Best AA powered light for $100?

[carrot]

Well, no, but it helps! I just got myself another custom... a Terzuola folder and along with my Sebenza and Dozier and many Spydercos the urges are finally subsiding!

By the way, you don't want to visit http://edcforums.com

 

[Lucky Strike]

Damn...just looked at all the ones suggested and lo and behold i'm having a tough time choosing...imagine that.

Just one question though....on the D10 what are they referring to when they say it has a piston drive instead of a clicky switch

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Damn...just looked at all the ones suggested and lo and behold i'm having a tough time choosing...imagine that.

Just one question though....on the D10 what are they referring to when they say it has a piston drive instead of a clicky switch

+1 (I might be able to order if it meets certain specs)

Not like I NEED it with a P2/L1 Q5 combo and a LOD Q4 on a microstream body I have edc pretty well covered.....

 

[carrot]

Damn...just looked at all the ones suggested and lo and behold i'm having a tough time choosing...imagine that.

Just one question though....on the D10 what are they referring to when they say it has a piston drive instead of a clicky switch

The standard on most of the sub-$100 lights is your normal click switch, with much in common with the kind in an average ball-point pen. While fairly reliable, it is not optimal due to the way it is constructed and will fail eventually. The PD concept is designed to mitigate those factors of failure and create a more reliable, more robust, and more conductive switching mechanism.

You should check out my guide to high end flashlights, in my sig below.

 

[Lucky Strike]

Man....i cam THIS close to pre-ordering a D20 yesterday.....what stopped me was seeing what it looks like first and what the max output is. Now i'm having an internal debate over whether I want a D10 instead.....trying to figure out if the better "pocketability" is worth less runtime. If i knew the max output of the D20 it'd help a lot. Unless it's 170 or up i'll probably go with the D10 cause i'd hate to buy a light and then not want to carry it because it's too big.

But at least i've narrowed it down to one brand/2 models

 

[Gator762]

Hate to confuse you, since you decided on D10 or D20.

Did you look at LiFePO4 for L1D? I picked up 6 14500 cells and a charger for $24. Single AA size light, but with 2AA output - 180 lumens. Runtime is only about 30 mins turbo, but I EDC it for a week then just charge it. Even for just one battery, that's only 52 cycles a year. Much brighter than single AA output.

If you don't want to go LiFePO4 then nevermind.

 

[Gator762]

trying to figure out if the better "pocketability" is worth less runtime.

Single cell AA is much easier to pocket than 2xAA for EDC (every day carry), and runtime shouldn't be an issue.

For camping, the size probably doesn't matter so much.

 

[roymail]

Hey Lucky, LSD (low self discharge) NiMh AA batteries and high efficiency emitters have completely revived the world of AA flashlights. Mini-mags were fine back in the day, but today the AA format is light years better (pun intended). Most of the runtimes for Fenix lights are given using NiMh batteries. The excellent regulation of these and other lights in this category along with currently available rechargeable batteries makes the AA flashlight a very good investment. Sanyo Eneloops are my preference but Energizer e2 Lithium primaries (sometimes referred to as L91) are excellent and give exceptional performance.

Lots of choices... best of luck in your search.

 

[Gunner12]

For the Fenix lights, the L1T/2T V2.0, P2D, L1D-CE, and L2D-CE all have compatible bodies. So you can buy a L1D and a L2D body tube and swap between them. L1D size for EDC type and L2D for more runtime.

I think this applies for the Olight T15 and T10 too(not interchangeable with the Fenix series) but that is 1AA or 1 CR123.

 

[Cheapskate]

NDI

+1

:thumbsup:

 

[Burgess]

+1 to what Roymail said, in post # 28.

:thumbsup:



Oh, and you're probably starting to realize
why the CandlePowerForum motto is:



Buy Both !



Good Luck in yer' quest for the perfect flashlight.

. . . . and perfect handgun

. . . . and perfect knife

. . . . and perfect etcetera, etcetera, etcetera




BTW, i can certainly agree with the Fenix recommendations. :twothumbs



Also, i really like my LiteFlux LF5XT flashlight.

It's a 1-AA size, beautiful little gem. :kiss:

Has the most PERFECT Cree-beam i've EVER seen !



Hope this is helpful to you. :devil:
_

 

[Confederate]

I agree totally... I also love my Fenix lights, but my D10 gts used more than the rest of my flashlights combined.

As much as I like my D10s, my everyday light is a Fenix L2D (regular). The premium is much brighter than the D10 and while the D10 is a great survivalist light, the L2D is much friendlier for a day to day light.

With the red diffuser, it's an excellent emergency light for the car, too. If you've ever tried changing a tire at night, having a red flashing light beside you can be most comforting. A D10 out camping is nice because you can read by it (or a Fenix E01), and for survival use it's not how much light you can produce, but how much you can save. If there's no reason to save light, a D10 might be a bit dim. I have one in my bug out bag (two, actually), but while walking at night, an L2D will pierce the shadows like a tactical light.

My vote is for the L2D.

 

[Lucky Strike]

buy both indeed....think there's a very good chance i own at least a 3 of the lights mentioned in this thread before the end of the year. EDIT: just ordered a D10....the first of many future purchases i'm sure. Now i've got some reading to do on which batteries are the best to get.

 

[Nitroz]

buy both indeed....think there's a very good chance i own at least a 3 of the lights mentioned in this thread before the end of the year. EDIT: just ordered a D10....the first of many future purchases i'm sure. Now i've got some reading to do on which batteries are the best to get.

Excellent choice! You can't go wrong with the piston design from the creator McGizmo on this forum. It's by far the most inexpensive light that you can buy with this awesome design. The ramping up and down output make this one of the best lights money can buy for under $60, IMO.

 

[Gunner12]

From what I hear, the D10 is a great light. I hope you like it! But don't over hype yourself or you could end up disappointed(that's not to say don't look forward to the light though).

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

As it turns out this ain't the time for me to order anything with Ike so near in the past.

Besides, I can still get people to say WOW about the P2D.

 

[NickBose]

For AA light, I think this Ultrafire WF-606A Cree Q5-WC 230-Lumen is a classic: cheap, reliable, good build quality, regulated, and bright as hell

 

[Philbee]

EagleTac P10A

Has a lot going for it, ticks all the boxes for me and is my favourite AA light.

 

[paulr]

The LRI Proton has not yet been mentioned so I thought I'd put in a word for it. Electronic switching, continuously variable power with (IMO) a saner interface than Fenix uses, and has a red led (in addition to the main led) for when you want to be unobtrusive or protect your night vision.

At the higher end, the Surefire Saint headlamp can run on two AA's, and the HDS lights will supposedly have 2AA battery holders pretty soon. These (HDS and Surefire) are in the $180 range.

 

[eyeeatingfish]

I have bought the D10 and had some problems with it, its been in warranty repair for a long time.
I have had 2 or 3 lumapower lights have trouble, and I am sort of thinking now maybe I should stay away from the chinese lights.
I dont like fenix lights million different settings, I jsut want a good reliable decently bright AA light without a complicated switch or a bunch of electronics to get screwed up.

The Inova X1 seems real good, just bought one for my grandma. If it were alittle brighter I could see this being "the one"
Maybe look at peak?