I think the Peak Eiger AAA deserves some serious consideration at this point. I don't own one, but probably soon will. This is a single level light, but with the advent of some new 21st century material,
the QTC pill, the Eiger is effectively turned into an excellent little AAA keyring light
with an infinitely variable brightness level, all with no added electronic circuits!
I've often considered purchasing a Peak light because of their high quality construction, which includes fully potted heads (epoxy encased), which of course makes them MUCH more resistant to shock and very moisture resistant, but I do love mulit-level lights, so I've always ended up going in that direction.
However, with the advent of this new QTC material, and Peak's willingness to utilize the QTC pill's unique properties in their lights, I'm seriously looking at their line-up of lights with a fresh perspective.
If you're not familiar with this new material check out this thread over in the Peak area:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Need-some-help-deciding-on-an-Eiger-with-QTC
Basically, this new material allows zero passage of electricity in it's resting state, but begins to allow electricity through as it becomes compressed (with virtually no loss), finally coming to a point where it is allowing 100% through.
This is perfect for a light like the Peak Eiger which starts with the light off and the head slightly loosened. With the QTC pill installed in the bottom of the battery tube, as you begin tightening the head the QTC pill becomes compressed and begins letting a little electricity through, letting more and more through as it continues to compress. Neat!
One of the problems with mulit-level lights (and one of the major trade-offs in using them) is that the electronics or physical switches used to achieve those levels tend to be the weak point in a light's construction, so being able to achieve an infinitely variable light without the use of electronics is a HUGE breakthrough (IMHO).
My understanding is that the Eiger is a direct-drive light, so there is no regulation circuit, meaning the light will gradually diminish over the life of the battery. Again, with less electronics involved there is less to go wrong, so this light would be a good fit for some one wanting a super rugged and reliable light.
You can also pick the style of body you want (lug, pocket, or keychain), made in the material of your choice (aluminum, brass, SS, or titanium), AND request the type of beam you want (narrow, medium, or wide). Not only that, but you can mix and match different size bodies with your head to accommodate an N size battery, or 2 AAA batteries, etc.
To top it off, the Eiger will accept a 10440 lithium-ion 3.7 volt rechargeable cell giving a very nice 100 + lumen output with the #8 head.
Peak offers a choice of 8 different heads for the single level Eiger, each one designed for a different level of output, but of course with the new QTC pill it makes sense to simply buy the most powerful head (the #8) and use the variable brightness abilities of the QTC pill to set the light where you want it. Neat.
By the way, I don't work for Peak, I'm just VERY excited about this new QTC technology and how it's going to impact the flashlight community, and Peak seems to be the company that is moving ahead to quickly take advantage of it.
I also have a Preon Revo on order because I happen to love a well regulated light and the Revo offers some of the best regulation I've seen to date, but because I'm a flashlight nut I've got a feeling that an Eiger AAA in brass with the new QTC pill will also be headed my way in the near future.
