Tiny, lightweight, simple, single AA EDC

[robert.t]

Short version:

An Eagletac D25A Ti clicky without all the flashy modes.

Long version:

Ideally, 2 to 4 standard modes, with a simple UI. Must be high-efficiency LED, but don't care which. Total output not important, but must have a fairly respectable lumen-hours per battery by 2014 standards; on max it should be bright enough for typical urban use, e.g., dog walking in an unlit area. The intention is to run it on lithium primaries (e.g., Energiser Lithium), so don't care about the output on Li-Ion as it'll never be used.

Must be a clicky not a twisty, although twisting the head to select modes with the clicky for on/off only would be ideal, since it prevents accidental mode changes. For instance, the Thrunite T10S is out, because it looks perfect on paper but I've got one and the UI is too finicky - too many ways to change modes and it often does so unexpectedly. This must have a simple, solid, reliable, KISS operation.

While not preferred, I will accept flashing modes as long as they are hidden - the Eagletac would be perfect were it not for the fact that the strobe/SOS modes are not hidden (in fact, while hidden strobe is completely pointless, hidden SOS and locator signals are actually a worthwhile feature as they could turn out to be useful in an emergency some day; they just should not be in the main UI). Aside from that, the size, quality and reliability of the Eagletac are all perfect. Reverse clicky is also fine as it's not for any tactical application.

Side button instead of a tail clicky would also be acceptable, although not preferred. Not sure if they even exist at this size anyway.

Nice to have (not essential):
- Polished or brushed steel, titanium, copper, brass or coloured anodising. Basically "looks pretty".
- Waterproof (e.g. IPX-8)

Price not too important but preferably less than, or in the approximate ballpark of, the D25A Ti.

 

[MBentz]

I can tell you that you won't find something as small as the D25A, at least in that price range. Most of todays 1x AA lights are so thick they may as well have used CR123 cells. The blinky modes on the D25A only activate once you've gone through the normal modes twice, meaning it takes the initial click on, followed by six half presses to get to the first blinky mode. Quickly turning the light off then on gets you back to the start of the sequence. How many times are you switching modes?

 

[schizeckinosy]

Except for size, the Quark tactical meets your criteria. It did come in Ti a while back if you are lucky enough to pick one up on the used market.

 

[reppans]

While not preferred, I will accept flashing modes as long as they are hidden - the Eagletac would be perfect were it not for the fact that the strobe/SOS modes are not hidden (in fact, while hidden strobe is completely pointless, hidden SOS and locator signals are actually a worthwhile feature as they could turn out to be useful in an emergency some day; they just should not be in the main UI).

Although I'm with schizeckinosy on the Quarks, the D25s DO HAVE hidden blinkies. The trick with them is to utilize the ultra-short ~0.7 second reset time - ie, just use a short half-press to increase lumens and long half-press (~0.7 sec) to decrease lumens and you'll never hit the blinkies.

Wish the Quark Pro UIs had short resets (but it's still a better a light IMHO).

 

[mcnair55]

I have two similar lights to what you are looking for and both bought in UK trade stores.One was bought in a Farm Supplies centre and the other in an electronic type store similar to the US&A Radio Shack.

I make a habit of buying in trade stores and i save a huge amount of money buying non branded by hobby standard lights.I can even buy Fenix from our local power boat stiore and as i am known to them now get an automatic 10% discount.

 

[robert.t]

I have two similar lights to what you are looking for and both bought in UK trade stores.One was bought in a Farm Supplies centre and the other in an electronic type store similar to the US&A Radio Shack.

Any specifics? I'm in the UK so will probably know the place you're talking about. Are they branded with model numbers or just something they happened to have in stock on the day with no guarantee I'd be able to find the same one?

 

[robert.t]

I can tell you that you won't find something as small as the D25A, at least in that price range. Most of todays 1x AA lights are so thick they may as well have used CR123 cells.

Yeah I've found quite a few like that and it's really annoying. It needs to be small, but I'm looking for something with more practical runtimes than a AAA light. However I would go to AAA before going to anything significantly bigger than the Thrunite T10S. Slightly longer isn't so bad but extra diameter adds a significant amount of bulk and weight for an EDC.

The blinky modes on the D25A only activate once you've gone through the normal modes twice, meaning it takes the initial click on, followed by six half presses to get to the first blinky mode. Quickly turning the light off then on gets you back to the start of the sequence. How many times are you switching modes?

It's not for me so it's really just a question of minimising any potentially surprising behaviour that could be off-putting and result in it ending up in a drawer not being used. Since the flashy modes won't be used, it's a lot better if they can't be activated by mistake. Accidentally strobing yourself at night can be pretty annoying.

 

[robert.t]

Except for size, the Quark tactical meets your criteria. It did come in Ti a while back if you are lucky enough to pick one up on the used market.

This might do the job actually, doesn't look too big although I'll need to check I've got the measurements right. Just to check I understand the UI correctly: you programme in two modes, one of which is active with the head tight and the other with the head loose; the clicky acts as an on/off only. Correct?

What about the QPA? If the UI is also straightforward then it might be better as it can tail stand and a tactical momentary clicky isn't essential. I think it's slightly shorter as well.

 

[robert.t]

What about the QPA?

Nevermind, I managed to find the manual on the Foursevens site and it's essentially the same UI as the D25A.

 

[MojaveMoon07]

Check out (link) my post/review of the Fenix E12. After that, if it sounds promising to you, then you can scroll back up the screen to the runtime graphs and see if it is still the right model for you. The E12 comes the closest to what I've been looking for for my everday needs. According to fenixlighting.com, the E12 is 3.5" x 0.75" and weighs 1.0 oz (excluding battery)

 

[mcnair55]

Any specifics? I'm in the UK so will probably know the place you're talking about. Are they branded with model numbers or just something they happened to have in stock on the day with no guarantee I'd be able to find the same one?

Maplins have a nice little AAA clicky for not much money,had mine a good couple of years now and works a treat,try and get into Costco they had a right good deal last year on a pack of 5 pen lights with the Snap On logo for just over £20.Machine mart are now doing own label but not tried there's yet.A name to look out for is Defender they are popping up in various stores and i have a nice single AA from them with a clicky.

 

[schizeckinosy]

This might do the job actually, doesn't look too big although I'll need to check I've got the measurements right. Just to check I understand the UI correctly: you programme in two modes, one of which is active with the head tight and the other with the head loose; the clicky acts as an on/off only. Correct?

What about the QPA? If the UI is also straightforward then it might be better as it can tail stand and a tactical momentary clicky isn't essential. I think it's slightly shorter as well.

Your description of the UI is correct - You can also use the QPA tailcap on the QTA no problem. They are available as an accessory.

 

[robert.t]

You can also use the QPA tailcap on the QTA no problem. They are available as an accessory.

If you do that, do you get the QPA interface, or the QTA interface with the clicky in reverse?

 

[robert.t]

Maplins have a nice little AAA clicky for not much money,had mine a good couple of years now and works a treat

Is this the one?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/miniature-cree-led-torch-a93kf

Looks OK for a AAA, but I'm really looking for a AA. There's also the Tank007 TK703 in AAA which is pretty solid, about the same price and doesn't have the crenelated bezel (which I'm not convinced is a good idea), although the TK703 is single-mode only. I seem to have misplaced mine unfortunately.

A name to look out for is Defender they are popping up in various stores and i have a nice single AA from them with a clicky.

Have you seen this online anywhere? I managed to find the brand (I think) but they seem to be mainly work lights/lamps. I couldn't even find it on their site, although there is a not-very-through mention in the PDF brochure:

http://www.defenderlights.co.uk/download-brochure/

If that's the only one then it looks a bit too chunky.

 

[varg]

I was recommended the Thrunite T10S in my thread here and I am very happy with it. It fits most of your criteria well, not sure about its UK availability though.

 

[boanerges]

I just purchased a Fenix LD12, and it sounds like this might suits your needs, except for the "pretty" factor! I love mine. It throws adequate light, the beam spread is wide enough to give good area illumination for riding your bike, and is very simple to use!

 

[schizeckinosy]

If you do that, do you get the QPA interface, or the QTA interface with the clicky in reverse?

The interface is in the head, so you can use any tail with the QTA and still get the tactical interface, except of course you lose momentary with the reverse clicky. I tend to use the QPA with the QTA tailcap because I like the forward clicky and don't care about tailstanding much!

 

[mcnair55]

Is this the one?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/miniature-cree-led-torch-a93kf

Looks OK for a AAA, but I'm really looking for a AA. There's also the Tank007 TK703 in AAA which is pretty solid, about the same price and doesn't have the crenelated bezel (which I'm not convinced is a good idea), although the TK703 is single-mode only. I seem to have misplaced mine unfortunately.



Have you seen this online anywhere? I managed to find the brand (I think) but they seem to be mainly work lights/lamps. I couldn't even find it on their site, although there is a not-very-through mention in the PDF brochure:

http://www.defenderlights.co.uk/download-brochure/

If that's the only one then it looks a bit too chunky.

Yes to the Maplins light,i use mine a lot as not many AAA clickys about.You have the right website for the Defenders but there web site is a total disgrace as they have more lights than shown,mine is a nice single AA.

 

[robert.t]

I was recommended the Thrunite T10S in my thread here and I am very happy with it. It fits most of your criteria well, not sure about its UK availability though.

It doesn't meet my "Not the Thrunite 10S" criteria though

As mentioned in the OP, I have one. Got it from "ThruNite store" on Amazon UK for £30. I like it, but it's not in the same league as the D25A Ti. The only thing that's really wrong with it (putting aside that it's a bit chunkier and much heavier because of the steel body) is that the the mode selection is pretty random. It's often described as twist to select modes, which would be great, but unfortunately modes are also changed by a half-press of the clicky, or a full on/off in under 2 seconds. There's really no need for so much duplication. I find that it's way too easy to switch modes unintentionally with an accidental half-click (which might not be a problem if the switch wasn't so sensitive), or by turning it off and on too quickly. It's a pity because I really like it apart from that (especially the reassuring "clunk" that the steel clicky makes). This is for someone else though and usability is key: the Thrunite just doesn't cut it in that regard. The Eagletac has too many blinky modes IMO, but at least it's completely predictable, so it would be my preference out of the two any day of the week, despite the considerably higher price.

It certainly meets the size criteria though and it's surprising how few others do. Most seem to be at least 23mm diameter, which is a massive increase in volume compared to the 18mm D25A. That 28% increase in diameter equates to a 64% increase in volume, assuming the same length.

 

[robert.t]

I just purchased a Fenix LD12, and it sounds like this might suits your needs, except for the "pretty" factor! I love mine. It throws adequate light, the beam spread is wide enough to give good area illumination for riding your bike, and is very simple to use!

I'll give that some thought, although it's not perfect. At 21.5mm diameter it's a fair bit bigger than the D25A, smaller than a lot of others, but only marginally smaller than the Quark, which probably has a better UI (especially given the options discussed above for swapping the tail caps). I don't have a directly comparable Fenix, but I do have a Nitecore P12 and TBH, having a side button for mode selection is a bit of a pain compared to unscrewing the head or having a magnetic ring, as those are all accessible regardless of orientation. With a side button, you always have to locate it, which is especially tricky one-handed if you just used a thumb to operate the tail switch, as you will almost certainly have to change grip to use the other button and in doing so, lose any sense of orientation you may have had. Using the clip as a locator helps, but it's a bit of a fudge.

I'm also not a big fan of crenelated bezels: they don't really serve any practical purpose but do present a hazard to the user as well as tending to make holes in pockets, which isn't ideal in a pocket-sized EDC.