Longest Lasting 1200 lumen flashlight

Inspector Jerry

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Need small (like an Olight M21) flashlight with longest lasting 1200 lumen operation. Does not have to be tactical.

18650 battery or newer 21700 needed.

I hate the ones that advertise 6 bajillion lumens that only last about a minute, then cut to under 500 lumens or less.

Thanks!
 

Snulfur

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I reckon one of the newer Nitecore's is a few choices at least. Plenty around the 1200 lumen range together with 21700 batteries. Head over to their website and scout out some of them and see if it's something you like.
They give options of double back switches, head switch with back switch and just head switch, so there is plenty to choose from.
 

Hooked on Fenix

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Nitecore MH10 v2. This like all compact lights will drop in output once it heats up on highest setting. You need a light with much more mass (heat sinking) if you want it to stay regulated at 1200 lumens. Using the light in the cold will help as well.
 

1313

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Zebralight SC700d will do 945 lumens for 2 hours per one of the reviews on blf.
 

Whitelight1

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Olight seeker 2 pro runs 110 minutes @1200 lumens, then drops to 600 lumens for 30 more minutes.
 

lightfooted

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So you are saying that you need around 1200 lumens for more than 4 minutes?
 

Whitelight1

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So you are saying that you need around 1200 lumens for more than 4 minutes?

I do all the time. LOL. I hike with 1200 lumens or more with an Olight seeker 2 pro, or a Malkoff Wildcat V6 or Hound Dog Super. I like to see far enough ahead I can drop anything walking if need be at 50 to 100 yards with a Glock 20 with Underwood Ammo.
 

prof student

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check out the Convoy M3, it`s nothing fancy in terms of UI or looks, but it`s a workhorse!


What about a 900 lumen light that would be sized as an EDC, with that time of duration without overheating? I use a Fenix TK09 2016, so ok carrying something around that size anyway.


(as far as I have read, the eye won't really be able to tell a discernable difference between 900 or 1200 lumens - BUT, the 900 will produce less heat & run longer than at 1,200)
 

Swedpat

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What about a 900 lumen light that would be sized as an EDC, with that time of duration without overheating? I use a Fenix TK09 2016, so ok carrying something around that size anyway.


(as far as I have read, the eye won't really be able to tell a discernable difference between 900 or 1200 lumens - BUT, the 900 will produce less heat & run longer than at 1,200)

I was earlier interested in TK09 but never found a review with runtime graph neither of the 450 or 900lm version.
 

Katherine Alicia

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What about a 900 lumen light that would be sized as an EDC, with that time of duration without overheating? I use a Fenix TK09 2016, so ok carrying something around that size anyway.


(as far as I have read, the eye won't really be able to tell a discernable difference between 900 or 1200 lumens - BUT, the 900 will produce less heat & run longer than at 1,200)


I guess that would be up to the OP, but I know the M3 will do 1400lm (level 3) without breaking a sweat and will have a good runtime with it`s 26650 batt. I use mine regularly sometimes as a make-up light if the bathroom`s full, so a sustained 1200lm really isn`t an issue for these lights :)
 

prof student

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I was earlier interested in TK09 but never found a review with runtime graph neither of the 450 or 900lm version.


Hmm....dunno what happened to me response I posted already......


The TK09 is digital regulated.
Temp control on High.

On high, it goes in 5 minutes increments. Its temperature moderated. When it steps down to medium, you can go back to high again for 5 minutes or until the temperature gets too hot & steps down, which ever comes first. Accumulated runtime on high is over 1.25 hours, IIRC using a 3,300mAh battery.

On medium, its not supposed to overheat, so it can put out 450 lumens for 4.5 hours IIRC using a 3,300 mAh battery.
 

prof student

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I guess that would be up to the OP, but I know the M3 will do 1400lm (level 3) without breaking a sweat and will have a good runtime with it`s 26650 batt. I use mine regularly sometimes as a make-up light if the bathroom`s full, so a sustained 1200lm really isn`t an issue for these lights :)

Dunno if you know this for sure, but in terms of a light that's not that wide like the M3, I read that the C8+ XPL-HI can run fully at 1,000 lumens & it doesn't overheat/step down?
 

Katherine Alicia

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it wouldn`t surprise me at all if the C8 could do that, it has a lot of Alu in there compared to say a little 18650 tube like the S1 or S2+ type lights. But the C8 is also a Thrower (quite a good one too for the money) and because of that it`s not really what you`d call a general purpose light, though there Are mods that can be done to give a lot more spill.
 

Swedpat

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Hmm....dunno what happened to me response I posted already......


The TK09 is digital regulated.
Temp control on High.

On high, it goes in 5 minutes increments. Its temperature moderated. When it steps down to medium, you can go back to high again for 5 minutes or until the temperature gets too hot & steps down, which ever comes first. Accumulated runtime on high is over 1.25 hours, IIRC using a 3,300mAh battery.

On medium, its not supposed to overheat, so it can put out 450 lumens for 4.5 hours IIRC using a 3,300 mAh battery.

Thanks for the information! :thumbsup:
 

WalkIntoTheLight

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it wouldn`t surprise me at all if the C8 could do that, it has a lot of Alu in there compared to say a little 18650 tube like the S1 or S2+ type lights. But the C8 is also a Thrower (quite a good one too for the money) and because of that it`s not really what you`d call a general purpose light, though there Are mods that can be done to give a lot more spill.

Yes, you can run a C8 at 1200 lumens without it overheating. However, you pretty-much have to go direct drive to get that, and as the battery depletes so will the output. So, you're limited not by heat, but by the battery voltage. If you could find a boost driver for the C8 body, then it would be interesting to see if it would overheat during the 45 to 60 minutes of run time you'd get.
 

Inspector Jerry

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Thanks all. Since someone mentioned you can't tell much of a difference between 800 lumens and 1200, I went with the Olight M2R Warrior. Lasts almost two hours at 800 lumen, and still has 1800 turbo.
If you haven't tried it (it replaced the prior Warrior using the 18650 battery), it's really nice. Side switch and tail switch with several combinations of power settings. a bit of a learning curve, but nothing 10 minutes of playtime can't handle.
 

WalkIntoTheLight

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Well, there is a big difference between 800 and 1200 lumens, IMO. But, it's not going to be enough to make it useless. It's just that 800 lumens doesn't have as much "wow" factor. 800 lumens will be much more efficient, so it's a better output for long runtimes.
 

aginthelaw

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I've been playing with my shelf queens lately, olight sr52's. They run 1200 lumens, but they're 3 cell lights, probably bulkier than you want
 

prof student

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it wouldn`t surprise me at all if the C8 could do that, it has a lot of Alu in there compared to say a little 18650 tube like the S1 or S2+ type lights. But the C8 is also a Thrower (quite a good one too for the money) and because of that it`s not really what you`d call a general purpose light, though there Are mods that can be done to give a lot more spill.

What mods would those be?
 
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