The Olight earned the win. Rated at 4,600 lumens, it
measured 5,491 at startup, held the 30-second lead at 5,377, and was still
producing 1,347 lumens after 15 minutes, all from a 207-gram body. Its battery
measured 4,820 mAh against a 5,000 mAh rating and delivered the most sustained
power in the test at 42.5 watts, with the LK360, ADDplus, and Acebeam Defender
P17 each topping 40 watts. The trade-off for all that light is runtime: at
$140, the Olight is the pick for maximum brightness, not marathon sessions.
The Acebeam Defender P17 finished second at 6.5 with a similar profile: 5,119
lumens at startup and 1,288 at 15 minutes for $120. Sustained output is a
different story — the $107 Streamlight beat every advertised number thrown at
it and was the brightest light after 15 minutes at 1,507 lumens.
For the money, the WindFire is the value pick. At $33 it tied the $80 Fenix
for third overall at 6.8, started at a legitimate 2,293 lumens, held 565 at 15
minutes, and its battery measured 4,640 mAh. The Fenix makes the opposite
case: at 148 grams it delivers big-flashlight output from a pocketable
tactical body, though it ran the hottest in the test at 160 degrees
Fahrenheit. Durability was a non-issue across the board: every light survived
the 2-meter drop, and the two that shut off on impact powered right back up.
The Blukar and ADDplus ran longest on their highest settings at 5 hours,
with several others reaching four and a half.
The cautionary tale is the spec-sheet arms race. The ADDplus, PHIXTON, Esgofo, Ike
Ruic, Alifa, and LK360 all claim 980,000 to 1,000,000 lumens; the best of them
measured 2,573 real lumens and most started under 1,000. Battery ratings
deserve the same skepticism — the PHIXTON and Esgofo each advertise 6,000 mAh and
measured 3,790 and 3,730 — and so do throw claims, which assume a barely
visible 0.25 lux; at a realistic 10 lux, the longest throw in the test was the
Skyfire at 108.3 meters. Buy on measured output, not the number on the box.