not good in the event the proprietary cell fails and being unable to use more readily available similar sized cells.

3) The runtimes at various throws are a bit too low.

So, the light I'm after should be fairly similar in size and style as the Imalent MS03, but with better throws/runtimes.

EDIT: All lights for consideration MUST have detailed manufacturer specifications to verify data.

Minimum required manufacturer specifications should include - Lumens, Candelas, and runtime. Light throw would be peferable as well but not critical as this can be calculated from Lumens and Candelas.

2

Convoy m21f with xhp70 or gtfc40.

3

Convoy S2+ or S21 with sft40 or eventually sst40.
Solid throw with good sidelight.

4

Emisar D4V2 Boost driver + floody TIR

5

Emisar D1v2 w/ GT-FC40 emitter

6

Comments noted thank you!

Regrettably, Convoy lights are not suitable as there is no technical specification available (apparently) for these lights for me to verify light data.

Similarly, Emisar lights are also not suitable due to lack of technical specification. Some information is available but is very limited; not enough information is provided.

Lights for consideration MUST have manufacturer specifications to be available with at least the Lumens, Candelas and runtimes to be quoted. Light throws are also useful, but can be calculated if that information is not available.

I've edited my first post to clarify my requirements.

Thank you.

7

Fenix PD35 with sft40?

8

Good luck buying specifications…

1 Thank
9

Thanks for the suggestion, but this light has only a beam angle of 15°. This is a tight spot beam which is not suitable for my purposes. The light I'm after should have a beam angle of close to or greater than 50°.

10

Wild Trail WT3M is floody with some throw and fairly compact. I heard the driver got changed though so idk if it will still perform like the original.

11

Manufacturer specifications are important to get an idea of how the light performs. The quoted specifications may not be always correct, but it gives a fairly good idea of what lights are capable of.

Lights that do not have specifications available are a lottery. There is really very little or no idea of how they perform, and I'm not buying lights that I do not have at least some idea of expected performance. Otherwise it would most likely be a waste of money and time buying and trying different lights based on little or no specifications.

I have particular requirements for the light I'm after for use in certain circumstances. I have very limited income and time available to waste. So I have to be careful about which light I choose.

12

Manufacturers specifications are notoriously inflated in almost all cases. I think you would be far better off by finding a few reviews on any light that you are considering. If you read three or four (or more) of them, you will have a much better understanding of real world performance (including beam shots and comparisons) versus just looking at the spec sheet from the maker.

13

Manufacturer specifications are usually just another form of advertising. There is zero transparency or testing methodology shared with the consumer. They aren’t good information to base a purchasing decision on, because you have no idea how they got that number (if they did any testing at all.)

You know what gives a fairly good idea what lights are actually capable of? Real-world testing and reviews, and the more the better for consistency.

I hope you find what you’re looking for.

14

Emisar is definitely the way to go, a real shame if you think specifications are the issue.

15

Yeah, and because of this, comparing spec sheets (marketing BS to some extent) from various manufacturers is pretty pointless.

16

There are no specs that are going to show you how much of the light is in the spot versus in the spill. So your criteria is flawed from the very start. Do you want to actually be able to see clearly out to 30m or do you want the specs to show 30m? Again same question, in the spot or in the spill? Again specs are not going to specify spill throw distance so again your criteria is flawed from the beginning. There are so many good lights that you are not even going to consider because of your flawed criteria. Spell out exactly what you want here and people will respond. Do you not want a hotspot at all?

17

Sofirn SP35

Efficient buck driver. 21700 battery. Tube-shaped so should fit well in a pocket. On-board charging. Has last mode memory. Easy user interface.

If it’s not floody enough you can apply some diffusion film (or frosted scotch tape) to the lens.

Medium at 400 lumens lasts 5.5 hours. That should reach 30 meters.

$30 USD with $2 coupon and 5000mAh battery
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002848601801.html

I’d choose the 5000k option.

I’ve gifted this exact light to my father.

18

Manufacturer specifications are a starting point. As already mentioned, their specifications are not entirely accurate, but usually fairly close to actual operating conditions, at least for the main or reputable manufacturers.

Of course I look at reviews where and when available for lights of interest. The problem is that sometimes reviewers do not include outputs (Lumens) and associated runtimes for lower levels of brightness settings. They tend to test only for turbo, high and medium modes and leave out tests for the lower outputs.

The light I'm interested in must be principally a flood type but with a bit of throw as well. So I don't really want a light with a (noticeable) hotspot.

Actually it is possible to get an idea of beam and spill by calculating the beam angle and field angle respectively, provided all the data is available without testing. Beam angle is (relatively) easily calculated, but field angle is not so easy to calculate (for me) at the moment to determine the amount of spill (field) light.

Looking at Wild Trail WT3M light for the moment, thanks.

The Sofirn SP35 has a fairly narrow beam (hotspot) at around 17°. So this is not really suitable as it stands. I avoid having to add extra diffusion whether home made or a manufacturer optional accessory. It is something that could be lost at any time, plus there is usually a (slight) loss of light output. So I prefer a light that has a "natural" floody beam without the use of extra diffusion.

19

Maybe take a look at the Convoy S21D with 4 519A LEDs . High CRI. Several choices for optics from 60 degree flood to 10 degree. Several color temps. I think it ticks most of your boxes.
If you ask, Simon would probably send you a selection of the optics for relatively cheap.

He doesn’t publish much as far a specs, but there are a few good reviews out there.

20

Phenomenal floodlight, the best 21700 light I’ve ever used, but it doesn’t throw as OP requested. The beam is very wide and even.

And no manufacturer specs, the importance of which I will have to agree to disagree with the OP about.