So, I don't often give my two cents in threads like these cause everybody knows best, but here's a little info that might help you out in looking.
The first is regarding lumen output, you don't need raw lumens. I say this because you mention looking at the Fenix PD32 UE. That light is almost pure flood. You wouldn't be able to look around a dimly lit loading dock or other security concerns very well. You need high intensity as much as lumen output. That's why Streamlight focused so much on intensity, it creates the contrast to check what's in that shadow 80 ft away when everything isn't nearly as dark. Problem then becomes being tunnel visioned, so there's a balance you have to strike. I have found over the past few years that a light around 20,000 to 24,000 candela is my preference for intensity. Add in a high output around 1000 lumens to see more at one time and you're golden.
A list of good lights in that category are:
- Nitecore SRT7
- Fenix TK22 - 2014
- Eagletac T25C2
- Olight M22 Warrior
- Streamlight DS HL
- Eagletac GX25L2 <---- My personal preference
- Klarus X12
That's a decent starting list to look at. The prices range from low 60's to low 120's there so there's flexibility for a budget too.
The other thing to consider is the nature of your work. The simpler the User Interface, the better. The reason for that is you want to be able to immediately use your light properly under stress. The ultimate in simplicity and function is Surefire. Push the button, it stays on, let go, it turns off. Doesn't get much simpler to be honest. Something like a P2X or P3X Fury would be a good match. For that matter, the 6PX Tactical and G2X Tactical are worthy mentions as well. Not as bright as the other lights listed, but they'll still work.
Now, custom lights have been mentioned. I will say that it doesn't really matter what the outside aluminum shell is as long as the important working parts are high quality, like the switch and the electronics. Solarforce makes a huge variety of good hosts and options, but I wouldn't use their LED modules. Older Surefire lights are great hosts as well, though at a bit of a premium. Depends on how much you want that momentary feature. I would suggest design a host you like, with a forward clicky switch at the very least, and get a McClicky switch replacement and either a Nailbender, Malkoff, or Vinhguyen54 single mode drop-in. (Vinh can build you a very nice drop-in with a dedomed XML2 for decent throw and good output)
All that being said, to me, there are 3 good lights to look at. The Surefire P2X Fury, Eagletac GX25L2, and Klarus X12 (or X11 for a drop in output). All three of those lights are high quality, have a momentary only feature (or in the case of the Klarus, instant access to strobe), and ample light output. The other lights start sacrificing either UI simplicity or quality.
Another worthy mention is the brand new Maglites that are still hard to find like the ML300X (If I remember the name correctly), they can be set up for momentary only and then constant on. Problem is the size and weight.
Tips:
-You don't want a interface all controlled by one tail switch only and you want to lean away from a light that you can't start in Turbo/ High everytime you hit the button.
-An easy way to picture one light vs another when reading specs is light intensity = focus and light output = the spot size. Say you have two lights that measure 20,000 candela, but one is 200 lumens and the other is 1000 lumens. The 200 lumen light is going to be very focused and have a tiny spot to reach that far and the 1000 lumen is going to light up the same distance but a lot more of the surrounding area at the same time. Imagine you take the 20k candela light and start with 1 lumen at that intensity, if you could slowly turn a dial and increase the lumens without changing the intensity, the spot would slowly get bigger and bigger. The opposite works too, if you have 10,000 or less candela and 1000 lumens, it's going to feel like a wall of light. You won't see too terribly far, but you will see everything at once.
Take away: The higher the intensity, the farther you can see. The more light output you have, the more you can see at that distance.
Best of luck
:welcome:
