Why are 2xAA lights so ugly?

Traglite

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I love the idea of the Fenix L2D-CE...longer life, hi turbo mode, etc. But the light just doesn't look good. Its just not as clean looking as the L1D. Am I alone here? Also why can't manufacturers make a side by side AA light? That would fit the hand nice and be pocketable. Comments?
 

LED_Thrift

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I agree with you opinion of the L2D-CE completely. The specs on the output & runtime are fantastic, but it looks like such a kluge job of stuck together pipes. Of course, I usually don't care what something looks like, as long as it works well. I almost bought one today, but will probably hold off until something similar comes along with a better form. Hopefully made in USA.

I also totally agree that a side by side 2AA would be a great form factor. Due to manufacturing costs, it would probably have to be made out of plastic though. The side by side 4AAs are great lights [UK 4AA eLED & SL PP Lux], but not very easy to put in your pocket.
 

Outdoors Fanatic

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They should stick with the cleaner and sexier design of the original L2P. Although I think 2XCR123 lights are generally much more attractive designs.
 

VidPro

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LED_Thrift said:
but it looks like such a kluge job of stuck together pipes. .

lol. that pretty much explains it

what i dont understand about the NORMAL fenix stuff, is why make squared off sides, on a round battery holding things, wouldnt the light be much smaller if they didnt waste metal like that? its round, just make it round, is that so flipping difficult for these people :)
 

Lite_me

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Traglite said:
I love the idea of the Fenix L2D-CE...longer life, hi turbo mode, etc. But the light just doesn't look good. Its just not as clean looking as the L1D. Am I alone here? Also why can't manufacturers make a side by side AA light? That would fit the hand nice and be pocketable. Comments?
Yeah... with a head size to match. Wouldn't be as pocketable though. How bout a rectangular head/reflector the size of the 2 AA side by side body.... that would cast a broad beam of light for covering a wide area at once. Would that be cool? Maybe not. :shrug:
 

2xTrinity

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Lite_me said:
Yeah... with a head size to match. Wouldn't be as pocketable though. How bout a rectangular head/reflector the size of the 2 AA side by side body.... that would cast a broad beam of light for covering a wide area at once. Would that be cool? Maybe not. :shrug:
This isn't actually too bad of an idea -- they could project light more horizontally, similar to HID headlight projectors, which would be more useful for lighitng up big areas/walkways -- "conical" projections can waste a lot of light up into space when you want to light a long walkway ahead of you.
 

Lobo

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I really don't know why they abandoned the design of the original L2P. Maybe they thought the less symetric look was more "tactical", and one problem I noticed was how hard it is to tell the head from the top when it's in your pocket. Anyhow, I think it's hard to make a 2AA light look attractive, they are just to thin compared to their length. 1AA lights and 1 and 2 CR123 lights looks much better. However I prefer 2AA due to the performance, and that is usually most important to me. Not to say I would mind a beautiful light. :)
 

Illum

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Lobo said:
I really don't know why they abandoned the design of the original L2P. Maybe they thought the less symetric look was more "tactical", and one problem I noticed was how hard it is to tell the head from the top when it's in your pocket.

I loved the L2P design though....
I've had my share of stupidity pushing on the bezel...trying to figure out why the clickys so rigid and why cant I activate the light:ohgeez:
 

Flying Turtle

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I'd like to see a side-by-side 2 AA, too. I guess it would be pretty expensive, relatively, to machine such a beast out of aluminum.

Geoff
 

HarveyRich

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I thought so too until I purchased one of the l2d-ce lites. It really doesn't look that ugly in person. I've grown quite fond of it, even on aesthetic grounds.
 

havand

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Flying Turtle said:
I'd like to see a side-by-side 2 AA, too. I guess it would be pretty expensive, relatively, to machine such a beast out of aluminum.

Geoff


I DON'T have a similar design open in solidworks right now....:whistle: Some obstacles to be had that i'm working on (such as trying very hard to not produce a spy AA clone ) ;)
 

Denny Francisco

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I would really like to see a side-by-side 2xAA, made of plastic, of course. Manufacturers have missed the boat on this design. It would not roll, it would fit nicely in the pocket, it would not scratch surfaces, and it would not have to be expensive. Put a Cree or Luxeon in it with a 3-stage clicky and you would have a flashlight good for many purposes from very bright to a long-lasting dim beam. The innards of a Black Diamond Zenix IQ could be used for such a design. Why not?
 

InfidelCastro

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I'll never understand why some people prefer the slippery, overly fat L2P body, compared to the newer slightly knurled and slimmer L2T/L2D styles. The only conclusion I can come to is that these people don't actually use the lights.

I do not have an easy time holding short lights in my hand, and my hands are not that big. I would probably find a side by side 2AA light a bit too short and awkward. But it's an interesting concept.
 
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TORCH_BOY

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I agree with you about the Fenix L2D-CE,
But not all 2AA lights are ugly the Fenix L2-P looks nice
and so does the Longbow ECO
 

yellow

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* plastic and high led power, even with those cooler running Cree and SSC is a No-Go
* side-by-side will raise production cost very much (thats probably the main reason for the new style 2AA body - less machining)

I d get a 2 AA side by side D-CE Fenix instantly
 

PhantomPhoton

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I agree on the Fenix looking horrible. I like the L2P body a lot more than the other ones. Beyond that there are few other 2XAA lights out there. A random one from Nuwai, Minimags, Chinese knockoffs, etc. I don't think the 2AA form factor is very popular tbh.
 
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