Flashlight recommendations please.

Can't quote you current models and prices, but I've got several Fenix flashlights that have been great for many years. The PD35Tac would check your boxes but I think it was discountinued (now the PD36 I think). The Fenix TK line (I own TK25) is good too. Plenty of brightness with good throw and still good flood to light up your surroundings.

I have Surefire, Fenix, and Malkoff lights ... all are great and have taken drops and all types of weather. The Fenix price points were a bit lower for similar features, but not US made.
 
hhmoore said:
It really doesn't, though. His third box was at least 1000 lumens, and able to function at that power for an extended time. The TUP maxes at 1000 lumens, and can't hold it long (dropping to 200 lumens). It also falls short on his desired beam distance. That said, if compact size matters, it might be worth overlooking a few negatives.
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Fair enough; I apparently missed that.
 
The big thing to consider / realize it's not so much the lumens that dictates brightness or distance but the reflector. The old stream light Tlr1-HP is only 200 lumens but with the reflector it will illuminate targets at 300 yards.
 
It's worth keeping in mind that any light sold using the FL1 standard of runtime is the time from peak brightness to 10% of that output, and can be gamed to a large degree, intentionally, and not.
A more focused light will get more lumens per watt than a spillier one, but there are other factors that play into it as well. At the end of the day, the battery is only so big, there is only so much energy, and the chip will generate an amount of heat. It's really hard to Apples-To-Apples the comparisons because, at some point, the light will just get bigger. I have a Fenix tk41 that turbos to 1000, but it runs on 8AAs, you can get a bit more blast from the similar head that runs on 4x 18650s, but that's a mitt-ful of flashlight. Then there is the nice small TK30 that only outputs 500 lumens, but will send it over a Km, probably not great for looking at your feet. 1000 lumens for 30 minutes is a big ask, and will be more than a one battery light. My Fenix P30R is only rated to 800 on high for 2 hours, keep in mind that 10% rule, and it's a single 18650.
 
Fenix lights normally have runtimes rated at a regulated output before it steps down (or at least they use to, to be fair I haven't timed my newer lights to see). Whatever light you choose it's worth timing them to see how they perform with your battery of choise. It may say 3 hours at 300 lumens. But once it hits 3 hours the voltage change kicks it to a lower mode and you loose output all of a sudden. Unregulated lights will start bright and taper down until 10%. Alot of Stream Light lights will give you the chart. Unregulated lights are better for first responders and door kickers because there is no surprise stepdown in brightness.

Edit to adjust my poor wording.
 
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The above posts are correct.
To be useful for general duties, a flashlight should not be purposed too far toward flood or throw. I've got extremes of both; and, while I enjoy them for what they are, their roles are extremely limited.
A light built for maximum throw will send a narrow, focused beam a long distance (for this example let's say our light produces 300 lumens and has a beam distance of 500 meters. The problem is, it's not very useful for walking around in the dark - the beam is too focused (looks like a light saber). Going to the other extreme, you could have a 3000 lumen torch that has no beam to speak of - just a wall of light - it's bright  af, but only lights up about 150 ft. Neither of those is a good walking the dog light. (Be nice to your dog - don't blast it with overly bright lights)
More lumens = brighter = faster battery consumption = more heat.

Here's a picture of one of my throwers. There's a streetlight behind me, and another down the road...but my light is only illuminating a telephone pole in the distance.
View attachment 1988246

In contrast, here's Mr Flood (as far as I know, my flashlight does not really have a name). The chain link fence is 60-70 feet from when I'm standing...probably wouldn't know it was there if it wasn't for the reflectivity of the posts; while the white fence at the rear is the only thing that can be seen beyond it. This is a 3000+ lumen light
View attachment 1988247
 
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My understanding is that there are two key brightness metrics:

1. Lumens measures total light output; and
2. Candelas measures the maximum brightness at the brightest part of the spot.

Very focused beams (throwers) generally have high candelas even if they have relatively low lumen output.
 
Lumens is often given for chip output and not necessarily for the amount of lumens the reflector can actually handle. Tiny lights may say 250 lumens but the reflector may only handle 30% of that. The rest is just raw spill that. Doesn't really help.
 
There used to be a Candle Power web site that did reviews of lights. Not sure if they are still around. They would show the beam, distance, modes, runtime, etc. of different models and mention the LED type they were using.
 
Sharp Steel said:
There used to be a Candle Power web site that did reviews of lights. Not sure if they are still around. They would show the beam, distance, modes, runtime, etc. of different models and mention the LED type they were using.
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Candlepowerforums.com is still out there.
The two "beamshots" in my last post were lights from one of the modders there
 
As someone who carries a flashlight 365 days a year (Most of the time 2 lights) my Fenix PD35 is always with me for work along with my stream light microstream USB. 6 years in on the PD35 I'm looking at the pd36r (non pro model). If you stay out of turbo it'll hold 450 lumens for 320ish minutes. For my money that light is hard to beat.

I used to spend a lot of time on candlepower forums. More than I spend here now..... Hmmm,... so anyways flashlights and knives are awesome.
 
I am an Olight fan I sent a 2 Year old Warrior X Pro back Saturday morning and have a new one on my hand now . I have a Seeker 2 pro that is a fantastic light I have a handful of their little lights
 
BlindMouse2of3 said:
The big thing to consider / realize it's not so much the lumens that dictates brightness or distance but the reflector. The old stream light Tlr1-HP is only 200 lumens but with the reflector it will illuminate targets at 300 yards.
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This is an important consideration and I was going to bring it up too. I was on CPF for a long time and I've been using LED lights for around 20 years. I've noticed that from brand to brand the size of the flood can change and the size of the spot can change. If the OP has a specific use case in mind it would help if he could compare some lights side by side. I think 500 lumens would be enough for most people unless they have special needs like very long range.

All of the lights that I use these days are Fenix. I've also noticed Olights that I liked. I have PD22, PD25, PD32, PD35, PD36R, among a few others. I've not had any problems with any of these.
 
I'm not the OP but I bought a Fenix PD36 R (non pro) and a Fenix e20v2 today and couldn't be happier to add them to the collection
 
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I'm by no means an expert, but I've gotten excellent service from Thrunites. The one coming closest to meeting your needs is their "T2." Mine floods rooms and dark country roads quite nicely, thank you.
 
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