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Flashlights · Who measures them

The flashlight reviewers who measure, and what they measure

Direct answer: of the nine testers who publish their own flashlight readings, ZeroAir and 1Lumen have the biggest archives, more than 1,000 write-ups each, and measure lumens, runtime, throw and color. Project Farm has the biggest audience: 3.93 million subscribers on Sep 24, 2026.

Who measures what: 9 flashlight testers against four readingsZeroAir, 1Lumen, Grizzly's Reviews, Tim McMahon, Zak Reviews: lumens and runtime and throw and color. Project Farm: lumens and runtime and throw. Torque Test Channel: lumens and runtime. FLASHAHOLIC: lumens and throw. Cheule's Flashlight Reviews: lumens and color.LumensRuntimeThrowColorREVIEW SITESZeroAir: jump to the entry1ZeroAirZeroAir: lumens published in the reviews checkedZeroAir: runtime published in the reviews checkedZeroAir: throw published in the reviews checkedZeroAir: color published in the reviews checked1Lumen: jump to the entry21Lumen1Lumen: lumens published in the reviews checked1Lumen: runtime published in the reviews checked1Lumen: throw published in the reviews checked1Lumen: color published in the reviews checkedGrizzly's Reviews: jump to the entry3Grizzly's ReviewsGrizzly's Reviews: lumens published in the reviews checkedGrizzly's Reviews: runtime published in the reviews checkedGrizzly's Reviews: throw published in the reviews checkedGrizzly's Reviews: color published in the reviews checkedTim McMahon: jump to the entry4Tim McMahonTim McMahon: lumens published in the reviews checkedTim McMahon: runtime published in the reviews checkedTim McMahon: throw published in the reviews checkedTim McMahon: color published in the reviews checkedZak Reviews: jump to the entry5Zak ReviewsZak Reviews: lumens published in the reviews checkedZak Reviews: runtime published in the reviews checkedZak Reviews: throw published in the reviews checkedZak Reviews: color published in the reviews checkedYOUTUBEProject Farm: jump to the entry1Project FarmProject Farm: lumens published in the reviews checkedProject Farm: runtime published in the reviews checkedProject Farm: throw published in the reviews checkedProject Farm: color not stated in the reviews checkedTorque Test Channel: jump to the entry2Torque Test ChannelTorque Test Channel: lumens published in the reviews checkedTorque Test Channel: runtime published in the reviews checkedTorque Test Channel: throw not stated in the reviews checkedTorque Test Channel: color not stated in the reviews checkedFLASHAHOLIC: jump to the entry3FLASHAHOLICFLASHAHOLIC: lumens published in the reviews checkedFLASHAHOLIC: runtime not stated in the reviews checkedFLASHAHOLIC: throw published in the reviews checkedFLASHAHOLIC: color not stated in the reviews checkedCheule's Flashlight Reviews: jump to the entry4CheuleCheule's Flashlight Reviews: lumens published in the reviews checkedCheule's Flashlight Reviews: runtime not stated in the reviews checkedCheule's Flashlight Reviews: throw not stated in the reviews checkedCheule's Flashlight Reviews: color published in the reviews checkedin the reviews checkednot stated there
Who measures what · read from each tester’s own reviews, Sep 24, 2026

I don’t watch the flashlight reviewers typically, but I do watch reviewers that cover flashlights regularly. I do watch Project Farm a lot. This list is a count, not my favorites.

Published: Sep 29, 2026 Numbers checked: Sep 24, 2026

Review sites: all five publish lumens, runtime, throw and color

1 · 1,230 flashlight posts

ZeroAir Website

Who: A reviewer who goes by ZeroAir. He started reviewing on r/flashlight, then moved to his own site. He also covers chargers, knives and watches.

Measures: Lumens at 30 seconds, shown next to the claim as a percentage; some mode tables add a turn-on reading. Throw worked out from a lux reading at 30 seconds. Runtime and charging graphs. CRI and color temperature reports.

How: In his words, hobbyist-level equipment, some of it home-made. He calls a 10 to 15 percent gap from the maker’s number perfectly reasonable.

How often: 89 flashlight posts since Sep 24, 2025. Newest post Sep 23, 2026. Archive back to Sep 2015.

The Wuben X4 I own: 1,138 lumens at turn-on, 839 at 30 seconds, 179 m of throw. Their X4 review · mine.

On this site: My flashlights guide cites it as a source.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: About page · E2 Pulse review · category count · X4 review

2 · 1,032 published reviews

1Lumen Website and YouTube

Who: A team site. The owner, Marco, is in the Netherlands; the other reviewers are in the US and the UK.

Measures: Lumens at turn-on, 30 seconds and 10 minutes. Throw from a lux reading at 30 seconds, taken at 5 or 10 meters depending on the reviewer. Runtime graphs and charge time. CRI and color temperature.

How: The rig depends on the reviewer. The Speras M4 v3 review used a 50 cm home-made integrating sphere with a REED R8100SD logging light meter, a Dr. Meter LX1330B for throw at 10 meters and an Opple Light Master IV for color. The Wuben X4 review used a home-made lumen tube with a VEML7700 sensor, a UNI-T UT383 BT for throw at 5 meters and an Opple Light Master for color. The X4 reviewer calibrated with a light 1Lumen provided; the Speras reviewer with an S2+ that 1Lumen calibrated.

How often: 137 new reviews since Sep 24, 2025, 35 of them since Jun 26, 2026. Newest Sep 23, 2026. The site itself says 10 to 15 a month.

The Wuben X4 I own: 1,460 lumens at turn-on, 1,053 at 30 seconds, 178 m of throw. Their X4 review · mine.

On this site: My flashlights guide cites it as a source.

Also: YouTube

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: About page · X4 review · Speras M4 v3 review · review index · YouTube channel

3 · 175 posts, 173 of them reviews

Grizzly’s Reviews Website

Who: Tactical Grizzly, who has also written reviews for 1Lumen.

Measures: Lumens and candela at turn-on, throw, CRI, color temperature and tint, runtime graphs.

How: Lumens in a Texas Ace 3.5-inch lumen tube. Candela at 10 meters on an Opple Light Master III. Color on the same Opple with a duv calculator. Runtime with the Ceilingbounce phone app. None of it is professional equipment, in the site’s own words.

How often: 25 posts since Sep 24, 2025. Newest Aug 17, 2026. Archive back to Aug 2021.

The Wuben X4 I own: 1,300 lumens at turn-on, 214 m of throw. Their X4 review · mine.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: home page · Wuben X5 review · X4 review

4 · 154 posts tagged review

Tim McMahon Website and YouTube

Who: A software developer in Melbourne, Australia, who tests, modifies and repairs torches.

Measures: Lumens at turn-on, 30 seconds and 10 minutes. Throw from a lux reading. Runtime graphs. CRI, color temperature and tint.

How: A DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor, which he says may be off by 10 percent. Runtimes logged with his fork of bmengineer’s RuTiTe project. Lux on a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Color on an Opple Light Master Pro III.

How often: 28 new reviews since Sep 24, 2025: 27 lights and one power bank. Newest Sep 11, 2026.

Also: YouTube (TorchHacker)

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: home page · Wuben E2 review · review tag page · YouTube channel

5 · 75 published reviews

Zak Reviews Website

Who: Zak, who wrote Ceilingbounce, the Android app behind the black-and-yellow runtime graphs in many flashlight reviews. r/flashlight’s sidebar links the app.

Measures: Estimated lumens and throw, runtime to 80, 50 and 10 percent, efficiency in lumens per watt, current draw. Color temperature, tint, CRI, R9 and R12.

How: Color from an X-Rite i1Pro spectrophotometer. Lumens and throw are labelled estimates from the reviewer’s own test equipment; the review checked does not name that meter.

How often: 5 new reviews since Sep 24, 2025, the newest on Dec 31, 2025. The seasonal Arbitrary List of Popular Flashlights was updated Aug 12, 2026.

Also: Ceilingbounce

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: home page · Skilhunt M150 v4 review · review index · Ceilingbounce post · Ceilingbounce README

YouTube: the two biggest channels are tool testers

1 · 3.93M subscribers

Project Farm YouTube

From me: I watch Project Farm a lot.

Who: A tool-testing channel that runs head-to-head tests. Flashlights come up now and then.

Measures: Brightness at turn-on, 30 seconds and 15 minutes, maximum runtime, calculated throw, battery capacity and current, drop tests.

How: The video text lists what was tested but does not name the meters.

How often: Flashlight tests on Jun 21, 2026 (18 brands) and Jul 20, 2025 (19 brands). Headlamps on Oct 20, 2024.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: channel page · Jun 2026 test · Jul 2025 test · headlamp test

2 · 627K subscribers

Torque Test Channel YouTube

Who: A tool-testing channel. Its Light Test series checks lumen claims.

Measures: Lumens, lumens over runtime, drop tests.

How: A DIY integrating sphere the channel built for the first Light Test episode in May 2021.

How often: Latest flashlight episode Oct 17, 2025, on clip lights.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: channel page · Light Test episode 1 · 2023 flashlight test · Oct 2025 clip-light test

3 · 50.6K subscribers

FLASHAHOLIC YouTube

Who: A flashlight review channel filmed in 4K HDR.

Measures: Lumens and candela, with throw in meters.

How: Readings are listed in the video descriptions, for example ‘I measured 1042 lumens / 28623cd (338m)’. The meters are not named.

How often: 15 uploads between Sep 1 and Sep 24, 2026. 11 of those descriptions list measured lumens.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: channel page · uploads · Sunwayman P1000 video

4 · 23.2K subscribers

Cheule’s Flashlight Reviews YouTube

Who: A flashlight enthusiast channel with reviews and modding tips.

Measures: Lumens, in a Lumen Test chapter of the full reviews. Color temperature, tint (duv) and CRI, in a CCT & Tint chapter.

How: A 2021 video looks at the Texas_Ace calibrated lumen tube, which reads lumens without a multiplier. Neither review from April 2026 names the lumen meter in the video text. In the Baton 4 Pro review, the color readings show on screen on a Sekonic C-800-U color meter.

How often: Latest full reviews with a lumen test: Apr 10 and Apr 15, 2026. Since then: a size and beam comparison (Apr 16), a first-impressions video (Sep 19) and four shorts.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: channel page · uploads · Baton 4 Pro review · CCT & Tint chapter · TIP3 review · lumen tube video

Forums and Reddit: r/flashlight is the biggest

1 · about 286K members

r/flashlight Reddit community

Who: Reddit’s flashlight community.

Size: About 286,000 members per the GummySearch tracker, updated Sep 19, 2026.

What you find there: Its sidebar links the Ceilingbounce app for making your own runtime graphs, a recommendation form, and outside sites including BudgetLightForum, Candle Power Forums, lygte-info.dk and parametrek. Its wiki lists 1Lumen, zeroair.org, zakreviews.com and Selfbuilt’s reviews.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: GummySearch · reddapi · sidebar (archived Sep 1, 2026) · wiki (archived Apr 18, 2026)

2 · 75,890 members

Candle Power Forums Forum

Who: A flashlight forum with a Flashlight Reviews board of 4.5K threads.

Size: 75,890 members and 329,741 threads, from the forum’s own stats box.

What you find there: Member reviews. What gets measured depends on the member.

How often: 11 new threads on the Flashlight Reviews board since Jun 26, 2026, 9 of them from one member, ro.ma.

Also: Flashlight Reviews board

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: forum stats · Flashlight Reviews board

3 · 41,901 accounts

BudgetLightForum Forum

Who: An enthusiast flashlight forum. ZeroAir, Grizzly and Tim McMahon have all posted reviews there.

Size: 41,901 registered accounts, 923 active in the 30 days to Sep 24, 2026, from the forum’s About page.

What you find there: Member reviews, filed under a ‘review’ tag. Several reviewers post readings from home-built lumen tubes and spheres, and a 2024 thread lined up four reviewers’ lumen readings of the same light.

How often: 97 review-tagged topics since Jun 26, 2026, 8,238 in all.

On this site: My flashlights guide cites worrub918’s X4 review, SammysHP’s FC11C runtime and the Opple meter thread from here.

Also: Review tag

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: About page · review tag · BLF comparison thread

3,177 lights listed

Parametrek Database

Who: A free search tool for flashlight specs.

Size: 3,177 lights in its data file; the newest entries are dated 2024.

What you find there: It lists the makers’ numbers, taken from official sites, not measurements. Useful to shortlist lights, then check them against the testers above.

How often: No lights dated 2025 or 2026 in the data file.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: home page · brand rules

One model, three meters: all five Wuben X4 lumen readings fall short of 1,500

Three of the testers above measured the Wuben X4, the flashlight I bought and reviewed. Their numbers differ because the timing, the rig and the unit differ: Grizzly reads at turn-on; ZeroAir and 1Lumen read at both.

Wuben claims 1,500 lumens and 205 m of throw. CRI is on the brightest front mode.

Tester30 sTurn-onThrowCRI
1Lumen1,0531,460178 m64.8
ZeroAir8391,138179 m66(from report image)
Grizzly’s Reviews—1,300214 m62

At turn-on the three readings run from 1,138 to 1,460 lumens. At 30 seconds the two readings are 214 lumens apart. All five land under the 1,500 on the box. Throw agrees within 2 meters where both testers read at 30 seconds (1Lumen and ZeroAir); Grizzly’s 214 m is a turn-on reading. Compare a light to its own claim on one tester’s rig, not across rigs.

Affiliate links below earn this site a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My X4 reviewWuben X4 on Amazon

No longer active, still worth reading

Selfbuilt’s Flashlight Reviews. Detailed runtime graphs, plus method pages on the lightbox and the tests behind them. The newest review is dated Sep 18, 2024, and the YouTube channel’s newest upload Jul 17, 2023, so the site is outside the 12-month window. The r/flashlight wiki, as archived in April 2026, lists it.

Sources, checked Sep 24, 2026: home page · YouTube channel

Independent testers only, each group ranked by its own count

On the list: independent testers who publish their own lumen, runtime, throw or color readings and posted in the 12 months before Sep 24, 2026. Brand and store channels are left out.

Each group is ranked by its own count (posts, subscribers, members), so a rank compares only within its group.

Quick answers: start with ZeroAir and 1Lumen

Which flashlight reviewer is the most accurate?
Nobody can tell from the outside, because there is no common standard across reviewers. In 2024 a BudgetLightForum member lined up four reviewers’ lumen readings of the same model, the Wurkkos TS23. They sat within about 10 percent of their average, and some reviewers read high or low across the board. ZeroAir calls a 10 to 15 percent gap from the maker’s claim perfectly reasonable. The safe way to use their numbers: compare a light with its own claim on one rig.
Where can I find a flashlight’s real lumen numbers?
Search ZeroAir and 1Lumen first: they have the biggest archives, more than 1,000 write-ups each. If neither has the light, search BudgetLightForum’s review tag, then the YouTube channels.
Is parametrek a test site?
No. It is a search tool built from makers’ published specs, so its lumen and throw numbers are claims. It is good for finding candidates by size, battery and output, and its newest entries are from 2024.
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