Smallest 500 Lumens, 30 min run time?

[Shorttime]

It's all there in the title. Not looking to buy, just curious how small a light can get and still run for at least 30 minutes at 500 Lumens? I know my Macrostream gets pretty warm after about 5, and it feels like this is right where heat dissipation becomes a problem for pocket-sized lights.

No budget/battery/UI requirements, just want to see what The Collective knows about.

 

[MidnightDistortions]

There's a 650 lumen 4AAA Coast (I think it's G55) I have that I think will run for a little over an hour. I never tried the runtime but I'm sure it's got a regulator to avoid excessive heat. It isn't that small for a 4AAA but still pretty impressive.

 

[dc38]

It's all there in the title. Not looking to buy, just curious how small a light can get and still run for at least 30 minutes at 500 Lumens? I know my Macrostream gets pretty warm after about 5, and it feels like this is right where heat dissipation becomes a problem for pocket-sized lights.

No budget/battery/UI requirements, just want to see what The Collective knows about.

Typically, heat starts to be an issue with any driver/LED combo over 300 lumens, which is typically 1-3 Amps with modern lights. Unless there is enough mass and surface area to heatsink it, the die starts to, well, die. In a single AA format, you could probably push 300 lumens or so for an hour (probably closer to 45 min) on NiMH, but the light will be a little toasty. On 500 lumens, the light will probably be running for 20min at max, followed by a decline to off in the next 15 minutes.

I think the closest thing to what you're looking for would be an 18650 format, as the head should have enough mass to heatsink the watts, and the cell can adequately handle the draw. Another option would be a 16650 or 17670 light, for similar reasons.

Personally, I like Malkoff Devices for no-nonsense runtimes and output. In my opinion, Mr. Malkoff sets THE gold standard for honesty and transparency for runtimes vs. brightness.

 

[bykfixer]

There for a time there was a bunch of small 1x123 lights that boasted 500+ lumens from an RCR123. Most could not sustain that for long but by stating 500* lumens they sold a lot of flashlights. The * would be fine print "510 lumens for 44 seconds then reduced to 320 lumens" or similar.

I don't know what's out there these days. When Rofis claimed 950 lumens from a AA battery I said "enough of this crap" and stopped buying new flashlights. The lumen wars with its brighter than ever nonsense turned me away. I was seeking better run times from bright enough lights but nobody was going down that patch. Soon after many companies went under. Not because I stopped buying but because a wall was reached that meant anybody who wanted an LED flashlight had one. Sales dropped like a lead balloon.

 

[dc38]

There for a time there was a bunch of small 1x123 lights that boasted 500+ lumens from an RCR123. Most could not sustain that for long but by stating 500* lumens they sold a lot of flashlights. The * would be fine print "510 lumens for 44 seconds then reduced to 320 lumens" or similar.

I don't what's out there these days. When Rofis claimed 950 lumens from a AA battery I said "enough of this crap" and stopped buying new flashlights. The lumen wars with its brighter than ever nonsense turned me away. Soon after many companies went under. Not because I stopped buying but because a wall was reached that meant anybody who wanted an LED flashlight had one. Sales dropped like a lead balloon.

I see your made in china light and raise you one flashbang at 3,000 lumens for 0.019 second.

 

[bykfixer]

This little dude from 2016 puts out 420 sustained on a CR123 and 510 on an RCR 123 until the battery depletes below ability to feed it enough voltage to stay that bright, then defaults to the 200 lumen medium. By then the battery is near dead so it soon defaults to the 12 lumen low and then flickers at about 0.01 lumens to say "hey buster ya need another battery".

The trouble was the market went after those 950 lumens for 22 seconds numbers. So these are no more.

 

[pnwoutdoors]

The FourSevens Mini MKIII @ Prometheus Lights is pretty small, and meets your 500+ lumens and 30mins minimums.

Mini MKIII – darksucks.com

Just like the old minis...but better! Introducing the third generation Mini MKIII Check out our new 360 Headlamp bundles in the drop down! (1) CR123A or (1) RCR123A 500 (900) 1.5 90 hr 60 (50) min Nichia 319A The new Mini MKIII has all of the great features of our Mini Turbo MKIII but with a...

darksucks.com

1xRCR123 battery
OAL 2.2"
Diam 0.8"
Nichia 319A w/ 4000K @ 90 CRI
800 lumens max (30sec burst, then steps down to 350 lumens "high" mode)
40min runtime minimum
IPX8 water resistance
< $75

Because of the step-down, perhaps it won't match your conditions.

 

[Monocrom]

Another vote for the Mini MKIII.

 

[Toulouse42]

Fenix LD15R. Uses RCR123 or CR123 with micro USB charging. 500/200 lumens for 80/60 minutes. 2 3/4 inches long. I don't EDC this one but in my experience it puts out plenty of light for a decent amount of time. I tested it from high on a full battery and 8 hours later I'm still getting some light.

No sudden switch off which to me is important.

 

[tech25]

View attachment 74070

I still use mine regularly. Such a useful beam pattern and perfectly spread levels.

 

[orbital]

+

21700 powered, Cree XHP70.3 emitter, side switch, can get in 4000K ~ $32
will do 500 lumens for several hours
I own one

Convoy M21H 21700 flashlight

Convoy M21H 21700 flashlight

convoylight.com

 

[aznsx]

It's all there in the title. Not looking to buy, just curious how small a light can get and still run for at least 30 minutes at 500 Lumens?

This is my primary EDC 16340. Its output is rated at 535 lumens, and will sustain that for >30 min. It is not my smallest 16340 light, but I'm realistic regarding the fact that in engineering, all parameters cannot be maximized in one light. Priorities always prevail, and they must be prioritized.

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