Brightest AA Light for pocket on a motorcycle?

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thrasher

Newly Enlightened
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Nov 25, 2007
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Ok flashlight effectionado's I ride a Honda 1000RR motorcycle and wear tight fitting leathers. I need a small AA light that will fit in my pocket for use when I ride.

It must be dependable and compact. Producing light for a long time would be a great thing.
I'm shooting for a price of under 70 bucks.
 
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There are many lights that fit the bill. Many of them also have the capabilities to use AA and 14500's which are the li-ion rechargeable equivalent. Running on li-ions will increase the output substantially.

Off the top of my head:

Quark mini AA
Quark AA regular or tactical
Jetbeam e3s
Zebralight sc51? Supposedly 200 lumens out if a 1.5v AA

There are more, but I personally ride with a quark clipped to the inside pocket of my dainese leathers.
 
I would recommend the Quark MiNi AA or a Peak El Capitan. Either way, I would use a short lanyard and secure the light to a belt loop in case it worked it's way out while riding.
 
The 4sevens Qmini AA is impressive on AA, but really impressive on 14500. The regular and tactical Quark AA are really nice too, and the same applies to those as well. I have all 3 of these and use them all the time. The Qmini AA is small enough to hardly notice it is in your pocket.
 
Sounds like you are looking for a 1xAA light, then. I recently got a Maratac twisty 3-level aluminum light from countycomm for under $30 that I really like. Also got a solid copper 1xAAA 3-level that was instantly hijacked into my mom's purse. "I want the purty one."
 
That's a lot of instant Quark Mini AA's in a short time. I'll have to look into that.
 
+1 on single AA lights.

The two brightest single AA lights currently are the Fenix LD10 R4 (has been shipping for a while now) and the soon to be shipping Zebralight SC51 which will leap frog the Fenix and become the new output leader. Both of these are extremely bright with commonly available batteries.

The SC51 is a little shorter, perhaps may be a little thicker at the head. I carry a LD10 in my pocket all the time.

One concern I have about the SC51 switch is that it may be prone to accidental engagement. This might be an issue for you to consider. Some users of other Zebralight flashlight models have reported this tendency - the so-called "hot pocket" - where the light is accidentally turned on through your movement. Sure, you can unscrew the tail cap to "lock out" the light but I prefer not having to take that step myself for every day use.

I've never experienced unintentional switching on of a tail-cap switched light like the LD10 where the button is recessed within the tail somewhat.

A second reason why I won't be buying the Zebralight in its current form is they dropped the strobe mode from it. I do distance riding on a bicycle and use the strobe mode on the LD10 all the time. I also like knowing that it is there in case I need it in an emergency (whether I'm on the bike or not) - say a traffic accident - assuming the light isn't needed for other uses, a very bright signalling strobe will cause approaching traffic to slow down.

PS: The Quark Mini AA is a fine light; in the Fenix line the closest comparable is the Fenix LD15. Ostensibly you get a little more output and runtime on high out of the two mode LD15, but it is only a two mode light (high, low) and has no strobe modes so for me if I was considering either, I'd be leaning to the Quark Mini.
 
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I see it is actuated by turning the tail cap. To get to high mode you need to turn it three times? That right?

I've always had a clicky on the end and haven't had many lights so forgive my lame questions.
 
thrasher said:
I see it is actuated by turning the tail cap. To get to high mode you need to turn it three times? That right?

I've always had a clicky on the end and haven't had many lights so forgive my lame questions.
Click to expand...

you are correct. twist back and forth 3 times to get to high mode.

my suggestion if your using a pocket clip would be a zebralight sc51. the ZL H51 would be my first choice for pocket AA light.
Jetbeam bk135A is a nice little light, of course nitecore has many single AA offerings, and so does 4sevens.
 
Hello thrasher.

I agree with the Quark Mini.

I would also add the following for consideration:
Fenix LD15
Nitecore EZ-AA
Jetbeam BK135A

However, if you want a bright light (running on a 14500) then the Lumapower Trust-1 is my nomination. This is one bright little beastie on high! Add to the fact it's less than $50 it is a real bargain. Well worth a look.
 
If you want small and bright I would think about going with an aaa model for bike duty. The Maratac and ITP EOS are pretty bright and extremely small. I always carry a Maratac on my latenight ATV adventures.
 
Get a light with some emergency modes. I rode for a few years before quitting recently. No matter how good you are, sometimes poop just happens. One minute you are fine, the next you could be under a truck. Or you could skid right through that tight corner turn and end up in the bush with your bike on top of you. If you are unable to move, you need a light with an emergency mode to get people's attention.
 
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Consider a twisty Maratac or 4Sevens MiNi AA if you wear gloves, tail switches may be tough to operate without removing them.
The flashy modes of the MiNi AA would be handy to have during a breakdown.
 
davidt1 said:
Get a light with some emergency modes. I rode for a few years before quitting recently. No matter how good you are, sometimes poop just happens. One minute you are fine, the next you could be under a truck. Or you could skid right through that tight corner turn and end up in the bush with your bike on top of you. If you are unable to move, you need a light with an emergency mode to get people's attention.
Click to expand...

That's a great suggestion.
I know what you speak of. I'm with a group that rides the back roads fairly aggressively.

Quark Mini AA has emergency/strobe mode. It's in the running.
 
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I'm really wondering what truly has the better efficiency and will last the longest. Ya all know about most manufacturers numbers :twak:

I don't know what to think about the Zebralite SC50+ rated at 122Lm for 2.5 hrs. That's almost an extra hour of operation with the same battery.
I'd really like to see these tested against each other for brightness and run time at their brightest setting.

Single AA battery with Emergency/Flash option


4Seasons Quark Mini AA
Length 3.0 inches/Diameter .70 inches
90 Lm for 1.3 hrs

Zebralight SC50+
Length 3.15 inches/Diameter .85 inches
122 Lm for **2.3 hrs** Can this be real?

Fenix LD10 R4
Length 3.93 inches/Diameter .846 inches
132 Lm for 1.5 hrs

Jetbeam BK135A
Length 3.54 inches/Diameter .66 inches
135 LM, for 65 mins

NiteCore D11
length 3.50 inch/Diameter .748 inches
145 LM for 1.5 hrs
 
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Since it is a honda go fenix, but the 1000rr part screams lumapower.
If on a suzuki its definetely eagletac or dereelight. Unless on a rm or dl then nitecore
Yamaha, always zebra
Kawi , go liteflux unless on a ninja, then anything in brass will do.
If on a harly then you must go with a clicky in safety orange.

This thread is worthless without pics!

J.k.
 
The day I brought it home.

mycbr10.jpg
 
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