Thrower to replace BLF GT?

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Hi guys.
I look for some more handy than GT, but throw one.
Kr1 with W2 or K1 with sbt 90.2? Or something better?
Is 420kcd vs 550/720 big difference when it will be used max 500m?
Maybe someone could point me to some comparison beamshots?
Thanks, Mike

2

KR1 not big enough, only ~100kcd with W2.

550 vs 420 is not a big jump, beam intensity increase would barely be noticeable. However, power consumption of SBT90.2 is large so you can’t use it continuously at high levels.

Also look at vinh’s sbt90.2 mod of the acebeam T28. Like the K1 but larger head.

3

Vinh is not an option. Tax + customs duty kill the deal.
Mike

4

for 500m range, i think FT03S is a good choice

if you want something more, noctigon K1 with sbt90.2 LED, both are very good at 500m range imo

5

Aan important question that may arise is: how long do you want to turbo / high at one go?

The FT03S with SBT90.2 has an output drop in Turbo from about 5000+ lumens to 200 lumens in about 3 minutes.

6

200 lumen :open_mouth: , is that typo ?, i know it will drop the output at turbo, but drop to 200 lumen is unexpected, maybe you mean drop to 2000 lumen ?

7

So basically we are looking for something smaller than a GT and larger as the K1, to achieve good throw.

And it has to maintain a little longer, so it has to be 3*21700 or 4*18650 right?

Hank, are you reading this?

8

That's what the data shows: https://1lumen.com/review/astrolux-ft03s/

9

It’s not necessarily small than the GT Mini, but look at the Nitecore P30. There were some metal grain bins 600+ yds from my apartment that were light with several all night lights in the area, and I could easily see the beam from my P30. Never got the chance to see how it would do in the total dark. And at $40 USD the price is close too.

10

Dang, I heard the FT03S had driver issues, but that seems terrible.

A video review from Flashaholics shows much better max sustainable output. Their temperature sensors was way off, and they needed to calibrate that first. However, the driver still does weird stuff on turbo (drops and comes back up several times).

11

Will Astrolux MF02S SBT90.2 be good successor?
Mike

12
Here's some beam shots from my ft03 sst-40. Farm is about 700 meters to tree line
https://imgur.com/a/r3uT6Db
13

SBT90 so on the small side would be a Nightwatch NI40 or Acebeam K30GT.

If you wanted larger then Acebeam K65 GT.

14

something about Imalent RT35 size but with better quality

15

well yes but its still a heavy light, 1kg loaded with batteries mine is just collecting dust… i prefer using ft03 more compact and light.

16

The MF02S is probably great for the size/performance, but I don’t really trust Astrolux drivers. Claiming a 50+ watt sustained output buck driver? From Astrolux? If it’s anything like the MF02 original it’ll also bleed your batteries dry while it’s off. Never saw four 18650s die so quick in a light that was “off”

17

MAXTOCH Archer M1 could be a good choice. Check spyderco monkey’s review.

18

Thanks for heads up, this one looks nice. So K75…
Time for some research.
Mike