Looking for a good edc over 1000 lumen

I have been looking at many different lights but don't know what to get. I know I only want to have 1 18650 battery or 2 123 lithium I have 4 rcr123a 16340 batteries for my streamlight protac hl. I know it's time to upgrade and change companies. Trying to keep the budget under $150.

There is a lot of single 18650 lights over 1000lm
So what else to you want from the light?
Throw size ui or anything else so it would be easier to recommend you exactly what you want

Zebralight sc600 MKIII Hi, over 1000lm, programmable brightnesses, great run time, compact, high quality, high cri, great throw for the size.

My Zebralight SC63w had some sort of voodoo curse put on it that makes it run forever on an 18650, and it is pretty much as compact/lightweight as you can make a 1x18650, for $79. Sometimes I grab the slightly larger SC600Fd III plus for a wall of floody goodness, $99. Both have color temp and CRI that I like. There are higher lumen, cooler versions, if that's to your liking.

I live in Manila, Philippines. So strobe is a must easy switch from regular to strobe and must be able to last 6 hours on low in case power goes out. I would like it to have around 200 meter throw for when we travel to the country.

... moving this to "Recommend" subforum ...

Please consider copy-pasting your requirements from the questionnaire "sticky" at the top of this new location for your thread.

There are many many choices, and this will help you get better advice

Thanks for the help I bought an acebeam ec35 for now if I like this I might also buy an acebeam k60

once again I highly recommend the highly touted Zebralight SC600 MkIII XHP35 HI NW. This little monster pumps roughly 1200 lumens out the front on max output. It is full of all the best tech for a flashlight you can think of. It only takes unprotected Sanyo 3500mah 10 amp 18650's though. Do not worry about the cell being unprotected all the necessary protections are already built into the light. It is truly a masterpiece of a very high output very easy to carry high end light. The electronics are also potted which is something you usually only see on custom builds. It is also mostly made of American made parts to boot. Zebralight has a factory in China and now one in Texas. This light...I am trying to remember..I think has something like 17 different output modes or something like that. It is ultra end user friendly. You can set your lows mediums highs and max outputs to almost any output level you want. You can even adjust the thermal regulation circuit...the light is roughly $95. When you go to their site to order one they also sell that Sanyo unprotected 3500mah 10 amp 18650 for a pretty good price. When I ordered my copy and that specific cell for it they sent the light with the cell already inside the light which was very cool. It does not come with a holster it just comes with a very nice flamed titanium pocket clip and a small metal snap ring that you attach to a small hole right under the tail cap so you can attach a lanyard to the light if you want. The beam out of this thing is astonishing. The output at max is ridiculous. The lowest low is something like a tenth of a lumen or something like that. The included manual is just one folded small piece of glossy paper and the print is really small. This light has SO many features I still do not know how to use them all....

Kabayan, depends on budget, UI and how the 1k lumens is used - flood or throw.
I'm happy with my XT11 Upgrade but the newer ones can reach 2k lumens.
Klarus XT11GT for a bit more flood, XT12GT for a bit more throw.
They both have a dedicated strobe button.

Or the new Klarus XT2CR. 1600 lumens in a smaller package.

Kabayan, I see Zebralight mentioned here a handful of times... solid choice for edc.

Since you tried the Acebeam... you may want to consider Klarus or Nitecore also as variety. Both of which are relatively easier to get in Mnl.

SC600 MkIII XHP35 HI NW - for better throw than the SC63w.

I'm also going to recommend the Zebralight SC600 MKIII HI.

Only issue with the SC600 is it's a bit bulky for EDC pocket carry.

If you're like me and like to carry your light loose in your pants with your keys, a smaller light such as the Zebralight SC63w or Emisar D4 might be more comfortable.

Living in the Philippines I can't get all lights here but I think there is something wrong with my ec35 since it was just compared side by side to a ledlenser F1R 1000lm and my ec35 wasn't as bright as the F1R.

scviper576 said:

Living in the Philippines I can't get all lights here but I think there is something wrong with my ec35 since it was just compared side by side to a ledlenser F1R 1000lm and my ec35 wasn't as bright as the F1R.

Click to expand...

How's the battery? Is there really a big difference in brightness?

xdayv said:

How's the battery? Is there really a big difference in brightness?

Click to expand...

Same battery we used my battery. When we put the beams together you couldn't see mine.

Worse yet I compared it to my streamlight protac hl 750lm and the protac was brighter. I used 2 new energizer 123 batteries in each light.

Don't know much about those 2 lights you got... but based on your pics, it seems to me the Streamlight has a tighter hotspot which might explain the brighter perception in output (higher candela) vs the wider beam profile of the Acebeam.

Ok, now we're getting somewhere...it seems that you are looking for an EDC light with the brightest possible central hot spot (greatest "throw" or highest intensity rating in Candelas). The lumen count you requested in the OP actually isn't a particularly good predictor of intensity. Don't worry, lots of people get confused by very loud marketing of lumens.

Search this forum for "pocket thrower", or compare models' candela rating. It is actually pretty tricky to build a small light that throws well. An ideal thrower has a large diameter, deep, smooth reflector that won't fit in anyone's pocket. Lately there have been a few lights with optics that try to achieve a similar focused beam without a bulky reflector, but I won't be able to comment with my own direct experience until my Emisar D4 arrives on Monday. Maybe others can jump in with their own favorite pocket throwers, besides the SX600 III HI...

As Keitho mentioned, lights with bigger wider heads tend to throw better. The disadvantage is if the head is too big, it won't be comfortable for EDC.

You can still buy EDC lights with good throw. But they just won't throw as well as a non-EDC light with a huge head. How big a head is too big? ... that's a matter of personal taste. You have have to try out a light to see if you find it acceptable or wish to go with something smaller or bigger.

For an EDC light with throw, look for the following features:
* smooth reflector or an aspheric lens
* XPG2, XPL HI or XHP35 HI emitter
* widest head that you feel will comfortably fit in your pocket.

Examples:

Manker T01. It's small enough to be pocketable, but has good throw for its size with relatively large head, smooth reflector and XPL HI emitter. Runs on a small 14500 cell though, not the 18650 you're seeking.
Eagletac T25C2. Another light with relatively large deep head when compared to other pocketable EDC lights. Also has smooth reflector and XPL HI emitter.