I put the new flashlight on the bench and checked it out. It draws 325 milliamps on 3 fresh C cells, which equals about 1.5 watts. That is better than my 2 AA cell minimag. The beam is about twice as bright as my 4 D cell mag light, and the color is a lot more linear, so seeing colors is easier. Naturally, the primary beam does not change when the parabolic reflector is screwed in and out, but the backscatter is bright enough to see the halo around the beam spread and contract. With three C cells, the light should be good for a full 25 to 30 hours worth of continuous use.