Recommendations for Good Quality Good Value Single AAA Keychain Flashlights?

Picking up some headlamps and a few lights and my last flashlight purchase was years ago. Nice to see that brightness and battery life have really improved. What are some good quality good value single AAA keychain flashlights you recommend? By good quality/value I'm referring to lights that may not be the very top for performance and highest quality controls but are generally very good at reasonable prices.

I'm thinking flashlights like the iTP A3 EOS, ThruNite single AAA keychain flashlights, etc. Not familiar with what's out there now and appreciate your suggestions.

I do understand that you are prioritizing "value" over cost, but a specific price range would help focus appropriate suggestions for you here.

I have no hesitation in recommending the Ultratac K18.

I have two brass versions and find them to be very good. The Aluminium versions are very reasonable by most people's standards. They also have the advantage of taking different AAA-sized cell chemistry. ie. Alkaline, Ni-Mh, 10440 li-ions.

archimedes said:

I do understand that you are prioritizing "value" over cost, but a specific price range would help focus appropriate suggestions for you here.

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Value is a function of the build quality, performance and features not just price - I'm not looking at a set price point but rather lights that offer surprisingly good quality, performance and features for their cost. A $15 light and a $40 light can both be very good values depending on what they offer. For an AAA keychain light I don't need the very best highest cost models out there.

I find good (or better) value in the Peak Eiger, UniVex AAA (discontinued), and SureFire Titan Plus.

Although I think there is also very good value in the LF2XT, its discontinued status and current (secondary market) pricing make it impractical for me personally to choose that for EDC.

all these lights are available with High CRI Nichia:
http://www.mankerlight.com/manker-e01-aaa-flashlight-102-lumen-nichia-219b-led/

http://www.mankerlight.com/manker-e02-best-aaa-flashlight-220-lumen-right-angle-light/

https://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_637197.html?

my favorite:
https://countycomm.com/collections/aaa-flashlights/products/copper-maratac-aaa-flashlight-rev-3



if you want cool white low cri, I like the Olight i3s, great threads, great modes
https://olightworld.com/led-flashlights/all-flashlights/olight-i3s-eos

about low modes
I like the 0.5 low of the Olight
I do not care for the 0,07 low of the Manker E01
I do like the adjustable low of the Manker E02
The Tool and Maratac have lows of 3 lumens, I wish there was a lower mode, but I really like these lights, in part because they are available in Copper.

There is a cool white Thrunite in Titanium, I don't recommend it due to very gritty threads, and personally I don't like the 0.04 low first, and its too low. They are available in stainless w neutral white option, if you don't mind the modes..

other keychain lights to consider, though not AAA.. Nitecore Tip and Manker LAD

as to value and quality.. well, these are all similar consumer items, using similar quality and price points
what I think adds value is a High CRI option, which is why I listed them first
for me copper adds value, and quality, because the threads are so nice.. and Im a fan of the material

let us know what you buy

One of the lights I always have with me is a Fenix E01, because its aluminum and with a Energizer Lithium AAA cell it is extremely lightweight. The emitter is a 5mm Nichia LED that some may scoff at because it has a very blue tinted center, but the beam is pretty tight and it sure illuminates a lot for a 5mm LED. Battery life is very long as well. They run about 10 usd.

The Fenix EO1 is a classic! My particular sample had a very angry purple tint and of course it's not super bright, but it will take a licking and keep on ticking. I replaced mine with the Olight I3S EOS. It has been totally reliable for EDC and is very bright for the size. Battery life isn't nearly so good as with the little Fenix but that doesn't bother me at all. I tend to use it in short bursts for stuff like getting my keys in the door or lighting a dark stairwell. In a year and a half I'm only on my second battery so that's not bad. Stepping up slightly in price I still really like the Streamlight MicroStream. It's not the brightest light out there but it's very durable, has a good clip and the tint of the two I have is pretty good. Lastly the Peak lights really are on another level. To me AAA lights are kind of toys/gadgets that I use when I don't have a "real light" but the Peak models are built every bit as well as my larger, more expensive lights. Mine is an El Capitan but from what I have read the Eiger is exactly the same build quality just a bit smaller.

Not sure if it is the best, but I have a Lumintop and it is quite powerful.

I've given away three of the Olight i3e EOS.
At 90 lumens, enough for most tasks and seem pretty reliable.
Just use quality AAA batteries and avoid alkaleaks when possible.

Fenix e05 surprises me every time I take it out of my flashlight drawer.

The Manker e02 is my new favorite single AAA pocket light. Only had it a week so I can't comment on long-term reliability. I'm partial to the right angle and I love the Nichia 219.
I got the red one from Amazon at twenty bucks.

E01 rules the roost around my house. Simple, tough, cheap, and depending on how much light you need (or how dark it is) very capable. My favorite flashlight.

I'll echo the Fenix E01 and E05 comments. Both are great for the price. I've carried an E01 on my keys daily for the past nine years and its always worked. I also own both versions of the E05 and have never had a hiccup with either one. The newer three mode version I pocket carried for over a year without trouble. I think both are a good value for the money.

Personally I've switched out my E05 for a Surefire Titan or Titan plus but I'm not sure you gain huge amounts of utility over the Fenix.

Heads up if you're still looking...Maratac AAA copper Nichia on sale at CountyComm.

Johnnyh said:

Heads up if you're still looking...Maratac AAA copper Nichia on sale at CountyComm.

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thats an outstanding price!
for my favorite AAA light!


in the beamshot photo below:
on the left is a 3000k N219c 90CRI modded maratac, middle is the stock Nichia 4000k (its a bit yellow), and a Fenix E01 for a color check

jon_slider said:

thats an outstanding price!
for my favorite AAA light!

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You bet Jon! I ordered two! For gifts...or maybe not...hmmm. [emoji57]

I have 5 atm, gave one away recently, I think that means I can have another one..
here is a UV shot of one of the two I had modded to 3000k, Im quite fond of the warm Nichia LED

I've got an LF2XT and would carry it all the time except i'd be afraid of losing it. Personally the Thrunite lights are awesome, love the logarithmic mode spacing, low is quite low, medium is nice and high is plenty high for a pocket light. I agree to skip the titanium model the threads are the worst I've ever felt and the 10th is terrible, mine is green. I've had a couple of the standard warm models and they're excellent in every way for the price

*tint is terrible