What is a very bright single AAA light?

Brian321

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Ok i recently bought a ITP A3 and i am very impressed with the output for a single AAA light. Now i would like to buy the brightest AAA light that is still small like the ITP A3. I dont care about runtime or price, I just want the brightest and one that is good quality. Now my question to you guys is What is it?

Thanks.
 

hoongern

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If by AAA you mean Alkaline/NiMh/1.8V lithiums, then you're not going to be able to get anything much brighter than what you already have. Maybe just a little bit - get something with an XP-G R5 - they'll all be of similar brightness.

But if you start including the AAA sized 10440 Li-Ions (3.7V), then you can perhaps go for a Liteflux LF2XT XP-G. If you are fine with 10440 Li-Ions, make sure you get a light which specifically says it is compatible with 3.7V Li-Ions.
 

sol-leks

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I would go with the liteflux as mentioned above. My gripe with it is it seems a bit big imo, but it is one of the only AAA lights I know of that is really designed to take 10440's. You can of course use a 10440 in your ITP, but the liteflux will function better with it. Although maybe that is not worth the price and you should then just get the 10440's and a charger for them.
 

HKJ

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According to Selfbuilt, whose reviews I rely upon above all others, the 4Sevens Preon is brightest on alkaline or NiMH, and the Titanium Innovations IlluminaTi is brightest on 10440.

Here's your link: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/256314

Good hunting!

And the Fenix LD01 XP-E is brighter than both, but by a very small amount.
The LF2XT on LiIon is even brighter.

I have compared them here.
And even more AAA lights here.
 

hoongern

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Are you thinking of going the 10440 path?

PLEASE NOTE that this is a potentially very DANGEROUS path. At the end of the day, the decision is yours, but remember that using 10440s on lights that do not *specifically* support them properly can be a huge risk - the risk of having your flashlight explode and possibly injure you very badly.
 

Brian321

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Are you thinking of going the 10440 path?

PLEASE NOTE that this is a potentially very DANGEROUS path. At the end of the day, the decision is yours, but remember that using 10440s on lights that do not *specifically* support them properly can be a huge risk - the risk of having your flashlight explode and possibly injure you very badly.

I was thinking about it but im not sure i want to yet. I dont want my light to go :poof:.
 

jenskh

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Are you thinking of going the 10440 path?

PLEASE NOTE that this is a potentially very DANGEROUS path. At the end of the day, the decision is yours, but remember that using 10440s on lights that do not *specifically* support them properly can be a huge risk - the risk of having your flashlight explode and possibly injure you very badly.
Do you know how many that has been badly injured by a 10440?
 

tucolino

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Are you thinking of going the 10440 path?

PLEASE NOTE that this is a potentially very DANGEROUS path. At the end of the day, the decision is yours, but remember that using 10440s on lights that do not *specifically* support them properly can be a huge risk - the risk of having your flashlight explode and possibly injure you very badly.

for that reason,i recommend the peak eiger,number 8 brightness.it supports 10440,can choose alu,brass or stainless steel,single mode...
it is using now the xp-g r5 led
 

Brian321

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for that reason,i recommend the peak eiger,number 8 brightness.it supports 10440,can choose alu,brass or stainless steel,single mode...
it is using now the xp-g r5 led
That light looks good, but how many lumens is 130 to 500 candlepower? Thats what is says the output is. Also are these good quality? Plus isnt that one kind of big for a single AAA? Thanks.
 
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hoongern

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Do you know how many that has been badly injured by a 10440?

To answer that, no, I don't know anyone. But I know people have been injured by other exploding Li-Ions of the same chemistry, or if you remember, the exploding iTP EOS with an alkaline.

Running a 10440 at ~1amp is seriously outside of its maximum specifications. Manufacturers don't impose limits for nothing - it is for a reason - that it can be potentially dangerous if you exceed them. For me, it's not about whether someone has gotten injured before, but about keeping safe (Not talking about keeping the light safe here, but ourselves)

At the end of the day, it's up to us if we want to take the risk - which is fine - but I feel that it is our duty that we have at least been informed of the possible dangers. After that, if we choose to still go ahead, at least we know what may happen and can take more steps to keep an eye out when using our lights.
 

Databyter

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I've been wondering about overdriving a AAA as well and I have some comments and questions.

I've noticed that the explosive force venting or explosions that are fairly rare but serious are usually preceded by an error by the user or a defect of a light component and that this predominantly occurs with multiple cell Li ions.

The reverse charging under high load of one cell to another is a main cause of explosive venting. This can be caused by mismatched batteries or charge levels.

For purposes of this thread we are assuming a single cell, overdriven a bit perhaps but it can't get to a reverse polarity forced charge and vent situation.

I assume a single cell Li Ion is much more safe even when being used against recommendations, and although they too can vent if for instance you get them shorted out somehow, overcharge them (this isn't in the light so leave it out as a problem), or run them with too much current load.

Yes, it can get hot and vent if you are using your AAA light for long periods, but if you just want to dazzle yourself intermittantly and with the knowledge that this is an overdrive (and use lower levels on your light) then I think the worst that could happen is that it gets very hot, starts to vent, and maybe vents in a way that damages your light.

I haven't heard of a single cell explosion like you would get with a multiple cell reverse polarity type rapid explosive venting where the body of the light itself is subjected to so much force you have shrapnel detonation.

I'm guessing the worst that would happen with a single cell is the head popping off or a broken lens/reflector damage.

Am I wrong?

I'm considering getting a Illuminati TI which I probably would not overdrive because of the heat dissapation with titanium, although I might use lower levels and high for a few seconds I suppose. But the one I was thinking of buying to overdrive was the LD01, It should dissipate the heat well, and if used for less than a minute at a time (actually it's rare for me to use any light for longer than 30 seconds), which is my habit, I think it's fairly safe, although of course, you can't say it is proper use or completely safe.

Am I right that single cell Li Ions are much safer? and that lower time usage should be fine?

Of course I know the side issue is that the LED life will be shorter (but still relatively long)
 
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richardcpf

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Li-ion cells dont explode that easily, and when they do, it's mostly because of short circuit and not overheat.

Manufacturers recommend avoid using 10440 because it can (in rare cases) shorten the life of the LED bulb or even burning it, and they don't want that being covered by warranty.

I've been through many AAA flashlights and I used li-ions battery with all of them withouth having any problems. Of course you should know when to turn it off or cool it down when it gets too hot to hold.

Haven't tested the iliminati yet but the Fenix LD01 SS is my brightest AAA light so far, reaching similar output of my CR123 lights.
 

42

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I've been running my Preon I on a 10440 and it works well. It's brighter than a Preon II and while it gets pretty warm, it doesn't get insanely hot. I get about 25 min on a full charge which is about half the advertised runtime on a standard AAA.
 
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