Great experiment and write up, wolfepack! That's an interesting GHB simulation.

I guess you hit on the inescapable conclusion that generally one-size-does-NOT-fit-all. A tight, intense beam is best for long distance spotting, but is counter-productive for seeing what's at your feet. A more diffuse beam lights up your immediate path nicely, but doesn't have the reach to illuminate distant objects. Then there's the headlamp versus handheld trade-offs that you also ran into.

The Fenix E01 is definitely a workhorse light that is a good EDC choice IMHO because of its size, durability and performance. But none of these lights that use these small bare 5mm LEDs are really meant to illuminate distant objects except for lights that have some sort of optical lens that can concentrate their beams, and even then, a 5mm LED doesn't create THAT much light anyway.

The Tikka Plus is also a great headlamp and headlamps can be very useful, particularly when you need both hands to do something.

Maybe I missed this explanation in your GHB thread, but is it wise to simulate a scenario of getting home in the dark through a collapsed downtown? Personally, if the Big One hits us here in California and there's that much rubble in some downtown area that I was in, I think my general plan would be to wait till daylight to travel in such conditions. Just too many unstable things either below my feet or above my head that you can't see well at night, especially when you could be encountering more serious aftershocks as you're travelling. A turned ankle, a laceration, or a bonk on the head from a falling object could quickly make your situation a lot more difficult than it was.

Obviously, if there's only a small stretch of rubble like this along your route, that's a different situation. But if it's obvious that you're talking about blocks and blocks of it, then I would most likely hunker down or perhaps think of a route, even if longer, that would be safer, but that's just me.

Again, nice job!