About BeamPicker
BeamPicker compares 314 flashlights from 32 brands on emitter, output, throw, runtime and battery format — and on beam shape, which is the specification that decides whether a light suits the job and the one nobody prints on the box.
Lumens are a bad way to buy a light
Peak lumens is the number every flashlight is sold on and close to the least useful one. It is measured at turn-on, held for thirty seconds, and bears little relation to what the light does ten minutes into a walk. A 2,000-lumen flood and a 2,000-lumen thrower are different tools for different jobs. We record output alongside candela, throw distance and sustained runtime, because the shape of the beam and how long it lasts are what you actually use.
How beam geometry is derived
Emitter, output, candela, runtime and battery format come from each manufacturer's published specifications for that exact configuration — which matters more here than in most categories, because the same model is often sold with several different emitters and the specs change completely between them.
Beam classification is derived from the relationship between candela and lumens rather than from marketing language, so “thrower” and “flood” mean the same thing across every light in the catalog. Where a rating is shown it is cited; where we could not source one, the field stays empty rather than being filled with a guess.
Who maintains the catalog
BeamPicker is maintained by two people. We own no integrating sphere and have never run a ceiling-bounce test, so every output and candela figure across these 314 lights is the manufacturer's own claim for that emitter option and is presented as a claim. Where somebody who does own a sphere has published a measurement, it is named on the page beside the factory number, because the gap between the two is often the most useful thing on the spec sheet. Owner impressions come from public enthusiast discussion and are labelled that way — they are not a measurement and are never printed as one.
Independence
A few links here pay us a commission if a sale follows, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. No manufacturer pays for placement or a better rating. A significant part of this catalog is enthusiast-brand gear sold direct from small makers who run no affiliate program at all — it earns us nothing and it stays, because leaving it out would misrepresent the category.