Recommend me a powerful throw/flood flashlight.

I currently EDC a Nitecore MH20, I love it. It replaced my MH10 that was very well loved, beat the paint off of that one. The MH10 died due to a bad 18650 cell rupturing and leaking all over the inside of it corroding the electronics.

Recently, I purchased a Nitecore TM16GT and Olight SR52UT as testers to see what would be better for a vehicle/backpack large thrower. I enjoy both of them, but only to a point.


What I like:

• The Nitecore TM16GT lights up my surroundings very well and allows me to see pretty far at the same time, 2 button interface and instant access to ultra-low and high is nearly perfect.
• The Olight feels really good in the hand, it fits in a jacket pocket, the more laser beam tightness of the spot makes seeing out there further with less distraction is pretty awesome.

What I don't like:

• The Nitecore TM16GT is quite great, it's hard to find much about it that I do not like. It does not throw nearly as far as Nitecore makes it sound on paper (as most don't). It seems to be a good hybrid of throw and flood in one light. It'd be nice to have USB charging, simply plug it in in the console of the truck and that's it. The tripod socket being on the bottom is pretty stupid, what was nitecore thinking?
• The Olight being a thrower, also does not throw nearly as far as it claims (as someone expected) but I find it a bit underwhelming, maybe I got a bad unit? It throws just a touch farther being able to see some more details than the TM16GT will allow me to see out far, likely because of the narrower more concentrated beam.

The fact of the matter is, there's guy on here that know flashlights much better than I do and I'm calling out to you,.

I'd love a light that lights up a large area, I'd love a light that throws very far. I think it's obvious that I'll never be able to do both of those things with one light perfectly. So, recommend me a great flood and a great thrower. The TM16GT does well at both but not perfect at either. I have to give it some credit, I do like it.

Floodlight options I've considered:
The idea of the popcan type floody lights seems quite great, tons of area light that fits in a jacket pocket. The epic Acebeam X80, The Nitecore TM06S, TM36UT, Olight X7/x7r, Manker MK34.

Big thrower lights I have considered:
The Thrunite TN42 might be a good dedicated thrower. The Manker MK35 looked like a great option, too for a very good price. Then there's options like the Nitecore TM36, Acebeam K70.

Who's got some awesome input for me?

steve500 said:

...I'd love a light that lights up a large area, I'd love a light that throws very far. I think it's obvious that I'll never be able to do both of those things with one light perfectly. ...

Click to expand...

Well I think what you want is NOT impossible.
You just need a light with small LED (say XPL HI), relatively large and SHALLOW reflector.

The thing about "throw" is that it is often measured with a sensor "downrange". This is significantly different from the user looking at a light where the beam has to do downrange AND reflect all the way back.

Given the "usual" real world variables of target color, contrast, atmospheric haze, and so forth it has been my experience that very few handheld lights are actually useful for identifying something beyond about 300 yards just due to the basic physics of eyes and atmosphere. Those that are useful past that kind of distance nearly always have a tight beam because otherwise the side-spill close up would blind you to anything in the distance anyway.

Others are welcome to disagree with me, but from my personal experience and the "Real World Reviews" I've found that the Klarus G30 (a controlled FloodSpot beam) seems to have been designed as a real WORKING light, not just a showboat. None of the modes overwhelm the physics of heat exchange, the run times are impressive, and the beam gives you an amazing working area of coverage. There are pure-throw lights that can go further and in some cases MUCH further out, but other than the "wow" factor I haven't personally ever found that to be of much use.

For throw, you could look at the TM38. It is rated at 40% further than the TM16GT, for whatever those numbers are worth. It comes in two versions - the TM38 which has the rechargeable battery pack, and the TM38Lite which has the usual 4 18650 battery complement.

Another supposedly great floody light would be the Olight SR II Mini Intimidator. It is actually designed to be a floody light, and from what I have read, seems to do a good job at doing that.