Your favorite light format?

[idleprocess]

A difficult question with many answers

1x AAA - Great for keychain carry and the only true "EDC" for me in the sense that's it's always on my person every time I leave the house.

1x AA - Great for carrying in a bag or casually stuffing in a pocket. Triple the power density of a AAA with significantly better current capabilities for small lights that can produce a few lumens for many hours on end or 100+ lumens for an hour. Bonus if it can handle 14500's

2x 123A / 1x 18650 - Great for high performance lights with a more comforting form-factor in terms of diameter and overall length with an even greater breadth of performance than 1x AA. For me, these must be able to run on 18650's in addition to 123A's since it's not particularly challenging mechanically or electrically to make this happen for LED.

 

[cal..45]

1xAA(14500) or 1xCr123(16350) - anything else turned out not to be suitable for EDC and sits more on a shelf than somewhere else.


cheers

 

[BillSWPA]

A similar poll appeared not too long ago, and at that time I voted 2xCR123. This time, I voted 1xCR123. I have always felt that 2xCR123 offered a very good balance of output, run time, and easy of carry. Lately, however, I find that the light in my pocket is more often than not a 1xCR123 light.

This forum, as well as various recent negative experiences with leaking alkaline batteries, is making me take a good look at rechargeables, starting with NiMH in AA and AAA format. While I still like the power/size of lithium primaries, the typical short runtimes on high and cost of batteries has caused me to become quite disciplined in my flashlight use. The ability to have whatever output I want for however long I want at minimal cost is quite appealing. In the near future, it may get less and less easy to pick a favorite.

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

18650 is the best lithium ion cell. It is the most popular size. 2x CR123A can often be used in a pinch on most single cell 18650 as well. Not a fan of CR123A. But, nice to know that if 18650s go Dodo bird, there's always that.

 

[LightWalker]

I chose 18650, I like the runtime they provide in a fairly easy to carry light but l usually EDC a Fourseven Quark with a 17670 in it.

 

[Devildude]

A similar poll appeared not too long ago, and at that time I voted 2xCR123. This time, I voted 1xCR123. I have always felt that 2xCR123 offered a very good balance of output, run time, and easy of carry. Lately, however, I find that the light in my pocket is more often than not a 1xCR123 light.

This forum, as well as various recent negative experiences with leaking alkaline batteries, is making me take a good look at rechargeables, starting with NiMH in AA and AAA format. While I still like the power/size of lithium primaries, the typical short runtimes on high and cost of batteries has caused me to become quite disciplined in my flashlight use. The ability to have whatever output I want for however long I want at minimal cost is quite appealing. In the near future, it may get less and less easy to pick a favorite.

There are a few lights out there now that take AA's and have a wide range of outputs that are equal to many 18650 lights.

 

[JohnGribbin]

What lights do this

 

[Theron]

18650, but I hope 26650 becomes popular.

I want a Prometheus Alpha with a 26650 body.

 

[HaileStorm]

1x18650 for a very bakanced output and runtime. A close second would be 1x16340 for edc.

 

[Canada]

I EDC a AAA, but I prefer 1x cr123 size when I have a little more place on me.

When I go out at night I bring a 2x cr123 with me


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[creyc]

A single AA-sized light is about the most I can comfortably carry everyday, regardless of dress and not feeling like I'm getting ready to go camping. Sometimes I can get away with a single CR123A-sized light, like if I'm testing something new, but I can usually notice I'm carrying it then. This often means I'll remove it for comfort when sitting at my desk, something that goes against my EDC philosophy of always having a light at the ready in the same place without thinking about it. Larger lights mess that up for me.

With an IMR 14500 in my D25A I can get nearly 500 lumens on turbo for a short amount of time, and although I rarely get out of medium most of the time, its nice to have the option.

 

[turkeylord]

I'm getting away from lithium primarys. A: They're too expensive. B: They're not easy to get a hold of in a pinch. C: They're disposable & I'd rather recharge.

I EDC a AA format light with a 14500. Great output, compact, rechargeable, and can use ubiquitous Alkaline AAs for backup.

My Zebralight H60w is small enough to pocket carry - I wish there were more 18650 lights that size. I've got an H600w MK II on order, we'll see how that does in the pocket...

 

[Panoptic]

My daily carry is an Eagletac D25LC2 XM-L U2 CW, and I just ordered a TX25C2 XM-L2 U2 NW. I like the power and runtime that 18650 provides, but I try to stay semi-compact so it's comfortable to carry clipped to a pants pocket.

 

[välineurheilija]

I voted single 18650 but only if it can take 2 cr123 too.

 

[wjv]

The single AA or single CR123

It's kind of hard to complain that an ITP A2 or a 47's Mini-ML is too bulky. . . .

On average thought the CR123s seem to have ~2x the lumens of the AA lights.

 

[HaileStorm]

18650s are great as long as I only carry them when I'm at the beach. I prefer 1xrcr123s for edc since I dont mind topping then off when I get home at night. They're unlike 18650s which take ages to charge albeit in the exchange of runtime.

 

[f22shift]

can we redo this but allow multiple answers?

i picked 16340 because it was something in between. generally i do not need a light on a daily basis so if i use one i just don't need runtime. so 16340 was my choice.

for me the 18650 format is the ultimate. size to weight to power output to runtime, it's the best compromise. if i NEED a flashlight then i will carry one in that format.

i always have a aaa/10440 light on me year round. it's on my keychain.

if i think about it. aa/14500 is superior to the 16340 size. 14500 li-ion when you need output. aa nimh when you need runtime.

 

[Wiggle]

can we redo this but allow multiple answers?
...
for me the 18650 format is the ultimate. size to weight to power output to runtime, it's the best compromise. if i NEED a flashlight then i will carry one in that format.
...
if i think about it. aa/14500 is superior to the 16340 size. 14500 li-ion when you need output. aa nimh when you need runtime.

Agree completely with both of these sentences. 18650 is what I want if I know I will definitely use a light.

For the 14500 vs 16340 I feel the same too. I see it like this, the 14500 Li-ion has more capacity than the 16340 even though mAh rating from manufacturer. You get the option of NiMH, L91 (which has comparable Wh to CR123) and alks in a pinch. I also find single 16340 lights too short usually to hold comfortably. And for the odd one that is longer, I'd much rather just go 18650 at that point.

 

[weez82]

Right now all I've been carrying is a 1xcr123 light. Either the MiNi123 or the Quark 123 without clip. Even when I go camping or hiking those are the lights I've been taking. 1xAA is a close second though. I'll be using that format more in the coming month. Im going to be moving closer to work and will get rid of my car and use my bike for transport. I have the Two Fish bike mount and use a Xeno E03 as the bike light. So next month my go to format is 1xAA. But I'll still have my MiNi or Quark in the backpack

 

[suner]

Nitecore NL186 18650 Battery suitable for camera, watch and other electronic devices