Best General Flashlight 2 Mode $50 2 Mode?

[crockett]

I'm looking for some lights to put around my house / camper / car glove boxes.

Criteria:
-I'd like to put a budget of $50 or less on each light.
-I need them to run on AA eneloops (I'm a photographer and have enough Eneloops and chargers to open my own store).
-Simple two mode is fine but it must have 2 modes.
-I'm fasinated by brightness, but I do like a nice smooth spread.
-The purpose is to have lights for checking electrical box, starting our generator (we lose power often), for the wife to carry during a power outage, in the glove box of my wifes car, a couple in the camper for walks at night etc. Basically quality flashlights for general use. The caveat being they need to run on AAs.

A friend has a Fenix TK40 and I'll definately be getting one of those for other reasons but I'd like to slowly replace my hodge podge of 2C Maglites, cheap Rayovacs, etc. that I have laying all over the house, vehicles, etc.

The TK20 seems nice but it's a bit pricey. Anyone make a quality light that runs on 4 AAs?

Thanks.

 

[Legend]

The Eagle Tac P100A2 has two modes rated at 55 lumens for 8 hours and 195 lumens for 1.8 hours on two Eneloops. Price is $42.99.

https://www.eagletac-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=103&products_id=716

The Quark AA^2 Tactical has a maximum brightness of 170 lumens actual output. It can be programmed for two out five available brightness levels. Price is $59.

http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_306&products_id=1656

 

[Marduke]

The TK20 is only $1.98 over your budget at $51.98 shipped. It's worth every penny. Perhaps the most durable 2xAA light out there.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2974606&postcount=51

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=3025959&postcount=63

 

[ejot]

You may be interested in reading the:

1xAA Round-up Review
2xAA Round-up Review

Selfbuilt's reviews are top-notch and have been a HUGE help to me as a flashlight beginner.

edit: read the "reviewer's note" on the first line of those reviews, as they are each one part of multi-part reviews.

 

[jhc37013]

Eagletac P100A2, Fenix LD20

 

[ejot]

Keep in mind, for a light that will see a variety of uses, the lowest low is often of more interest than the highest high. The brightest, longest throwing light in a certain class is of very little use if its lowest setting nearly blinds you when trying to do up-close tasks.

As someone who has recently gone through the process of selecting my first lights for a variety of tasks, I think this is the most under-emphasized criterion for general-purpose lights.

 

[rlb4]

How about the Romisen RC-N3 II. High mode on 2xAA is 145 lumens and will run for 3 hrs. Medium mode is 45 lumens and will run for 12+ hrs. Best part is they are only $25 each so for your $50 you get 2.

 

[nbp]

Nitecore EZAA from 4sevens.

:welcome:

 

[hyperloop]

The TK20 seems nice but it's a bit pricey. Anyone make a quality light that runs on 4 AAs?

Thanks.

LED Lenser P14 runs on 4xAAs and has 2 modes, click once: high, click again: low. There is an additional turbo mode activated by pressing in the tailswitch halfway but the difference is output between high and turbo is not very much, i.e. noticeable but not extreme.

One more thing about the P14 is that it can focus by sliding the head up and down, it focuses from a huge floody beam (picture a large round circle of light with no central hotspot) to a hotspot with a corona of 'spill' light.

Problem with that light? Exceeds your budget.

Cheaper 2 mode light is the Romisen RC-N3 II Q5 which you can get from www.shiningbeam.com for under $30.00. It can run using either 1xCR123/RCR123 in one mode (very bright for 47 minutes before my RCR123 protection circuit cut in) or 2xAA configuration with 2 modes, it has a forward clicky meanin you push the tail switch in half way to activate the light momentarily and full click to turn the light constantly on. First mode is high, click off and on quickly and it switches to low.