Brightest 1x18650 with NO step down in highest mode

Does one exist? I'm tired of these lights that make a 1000+ lumens for one minute then have to step down because of heat or can no longer reach 1000+ lumens when the battery drops below 4.0 volts. Marketing and lumens sells lights. That's for sure. I'm looking for something with a nice flat regulated power curve.

Malkoff drop-ins in a host works for me. 200-250 lumens.

You can check out the Malkoff hound Dog, a true 900 lumen light.

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Or, get a MT-G2 light, the step down will be more than 1000 lumens.

Ha Ha yes. Mt-G2 lights are some of the worst offenders when it comes to burst modes/stepping down with the exception of the Thrunite TN35.

Can't go wrong with Malkoff!

The Hound Dog is not a 1x18650 light, though. You can use 2xCR123, but you cannot use a single 18650...the voltage is too low to work with that driver.

As far as I know, there is no driver for the MT-G2 that can work with only one 18650. It makes a lot more sense to use that emitter in larger/multi-cell lights, in any case.

The Predator Pro from Armytek does not have the peak brightness of many 1x18650 lights - 670 lumens max. But it has better regulation than almost anything else on the market, and it can sustain that output essentially until the battery dies with no stepdown. It is also one of, if not THE best throwers, for the size.

It is also built like a tank. If you haven't ever handled one, it is hard to describe...but I have a Surefire P2X Fury, and the Predator makes it feel kind of cheap by comparison.

flashlightsarecool said:

Does one exist? I'm tired of these lights that make a 1000+ lumens for one minute then have to step down because of heat or can no longer reach 1000+ lumens when the battery drops below 4.0 volts. Marketing and lumens sells lights. That's for sure. I'm looking for something with a nice flat regulated power curve.

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look for buck/boost drivers: zebralights, thrunite lynx, armytek w/ FLAT regulation

but of course you can't have your cake and eat it too. small lights are going to heat up quickly. but the buck/boost drivers will maintain the output much much better than a buck-only would

Thanks for the tip. That makes sense. How do you tell if a flashlight has a buck/boost circuit? Say on a future model you didn't list in your post.

thedoc007 said:

It is also built like a tank. If you haven't ever handled one, it is hard to describe...but I have a Surefire P2X Fury, and the Predator makes it feel kind of cheap by comparison.

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I felt the same way, but my light is the Viking Pro and a Surefire 6PX.

And that Predator is using an xp-g2 right? Why are there no other lights (that I know of) that are getting the xp-g2 over 600 lumens except armytek? Granted, I too would rather have a light running high but not stepping down so a light like the Fenix TK09 does that well, but if the xp-g2 can get to 600 lumens why are more makers not doing that and making small very throwy lights?

flashlightsarecool said:

Does one exist? I'm tired of these lights that make a 1000+ lumens for one minute then have to step down because of heat or can no longer reach 1000+ lumens when the battery drops below 4.0 volts. Marketing and lumens sells lights. That's for sure. I'm looking for something with a nice flat regulated power curve.

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So basically look for any 18650 light that tops out at 300-400 lumens...

18650 said:

So basically look for any 18650 light that tops out at 300-400 lumens...

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See above...the Predator Pro is well over 600 lumens, and has full regulation until the cell gives out.

Thanks for the responses. I'm going with the armytek pro xm-l2. Maybe after I complete my doctorate in rocket science I'll be able to use all the functions! I'm glad it comes with two factory default configurations!!

thedoc007 said:

See above...the Predator Pro is well over 600 lumens, and has full regulation until the cell gives out.

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It's also 3-4x the mass of those terrible lights with stepdowns and almost as big as some 2x18650 lights. That's also LED lumens if I'm not mistaken.

18650 said:

It's also 3-4x the mass of those terrible lights with stepdowns and almost as big as some 2x18650 lights. That's also LED lumens if I'm not mistaken.

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I appreciate the sarcasm in your thoughtfully crafted and enlightening responses 18650...........sorry...........sarcasm.