I went and waved it around the yard last night. Bear in mind that we are surrounded by pine woods starting 30 to 40 yds from the house, and no light looks too deeply into the woods (because the bright trees in the foreground keep you from seeing the dimmer, further areas). The next time we're camping in an open area it will be fun to try it again.
It's bright, no surprise there. It has a bright center and a fairly abrupt transition to a dimmer spill area. Personally, I would prefer a 'floodier' beam, with a less abrupt boundary between the center and edges. For me, anyway, if you are looking at an object in the bright center it's easier to miss something in the dimmer edges than if the beam is more diffuse. My sense is that a light with this many lumens can light up 50 or 100 yds pretty well with a fairly floody beam, and that is likely far enough for most situations that might be a justifiable defensive shooting. It would be different, maybe, if you were hunting coyotes or something - horses for courses. And of course, you can write what I know about using rifles at night with a crayon on a matchbook. Maybe a super bright center is good for disrupting an opponents vision or something.
ETA: I like the 21700 battery size - 50% more electrons than a 18650, but doesn't feel bulky at all (it shouldn't it's only 3mm bigger in diameter). I hope more handhelds use them.
I only compared it to one other light, a 'Nitecore new P30', which is an uber thrower. It had a hot spot that was noticeably brighter and narrower ...duh.