The Microfire 35W is a great light. More light than you will ever need in the size of 2D Mag. The only problem I have with it is that it heats up very quickly. In 15 Minutes the fun of all that light is negated by the fact that you have to keep switching the light from hand to hand. I'd also like to see a good 60 minutes of burn time. Mine is done right around 45 minutes. I'm told that Microfire is working on both of these issues.
I'd take a hard look at the AE-24 Shorty. With the upgraded battery you get a solid hour of burn time. At just over 13 inches it's 3D Mag in length but close to two inches in diameter. It gets warm after an hour but its not going to melt your car seats like my Microfire did. Expensive and dumb move on my part.
Light wise they both put out a lot of light. The Microfire has an adjustable beam - Long through or bright flood. The AE is not adjustable or I just have not figured out how to adjust it. But the way it is set right now is for long through. You still get enough spill to see everything on each side for a good 15 feet as you walk along a trail. Again, they both put out a tramendous amount of light.
The Microfire is very cool looking, compact and adjustable. If you can deal with the way it heats up I'd say that's your light. But if your gonna be using the light for anywhere from 20-25 minutes at a time, I think you would be happier with the AE. Good luck and have fun
