Buy a super bright flashlight

[Alanpandew]

I need to buy a compact super bright flashlight, use AA batteries
I already have the charger and 4 AA Eneloop 1900mAh rechargeable batteries.
Please advise and share your experiences

 

[bykfixer]

Super bright or AA, pick 1.

A flashlight using 1.5 volt batteries will not reach that super bright point and stay there. The batteries just won't supply the power necessary to achieve it. Now Pelican makes a 2x aa light model 2360 that can sustain 275 lumens using eneloops. There are others as well but I know from experience that one is pretty bright.

Ones that can use the 3.7 volt cell however can achieve 300 plus lumens and stay for a time. Bursts of 600+ lumens can be achieved but won't last more than a half minute or so due to extreme heat.

Consider looking here

Parametrek Flashlights

flashlights.parametrek.com

 

[Alanpandew]

Super bright or AA, pick 1.

A flashlight using 1.5 volt batteries will not reach that super bright point and stay there. The batteries just won't supply the power necessary to achieve it. Now Pelican makes a 2x aa light model 2360 that can sustain 275 lumens using eneloops. There are others as well but I know from experience that one is pretty bright.

Ones that can use the 3.7 volt cell however can achieve 300 plus lumens and stay for a time. Bursts of 600+ lumens can be achieved but won't last more than a half minute or so due to extreme heat.

Consider looking here

Parametrek Flashlights

flashlights.parametrek.com

Thanks for sharing, I will keep it in mind

 

[xxo]

The Mini Mag Pro Plus is a good 2 AA light, but I much prefer the 2C 192 lumen Mag ML25 - has a much brighter/longer range hot spot (don't let the lumens fool you, look at the cd numbers to compare) and a huge spill with just the right brightness. The ML25 is a C cell light but you can easily run AA Eneloops in spacers.

 

[parang]

Manker MK41 (4xAA) if you need throw (or slap on a diffuser). It's pretty awesome, I love mine, bright yes, compact, not really.

My Armytek A2 Prime Pro (2xAA) and my Olight i5T are more compact for EDC, but not super bright.

 

[Olumin]

If you dont care about runtime or sustained brightness, a Zebralight SC5w will go up to 550lm on single AA primary or eneloop. As far as compact+bight goes, thats probably the best overall. Some 14500 Li-ion lights will be brighter but I dont think thats what youre looking for. Just keep in mind such small lights wont hold this kind of brightness very long.

 

[fuyume]

I need to buy a compact super bright flashlight, use AA batteries
I already have the charger and 4 AA Eneloop 1900mAh rechargeable batteries.
Please advise and share your experiences

As a previous commenter said, you aren't going to get "super bright" out of any AA-powered light by most standards, at least not for more than a few seconds.

The truth is, a single 21700 light isn't really all that much bigger than a 2xAA light.

The only real advantage a AA light has is ease of finding batteries that will work in it. If you want "super bright", you need bigger batteries that are capable of sustaining high current drain.

For example:

Fenix E20 v2.0 (2xAA): 127 mm L x 21 mm D (head), 16.8 mm (body), 42 g without batteries
Fenix PD36 TAC (1x21700): 140 mm L x 26.5 mm (head), 25.4 mm (body), 92 g without battery

The E20 will put out a maximum of 350 lumens, but it will do so only for a very short period of time (about 30 min, according to Fenix), before falling back to about 200-250 lumens.

The PD36 TAC has a maximum output of 3000 lumens, but in its "Medium" mode will sustain 350 lumens for over 10 hours.

 

[DaveTheDude]

If you're committed to the AA format, check out the following:

Eagtac GX25A3 - uses 4xAA.

Nitecore EA42 - uses 4xAA.

Acebeam E10 - uses 4xAA.

The Nitecore and Eagtac will each generate about 1000 lumens using 4AA cells.

The Acebeam will generate about 750 lumens, but the candela will be double the intensity of the other two.

From my experience with these lights, I recommend the Nitecore.

 

[bykfixer]

The word candela was used alan. A high candela light can seem brighter due to the amount of light hitting an object at a given distance. So in essence one can achieve more with less.

In plain english, a high candela light throws more light forward and less sideways. Throw versus spill. If you are familiar with old D cell Maglites for example, the 3D light could light a light colored object easily at 300 feet away with only about 35 lumens.
Todays brighter LED's are bigger than previous LED's so the light they put out is pretty well spread out. A high candela light would likely have an older, smaller LED that throws light forward better.

So while searching for a product look at candela numbers where available. Someone mentioned a 2aa minimaglite. The new 330 lumen one actually has a lower candela (called cd) than some of the less bright older models of the same flashlight. So yes it is brighter in a broad sense yet does not throw a beam of light as far as some of the previous models.

CD also is an indication of how evenly the beam spreads out too. A lower cd indicates a good wide beam if that is what you seek.

 

[Olumin]

Once you go above 1xAA the size advantage is kinda null. At that point really just go with 18650/21700 lights. As far as high output goes its just better in every way. AA format is not suited for sustained high outputs. With eneloops it can be ok but 2xAA is not more compact then 1x18650, just slimmer.

 

[krypton king]

I need to buy a compact super bright flashlight, use AA batteries
I already have the charger and 4 AA Eneloop 1900mAh rechargeable batteries.
Please advise and share your experiences

Super bright is subjective - are you looking for a spot or flood. How much area are you looking to light up? As another member commented, AA's wont be able to supply the necessary power maintain a high output light. I agree.

I have a Maglite Mini Pro, 330 lumens (legitimate lumens), and it's been a good, useful light - enough to brightly light up a medium size room. I think the latest model, Mag Mini Pro Plus, runs 350 legitimate lumens. Alternatively, Coast makes many brighter lights that run on a fistful of AAs.

A personal opinion - anything greater than 400 lumens on AAs is inefficient. If you want a super bright light, go rechargeable and go big in size if you want to maintain a high lumen output for more than 90 seconds.

Mini Maglite Pro Plus LED 2AA Holster Pack

WE APOLOGIZE; THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. SEE THE ENHANCED MINI MAGLITE PRO LED SERIES. CLICK HERE Features the same iconic beauty that has made Mini Maglite the world's most recognizable lighting instrument for a quarter-century. And it has the same renowned, high-precision optics...

maglite.com

 

[RamBull]

I agree with Olumin. Your odds of having a super bright flashlight with AA battery is almost laughable. I strongly recommend you consider opening your options as larger/higher amperage battery cost $5-10 each and is well worth the purchase.

The better question is what is your price limit (ie $50, $100, $150 and etcetera)? What do you want to use the flashlight for? What do you consider bright? How much do you value CRI? Do you value flood, throw or both? Tail switch, rotary or side switch? What kind of finish do you prefer (ie brass, aluminum, titanium, copper, or colored aluminum)? What size limitations do you have, if any?

 

[Stefano]

I can understand that you are reluctant to buy a 18650/21700 flashlight because you already have a charger + AA batteries.
You can keep those batteries for a second light or as an emergency for some devices.
Also I advise you to go towards a flashlight with a different battery format.
Today there are flashlights that are sold with battery and that are recharged with a cable at an acceptable price.
I would recommend you to watch PD36R or PD36 TAC.
The first is "older" and is sold at a lower price.
Of course there are other options at lower prices as well.

 

[3_gun]

I'll ask the question that begs to be asked .. super bright compared to what? An Olight i5T is super bright compared to a MiniMag. A MiniMag is super bright compared to a candle.

What does the OP call super bright? I have lights that hit 4k/L+ so super bright for me starts at 10K/L. I don't want to think about how many AAs that would take

 

[chip100t]

Fenix e20 v2 is an excellent light that will run on 2xAA cells. It has 5, 30, 150, 350 lumen settings.