Rechargable only.
I found a couple of posts on CPF (
one,
two ), but the pictures are no longer valid.
Note the reference to MAGWA01160 in the post is a Maglight customized with the Welch Allen 01160 bulb and I think a custom rechargable battery pack).
Here are the highlights:
The MAG Charger with a Welch-Allyn 01160 super bulb, 1/2D Powerstreams and UCL was the outright winner. No other flashlight in the group even came close to the MAGWA in the spot department while the Streamlight SL-20X body with SL-35X reflector rated at 450 lumens gave the MAGWA a little bit of a workout when it came to flood.
-Streamlight's TL-3 is the brightest performer for its size.
-I was a bit disappointed with the Tiger Light FBOP. Though it performed well in the subjective tests, the lux meter did not agree with it. I may have a less then optimal reflector but it is what it is.
-The Streamlight SL-35X reflector is very impressive. It should be as it's rated at 450 lumens.
-The big daddy, King-of-the-Hill, the MAGWA01660 is just tremendous. Once you have seen this 550+ lumen flashlight, all others pale in comparison.
** I thought that the 20-watt SL-35X would be the "brightest", and was surprised by the TigerLight, which consequently slightly overexposed its beam shot picture.
The 35X has a very big beam, but doesn't throw as far as I thought it would. All that extra wattage apparently goes into the rather diffuse hotspot.
My rough estimate is that the SL-35X is quite reasonable at 50 yards, and of course illuminates a very large area. In comparison, I'd say my Magcharger is good to 120 yards.
So, after you considering rechargables, and me doing a bit of reading, I few more options come to mind:
1) Tigerlight
2) Magcharger
After doing a bit of looking for the WA bulb upgrade, I think #2 is the way to go. More specifically with the the addition of the WA replacement bulb. It sounds like the WA bulb is a direct replacement for the Magcharger and you don't need to upgrade the battery pack unless you want.
-john