Thanks for this! You nailed it — the thing I loved about this light was the intersection of "build quality, brightness, small size, runtime."
It sounds like in the years since things have sort of splintered, so that it may be hard to find the *best* example of those characteristics in one light?
Every option today from a quality manufacturer of a small light will have compatible build quality and superior runtime, but there is necessarily a choice between even greater brightness or superior color rendition. Due to driver efficiency increases, it is likely you can have a light just as bright or even brighter with a warmer color temperature and near perfect color rendition.
Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with the model you posted an image of nor its format. It would be helpful if you named it and told us what battery format it uses. I know Muyshondt lights used either CR2 or CR123A cells. These format lights have become less popular with the advent of higher voltage rechargeable lithium ion 16340 format and the superior capacity of slightly wider yet similarly sized 18350 cells. Also, the advent of lights
just as bright or brighter driven on an inherently safe 2000+ cycle rechargeable NiMH AA cell hasn't helped the cause of CR2 or CR123A lights.
Lumintop Tool AA 2.0 Copper Nichia 219C is an example of a small light with excellent build quality that has a constant current driver with 4000K color temperature and Ra 93 high color rendition, and it is capable of 650Lm with a rechargeable Li-ion
14500 cell, but will also produce 270Lm with an NiMH AA cell and 220Lm with an common AA alkaline cell. It's a little longer than your Muyshondt, but also has a smaller diameter, is much brighter, with better efficiency at a more natural color temperature with far better color rendition for less than 40 bucks. If you are dead set on massively overpaying for light of comparable quality and less ability, you can always purchase another
Muyshondt at exponentially greater cost.
But to be very clear, the finest lights first and foremost are all about the quality of the lumens themselves, not the package nor the brightness. It is about
what can be seen, and we have consensus that more can be seen with less light of high color rendition than with massively more cool white light at poor color rendition. And in fact, cool white has far more of blue spectrum light in it, and blue light will slowly permanently blind the user, in fact. The best flashlights will have a constant current circuit without being laden with PWM, and it will have a warm or neutral emitter capable of near-perfect color rendition. Nearly everything over $20 has excellent build quality, so this is not rare. You'll pay more, but not too much more, for the superior heat-sinking of copper, or the attractive qualities of titanium, but with inferior heat properties.
The reason Rolex watches hold or increase their value has nothing to do with their quality; it's entirely due to their gold content. Better quality watches of better durability with superior time keeping can be had for far less than $100. But if you must wear gold, then there is only gold, and gold is only expensive because it is rare.
