# Best Flood-To-Throw Style Light?



## sol-leks (Apr 24, 2015)

I realize this is not the most efficient style of light, but I am really fond of the big smooth beam that this type of light puts out. I already have a few: sipik sk68, coast hp1, duracell durabeam ultra 500, and an ultrafire XML zoomable flashlight.

I am are than any high end options for this kind of light? Anything bright? Better?

Thank you.


----------



## ven (Apr 25, 2015)

High end,then the lenser x21r.2 is brighter and a higher end option in this class of focus/zoom.........not much competition though .


----------



## jonwkng (Apr 25, 2015)

Jax Z1


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Apr 27, 2015)

sol-leks said:


> I realize this is not the most efficient style of light, but I am really fond of the big smooth beam that this type of light puts out. I already have a few: sipik sk68, coast hp1, duracell durabeam ultra 500, and an ultrafire XML zoomable flashlight.
> 
> I am are than any high end options for this kind of light? Anything bright? Better?
> 
> Thank you.


Do you have a budget in mind?

Led Lensers are as a rule high quality. As in good machining, good finish and well made. And they perform well on AA/AAA battery types. They do offer li-ion torches, but usually at a premium.

There are plenty of more budget orientated li-ion offerings however. Many are very good.


----------



## yellow (Apr 27, 2015)

> high quality. As in good machining, good finish and well made. And they perform well on AA/AAA battery types.


totally correct
but - also as a rule - hopelessly junk in regard to the electronics/drivers involved (_IF_ there even is one)

usually not even near par to what the price should include ...


PS: imho AA/AAA models still often are not approved for rechargeable-use
(a good indicator for possibility of presence of a driver, or not)


----------



## Chicken Drumstick (Apr 30, 2015)

I think people get too hung up on wanting a driver. Direct Drive works perfectly well and with NiMh with an acceptable discharge curve.


----------



## archimedes (Apr 30, 2015)

sol-leks said:


> .... any high end options for this kind of light? Anything bright? Better?
> ....



Other than customs (milky used to mod some of these), there are not many "high-end" choices.

LensLight and the MBI ZoomHead are the only ones that come to mind ....


----------



## bykfixer (Aug 15, 2015)

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Coast-HP7R-Rechargeable-(Li-ion-pack-4x-AAA)

^^ this one started my addiction. Coast HP7R


----------



## stephenk (Aug 15, 2015)

+1 on LED Lenser.
Good - excellent flood to throw beam, well built (mine have withstood multiple drops onto hard surfaces), smooth single handed zoom, realistic lumen/throw claims, simple user interface. 
Downside - not cheap, some models direct drive with lowish runtimes. 

I've had two cheaper flood to throw flashlights in the past and with one the beam was poor quality (e.g concentric rings, lots of spill) and the other had the zoom mechanism broken by my kids. I now have the LED Lenser P7.2 and find that the throw beam is so good that I don't really need a brighter "normal" flashlight.


----------



## bykfixer (Sep 10, 2015)

High end zoomer?
Uh, no. 
By the time the folks who make high end lights put them on the market they have developed a light that generally gives you a pretty good beam in both flood and throw. If you have a Porsche budget, have at it.

But for us Ford n Chevy budget folks there are some decent lights for the rest of us.
I like Coast and Lux-Pro for budget lights. But LED Lensers are nice (if you can find non fakes).

For between $55 and $75 sure fire has some mighty fine fixed beams as well.


----------



## KeepingItLight (Sep 10, 2015)

The 2015 Fenix Product Catalog lists the *Fenix LD35*, a variable-focus flashlight that is slated for release this year. As yet, I do not think it is available. My quick search turned up nothing. According to the specs in the Appendix of the catalog, the LD35 will carry an IPX-8 rating. That's very rare for a zooming flashlight.

Does anybody know about this one? Will it be a cut above your typical zoomie? I believe Fenix has had other variable-focus models in the past. Have they been any good (especially compared to the competition)?


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Sep 15, 2015)

KeepingItLight said:


> The 2015 Fenix Product Catalog lists the *Fenix LD35*, a variable-focus flashlight that is slated for release this year. As yet, I do not think it is available. My quick search turned up nothing. According to the specs in the Appendix of the catalog, the LD35 will carry an IPX-8 rating. That's very rare for a zooming flashlight.
> 
> Does anybody know about this one? Will it be a cut above your typical zoomie? I believe Fenix has had other variable-focus models in the past. Have they been any good (especially compared to the competition)?



Waterproof in a zoomable? That is quite rare... with good reason. Most zoomable lights work by having the lens attached to the bezel. The bezel then slides in and out to change the focal length. However, this setup changes the internal volume of the light. If the light is air-tight, air pressure won't be able to equalize. Unless the bezel mechanism is VERY stiff air pressure will cause the bezel to return to whatever position it was in when the battery compartment was sealed.

Personally, I love small EDC-sized pocket zoomable flashlights. But I agree, there is a distinct lack of quality when it comes to them. Almost all zoomable lights are budget quality. And even the somewhat "premium" zoomables aren't great (LED Lenser, Poplite, Lenslight).

My favorite zoomable light is one I modded myself. I started with an Aleto N8 I found on Ebay (unfortunately these are no longer available). It's main claim to fame was that it has a nice pocket-friendly tube shape, and at just 107mm long it is the smallest production 18650 zoomie ever made.

I modded a couple of them quite heavily. In both lights I removed the tailcap switch and added an electronic side switch. I replaced the stock driver with a BLF17DD FET driver with Moppydrv firmware from Mountain Electronics. I replaced the gold exterior anodizing with tactical black Duracoat paint. I also replaced the emitters with 5000K neutral tint High-Intensity XPL. One of the lights received a metal switch cover and a glass lens over an acrylic fresnel lens. It is 92mm long and has 25K lux throw. The other light received a rubber switch cover and rubber grip around the body. I replaced the stock 18mm aspheric lens with a 20mm one. At 95mm, it's a bit longer, but the 38K lux throw makes it worthwhile.

Both of these modded pocket zoomies blow the socks off any production zoomie in terms of sheer output and throw for their size.

If you're looking for something high quality right out of the box, you might try the Jax Z1. It's supposed to be quite high quality with a fully coated glass lens. Costs maybe $50 at Mountain Electronics. However, it is definitely not an EDC light. It's much too big for pocket carry.


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Sep 15, 2015)

Fireclaw18 said:


> Waterproof in a zoomable? That is quite rare... with good reason. Most zoomable lights work by having the lens attached to the bezel. The bezel then slides in and out to change the focal length. However, this setup changes the internal volume of the light. If the light is air-tight, air pressure won't be able to equalize. Unless the bezel mechanism is VERY stiff air pressure will cause the bezel to return to whatever position it was in when the battery compartment was sealed.
> 
> Personally, I love small EDC-sized pocket zoomable flashlights. But I agree, there is a distinct lack of quality when it comes to them. Almost all zoomable lights are budget quality. And even the somewhat "premium" zoomables aren't great (LED Lenser, Poplite, Lenslight).
> 
> ...



Just measured the space inside the head of my most recently modded Aleto N8. There's a gap of 1-2mm between the back of the lens and the top of the pill. If I file off the back of the bezel some more I should get an even wider flood mode and shorter overall light, without affecting spot mode. The trick is not to file too far as I still want the bezel to stop when it hits the heat sink fins, not when the lens hits the pill. Still, this additional mod is well worth doing. It's amazing how much wider of a flood is obtained when the lens can retract as little as 1mm closer to the top of the LED.


----------



## RickZ (Oct 8, 2015)

sol-leks said:


> I realize this is not the most efficient style of light, but I am really fond of the big smooth beam that this type of light puts out. I already have a few: sipik sk68, coast hp1, duracell durabeam ultra 500, and an ultrafire XML zoomable flashlight.
> 
> I am are than any high end options for this kind of light? Anything bright? Better?
> 
> Thank you.



I have a couple coast lights. It gets much brighter than the hp1, my favorite despite size is the larg 1075 lumen spotlight, it's$60, but they get better, including spotlights still focusable in the $200 price range.


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Oct 12, 2015)

Just this weekend I further modded my smaller Aleto N8. Entire light is now just 88mm long! 1mm shorter than DQG Tiny III and 4mm shorter than a Sipik 68.

Runs on a single 18650 and outputs approximately 25k lux at turn-on.

This is about as small as I can get this light. To get any smaller I'd need to shrink the pill by removing the copper heatsink... definitely not worth it just to make the light a couple mm shorter.


----------



## jorn (Oct 22, 2015)

Best one i have owned was a microfire pioneer. Huge glass lenses, throws like a champ.. Build quality was great.


----------



## bykfixer (Oct 24, 2015)

Fireclaw18 said:


> Just this weekend I further modded my smaller Aleto N8. Entire light is now just 88mm long! 1mm shorter than DQG Tiny III and 4mm shorter than a Sipik 68.
> 
> Runs on a single 18650 and outputs approximately 25k lux at turn-on.
> 
> This is about as small as I can get this light. To get any smaller I'd need to shrink the pill by removing the copper heatsink... definitely not worth it just to make the light a couple mm shorter.



88mm?

Nice! 
Got pix?


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Oct 24, 2015)

bykfixer said:


> 88mm?
> 
> Nice!
> Got pix?





 









From left to right: Modded Aleto N8 with 20mm aspheric lens (94mm, 44k lux), Sipik 68 (92mm), Modded Aleto N8 with fresnel Lens (88mm, 29k lux)




 


Beamshots of the 2 Aletos and a Sipik 68 showing how much wider the Aleto's flood beam is. Note that in this picture the Aletos are at 2% power while the Sipik 68 is at full power on an L91 primary.



 


Beamshots from 94mm long Aleto N8 with 20mm aspheric. 44k lux in spot. Distance to tree is 140'



 


Beamshots from 88mm long Aleto N8 with 20mm fresnel. 29k lux in spot. Distance to tree is 140'




Spotbeam from the Sipik 68 on L91 primary. Distance to tree is 140', used for comparison to the Aletos. The spot is barely visible on the tree

Business end of the 2 Aletos. The clouded look to the lens of the Aleto on the left is actually the rings of the fresnel lens. The rings are very small and tightly packed... not visible from a distance.


----------



## bykfixer (Oct 24, 2015)

Ask for pix....and Holy Moley!!


Good stuff there.


----------



## gunspease (Oct 25, 2015)

Fireclaw18 those are impressive.


----------



## marlin1500 (Nov 30, 2015)

This thing puts out an incredible amount of light, it's not zoomable though so is not long range.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2015-NEW...919585?hash=item3d03276961:g:1AwAAOSwpDdVFMI4

This one is longer range.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/261270095352?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I have it attached to my bow, yes its heavy but not enough to affect accuracy, I use a 70 pound bow.


----------



## sidecross (Nov 30, 2015)

I use a Fenix FD40 which has a Waterproof to IPX-8 rating. This is my everyday light which alternates with a Fenix PD40; both use standard (non-proprietary) 26650 batteries. Also both lights fit both protected and non-protected batteries.


----------



## KeepingItLight (Dec 1, 2015)

The *Brinyte B158* is a zoomie with a 50mm aspheric lens. Two testers report getting 650-700 lumens, which is a bit below the 900 lumens claimed by its manufacturer. Maker Brinyte advertises IPX-8, something CPF member hanspvik tested by leaving his in the bathtub for 30 minutes. Another CPF member, mhanlen, gave his a good dunking as well. Waterproof zoomies are a rarity, so that tells you something about the quality. Mhanlen also tossed his B158 around pretty good in testing you can see on YouTube.

A consensus is forming that this may be the best budget zoomie out there, dethroning the *UniqueFire UF-T20*, which first shipped in 2012.

The B158 uses screw-in modules (i.e., pills) that can be easily swapped. The B158 comes with a one that features a cool-white *Cree XM-L2 U2* emitter. Brinyte offers a couple of optional colored ones that come in red and green. One of the things that makes the B158 attractive is that it is easy to mod. 

Mhanlen has put together a group buy over at BLF for the B158 and its optional modules. A bare brass module is also being offered, so that you can install an emitter and driver of your choice to create a custom module. Flashlight with cool-white emitter is $22.99. Bare brass module is $6.59. Tracking number and insurance, respectively, add $1.99 and $1.59. My total was $33.16. The group buy went live today, 2015-Dec-01.

CPF review by mhanlen.

CPF review by hanspvik.


----------



## Blitzwing (Dec 3, 2015)

I have a pair of B158's and they are a well made, solid light IMO and live up to the reviews posted elsewhere.

Throw is good, not incredible but it's using the big XM-L in a 50mm head so that should be no surprise. I had the red and green pills also.

I'm going to built a warm XP-G2 for mine soon.


----------



## Freezer burn (Dec 20, 2015)

My very first "real" light, the Field and Stream Sportsman. Picked it up at ****'s Sporting Goods for about 30 bucks. Your choice of 150 or 200 lumens. 
My 200 lumen light runs off of 3 AAA batteries, which I understand is not ideal for all people. But overall I like the light; plenty bright, pretty tough, and, of course, my first.


----------



## bykfixer (Jan 2, 2016)

The Lux-Pro LP 360 ($30 @ Lowes) is hard to beat for brightness and durability. 
It's at the upper half of the 'budget light' format in terms of price ($30-50 is the typical agreed upon high point), yet it's a well built little 6P sized focus-er that runs off of 4 aaa's for a decent run time and is in general terms a pretty good flashlight.


----------

