I will say that for $35 shipped for the FandyFire STL-V6 from FastTech would be better though for the money.
for 25-30 bucks get the 2010 + a king kong battery and ur set true budget thrower fits nice in hand and pocket 
Hey, I bought this off of Ebay. It is a C8 deep or some call it the C8-L (Long) it has a deep reflector, it is OP for the first 1.5 cm, the it goes SMO. Kind of different, but this is a U2, and does throw.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261136121958?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I think HD2010 and C8 variants are great lights for the price but it is more down to preferences: HD2010 drives the light with most current and throws best. Xintd C8 V3 has selectable modes and better finnish than eg. KD C8. It throws a bit more than KD C8 and has narrower spill. KD C8 throws pretty well for generic use as well.
Then there are other matters: do you want it to be pocketable (HD2010 is the least pocketable)? 26650 or 18650? What price range (HD2010 about $25-30, Xintd C8 about $30, generic C8 about $15-18) Preference for color? (Xintd is available only as gray the rest have choises), …
I think all of those are well worth the money, you won’t go wrong with either one.
A FandyFire STL-V6, HD2010, or Small Sun ZY-TO8 should easily whip any C8 type light or Keygos KE-5. There won’t be any comparison when it comes to throw. They just have a lot wider reflector which is going to give them a huge advantage in throw.
I was looking at that same light. Have you received it yet. Or does anyone know if that’s a good light. (esp since U2) -I’m on a budget and looking for best thrower under $15
For just under $15, the Jacob A60 has been a famous thrower, IIRC.
http://dx.com/p/jacob-a60-cree-q5-3-mode-310lm-white-led-flashlight-w-strap-black-1-x-18650-114268
That sounds like some excellent value, but I’m seeing it there at $39.39, or $37.42 with scaru’s 10% coupon. Did the price change or am I missing something?
I guess so. I think mine was like $34 something. But that’s still one of the best throwers you will buy for the money. You can buy a HD2010 for like $27 something at Tmart using the coupon code.
I have that same U2 C8 light and like it a lot.
I have this one on the way which appears to be the same light;
Disregard the 248 lumens in the specs.
I also already own this one from Wallbuys which is listed as a regular T6 and it hangs right with the U2 and is not black, so if you want a little variety, get this one.
At those cheap prices, order both!
Please remember they will not be shipping until Jan 4th because of holiday.
Anyway they are nice lights and I have not found them any cheaper.
HTH
Keith
Agreed. C8 can do pretty good, possibly up to 400m for the best examples. They are nice combo lights. But many of the other lights mentioned above can throw in the 500m range.
From my findings, I doubt if you will find any C8’s to throw close to even 400yds where you could actually see much of anything at all.
I have the Small Sun ZY-T13 and im quite happy with it. $26 from Tmart. In stock form mine is pulling 890mah at the tail cap.
I think the ZY-T08 is a bit better thrower for a few $$ more
The small suns all seem to need a resistor mod to get them up where you want them drive current wise. I have the zy-t08 and stock its so so, in fact to be fair its impressive when you consider how underdriven it is, but I feel it does want a sense resistor mod to wake it up properly.
Still, at the price of them, you can’t really go wrong.
+1
Sort of yes and sort of no. My brother and I both own C8’s that will basically throw 400m. One is an XRE and the other is a XML U2 driven at about 3.6a. Both will throw about .25L at a target 400m away. Have verified it multiple times. So “officially” they do it.
BUT, I fully agree with you that at that level it’s not really useable light. If you count 1 lumen as useable light, then they will only throw about 175m at that level. But that same thing applies to all lights. Even my SR90 only throws 1 lumen about 375m.
So I guess it’s all about what level one thinks is useable. .25L, 1L, 10L, etc……
That light looks a lot like the C9 with XML-U2 that cost about a buck cheaper
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261136121958?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I’m pretty new to these type of flashlights, but isn’t the xml-u2 a lot better bulb than the XRE-Q5 ? i was hoping to find the best/brightest, etc, for the money
Hey thanks for the info. They definitely look promising. Whoa, those prices are fantastic. I never been to that site before. Thx
Yea, that first one doesn’t even say what type of bulb so I wouldn’t want to risk it myself, but hopefully you can share your opinion when it arrives.
EDIT: Zooming in on the body it says “XML-U2” -That’s hell of a deal for $10
Question about the Jacob A60 and Fandyfire HD2010… do they have built-in over-discharge protection circuit?
@PyTech: XM-L is capable of a higher overall output (lumens) but the XR-E has a smaller emitter size and therefore can produce a pencil-thin beam.
@Verge: I doubt the HD2010 has a protection circuit, but since it is on direct drive, you should able to see the decrease in brightness.
Sorry, I’m not too sure about the A60 though.
My HD2010s do not have protection. However, they get very dim (high much lower than the low mode) before the battery is at unsafe levels. That does not protect against a light that has been left on unattended but it is no problem for me during normal use.