Small 1x18650 thrower

What is the most powerful single 18650 thrower light, that is roughly the size of an Olight M20? I need a small light that throws very far. Suggest custom "drop in" builds if you like.

Thanks

My jetbeam rrt-2 is the smallest thrower i have with one 18650. It really has a tight beam.

ubetit said:

My jetbeam rrt-2 is the smallest thrower i have with one 18650. It really has a tight beam.

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+1

for a little smaller and a little less throw check the Jetbeam jet iii pro ST.

How about the MG L-Mini II with a Turbo Head? Haven't really heard anything bad about these guys, besides the rings associated with having a smooth reflector.

Eagletac T20C2(with 2x CR123)?
Just a little bit brighter than the M20, but still, it's brighter

YayILikePie said:

How about the MG L-Mini II with a Turbo Head? Haven't really heard anything bad about these guys, besides the rings associated with having a smooth reflector.

Click to expand...

+1

When I think small 18650 and think tight thowy beam this comes to mind first.

Mine out throws most lights I own with the turbo head on.

What DX and KAI call "recoil thrower" might also be worthy of consideration.

I should be getting the Electrolumens DeCree XP-G. It is smaller than a 6P and has an XP-G behind a 5 degree optic. Similar to the Malkoff M60 optic, but more narrow.

I already have some throw lights to compare against, but from what the build thread says it should be a 300 OTF lumen thrower. I will confirm later on next week:candle:

for small size...hard to beat the Lumapower D-mini VX with TF head. Comes with an 18650 tube. Roughly 18,000 lux I hear. not bad for a light under 4" long. (with 16340 tube)

YayILikePie said:

How about the MG L-Mini II with a Turbo Head? Haven't really heard anything bad about these guys, besides the rings associated with having a smooth reflector.

Click to expand...

+2 This is a phenomenal light. Compact, nice switch, 3 beautifully spaced output levels, very bright with surprising throw for it's size w/ the turbo head. Excellent runtime. Really nice. Not expensive either.

I have my olight m20 sitting on the floor and the tiablo a9 with aspherical lens next to it. The A9 is by far the better thrower, even without the optional lens. It is a little longer and wider at the head though.

I should also mention that it needs to have a strobe mode. Thanks for all the great suggestions so far folks.

I believe there's a 4-mode version of the MG L-Mini II with strobe on shiningbeam, though it's a neutral tint version.

I'm hoping my nailbender modified SST-50 Raidfire Spear will hold this crown when it's done!

I'm not a fan of aspherics, so I'm hoping 500-600 buttery smooth lumens in a deep reflector will make for some nice throw...

think a spear really wins the contest.

as to production lights:
Jetbeam Jet III Pro ST might be much, but no thrower (at least mine)

thrower: CHEAP, but working
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14450
when modding is no problem, change the driver (giving only ~400-500 mA to the led) to a powerful one. Then nothing beats that thing in full focus - even when it is only a cheapo.

when you state 'small' do you mean that the light has to be easily pocketable? or are you referring to length because lengthwise, all battery tubes for 1x18650s are more or less the same length and its the diameter and depth of the head that is going to be the variable.

if you want a thrower, its going to have to be a larger diameter with a deep reflector which adds to the overall length of the light.

The Jet III Pro ST is incredibly pocketable and has decent throw with decent spill but it is not going to throw anywhere near a Raidfire or even my budget Aurora WF600 (50+mm diameter with deep reflector).

Now if i could figure a way to get a tiny aspheric into a Jet III, that would make it a real pocket thrower.

Length is not of major concern to me, but I would like something that has a head no bigger than the spear, but also has a strobe function.

Strobe is over rated- except for letting kids dance in the beam ( Robot moves)

I would wait for the quark g500, it is going to be beastly. Its going to be about 460 bulb lumens from and xp-g led so it should throw as far or farther than most xp-e, or xr-e leds with almost twice as many lumens. its going to be amazing.

YayILikePie said:

How about the MG L-Mini II with a Turbo Head? Haven't really heard anything bad about these guys, besides the rings associated with having a smooth reflector.

Click to expand...

Andyy said:

Eagletac T20C2(with 2x CR123)?
Just a little bit brighter than the M20, but still, it's brighter

Click to expand...

I've had both and I would take the EagleTac of the two for a real thrower. The MG is really the littlest light I've ever seen with a 18650 but the beam has some ugliness to it and with the turbo head it didn't do it for me.

I was really amazed by how my throw the EagleTac had. At the time I didn't need an LED with that much throw, but I would easily compare the throw for a Surefire LX2. Full regulation in the 18650 IIRC.