While there certainly are flashlights with a single beam that can be zoomed between floodlight and spotlight output, the L1 takes a different (and reportedly better) approach. It has two separate beams on its one head, which rotates 180 degrees.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the L1 is manufactured by Hong Kong company Luxbeak.
Using two separate buttons on the back of the black-anodized aircraft aluminum flashlight, users can activate either the Throw (aka spot) or Flood beam – or even both at once. Each of those beams can in turn be pointed either straight forward or at a right angle relative to the rest of the flashlight.
According to the designers, utilizing two optimized beams in this fashion results in less light loss than using a single zoomable beam.
The L1's Throw beam features a Luminus SST-40 LED that puts out a maximum of 2,000 lumens and has a throw distance of 304 meters (997 ft). It can be set to Low, Medium, High, Turbo, Strobe and SOS output modes, with battery life ranging from a claimed seven hours at Turbo to 60 hours at Low.
The 175-degree Flood beam has an Osram P9 LED which puts out up to 1,000 lumens and can be set to High, Medium and Low modes. Battery life ranges from 6.5 to 90 hours. A small indicator light changes from blue to red and then begins flashing to indicate that the 4,800-mAh lithium battery is getting low. A full USB charge takes 2.5 hours.
Along with simply being held in one's hand, the L1 can also be stuck to ferromagnetic surfaces via a magnet in its base, or fastened to clothing, backpack straps, etc via an integrated clip. It can additionally be used as a power bank, if charging a device such as a phone is a priority.
The whole thing reportedly tips the scales at 170 grams (6 oz) and is IP68 water resistant – that means it can withstand being submerged to a maximum depth of 1.5 m (4.9 ft) for up to 30 minutes.
Assuming everything goes according to plan, a pledge of US$45 will get you an L1 flashlight of your own. The planned retail price is $58.
It's demonstrated in the video below.
Source: Kickstarter
