Throw or Spill?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

For my part I prefer spill, as I don't really need a long range light for the most part, and need as much light in an enclosed space as possible

But what about you guy's?

[Benner]

Really depends on the task at hand.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Really depends on the task at hand.

But if you could only have one?

[Styerman]

Throw is for impressing lackies , a hotspot with side spill is a good compromise for EDC .
No need to blind the crews of low flying aircraft .

Chris

[Benner]

Really depends on the task at hand.

But if you could only have one?

I own an A2 so I don't have to make that choice. 

[NutSAK]

For my EDC light, I prefer a floody beam with a wide spill, but if I'm out on my property at night looking for something, I prefer more throw.   I will go further and say that I prefer floody beams when working with a light at close to medium ranges, and a throwy one when working with light at long ranges.  All of my lights have some combination of throw and spill though. 

flood<>spill.  I think a better way to phrase the question is, "Do you prefer a throwy light, or a floody light", and also for what purpose.  I define a floody light as one that has a low ratio of output difference between the center of the beam (spot) and the spill of the beam.  The spot of a floody light will usually "blend" into the spill, whereas a throwy one will have a more abrupt transition from spot to spill.

[cgk]

Im a lackie    I like throw....I do live by some woods so spotting deer is a hobbie, thus a throw for distance.  I must admit that I also like throw for the wow factor.

[Gareth]

Im a lackie    I like throw....I do live by some woods so spotting deer is a hobbie, thus a throw for distance.  I must admit that I also like throw for the wow factor.

another lackie here.   I actually like to have both but if it had to be only one then a throwy light would have to be it. 

What would you prefer: 

can't see everything beside you?  Have to move your torch around a bit.

can't see the thing that's 100m away?  Have to walk a 100m to go and have a look. 

I'm just no that into pointless walking.

[NutSAK]

If I had to select just one, I suppose I would select a light that has a good combination of spot and spill, such as a Quark or a Fenix L2D.

However...  I would never limit myself to one beam profile, so I'll stick with carrying a floody light and keeping the throwers accessible in my bag and in the house and vehicles.

[space cowboy]

The Arc AAA & the Gerber Infinity Ultra come in mind. Both have good spots or throw & realy good spill beams. Kind of best of both worlds IMO.

[NutSAK]

The Arc AAA & the Gerber Infinity Ultra come in mind. Both have good spots or throw & realy good spill beams. Kind of best of both worlds IMO.

I would add the Novatac to that list also.  I find the Novatac's beam to be similar to the GIU, except the spill is narrower on the Novatac, due to the deep reflector.

I consider the three to be fairly "floody".

[nuphoria]

Hmm.... throw or spill sounds like a choice you have to make about a drink 

Throw - great big showy throwy sun cannon please 

[Mr. Whippy]

If a light doesn't have good throw, there's not a lot you can do about improving it. 

Poor spill? well that can be remedied...

[Blackbeard]

I need both, throw for finding house numbers when I'm stuck doing a call at night, climbing through attics etc, and flood for working on stupid hvac units, no vote for me

[rp252]

If a light doesn't have good throw, there's not a lot you can do about improving it. 

Poor spill? well that can be remedied...

I like throwers, but a bit of spill never hurt anyone

[Spoonrobot]

I prefer more throw than spill but still like a balanced beam. If I need more spill I can pop a piece of tap over the lens and be in business, conversely there's no good way to make a light with a lot of spill throw further. (Disregarding aspherics because they require a lot of work to function correctly and aren't a easy to implement solution.)

[Blackbeard]

i throw 5-6 lights, 2 multis, 2 SAKs, and a folder in my backpack and I'm good to go. More is better than less

[NutSAK]

i throw 5-6 lights, 2 multis, 2 SAKs, and a folder in my backpack and I'm good to go. More is better than less

That's great, as long as they don't spill out. 

  

[Blackbeard]

i throw 5-6 lights, 2 multis, 2 SAKs, and a folder in my backpack and I'm good to go. More is better than less

That's great, as long as they don't spill out. 

  

Very punny 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

i throw 5-6 lights, 2 multis, 2 SAKs, and a folder in my backpack and I'm good to go. More is better than less

That's great, as long as they don't spill out. 

  

Oh dear

[ACHË]

Gave my vote to spill but generally agree with the idea that they both have applications.

However; floody lights can throw very well...they just need a LOT of power...Like a SSC P7 with 3 Amps going through it. or a SST-50/90.

For EDC & close up work(under 15 ft.)for me normally it's flood.

[prime77]

I prefer more throw than spill but still like a balanced beam. If I need more spill I can pop a piece of tap over the lens and be in business, conversely there's no good way to make a light with a lot of spill throw further. (Disregarding aspherics because they require a lot of work to function correctly and aren't a easy to implement solution.)

Big +1 on this Spoonrobot. You can always make a throwy light floody with a diffuser of some type.

[2xTap]

I like a decent balance of both but my main need in any flashlight is flood, if nothing else a light needs alot of bright spill. I need the ability to light up a large area, or an entire room, more than I'll ever need to spot something way off in the distance in the middle of the night.

2xTap