Recommend me a flashlight! 1xAAA, one-handed operation

Hi again folks, I'm back with another request for recommendations.

Here's the previous thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?221974-which-tiny-1xAAA-LED-light-should-I-buy

Based on recommendations from this forum back in 2009 i bought a Leatherman Serac S2. I used it for about 3 years and I was pretty happy with it. The light output was good and the "click on, half-click to change brightness, click off" user interface was fantastic. The light developed a flickering problem after a couple of years, which kind of sucked. And then recently, I lost it. So it's time for another light, and I need your help again to pick one!

I'll be using mostly rechargable (NiMH) AAA batteries, with occasional Alkalines.

I really want a light I can operate with one hand. Does that limit me to tail-clicky lights, or are there twisty-head lights that are quick & easy to operate one-handed?

I really want it to turn on to a low setting, and be quickly switchable to a high setting.

I want a work horse, not a pretty shelf queen.

I want to spend $75 or less, but I can pay more if there's a good reason to.

Help me CPF, you're my only hope!

Dude. I own a cheap a@@ ITP A3 which has slick body + head and simply put a small rubber band on the head (and wrapped it twice) to make it turn easier. Recently got a ThruNite Ti (low and high modes only) and can comfortably turn it on and off without the use of rubber bands. lol!

Are you still open to using a AAA "clicky" light? There are some inexpensive HypeTac AAA clicky penlights on the Shining Beam website. For example, the P1A:
* LED: Cree XP-G R5 LED, Max 90 Lumens
* Battery: 1x AAA alkaline or NIMH
* Materials: Aircraft aluminum with type III anodizing
* IPX8 waterproofing
* Color: Black
* Reflector: Orange peel
* Accessories: two spare O-ring

Output & Runtime:
Medium 28 lumens / 3.5 hours - High 90 lumens / 1.2 hours - Low 3 lumens / 40 hours

Operation:
Press the tail switch to turn on/off the flashlight
Chang brightness levels (medium - high - low)by pressing light tail switch
Flashlight will go to medium automatically for every start if turning light off over 5 secondsDimension: 11.3cm x 1.4cm
Weight: 19g (excluding battery)

titanium innovations iluminati or the maratac aaa are both good choices

Wow, lots of good-looking options, thanks folks.

I like that the ThruNite only has 2 brightness settings - I want "dim" and "bright", and I don't want the other stuff to get in the way. How is it for one-handed operation? It's been years since I used a twisty.

The HypeTac P1A has pretty much the same UI as the Leatherman Serac S2 I'm used to. Any information on the longevity of the tail clicky switch?

MaraTac AAA and Titanium Innovations Illuminati: Criminy, 115 lumens! Is that number right?! Or are these Chinese lumens, which are 0.6x relative to the western unit of the same name? How are the twisty caps on these ones?

Looks like $25 goes a long way in little flashlights these days.

Any other lights I should look at before I make my choice?

I have the older version of the 1XAAA Maratac. I cannot recommend it enough. I'm sure the updated output is that much better. A very unobtrusive EDC light.

Just got my DQG III in the mail today. One of the smallest 1 AAA lights I've seen, 2 modes (5lm + 60lm), and has a great beam for close to mid range lighting. The head does seem a bit loose and the thread area looks really thin but should be fine since it is stainless steel. I can use it well with one hand with the light in my keys.

The 4Sevens Preon P0 is similar but the P0 is a pure flood light but has two modes. The other Preons might work well for you too.

What type of beam do you prefer?

Wow, the DQG III is tiny!

I don't know enough so say what beam type I prefer.

The two main use cases for my EDC light are:

1. Walk around my darkened house while my family is sleeping, without stepping on any legos or toy cars.

2. Work in a dark corner/crawl space/electronics enclosure, usually holding the light in my mouth to free both hands.

I guess use case 1 wants low light output and a wide beam, and use case 2 wants high light output and a focused beam. I think no LED light has adjustable beam width, so I should buy something with a medium spread to split the difference here.

The Fenix LD01 looks nice, but again with the twisty cap.

The Peak Eiger looks nice, and is available with an optional tail switch. It's got a feature I've never seen before, continuously variable output. Here's a demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKY5A03q-Vs
It seems like it'd be hard to keep a steady light level (other than full on or full off) with the tail switch.

The 4Sevens Preon P0 is similar but the P0 is a pure flood light and only 1 mode.

Click to expand...

Huh? it's 2 mode. and it's even a mm shorter than the dqg

Not sure how I forgot that. It is smallre and looks better IMO, but I liked the beam of the DQG more.

The Liteflux LF2XT has a tail switch and is a programmable light (A lot of clicks needed to program it) but I'm not sure how good availability is right now and it probably won't have the latest and greatest LED.

sprokker said:

The HypeTac P1A has pretty much the same UI as the Leatherman Serac S2 I'm used to. Any information on the longevity of the tail clicky switch?

Looks like $25 goes a long way in little flashlights these days.

Click to expand...

HypeTac, HypeTac, Hype--Tac!

I'm, like, a cheerleader these days. It's, like, a great light. Like, buy it. Like, love it!



Honestly though there are a lot of lights that are very close in quality these days, but this is the only one I can speak for.

I keep it clipped to my polo shirt collar 24/7 and I must use it 20-30 times a day. It's just always right there for me.

It's build quality and finish is on par with fenix. it's tint is very white. it's clicky works just fine, I think I've had mine for 6 months.



the only downside to the light is the pwm, the lower levels can make a shimmer when you shine it on reflective things
the trade off is the 3 lumen level is still perfectly white, when a current-regulated light would get a green tint at lower levels

I hated the pwm the first day I had it.. after a week I hated it.. after two weeks I got used to it, it's a great light, and I don't even notice the pwm now.


Edit:

"2. Work in a dark corner/crawl space/electronics enclosure, usually holding the light in my mouth to free both hands."

Click to expand...

that's how I use this light 90 % of the time.. so gross...

but it's also very easy to wash in the sink !

I got the Thrunite TI, it arrived today. >$20, shipped.

It's shorter than the Leatherman Serac S2, and twisty instead of clicky. The head and body are well knurled, making one-handed operation easy, which is a key issue for me. It's about as bright as the S2, maybe a little dimmer. The light has a greenish tint that's going to take some getting used to.

Thanks for all the input, folks!