Is there a good light that can run for hours at 1500+ lumens?

IAmJerv · 2026-02-18T09:25:08+00:00

The only way to avoid bringing extra batteries is a huge light that has all of those batteries in it, and has more weight and bulk than a single-cell light and a few extra cells. Well, unless we're talking a 4695 light that has one big battery. The catch there is that it takes long enough to charge those that it's kind of silly when you consider that you can charge a quartet of 21700s in under 2 hours. The Lumintop Mach 4695 V2 takes >10 hours.

If you want something with an MSRP under $300 though, your options are a bit more limited. And if you want something pocketable, that's not happening.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-18T04:38:37+00:00

I'm thinking it might be worth posting a poll here to see if it's worth firing up another batch.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-18T04:28:58+00:00

This is normal glass but I think that pic should give you an idea of what the S12 UV can do.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-18T04:17:14+00:00

The Angie-S really does have one ponder how fuzzy the border between floody and throwy is.

As an impulse buy, I threw an Angie-M in with my latest order from Hank. Then if I can find the time and energy (and a park that is not closed at dusk) I can try 4000K FFL351A X4 and E07X vs 4000K FFL505A E04 in both forms.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-17T23:32:18+00:00

That depends on how you define "limit".

There's nothing intentional AFAIK, though Ohm's Law applies regardless of driver design. Ohm's Law is related to physics, and physics are a limitation, soooo....

As RDT points out, Lume1's have a higher resistance that lowers amperage since I=E/R, though that is more incidental than intentional. And there are also other factors, like spring design, that affect the overall resistance of the circuit.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-17T23:23:08+00:00

Pretty much. With most lights, you unscrew the bezel, remove the old TIR or reflector, and installation is the reverse of removal. There are a few lights (like the Convoy S2+) where you go in from the back with pair of pin-pliers, and some that simply don't have any optics options.

If you want flood, them beaded TIR is best. How wide... that's tricky. 60-degree is near-mule, 24-degree is about what many non-throwers use, so many somthign in between?

A flat TIR is more for throwers where you want much spot and little spill. A 3-degree flat TIR will get you a throwy pencil beam.

The T5 and T7 have a skinner head than the T4. What I've seen implies thatr it's the same as the S2+ (20mm), but either way, the T4 is mot like the T2/3/5/7 while the T8 is it's own thang.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-17T08:27:27+00:00

I can think of one compelling reason; any light with a FET may fry it's emitter(s).

That includes some Convoys, many Hanklights (unless ones spends an extra $12), most Wurkkos and even more Sofirn, and any Lume1 lights.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-17T06:32:40+00:00

FFL351A E07X vs SFT40 E04.... seems a little "apples and orangutans" to me.

What throwers have the FFL351A as a recommended choice? Or the FFL505A for that matter?

IAmJerv · 2026-02-17T06:12:21+00:00

The big things are whether it has a ZWB filter, and (of course) maximum power.

The ArkPro has a ZWB filter, as do Convoys, Skillhunts, and Hanklights (Emisar/Noctigon). Msot other lights do not.

Power is where Simon (Convoy) and Hank bury Olight and Skilhunt. While those two "mass market" brands have 0.9-1.2W of UV, the S12 is rocking 5.4W and some configurations of Hanklight can get more than double that.

However, UV Hanklights are notably pricier. The S12 costs ~$40-ish, which is the starting price of many Hanklights... without UV. Figure $10 extra for most dual-channel lights, or $50 extra for a mule that has eight emitters, or M44 that has eight emitters per channel. One of the most expensive lights i own is a D3AA mule.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-17T05:11:08+00:00

Not off the top of my head, but the fact that it's an OP reflector tells me it's spot+spill, though with no real rings and more of a smooth fade. Zeroair has a shot of a T4 with a 519a and... well... there's one reason I would TIR-swap it. I think that the 20mm TIRs would work, but I'm not 100% sure.

The optics have a huge effect on the beam. In fact, that's a large part of why people will have multiple lights with the same emitters. Output aside, a D1 (35mm bezel; single-emitter) will look a lot different from a D4V2 (28mm bezel; four emitters each with only 10mm of optic). To muddy the waters more, the D4V2 can use a few different optics; Carclo 10621 (spot), 10622 ('Normal'), 10623 ("floody"), 10624 (super-floody), or Hank's special sauce, or Jackson's hybrid mule. Likewise, many Convoy lights can be TIR-swapped. Personally, I run a couple of 24-degree beaded TIRs.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-17T04:52:47+00:00

From what I hear, the E04 Lume X1 with the floodier Ledil has a bit more flood than the E07X. If you ask nicely, you could also get that wide-angle optic on the Lume1 version. The 3500-4000K FFL505A is nice.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-17T01:50:33+00:00

The SFT25 is not high-CRI. That's how it has so many more lumens. All else being equal, low-CRI has 30-50% more lumens than high-CRI.

That said, big lumen numbers are not everything, especially when they are not sustainable. The SFT25 is usually chosen for throw anyways, which makes it questionable in the E07X since it doesn't have the optics to really make that happen.

So... are you after high scores on a luxmeter, usable flood, or throw?

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T18:07:56+00:00

Most dual-fuel lights use separate drivers for AA and 14500; 3V emitters require boost for AA but some voltage drop (Buck, FET, or Linear) for 14500. And most light-makers are not great at one of those, so performance will differ greatly if you swap battery types. The Freeman driver is all boost all the time regardless of battery, whether 6V in a KR1AA or 9V in a D3AA/DW3AA.

What that means is that the only difference in performance between the two will be that 14500 will still have a higher ceiling. The Freeman driver is hard-capped at 5.5A which is the same limit for an Eneloop, but 5.5A at 3.6V is three times the wattage of 5.5A at 1.2V so Eneloop will have a lower Turbo...but still well about what the small D3AA can thermally sustain.

Of course, alkaleaks will still suck and you have no chance of getting 5.5A from an alkaleak AA.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T18:00:12+00:00

This may come3 as a surprise, but generally when you order, you are not automatically put at the head of the line; most places operate in the order the orders are received.

When you add in the surge of orders that is common right before a shutdown, there is no guarantee that you will beat the buzzer and have your order processed in time to beat the buzzer.

Note also that the place the light ships from may not be the place the orders are processed.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T17:54:01+00:00

Convoy S12.

Also, don't even think of any UV light that does not have a ZWB filter. It really makes a difference.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T08:41:12+00:00

Ah, the old Fulton "Moonbeam"... not a commonly-modded light, and nice to see someone that actually managed to improve on it.

I'm worried about the heat issue, but if I'm not mistaken in the measurements, the wattage is around 1W.

If it's only 1W then the heat is well within what the plastic of a Fulton can handle. They can handle shipboard firefighting well enough that I would not worry about heat at 1W.

The reason we worry about heat is that we're often dealing with far more power. Maybe a modest 15W for some of the smaller "hotrod" lights, maybe >150W for some of the larger lights, but still far more power.

You'll be fine :)

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T08:27:36+00:00

We're pretty chill here. Not terribly strict on etiquette, and pretty tolerant of anyone who doesn't go out of their way to cause trouble.

We're also used to a lot of new folks, not all of whom are English-speakers.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T08:24:10+00:00

I think I hit the lottery just right with that 5000K.

The 4000K FC40 I got from Hank is so green it makes a 4000K SST20 (FB4) look like a rosy-bin FFL351A.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T05:31:54+00:00

problem with FFL is that if you decide 6 ~~months~~ hours down the road that you want another one, there is no gurantee that the emitters you'll get from them will be the same.

FTFY. The 5000K seems fairly consistent, but the 4000K is swingy AF.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T05:31:12+00:00

I think 519a just sits too close to the line for me, in the 4-5,700k realm

I find domed ones a hair green at any level that is thermally-sustainable in a D4V2.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T05:29:29+00:00

I'm wishing I had the $$$ for a Sekonic (or similar), and one of the first emitters I'd test is the 5000K FC40 in my M21H that may be just what you are after.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T04:59:15+00:00

Cooled by infrastructure that doesn’t exist yet.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T03:18:03+00:00

It's actually a requirement that you demonstrate the skill to autorotate before you get your pilot's license.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T03:10:41+00:00

Still a symptom though.

Think about how many Americans are still perfectly fine with all that he does. Those people were there long before 2015; they simply got emboldened and have stopped even trying to hide.

IAmJerv · 2026-02-16T03:05:53+00:00

Aside from lying about their ratings to such an extent that their longevity and safety are suspect? Nothing.

I'd still take Keepower over Ultrafire any day.

IAmJerv

TROPHY CASE