Visible beam dot > 12km.

[BShanahan14rulz]

Get into LED flashlights. Just as expensive, but more useful, and easier to find cheapo ones that perform just as well. It's still not gonna light up that mountain, but if you do your research, you'll find how to make lights that can do that. Not easy, not cheap, not pocketable, but still has that "reach out and touch" feel to it. But yeah, just get addicted to lights first.

My suggestion is to get a light that has a laser heatsink offered here (wf501b, "cree" c6, L2P) and use it as a light while you slowly accumulate parts for a laser build. I have a Solarforce L2 that I use all the time as a flashlight, but I have a heatsink that holds 12mm aixiz so that I can use it for my red, blue, and green lasers by just swapping out the module and replacing the light engine with the laser engine. L2P is a nice looking light, and relatively pricy for a "cheapie." Jayrob offers a kit for that host. The WF501b is very similar, with slightly lower metalwork but same functionality as the L2P. Radiant Electronics stocks heatsinks for that host. The C6 is a common host around here too, and you can find multiple sources for heatsinks for those. They are smaller, easier to carry, but create a larger hotspot because of the smaller reflector.

candlepowerforums or budgetlightforums are some good places to read up at. Have fun!

 

[Digital]

Get into LED flashlights. Just as expensive, but more useful, and easier to find cheapo ones that perform just as well. It's still not gonna light up that mountain, but if you do your research, you'll find how to make lights that can do that. Not easy, not cheap, not pocketable, but still has that "reach out and touch" feel to it. But yeah, just get addicted to lights first.

My suggestion is to get a light that has a laser heatsink offered here (wf501b, "cree" c6, L2P) and use it as a light while you slowly accumulate parts for a laser build. I have a Solarforce L2 that I use all the time as a flashlight, but I have a heatsink that holds 12mm aixiz so that I can use it for my red, blue, and green lasers by just swapping out the module and replacing the light engine with the laser engine. L2P is a nice looking light, and relatively pricy for a "cheapie." Jayrob offers a kit for that host. The WF501b is very similar, with slightly lower metalwork but same functionality as the L2P. Radiant Electronics stocks heatsinks for that host. The C6 is a common host around here too, and you can find multiple sources for heatsinks for those. They are smaller, easier to carry, but create a larger hotspot because of the smaller reflector.

candlepowerforums or budgetlightforums are some good places to read up at. Have fun!

..Or buy a deft edc lr+ and call that bizatch a day.
(on a side note having the lr+ next to the lazerer 400mw greenie you'd swear they are made by the same company with the same design cues)