Good, bright, reliable, smaller light for utility storm assessments

During storms many times I need to do damage assessments of power outages and downed high voltage lines in very bad weather at night. Most of the time it is near pitch black, in heavily wooded areas that I'm doing this work. It is possible to come across live lines that are down, so having a good light is very important for safety. I use the light in two ways. First is while riding passenger in a truck, with the light out the window scanning for problems as we slowly drive by. I also need to reference my map while doing this, which makes a good low setting very helpful. Second is when I get out of the truck and have to patrol on foot with clipboard, map, and notepad (the clipboard holds these inside of it protecting it from the weather), and many times a measuring wheel. I really like a single 18650 light for this work, as they are light and small, giving me the option to hold it in creative ways like under my chin by leaning my head forward into my chest or between my arm and body while using both hands to write my notes. In these conditions I need excellent brightness along with reliability and weather resistance. A light that can handle being on high for extended periods of time without overheating and with good regulation is nice. I usually am not away from the truck (and more charged batteries) for more than 1/2 hour to an hour at a time, so I don't need extreme battery life, though it would be nice.

I currently use an Eagletac G25C2 Mk II for both inside the truck and out, and I've been happy with its near 1000 ANSI lumens in this role. It has been 100% reliable when exposed to the weather, being dropped, and long continuous usage, and this is also true of the 5 previous Eagletacs I've had over the years, so I do like that brand. The size is great and I never fail to have it on me as it fits in a pocket easily. The beam has a good hot spot and a decent flood. The regulation works well and keeps the light useable for good stretches of time on high, but I certainly can go through a couple batteries in a night of doing this work. After this latest storm I had a couple times where it would have been nice to have more throw, flood, and brightness overall. Seeing how my light is a couple years old now I am thinking the latest and greatest lights might be able to provide me with better performance. There were a couple times where having more throw would have been very helpful to see longer distances when I couldn't access the areas I needed to get to. When I am using a light from the truck having a really bright light with a lot of flood would help to see any potential downed lines that I may have fallen across the road in front of us. Having good throw would help a lot when the truck can't get where we are trying to see. A good spotlight on our trucks would be nice, but the few trucks that have them have subpar spotlights, so I need flashlights for this. In my current size format I see that the new Eagletac SX30C2 and TX30C2 offer way more brightness with more throw than my G25C2, so those are options in my mind. The SX would give almost double the throw of my current light, at the expense of a larger head, more weight, and possibly less flood. The TX would offer similar throw with the HD light with over 600 more ANSI lumens, more flood, and a smaller head. I think an updated G25 with the XHP 35 might be my best bet, so maybe I should wait for that. I've also come to the realization that a larger, more capable light for use while I'm in the truck might be of great help as well. So I'm hoping for some good recommendations of any brand light in both single 18650, as well as other larger sizes if needed for higher performance in the truck. I'm open to any brand as long as it doesn't cost a fortune, and offers good performance and reliability.

probably the Elzetta Bravo will exceed your needs
that flashlight never let me down when i need it

Are you wanting to stay with the length of a single 18650 light or the width or both? Would a larger head but skinnier body work?

The overall size of a single 18650 is great for me in all aspects. I could certainly go up some in size, whether body or head, but I'd have to get something significant in performance in return. My only concern about carrying a larger head light would be the weight and pocket-ability. When I'm writing notes and have the light wedged between my arm and side, or chin and chest, a larger headed and heavier light than my G25C2 might cause me some problems. However, if I can get a lot more lumens, able to give me a better view of things, with better throw, then those problems may well be worth it to get that performance. As far as in the truck, I'm starting to think that I need to go with a much larger light if needed to get a good spotlight with at least decent throw. To me the spotlight aspect is used most often, but there are certainly times where I'm trying to throw the beam out there a ways.

I think you would be better served with two lights. For the close in work you need a side delivery light like the Streamlight Sidewinder or the Nitecore Thumb that can be set at a lower output and kept in a shirt/coat pocket and turned on as needed. Otherwise one of the smaller headlights, since I am sure you are wearing a hard hat while doing this.

For the main light, I think the Nitecore P30 would be ideal. It is a single cell light, so it is compact enough to be dropped into a coat pocket or a belt holster. The larger head with its deeper reflector will give you the range to really reach out and look at things several hundred yards away. [The manual says 675 yds but on a stormy night I would guess that 200-300 would be a more reasonable figure]

Another option would be the R40. Just as bright, but only throws about 150-200 yds. The advantage here is that it comes with an inductive charging mount for your vehicle so when you are not using it it can be charging back up.

Remember, Two is One, and One is None. I for one would not like to be out and about in a storm situation like you are describing without having a backup light. I myself would probably have my EA11 on my belt just as a third light, since it is so small yet still bright enough to be useful with the 14500 cell in it.

I also think you may be better served with two lights, maybe three.
A headlamp for map reading etc,
it looks like you have a good handle on the type of beam you are looking for, for the general use light, but to get appreciably more throw, I believe that you are going to have to go for a larger light. Carrying a 26650 light as an EDC is a bit much, BUT, when you are on the job, doing storm damage, strap on your holster, and go to work.

Similar in size to the nitecore P30 The Manker U21, is not that much larger than your ET, but it also has a 700 meter throw, but as Timothybill suggests, you'll really have a 200 yard working distance, maybe less.

Thanks for the suggestions. I do have a 60 lumen headlight sitting around, I'll definitely strap that to me hard hat. The Manker U21 and Nitecore P30 look to be similar in size to the new Eagletac SX30. The Manker has the most throw, with the Eagletac and Nitecore both being a hair over 600 yards. The price on the Manker and Nitecore are really nice, but the ET is rated at more ANSI lumens. Lots of options it looks like. At this point I'd like to see some beamshor comparisons of these three lights to see which one blends good spill with that long throw distance. I'm partial to ET, but the price is way more, and I'm not sure how much more usable brightness there would actually be over the other 2 lights (or even if it was noticeable at all let alone being useful). As far as throw distances, my G25 is rated at about 320 yards, and in storm conditions it's been good past 100 yards. Being able to double that would be very useful as long as I don't lose too much spill. For a light that strictly stays in the truck I'm also considering the Olight M7. Something with a 3000 lumen high (and 9000 lumen turbo S mode) with such a flood beam would seem very useful to me when slowly driving along trying to find where the wires went down. I would be concerned about using 4-18650's, but I guess if I buy a matched set and charged them all on a decent Charger it wouldn't be terrible to keep it running. I like the 3 lumen low as well, as that would seem pretty good for reading maos in the truck while driving to a new location, as too much brightness will blind the driver.

The thing to watch when comparing lumens is how long a light actually puts out the rated lumens on turbo. Most lights will put out that much light for five or ten minutes, then drop down to the next mode or somewhere near there. Most of those just have a timed drop, but some of the new Nitecores use what they call Automatic Thermal Regulation (ATR), where the driver watches the temperature of the LED and lowers the output just enough to keep the temp under control. Without seeing run time graphs like some of our premier reviewers put out, probably the most reliable method would be to compare the high mode outputs.

If you are looking for a brute force light, you might like the Convoy L6
3,278 lumens 529 meters of throw 70K cd.

That'll will give you a nice broad spot, so you can see more, if you are close enough.

Other lights to consider are the acebeam, K50 K60, K70. lights.
I don't know which would best suit your needs.

Then of course there are those that are modified for higher outputs, but then battery drain may be an issue.

choices... choices....

I have a Manker U21, and I could see it filling this role nicely. It seems to dissipate heat quite well, and has some nice throw, comes in NW option too. It doesn't come with a holster, but I was able to find one from banggood for under $10.00. Still waiting for the holster to arrive though, it's been weeks...

Any of the Nitecore Tiny Monster lights should fit your needs. I am partial to the TM16GT, since that is the one I own. The just announced TM28, and both versions of the TM36, would really meet your need to reach out and see something, while still having a reasonable spill.

For some very good reviews of a lot of these lights, including beam shots, check out the reviews of Selfbuilt and Subwoofer. They have been indispensable in helping me choose between different lights.

The broblem with 18650 lights is that they might be over 1000lumens but its only a burst mode it lests few minutes only before step down and get very hot

So i suggested you use an 26650 flashlight they can hold 1000 lumens modes much bettter with better runtimes and few ot them has turbo modes of over 2000 lumens
Check the acebeam ec60 it can reach 2000 lumen and 600m of throw (90k cd)

What about a Convoy l6

The Convoy L6 looks like a great value. I am seriously considering that light as even if it doesn't make my final cut for use in storm duty (mainly due to size) it's a great light for the price. I could put it to use in many other settings other than storm work.

I've also been looking at some 26650 lights based on these recommendations and they look very promising. The Olight R50 Pro looks nice, very compact with 3200 lumens in turbo, but better yet it can sustain 1000 lumens for a decently long time, but it is not a good thrower. The Eagletac SX30 in 18650 sustains over 1000 lumens for an hour or so (well under the duration of the R50 Pro), but has 600 plus yards of throw. The Tiny Monsters certainly look promising as well, but are in a larger format than I prefer to carry with me (save the TM03). I may just have to buck up and carry a big light with me for the performance that I want. I'll spend a few hours looking at some reviews on the 26650 lights and see what catches my eye. Size wise a single 26650 doesn't take up much more size than a 18650, but does add much more capacity.

I'm also considering a monster floodlight for sitting in the truck like the new Olight X7R, or the X9. Those should be spectacular from a truck, and as long as I'm not carrying them portability isn't a huge issue. That leaves me needing a good balance of throw and flood in as compact a package as possible for carrying with me, hence my preference for single 18650 or 26650. After looking at suggestions I may have to go larger than that, but I'll put in more research on the reviews out there and see if I can find what I need in that compact size range or if I need to go bigger with multi cell lights to give me more capability. All of the lights I've been looking at can really outperform my G25C2, and I've been pretty happy with its performance, so no matter what I end up with will be an improvement in capability. Thanks for all of the good suggestions.

gunmike1,
Back in the day... police officers all carried a 3D maglite, on their duty belt all day long.

In this photo, I lined up, left to right, a Thrunite TN11S, (similar in size to your ET G25C2), a cheap RAyovac 2D, the Manker U21, and a 3D Maglite.

I wish I had a Convoy L6 to add to the photo.
Measurements say that it is closer to the length of the mag than the 2D Rayovac. It is about 2/3rds the difference, longer than the 2D.

I can't see the photo attached in the post above this, unfortunately. There is no getting around the fact that larger lights pack better capabilities than a similarly made and advanced small light. I'm sold on getting a larger light for inside of the truck. But I still am thinking a smaller light for carrying around outside of the truck. Part of the reason I hesitate on larger lights to carry out of the truck is I have to wear FR rain gear while on duty, which includes overall style pants, so it doesn't make holster carry very practical. A light that isn't very long, like a single 18650 or 26650, even with a bigger head, can fit in the pockets of my rain jacket, which kind of puts those lights to the top of the list. Seeing how much capability newer 18650 lights, but especially the 26650 lights have and I'm really thinking they may have my needs covered.