AA pocket light on a budget

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Buffalohump

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
355
Location
Durban, South Africa
Hi guys,

I've long been keen on getting a AA light. My thoughts first turned to the L1T and then wandered off to the Jetbeam, then to Peak LED... and I realised I was maybe getting too close to the triple figure mark.

I also don't really want a multi-mode whizzbang that I need to fiddle with. I just want to get light when I want it. No mess, no fuss.

So I had a look around and found this at lighthound.com, my favourite flashlight store!

www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2481

I like it cos it looks cool, its a good price...and I like the logo! I also like the fact I can get a charger and cells for it, and the whole thing will come in at around $50, with postage.

Can I hear some opinions about Ultrafire's products? I don't need a pocket rocket, just something that will emit a decent amount of light - every time.
 
Well, this will be my first order from Kai. We'll see how it goes.

I placed my first order with Kyle at Dealxtreme.com a month ago, and have only seen half my order...:whistle:

Also just ordered from amondotech.com and batteryjunction.com for the first time... :ohgeez: STOP ME! Stop me before I buy again!


I can hear my wallet screaming...and a funny "whoosh" noise as my credit card is depleted... :rant: Damn you CPF! Damn you all to hell! (With apologies to Charlton Heston)
 
There are reports that the LEDs burn out on the Ultrafire when used with Lion battery and the early ones will not start up on NiMH or non-fresh alkalines. While the low voltage non starter problem has been solved at the factory, I do not know how old Lighthound's stock is.

The L1S is a less expensive version of the L1T
http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2121
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_l1s-l2s.htm

Fenix also released a 1AA twistie called the Civictor V1. It is about 1/4 inch shorter than the 1AA lights with clickie switches. This makes it much less noticable when carried in a pocket.
http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1605
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/civictor_v1.htm
 
Is that right? Hmmmm.....

Yeah, I'm familiar with those two...

Aw heck, I might just go with a L1T after all... or maybe a Peak Pacific with a AA body. If only that sucker was available in stainless.

Anyone know if those take rechargeables?
 
Buffalohump said:
Aw heck, I might just go with a L1T after all... or maybe a Peak Pacific with a AA body. If only that sucker was available in stainless.

Anyone know if those take rechargeables?
Click to expand...
Yes, NiMH. The L1T will take Lithium Ion, but low will be about as high as high.
 
Boy, those Ultrafires are a good bang for the buck!

riffraff, welcome to CPF, why dontcha stay awhile! So you can be really poor, like the rest of us!

Still, the Rexlight's buzz precedes it's unveiling, hard not to jump on that bandwagon!

daloosh
 
I just got a Fenix L1D CE. My vote is for that - for an extra $10 get the Cree model. I've seen Surefires and other bright lights, but the L1D CE is impressive amount of light for a single AA battery. I ran it in a new Rayovac Hybrid battery, and it ran 1hr45min on turbo.

FYI - I cycled the battery once, charged it a week prior to run test.

I've been lurking here a while and am glad I did!
 
Sounds good - welcome to the wonderful world of CPF!

I think I just blew my initial good intentions of getting something 'on a budget' out of the water.

Apparently the Peak Pacific can be had in stainless. If that is the case, I will prolly go that route. I don't have a stainless light.

Black HA can get so boring after a while, don't you think? And all those levels - are they really necessary?


Gator762 said:
I just got a Fenix L1D CE. My vote is for that - for an extra $10 get the Cree model. I've seen Surefires and other bright lights, but the L1D CE is impressive amount of light for a single AA battery. I ran it in a new Rayovac Hybrid battery, and it ran 1hr45min on turbo.

FYI - I cycled the battery once, charged it a week prior to run test.

I've been lurking here a while and am glad I did!
Click to expand...
 
It really does depend upon how much money you want to spend. I don't have the Fenix L1D-CE, but I do have the L2D-CE, which has the same head and circuit board. It's a great light and from the Board I gather than most folks like their LID-CEs too. I have a 1AA Jetbeam CL-E, and most people like (nay love) theirs. The deal with some of these flashlights is that they have multi-level user interfaces. Thus, it's nice to have a low and medium as well as a high and the run times are longer if you use them on other than high settings.

I recently acquired an Ultrafire WF 602 A1, which you've mentioned--bought it at Deal Extreme. I'm very pleased to say that I'm quite happy with it too. It's not a Cree led, but on 14500 Li-ions it, amazingly, seems to put out more light than my Jetbeam on high, although it doesn't have the multi-level interface. This version (A1, I guess) doesn't burn out and works fine on NiMH 1.2V batteries too. The quality of the construction is good. So, if you don't want to spend much money, I think you'd be happy with the Ultrafire. If you want a more elaborate interfaceand don't mind spending a few extra dollars, you might want to go with the Fenix L1D-CE, though. There are other 1AA flashlights around, but most haven't been well tested or are difficult to find.
 
Buffalohump said:
Apparently the Peak Pacific can be had in stainless. If that is the case, I will prolly go that route. I don't have a stainless light.
Click to expand...

Don't expect the Pacific to be as bright as the L1T you have used. The HP Pacific on AA is about the same brightness/runtime as the L1T on low.
 
Or how about the 1xAA Cree light at the top of the same page for $9.99


/cool, I'm enlightened now
Click to expand...
Both that and the Rexlight are probably the best value. Those Elly lights with the Cree LEDs in them are an awesome deal, especailly if you don't want to spend a lot of money. I modded the old Ellys myself in the past, altogether costing around $15, and gave several away. Now that they come with aluminum reflector/glass window (depending on whether you buy from Dealextreme/Kaidomain) for $10 it's an even better deal. They are a bit bulky though for a 1xAA light. Simple, relatively strogng output (~1W into a Cree -- good for 65+ lumens out the front).

The Rexlight looks awesome on paper -- hard anodized, Anti-reflective coated lens, 5-level electronic control that appears to be blatantly ripped off from Fenix (...but for about half the price :D), multi-level output, compatible with 14500 lithium for maximum output.

Whatever you do though I'd definitely recommend a Cree or Seoul flashlight, especially considering you're running off a AA. Crees will put out a very good amount of light even at fairly low power (good for battery life).
 
Last edited:
+1 for the Fenix L1D CE. Ruler flat regulation, so you get constant brightness over the life of the battery. Excellent user interface so you get the benifit of multiple levels of brightness (which is handier than you might think), but with out the complexity of the some of the other AA lights.

Yes, it's a little more than some of the other lights you've mentioned, and it's only available in "boring" black...... but with the new Cree LED it is a great little light.

Derek
 
When I see "AA pocket light" and "budget" in the same sentence, I think of Inova X-1. I don't know if it puts out enough light for you, but it does get great runtime and is well built. The "new" model X-1 [which is the FOURTH, IIRC! ] is due out soon and will have a Luxeon, and obviously higher output. Check w MattK at BatteryJunction for arrival times of the "new" [again] X-1.
 
The new Inova X1 should be a good candidate, build quality is awesome on the Inova's...and there's always the humble (but capable) Civictor V1.

No bells, no whistles, both under $30


CFU
 
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