AutoZone had a display full of 1xAA flashlights that claimed 50L with 3h runtime. I was in a hurry, so I grabbed 2 out of curiosity without really looking at them. When I got home, I realized they're far more interesting than I had anticipated.
The head is wide for a AA light, perhaps 1.25". Has shallow crenelations, a deep looking reflector, and a single off-center LED. The body is translucent plastic with a metal tube running down the middle for the battery. The tail has 8 flats for anti-roll and the bottom is flat with three magnets in it and a recessed reverse clicky switch. It tailstands perfectly and is moderately anti-roll. The magnets are strong enough to hold the light to a flat metal surface in any orientation, but only if all 3 magnets can connect.
The light has 4 modes. Every time you interrupt power or turn it on, it advances to the next mode (annoying...but not unexpected from a $3 light).
Mode 1: regular flashlight. Probably not the advertised 50L, but at least 30L. The beam is ugly. Lots of rings, and while the hot spot and spill are both white, the corona is really, REALLY yellow. Clearly noticeable on any surface, not just white wall hunting.
Mode 2: white LEDs on the bottom inside edge of the head cause the plastic body to light up as a lantern. It isn't a good lantern, but it'll light up a card table.
Mode 3: like mode 2, but this time the LEDs are red. Too dim to be used as a lantern, but the light itself would be visible for some distance on a dark night.
Mode 4: like mode 3, but this time it's flashing 2 or 3 times a second. Clearly another beacon mode.
The light feels pretty solid. I haven't had any flickering issues in any modes, even when I shake it or smack it against my palm (I'm not going to do drop tests on a $3 light). The switch works well. I don't know anything about the driver, but it's clearly not direct drive since it runs on 1xAA and has multiple modes.
I'm sure it's a piece of junk, but it works. It would be better without the extra modes, but perhaps they add value for someone stranded on the side of the road.
--flatline
The head is wide for a AA light, perhaps 1.25". Has shallow crenelations, a deep looking reflector, and a single off-center LED. The body is translucent plastic with a metal tube running down the middle for the battery. The tail has 8 flats for anti-roll and the bottom is flat with three magnets in it and a recessed reverse clicky switch. It tailstands perfectly and is moderately anti-roll. The magnets are strong enough to hold the light to a flat metal surface in any orientation, but only if all 3 magnets can connect.
The light has 4 modes. Every time you interrupt power or turn it on, it advances to the next mode (annoying...but not unexpected from a $3 light).
Mode 1: regular flashlight. Probably not the advertised 50L, but at least 30L. The beam is ugly. Lots of rings, and while the hot spot and spill are both white, the corona is really, REALLY yellow. Clearly noticeable on any surface, not just white wall hunting.
Mode 2: white LEDs on the bottom inside edge of the head cause the plastic body to light up as a lantern. It isn't a good lantern, but it'll light up a card table.
Mode 3: like mode 2, but this time the LEDs are red. Too dim to be used as a lantern, but the light itself would be visible for some distance on a dark night.
Mode 4: like mode 3, but this time it's flashing 2 or 3 times a second. Clearly another beacon mode.
The light feels pretty solid. I haven't had any flickering issues in any modes, even when I shake it or smack it against my palm (I'm not going to do drop tests on a $3 light). The switch works well. I don't know anything about the driver, but it's clearly not direct drive since it runs on 1xAA and has multiple modes.
I'm sure it's a piece of junk, but it works. It would be better without the extra modes, but perhaps they add value for someone stranded on the side of the road.
--flatline
But for example with an aluminium, tail switch equipped light you can see it doesn't work that way: there's only a return path for the current (flashlight body), battery + switch complete the circuit. So there's no way to encode different modes mechanically as it would require more wiring. This limitation does not apply to lights with a side switch as in that case switch & electronics are in the same place so numerous wires could be running in between. In practice that's an on/off switch too, driver circuit determines how that is used.
