Looking for a light that probably doesn't exist

Mostly throw. Some side spill is okay, but I don't want a useless halo around a center hot spot.

1" or 2.5 cm diameter.


5.5" (141 mm) OAL, maximum. What? Sunwayman just happens to have made an excellent pocket-sized light.


Tail switch only, with a crisp detent (not a lot of wobble and a positive "click")

Very simple UI: on-low-high-off, by default if possible, or by programming.

Pocket clip near the tail so the lens is facing down in pocket.


I would be fine with buying a pre-owned light, if it's in good condition.

Water-resistant (1m, 30 mins), drop resistant (2m or close to it).

LED source, but mostly because I believe they tolerate more shaking and rolling than other sources. I'm not going to use my light as a hammer (I have adjustable wrenches and Channelocks for that!), but where I work is mostly steel and concrete.

If it's not on the list, it's not an issue: battery type, body construction, beam color...


Well, I guess good CRI (85+) would be nice, but I can't think of too many reasons why I would need it. For now, I'm not going to worry about price, because I honestly don't believe the combination of UI and Lumens exists, in a factory light. I already have a hobby that involves a whole lot of tools and equipment, I don't want to start building flashlights, or having them built for me! But if you've made it this far, thanks for reading!

(Edit: not sure why there is an indent on the first two sentences, but I can't delete it. Don't use a word processor to pre-write your posts....)

Well, I just got a Surefire p2x defender (tactical is the same without strike bezel) a couple days ago. 500lm single output, mostly throw with some spill, excellent rear switch and very rugged. Seems to fit your description quite well, just no pocket clip. Shame SF doesn't make it anymore. But there is still the G2X and 6PX tactical. All of these can take 2x CR123 or 1x 16650 rechargeable. E2D defender is just what you described, including pocket clip, but double the brightness (1000lm). You could also get a Malkoff E series single output ~500lm head for it, then its perfect. Lumens factory also make E series single output heads with high CRI, but not quite as rugged as malkoff.

Otherwise; Malkoff single output MD2 with pocket clip (extra). Neutral white and warm white options should have quite high CRI too.

Build your own.. second a Malkoff, SST-20 4000k Hi Cri module is a good start

Thankya, gents! That answers my question....

I'm going to stick with my Sunwayman for now, though I don't want to sound ungrateful: a Surefire/Malkoff Lego light is a way forward, and it doesn't sound too difficult.

This happens to me with most things: I identify a list of features that I want, and a list of features I don't want, only to find that nothing on the market satisfies those requirements. That's how I ended up with a small collection of metalworking equipment. Right now, I'm looking at milling machines, and I know that if I start building flashlights, I will eventually end up with a lathe, soldering station, power supply, and a list of old flashlights that can be scavenged for parts!

Right now, and for a while longer, I don't want to slide down into another fabrication hobby. I am going to continue to read, learn, ask questions, and have quiet conversations with myself about Surefire lights on Ebay that I do not need to buy, just because they're a good price for something that looks like it could be used for parts.

I suggest an aspherical, there are plenty and you can swap led or driver or both, Ive done that multiple times

Shorttime said:

Thankya, gents! That answers my question....

I'm going to stick with my Sunwayman for now, though I don't want to sound ungrateful: a Surefire/Malkoff Lego light is a way forward, and it doesn't sound too difficult.

This happens to me with most things: I identify a list of features that I want, and a list of features I don't want, only to find that nothing on the market satisfies those requirements. That's how I ended up with a small collection of metalworking equipment. Right now, I'm looking at milling machines, and I know that if I start building flashlights, I will eventually end up with a lathe, soldering station, power supply, and a list of old flashlights that can be scavenged for parts!

Right now, and for a while longer, I don't want to slide down into another fabrication hobby. I am going to continue to read, learn, ask questions, and have quiet conversations with myself about Surefire lights on Ebay that I do not need to buy, just because they're a good price for something that looks like it could be used for parts.

Click to expand...

I too thought about going down that path of just making it myself, but I decided to wait and even though it has taken a while...I have found a few lights that are so close to what I envisioned that I now see it as more of a waste of my time to build something I don't actually need anymore. While I see your list and can think of a few lights that sort of meet the specs...none that haven't already been mentioned, meet it specifically.

I will suggest that a Wowtac A1S kinda fills the bill as is. It is one inch in diameter, the tail switch is stiff and simply on/off with momentary and there is a clip on the tail end for bezel down carry. The side switch is just a mode button to change from low, medium, high, turbo and strobe/SOS. The claimed 460 lumen high will run for five hours according to the manufacturer. I believe it would be close. While some will say that the side switch could be easily bumped and thus change modes unexpectedly, I don't agree as it is relatively flat. The thing I like most about it is the knurling actually works. It's comparable to the knurling on a Surefire 6P. It also uses a smooth reflector but I wouldn't call it a thrower.

The A7 from their line up is even smaller but it does have a USB charging port that might limit it's IPX rating, although a YouTuber called NotThursday did test it and had no issues. The A7 is definitely what I would call a thrower even for such a small light. It's high is only listed as 296 lumens but turbo is 1047 lumens. It also has a moonlight low of 0.5 lumen. It too uses a sideswitch to change modes but also has a light under the side button cover to indicate charge level and related stuff but the tail switch only turns it on/off with momentary. My only complaint about it is the ears that also act as lanyard attachment points and protect the main switch from bumps, have really sharp edges and while I haven't as yet managed to slice any flesh off of my thumb...I could see it happening at some point. The A7 also has the same fully functional and effective knurling. For the money, I would recommend giving them both a try.

Turns out, there is something "close enough" to make me happy.




Streamlight ProTac 2L-X, what is with these naming conventions?!

Pictured here, with my Sunwayman.




I need to get a camera tripod.

End view, showing very similar emitter sizes.




I am not sure about the long body of this pocket clip, but it seems skookum enough. I've seen aftermarket clips, and I will probably pick one up. The way things work for me, if I have a backup, I'll never need it.....




I did look at the Surefire Defender, but the big stepdown bothered me. I've noticed it with other lights of similar size and cell type, and it started me wondering if there is a barrier in either heat dissipation or energy density, that flashlights run into. This led me back to a review of the Defender, and a thread.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...der-1000-lumens-single-and-dual-outputs/page3

Where some people who are more knowledgeable than me opine that the "sweet spot" for CR123A/18650 lights is about 500 Lumens. The sheer number of lights out there is bewildering, so it was really good to have a solid number to start sorting through choices.

I didn't do a good job of sorting priorities in my original post, but I had to look through the suggestions before I noticed that. The pocket clip is just as important as the output for me, so the ProTac wins over the Defender.

There are three beam patterns for this light: all flood, all throw, and this, the hybrid flood/throw pattern. The difference is in the model numbers, an option I did not know about until I started looking more closely.

The knurling doesn't feel very aggressive, but maybe that's just me. It's enough to get the tail cap off, even though the pocket clip is in the way, so I guess it works.

At slightly less than $40, I feel that I got very good value for the money, but I'm fond of Streamlight, anyway. It will take some actual use to be sure.

Shorttime said:

Turns out, there is something "close enough" to make me happy.

Click to expand...

I didn't review your current light or requirements carefully, but you probably didn't go wrong with a 2L-X. Mine hasn't yet seen serious field duty / use 'in anger' (mostly just around home base), but I can say I like it enough that I'd buy one again tomorrow if I lost it. You also got SL's 'legit' FL-1 2-meter impact rating as you wanted, which is a big plus and is all too uncommon in the flashlight sector.

OP- Check out the Pelican 5050r.

desertrunner said:

OP- Check out the Pelican 5050r.

Click to expand...

Dude, did you by pelican stock today or something?? This is at least the 4th time I've seen you post about it today.