Getting a real 1200 lumens, while staying within budget, is a challenge.
The
BLF A6 Special Edition is one flashlight that can do that. It uses a FET+1 driver that runs the light as bright as possible in turbo mode. The technical term is "direct drive." The A6 driver feeds as much current to the emitter as the battery is capable of producing. That means that your flashlight starts out bright on a fresh battery, but then gets dimmer as the battery weakens. Due to the high heat that is generated on turbo, the A6 uses a timed step-down. After 45 seconds in turbo mode, it steps down to the next highest level.
There is nothing wrong with that. That is the way the A6 was designed. It is the only way to get the high output that the A6 does using a single 18560 battery and a single
Cree XP-L emitter. Running on something like the
Samsung 30Q battery, you should get around 1350-1400 lumens in turbo mode.
I bought two A6 flashlights myself.
Recently, the sole seller of the A6 flashlight, Banggood, released its own version of the A6 under a different brand. Banggood might change the design later, but for now, the
Astrolux S1 is identical to the BLF A6. It's price is also the same, but with a difference. The Astrolux S1 includes a short tube that allows you to run the flashlight using an 18350 battery that is approximately half the size of a standard 18650 battery. Makes for a nice, compact flashlight.
A similar short tube is available for the BLF A6, but is an option that is sold separately. So the Astrolux S1 is probably the better deal at this writing.
Keep your eye on the prices of these two. They will vary over time. Be wary of any changes in design, as well.
Another way to get your 1200 lumens at a low-to-moderate price is to purchase one of the custom multi-emitter Convoy flashlights that are made by Mountain Electronics. I have no experience with these, but Mountain Electronics has earned a good reputation at CPF. You can send an email to the owner Richard to explain what you are looking for.
If you can afford to spend a little more, there are many options that become available. I, for instance, own the
Nitecore P36. It uses two 18560 batteries to power a
Cree MT-G2 emitter, and can reach 2000 lumens in turbo mode. More interesting is its 1100 lumen setting. In his
review, CPF member selfbuilt found that mode actually output 1300 lumens, and stayed constant for a solid hour. During the second hour, it declined slowly, reaching 50% after two hours.
Selfbuilt used 3100mAh batteries in his tests, so runtimes should be longer on something like the
Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA 3500mAh.
Over the weekend, I saw the P36 on sale for $81 USD (but I forget where!). I paid $85 when I bought mine back in May.
