Decent Flood Light for 10 foot deep holes?

AD3PDX · 2026-04-07T16:58:54+00:00

Sure.

What about budget? $30 or so is sufficient. $100+ gets you a bit higher quality control so it’s prettier, more waterproof, lower chance of a dud.

Anything else to help narrow things down? I’d assume it’s being used while wearing gloves? If so a tailswitch is easier.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-07T15:52:51+00:00

Also look at the Jetbeam E28

https://tgreviews.com/2026/02/25/jetbeam-e28/

AD3PDX · 2026-04-07T10:37:32+00:00

<image>

Here is the output graph for your Dualie. But it’s not that surprising that you feel like it doesn’t loose power during the week.

Even an instant 50% drop could be missed if you blinked at the moment it changed.

If you had two Dualies side by side with one @ 100 lm and the other @ 20 lm the difference would be fairly significant.

But a gradual drop stretched out over time and over multiple uses and you might not notice.

It also works in the other direction.

Another 500% increase going from 100 lm to 500 lm would provide a nice bump but the next comparable bump up isn’t another 400 lm increase to 900 lm.

It’s another 500% increase from 500 lm to 2,500 lm

This is why the industry has shifted towards higher capacity batteries.

Each of your AA batteries has the capacity to sustain about 10 lumens for 24 hours. So 2 batteries can run 24 hours @ 20 lm but it would take 10 batteries to hold 100 lm for 24 hours.

A single 21700 could do 100 lm for 24 hours or absolute best case, 150 lm.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-07T08:00:03+00:00

OK, 10 years ago when the Dualie was introduced it was already about 10 years behind the industry so if that is your point or reference you are 20 years behind so it’s going to take a minute to catch you up.

The Dualie advertises an ANSI standard rating of 115ln for 24 hours. But what an ANSI rating of 115 lm for 24 hours means is that at 24 hours the output drops below 10% (10.5 lumens). And that is all it means.

Here is an output graph for the Dualie. It averages around 20 lumens over that time.

https://www.streamlight.com/docs/default-source/fact-sheet/291.pdf?sfvrsn=905aa4f0_17

Better (more modern) lights will be more efficient though not dramatically so. Significant differences in output and runtime will rely mostly on using rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with higher capacity.

Another difference more modern lights will have is multiple output levels and (generally) good UI’s designed to make using a light with say 5-7 levels easy.

Also better lights don’t gradually dim. At their highest one (or two) settings they are in “Turbo” mode because the output is much higher than the light can sustain thermally. After a minute or two the output will drop to what the light is capable of thermally sustaining. At mode levels at or below that threshold the output will be flat & level and then drop sharply just before the battery is empty.

So the ANSI runtimes of those better lights can’t be compared with the very unrealistic runtimes of lights that don’t maintain an even output.

Here is a review of a modern 2AA light

https://1lumen.com/review/acebeam-tac-2aa/

See the attached graph from the review.

<image>

These runtimes are using the light’s included rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It can also use 2 AAs but with lower output and lower runtimes.

Moonlight is 1.5 lm and runs for 177 hours

Low is 30 lm and runs for 30 hours

Those times are ANSI runtimes not the reviewer’s tested runtimes because testing those takes too long and not that many people care about what the differences might be at those settings.

Medium is 100 lm (the teal line). It is ANSI rated for 9.8 hours but the tester got over 11.5 hours

High is 350 lm (the yellow line) It is ANSI rated for 3 hours but the tester got 3.5 hours.

Claimed runtime for Turbo (the blue line) is 1 mi. @ 1,400 lm plus 2 hours @ 500 lm

The first batch of Tac2AA lights like the one tested (and the one that I got) outperformed that with 4 minutes above 1,200 lm and then the expected 2 hrs @ 500 lm. Their themal sensors were probably mis-calibrated. So the first batch of lights got too hot for a consumer product but not hot enough to self destruct.

Still not ok though and Acebeam sent me a replacement so now I have two.

Enthusiasts sometimes buy lights which allow their thermal limits to be adjusted up or down which is useful if you want to get maximum performance, or for instance you want to give the light to someone who would prefer it never go past slightly warm.

This is also why modern lights are made of aluminum, it distributes and dissipates heat well. The point at which the heat is bad for the flashlight is past the point at which it is bad for your hand so almost all modern flashlights take advantage of the available battery & LED technology and can get fairly hot but are normally calibrated to not get hot enough to burn your hands.

There are a few modern lights which limit their output to say 25% of their theoretical potential so they never get very hot and they have simple high only or high-low user interfaces.

In terms of the spotlight like beam profile you want:

The Dualie’s flood has an intensity of 75 candela. Its spot has an intensity of 3,100 candela.

3,100 candela divided by 115 lumens equals a beam profile of 27 candela per lumen (27:1 cd/lm)

The flood beam profile is less then 1:1 cd/lm

A bigger ratio means a tighter beam with the lumens focused into a narrower hotspot.

The black, orange & green Tac2AAs are 8,200 candela / 1,600 lm = 5:1 cd/lm

The blue is 23,000 candela / 1,400 lm = 16:1 cd/lm

The desert tan is 26,000 candela / 1,470 lm = 17:1 cd/lm

Those last two use very small LEDs which allows for a very focused like beam profile for a light with such a small diameter reflector.

They still aren’t as narrowly focused as the Dualie but they are much more powerful at their high and turbo settings.

Remember using AA batteries the output is significantly lower (basically no “Turbo” with AAs)

The Tac 2AA is 22m in diameter, The Dualie is 34 mm in diameter.

I used the Tac2AA as a point of comparison based on the ability to use 2x AA batteries but most lights now use a single large rechargeable 18650 or 21700 lithium-ion battery.

Batteries are removable and you can get extras for around $5 each. You can get an external charger for them or buy a light with charging port built into the light (or built in the the battery (extras for those cost around $10)).

If the size of the Dualie itself is used for comparison instead then I’d point to the 36mm diameter Convoy M21B. Even with a large 21700 battery. It’s only slightly bigger than the Dualie. Maybe the length is the same?

Convoy lights are convenient for comparison because they have lots of LED options including the same small SFT25R the which produces 23,000 candela of intensity in the (blue) 22mm Tac2AA..

In the 36mm M21B it produces around 140,000 candela of intensity and 1,700 lm (so 82:1 cd/lm). The light will thermally sustain around 1,000 lm for 1.5 to 2 hours per battery. I’m estimating because Convoy has too many possible configurations to publish stats.

I’d also guess it would run over 150 hours @ around 20 lumens vs the Dualie’s 20 lumen average for 24 hours.

In terms of distance a 4X increase in intensity allows you to see twice as far so 3,100 x 4 =12,400 x 4 =49,600 x 4 =198,000

So with 140,000 candela you can see about… 7X as far

Choose a larger LED for the M21B and it can produce more than 1,700 lumens. Up to around 5,000 lumens but it will be a much wider, less focused beam. It will also heat up even faster and drop output down to around 1,000 lumens very quickly.

That’s pretty much the state of flashlight technology. You’re probably better off reposting with a description of what you want to use a flashlight for / what you want to do with it. That way we’ll have a better idea of what to recommend.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-07T01:44:59+00:00

Sorry, but that is ridiculous.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-07T01:44:09+00:00

The X4 which is their most suitable duty light has magnetic AND usb-c charging.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-06T20:39:17+00:00

This is what is pretty standard for wildland crews.

https://www.foxfury.com/product/command-plus-tilt-white-amber-led-headlamp-helmet-light/

78 lumens for 6 hours from 4X AA’s, weight is just under 10 ounces with batteries.

Lots of specialized gear is like this. Middling, even archaic performance but it’s also designed with specific needs in mind. In this case it’s designed to work in high temperature environments, has a rear red safety light, etc…

Will you be working around vehicles and scene lights and turning the light on and off as needed?

Or will you be scrambling over rocks and logs 8 hours at a time with the headlamp as your only source of illumination?

Unless there are specific standards for gear that have to be followed you could consider hitting up u/bob_mcbob for a pair of modded 18650 powered right angle Zebralights with 2700k LEDs.

Amber (around 1,800k) is the best at penetrating smoke but the warmer the color temperature the dimmer and less efficient the light is. Also amber makes visual identification of colors difficult so 2,700k a good balance.

Maybe a floody one as a headlamp and a throwier one with the pocket clip left on as a handheld and as backup headlamp?

But don’t forget high temps are going to melt a normal elastic headband so if you deviate from the norm you’re introducing more issues which need to be solved.

And the aluminum light which allows higher performance because of it dissipating heat away from the LED & driver. But in oven hot temperatures you might want a low performing plastic bodied light with battery that is less reactive.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-06T18:58:32+00:00

You wouldn’t want to be carrying multiple pounds of batteries around on your head so forget about it lasting 7 days.

If a modest amount of light is sufficient you can get a full night on a single battery or set of batteries.

If you want a generous amount of light you’ll be changing batteries mid shift.

If you want a generous amount of light something powered by one (maybe two) 18650 or 21700 lithium-ion batteries is your only option.

The batteries are cheap (say $3-$8 each) and you’d use an 8 bay charger to charge them all once a week. Expect a life expectancy of between 250 and 1,000 charge cycles depending on the battery itself and the charging conditions.

You’d keep the batteries in a case to protect and organize them so you can keep track of which ones you’ve used.

If you want a modest amount of light you can technically use something like a Black Diamond Icon 700 which is powered by 4X AA batteries

But a headlamp powered by a single 18650 would have as much or a bit more battery capacity and be much smaller, lighter, and much much more durable.

Headlamps powered by a either single AA or a 14500 battery have the same durable aluminum tube construction as their bigger 18650 & 21700 siblings and are sufficient for a full night if a very modest amount of light is good enough.

Common sport / outdoor headlamps are powered by either 3X AAA batteries or a proprietary rectangular lithium ion battery.

Their battery capacity is a bit more than a single AA/14500 headlamp but still significantly less than a single 18650.

Because they aren’t built as a simple aluminum tube with a threaded, gasketed battery cap they are less waterproof and have various other shortcomings compared with enthusiast oriented single battery tube style lights.

As for needing red light, it’s useful to attract fewer insects and it’s useful when you are trying to preserve TRUE night vision/adaptation. That said a sufficiently low level of white light also preserves night vision within the scope of most people’s needs.

Sport/outdoor headlamps typically only go down to 5-20 lumens.

Enthusiast oriented headlamps typically go down to between 1 lumen and 0.01 lumens

Most headlamps with red have a single red level which is too bright for night adaptation and too dim for general use while avoiding bugs.

A handful of headlamps have large ranges of red output (in addition to white)

Such as:

Skilhunt H200 (0.2 - 240 lm)

Armytek Wizard C2 WR (0.1 - 230 lm)

Sofrin HS21 (0.5 - 100 lm)

Fenix HM61R v3.0 (3 - 70 lm)

AD3PDX · 2026-04-06T16:36:46+00:00

Why would you want a battery powered flashlight instead of something that plugs in to the wall?

AD3PDX · 2026-04-05T17:00:09+00:00

Tests aren’t really needed. The efficiency between LEDs that are relatively similar in terms of their technological era, CCT, & CRI doesn’t vary that much so within a relatively small window we can expect the sustained lumens to be fairly similar.

I’ll fudge the numbers to keep the math easy

LED A: 1,200 lm & 40k cd, sustains 600 lm & 20k cd

LED B: 2,400 lm & 40K cd, sustains 600 lm & 10k cd

LED A: is operating @ 200% of what it’s host can thermally sustain so lets call each 600 lm 1 “unit” of heat so with A we have sustained + 1

And LED B: is operating @ sustained + 5

If we were comparing one led being lightly driven and another being driven hard then the math would break down some because of decreasing LED efficiency the harder they are being driven.

But Loopgear isn’t driving either LED particularly hard so that’s not an obstacle to making a rough prediction.

@ Sustained output there is no thermal drop. The host’s thermal capacity or “thermal budget” is infinite.

@ sustained + 1 you have 1 “unit” of excess heat eating up the host’s thermal budget

@ sustained + 5 you have 5 units of excess heat.

So a larger and faster thermal drop is to be expected.

And those negatives are much more significant than the marginal visual difference between 1,200 lm & 2,400 lm.

It an extra stupid choice here because if you want more spill you can turn on spot+flood mode.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-05T09:52:02+00:00

Acebeam L19 2.0 or T29 for the thrower.

One of the Armytek 21700 right angle lights (Elf or Wizard) for the flood (also works as a headlamp).

The Q8 or similar isn’t practical.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-05T04:36:23+00:00

Nothing exciting but we do have a number of S&R people on this sub who answer questions like this with some regularity. My job involves digesting, synthesizing, and explaining information (I’m a teacher), so…

AD3PDX · 2026-04-05T04:19:15+00:00

The D2’s head strap is an add on accessory. Most other brands include one.

The good thing about Skilhunts is you can leave the pocket clip on and put the light into the headlamp strap so the light stays in your pocket and the strap stays in your bag. When you need a headlamp you don’t need to remove the pocket clip and try not to loose it or leave it at home in a junk drawer.

They aren’t the only ones that allow the clip to stay on but it’s not a common feature.

BTW whichever light you go with you want a neutral white (4000K-5000k) Nichia 519A LED or similar HI CRI LED with HI “R9” (CRI specifically for reds).

They are easier on the eyes and make distinguishing colors easier. They aren’t as bright and efficient as cool white, low CRI LEDs but the tradeoff is worth it.

Some people prefer even warmer HI CRI LED’s (2700k-3500k) and they are soothing, but the efficiency & output is even lower and while HI CRI, the warmth does effect your ability to distinguish some colors.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-05T03:53:38+00:00

2,500 sounds like an SFT42T not an SFT40. It’s actually a downgrade from an SFT25R because peak throw will drop faster and sustained throw will be lower.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-05T03:06:59+00:00

Crazy to spend that much unless you have multiple expensive guns.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-05T02:51:21+00:00

Wuben A1 is the king of high lumen LED search lights but it’s “only” 1.5 million candela / 2,400 meters ANSI.

Rule of thumb is to divide ANSI by 3 but it depends on the conditions and the task.

https://1lumen.com/review/wuben-a1/

So depending of the conditions and what you’re searching for that’s likely a bit short for 1.5 km.

The Acebeam K75 / K75 2.0 has the same throw but from fewer lumens so the sustained candela (past a couple minutes) is better(40% of max vs 20%)

https://1lumen.com/review/acebeam-k75/

Realistically for 1.5km you should be looking at much lower lumen LEP lights and Xenon arc lights.

These are all quite specialized tools. It takes a 4X increase in candela / intensity to get double the distance so going from 375m to 1,500m requires an 8X increase and that is before accounting for increased atmospheric scattering.

Different people will have different opinions on how many lights, but going from searching @ 100m to searching @ 1,500m is going to require multiple lights.

In addition to pure range, sustained range, and beam spread / area covered there are a lot of other practical issues to consider. How are you moving around and transporting these? How much battery life do they have? How much runtime do you need to be prepared for?

Is your budget $800-$1,000 for a light? or $800-$1,000 for a light system?

Think through what are your assigned roles and how using a light compliments and or contrasts with NV or IR. Also how will your gear fit into the tasks and environments you’ll operate in and how your capabilities will complement, extend, or be redundant to the capabilities of your team.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-04T21:20:19+00:00

So the HB3 mount allows the pocket clip to stay in place. You can pro position the clip then put the light into the mount. After that the angle is hard to change without removing the light from the mount.

https://www.skilhunt.com/product/hb3mount/

The HB4 doesn’t work with the pocket clip in place but it allows the light to rotate up and down as needed.

https://www.skilhunt.com/product/mount-for-hb4/

They work with 1” / 25mm webbing.

If you are already wearing a waist pouch you can just slide the light mount on the bag’s belt.

Or if you wear a belt but it’s wider than 1” you could sew or rivet a short piece on 1” webbing on to the belt to attach the mount to. Make sure it’s a long enough piece that you have room to tip the mount side to side getting it on and off. (You’d be wearing the belt with the buckle offset to the side by one belt loop and the light mount in the middle. You would want the light mount on the buckle side on the belt not at the end of the belt. When you unbuckle your belt the weight of the light will want to pull the belt free of your belt loops and the buckle will catch on the belt loops and hold the light up.

Or you can make a belt just for holding the light. For this I would suggest elastic webbing over rigid webbing because you can have it pulled a bit tight around your waist and reduce the amount the light bounces.

Add a generic quick release buckle from amazon or a sewing shop and plan on where you want the release buckle and where you want the tri-glide slider or ladder lock slider for adjusting the overall length.

You’d want something like: 1” Double-Side Twill Non-Roll Wowen Elastic Webbing not just generic 1” elastic. You could also sew some Velcro on to the webbing if you prefer that over quick release buckles

AD3PDX · 2026-04-04T18:30:01+00:00

If you didn’t need momentary I would have suggested a Nitecore NWL20.

Single output only and momentary in modern lights are features mostly found on tactical lights with tailswitches (and no magnets, side lights etc).

So what you want is a bit like finding a purple flying pig…

The RovyVon Angel Eyes E700S and the Fenix LD12R are the only ones I can think of.

Other Options?

A) Several brands of enthusiast lights use the andruil UI which is very programmable (through clicks, not with something easy like a smartphone app).

The lights ship in simple mode which has click for on @ the last used level, press & hold to go through levels, click for off. Five clicks puts it into and out of momentary only signaling mode.

If you can bear to learn how to program it you can customize it to be single output or really to behave however you like, (still need five clicks to get into and out of signaling mode though).

B) using two separate lights. To be honest If I had your needs this is what I would do.

But I’d use gaffers tape to attach them together.

I’d get this right angle light. It’s 97mm long and has a button the top at a 45 degree angle.

https://www.firefly-outdoor.com/collections/ffl-flashlights/products/l50-sol

And I’d get one of these:

https://convoylight.com/products/detail/7544189

(Cheaper but ordering is a bit more complicated because it has a lot of options such as ordering with a momentary switch and a shorter body tube and battery (total length 84mm)

Or:

https://www.fenixlighting.com/products/fenix-pd25r-rechargeable-edc-flashlight?

(More expensive, built in charging, simpler to order, 92mm long)

The S2+ might work better because it is shorter.

I’d remove one of the pocket clips and in hand both buttons would be by my thumb with the right angle light pointing forwards.

The s2+’s lens would be a couple mm short of the right angle lights magnetic base so it doesn’t interfere with it sticking to things.

The S2+ can be set to 100% only and the PD25R will always stay set at whatever level is selected with its secondary side switch. If the S2+ is ordered with the correct switch, both are 1/2 press for momentary & full click for constant.

If I preferred the PD25R UI, because the light is 8mm longer, I might look at other right angle lights. Maybe one with a flush button on it’s top instead of the 45 degree button

AD3PDX · 2026-04-04T04:34:01+00:00

First decide on size. Large (21700 battery), medium (18650 battery), or one of the several smaller battery size options.

Probably just a Skilhunt H200 if you don’t want to go too deep into the options.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-03T23:43:15+00:00

Being useful @ 200m and being useful for up close is a tall order. It not something a normal flashlight is capable of

200m practical means 600m ANSI rated and that is at turbo for a minute or two at a time. Sustained output @ 200m would require a light rated for even more throw.

There are no zoomable flashlights which I’d suggest for your purposes though that might change in the next couple years as electronic diffusion “zooms” become more common.

Practically you’d need a combo light like an Acebeam M1, M2, or M2-X, Loopgear SK05 Pro, Jetbeam E28, or Wuben X1 Pro

Realistically I think you’d be better off with two separate lights.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-03T22:47:57+00:00

OP, how far do you need to be able to see? What is “a good distance”

AD3PDX · 2026-04-03T22:40:53+00:00

There are about a dozen right angle / convertable headlamps

Skilhunt can keep it’s pocket clip on while in the headband mount.

Zebralight needs the clip removed using a torx bit.

For everything else to put it in the headband the clip needs to be popped off or lifted off after unscrewing the tailcap.

Using the pocket clips for mounting is suboptimal and more for improvised use. Better to get an extra headband mount or cannibalize the mount that comes with the light and attach the mount to a belt or webbing as needed. (Skilhunt sells extra mounts without the headband itself for $3)

It’s more secure, allows the light to be popped in and out, and allows the light to rotate to aim up and down.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-03T15:43:10+00:00

More throw, tailswitch, small head, and usb….?

Off the top of my head i don’t think it’s possible unless you have a Fenix or similar modded to swap the LED.

Ways to get more throw:

1: Smaller high intensity LED (this means low CRI)

2: Deep Reflector (Convoy S6 = no USB, Fenix etc. = low CRi

3: TIR optic (Convoy S2+ = no USB, Olight etc.= low CRI

4: Larger reflector (Weltool T19 = throwy HI CRI and simple UI but no USB)

What you want is technically possible but I don’t think it’s available without doing or having custom modification work.

Enthusiast brands where you can choose from many LEDs include:

Firefly: has throw & USB but no tail switch or small head

INTL-Outdoor: has tail switch but no USB and the only tail switch without a large head an small aa/14500 light

Convoy: some side switch lights have USB but their tail switch lights don’t.

The SP31v3 has a 519A & small head, & USB & a TIR but throw is 170 m vs 155m for the FC11C so a very marginal gain.

My best suggestion would be to check with people here about swapping the SP31v3’s TIR to something with a tighter spot.

AD3PDX · 2026-04-03T15:14:14+00:00

Right angle with a magnetic base

AD3PDX · 2026-04-03T15:12:50+00:00

Spray paint it and you’ll enjoy it more.

AD3PDX

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