If you can afford a few dollars extra the TrustFire ST-50 is very bright, though it has a SST-50 LED so it’ll probably get hot and eat batteries faster than an XM-L light, but it will certainly be bright, I’d guess it’d put out 700-800OTF lumen if used with good batteries. The XinTD is a really great price right now though, a great single 18650 light with a bright XM-L U3, good throw and some useable flood, it’s my favorite jack of all trades light right now. I’m not sure what the OTF lumens is of the thing though.
If neither of those, the Sky Ray King is the way to go but uses 4x18650 batteries.
thank you everyone for the help, i appreciate it greatly. as for the recommendations for the hd2010, i am buying that light already, so i am looking for a bigger light that will be noticeably brighter than it. would you estimate the otf lumens of the hd2010 to be around 600-700? as for the sky ray king, i really dont want the 4 batteries. i will check into the others mentioned. how does the trustfire 3x xml t6 compare? again, thanks so much for all the help, ted.
I think the King would be your best bet for a 'Wow' light that puts out a wall of light; but since you aren't interested in the four-cell config, you could try either:
STL-V2, aka FandyFire V6 - Single emitter but great throw:
if you are already buying the hd2010, then i wouldnt get the stl v6. i would suggest something that is super bright and floody but will not throw as far…since you already have a decent thrower (hd2010).
i also 2nd the skyray king, but since you didnt want 4x18650, then the next best thing for your price range would be the trustfire 3t6
If you already have an HD2010 then any single emitter light is not going to wow you much. A good HD2010 will put out 800+ lumens. It will match or out throw a ZY-T13 or a ZY-T08.
If you want WOW factor then you will have to go multi-emitter or go small. The King is the best wow factor light for the money. The 4 cells in parallel are safer then 3 cells in series like the TR-3T6 and the TR-3T6 cannot match the SRK in output plus the toilet plunger look makes it hard to carry and unwieldy to use. The SRK is small.
To go small then you need to go with a hot little 16340 sized keychain light that will put out 500+ lumens. A good one to consider would be a Trustfire Mini-01. Others can suggest similar lights in this form factor that put out 500+ lumens.
Have you checked out the ZY-T13 threads? These are under $19 delivered from Wallbuys. To my understanding, it beats the 2010 after the simple $0.05 cent resistor mod that dozens have already implemented to bring output to 3.2A. As is, its still a very efficient thrower. Its also far better to distribute that amount of current through 2 decent 18650’s rather than a single 18650 or 32650. Also, a 32650 in the HD2010 has friend a lot of them. All your recommendations will certainly not disappoint.
i really value everyones opinions and help, thank you. the 501b and zyt13 are out because theyre too close to the hd2010. i will have to find more info on the others. dont want something that isnt considerably “brighter” than the 2010. im not interested in mods so only stock comparisons matter. the longer 2-3 cell series plunger styles dont bother me as far as convenience. i think johnnymacs and blueb8lls advice is closer to my thinking. go with the same or a little more throw than the 2010 but a lot more flood, may be easier to find for my budget. i dont want something thats just slightly better than the 2010, im looking for a distinct upgrade. if i cant find one now thats hands down an upgrade, then i will wait for a bigger budget. will check into the others for now. if the 2010 gets around 800-850 otf lumens and im guessing around 350 yds throw(would you agree?), then im probably looking for at least, either (800-850 otf lumens with 500-600yds throw) or (1200+ otf lumens with 300-400yd throw) to actually see a distinct improvement??? all opinions still very welcome. thanks again everyone, you guys are great.
Save up another $100 and get a TN31. I don’t think anything comes close to it in value for money. It is a lot of light and I doubt you will get 5-600 meters out with anything less.
My mod'ed HD 2010 is doing 1300+ lumens . I believe the stock HD2010 on a good 18650 battery will do in the 700's - that's around 3.5-3.7A. Still think you should consider one of the SRK's - because it's parallel, you don't need to use 4 batteries! Use 2 or 3, and it's fine (1 battery is kind of pushing it). 4 batteries just gives you better runtime. The T6 versions seem to be consistent around 2100-2200 lumens - the U2 should be a bit above that, but depends on the unit, etc., but should be close to that 2500 number. That light does get a lot of wows because of pure light output in a small package. I got the FandyFire UV-S5 (SRK type) from FastTech and tested it in the 2100's for lumens.
For a true pocket rocket, that TF Mini 01 is amazing though...
1. HD2010 - good thrower - can be had for around $30 from fastech with code blf
2. skyray king - more of a floodier light - about double the lumens as the hd2010 and half the throw $39 on fast tech with code blf
i was going to say ea4 for the third one, but then i saw you said 18650 only
>>>>I received today the FandyFire UV-S5, now selling for about $35
>>>>>with coupon from fasttech which claims 2000 lumens.
>>>>>I however ordered some, time ago, the most expensive
>>>>>>version (exact same model!) of $42 which claims 1800 lumens!
Can someone enlighten me about what the difference is between the $45 UV-S5
And the 1800 lumen model is brighter than the 2000-lumen model?
BAM!! That was my head exploding.
I can see no diff in specs except for price. I suppose I could have missed something, which would have been about the 15th million time I did that. What am I missing?
Is the FF S5 better (brighter) than the Fasttech SRK XML-U2 cool white? I assume the cool white’s “perceived” brightness is slightly better than the warm white’s version?
I already have one srk, but think I better get a backup
wow, you guys are awesome, really great info. i didnt realize the 2010 had that much throw. i figured it was only 350-400yds throw. but if its that good, maybe ill just look for a lot more lumens and flood with slightly less(400-600yds) throw. i thought as little as the 2010 is, with only one cell, that if i got a lot bigger 2-3 cell plunger, with 1-5 leds, there would be lots of easy choices for a big difference. i really didnt want a short stubby, but man you guys sure are making me really consider that skyray king. well, thanks again everyone, more research time, ted.
wow, you guys are awesome, really great info. i didnt realize the 2010 had that much throw. i figured it was only 350-400yds throw. but if its that good, maybe ill just look for a lot more lumens and flood with slightly less(400-600yds) throw. i thought as little as the 2010 is, with only one cell, that if i got a lot bigger 2-3 cell plunger, with 1-5 leds, there would be lots of easy choices for a big difference. i really didnt want a short stubby, but man you guys sure are making me really consider that skyray king. well, thanks again everyone, more research time, ted.
If you are wanting a "wow" light for cheap, you are not going to beat a SkyRay King, period. http://www.fasttech.com/products/1601/10003058/1234001
You should see the amount of jaws your can drop with this light. The SkyRay King is the "King" of budget lights, currently, in my opinion. I don't see it losing its throne for at least another 6 months.
thanks everyone, i decided to hold off on 2nd light for now. i ordered the hd2010 from tmart and am waiting on response from kumabear to get 2 26650 king kongs protected. figured id get just that for now and wait til the “new” wears off a little bit to get a big dog. that way ill have more money and can get a bigger one:). really appreciate eveyones knowledge and time sooo much. all the members here are really friendly helpful and knowledgeable, great forum. thanks again, ted. p.s. i didnt know that flashlight bug could bite so hard, my wifes searching frantically for a cure:)
. I believe the stock HD2010 on a good 18650 battery will do in the 700's - that's around 3.5-3.7A. Still think you should consider one of the SRK's - because it's parallel, you don't need to use 4 batteries! Use 2 or 3, and it's fine (1 battery is kind of pushing it). 4 batteries just gives you better runtime. The T6 versions seem to be consistent around 2100-2200 lumens - the U2 should be a bit above that, but depends on the unit, etc., but should be close to that 2500 number. That light does get a lot of wows because of pure light output in a small package. I got the FandyFire UV-S5 (SRK type) from FastTech and tested it in the 2100's for lumens.