cheap alternative to d10/ld10

[victorsamuel]

is there a good (won't break after a week), cheap alternative to the nitecore d10, as long as it's a single aa light (not too big) size is not a huge issue

neither is having different modes, one full power mode is just fine (actually preferable0, i have an e01 the goes everywhere with me so if i need just a couple of lumens i've got them

i heard about this MTE C2-1 Waterproof Cree Q5-WC
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.17650

anybody got one or could suggest anything else?

thanks

 

[Tec40]

You mighy want to check out the Romisen RC-G2 Q5 from shiningbeam.

 

[Zatoichi]

That doesn't sound bad for the money. I've got a Romison RC-G2 ordered from DX which looks like a decent single AA (also single mode) and is cheaper. SKU 3609

PS It's the same one Tec40 suggested. It costs a bit more from shiningbeam but they use a better emitter (Q5).

 

[kitelights]

is there a good (won't break after a week), cheap alternative to the nitecore d10

No.

The D10 itself is revolutionary in that it brought the PD system to the masses in a light that was affordable that used to cost several times more.

Why did you pick the D10? It is a very unique light because of the piston. If you want a bright 1AA light, then tell us what's important to you and we can make suggestions. Run time, beam type - throw or flood, twisty, etc.

As to cheapies from overseas, it's a crap shoot. You may or may not get them at all, they may or may not be dependable. It's not worth the risk for me. Once you have a couple of decent lights that you can depend on, if you'd like to take a chance on adding some toys to your collection for cheap, then go for it.

 

[victorsamuel]

No.

The D10 itself is revolutionary in that it brought the PD system to the masses in a light that was affordable that used to cost several times more.

Why did you pick the D10? It is a very unique light because of the piston. If you want a bright 1AA light, then tell us what's important to you and we can make suggestions. Run time, beam type - throw or flood, twisty, etc.

As to cheapies from overseas, it's a crap shoot. You may or may not get them at all, they may or may not be dependable. It's not worth the risk for me. Once you have a couple of decent lights that you can depend on, if you'd like to take a chance on adding some toys to your collection for cheap, then go for it.

just picked the d10 as it seemed the brightest smallest aa light, the pd isn't important

i asked about the mte because it was brighter than the d10

what i would like is a nice bright white beam with a bit of flood that throws quite well

don't care about modes, 1 full power mode is fine

preferably tail click but whatever's fine

run time is not as important as power and a manageable size

thanks

 

[victorsamuel]

thanks for the recommendation, the romisen doesn't seem as powerful as the d10 or mte, which seems v. bright for its size at 150 lumens

 

[Armed_Forces]

thanks for the recommendation, the romisen doesn't seem as powerful as the d10 or mte, which seems v. bright for its size at 150 lumens

Vic, let's be realistic here.

You are not going to get a light that is anywhere near as small, durable, bright and/or feature laden as the D10 for less money. You are going to have to lower your expectations considerably if you are using the D10 for comparison. I would suggest saving your money until you can get one rather than wasting your money on all the cheap crap. Just a thought...

 

[victorsamuel]

Vic, let's be realistic here.

You are not going to get a light that is anywhere near as small, durable, bright and/or feature laden as the D10 for less money. You are going to have to lower your expectations considerably if you are using the D10 for comparison. I would suggest saving your money until you can get one rather than wasting your money on all the cheap crap. Just a thought...

really i don't expect to

i am only concerned with brightness, i expect it to be bigger than a d10, just not bigger than most aa lights and i don't want any unnecessary features, just 1 mode is fine

like i said, i only said about the d10 with regards to it being a bright aa light, maybe i should have said ld10 or something else for comparison

that's why i asked about the mte, it's brighter with 1 mode and is a bit bigger but still quite small, i was wondering if anybody had any experience with it

the romisen was a good suggestion, just didn't seem as bright

honestly i don't think my expectations are unrealistic, i just explained them badly

 

[Zatoichi]

The Romisen may not be as bright, but the reason I suggested it is that the brand seems to be the most highly regarded of the cheap DX brands (at least for their simple offerings). If the extra brightness is that important, then fair enough.

 

[victorsamuel]

The Romisen may not be as bright, but the reason I suggested it is that the brand seems to be the most highly regarded of the cheap DX brands (at least for their simple offerings). If the extra brightness is that important, then fair enough.

thanks for the info zat, do romisen do a brighter aa light?

single aa that is

 

[balou]

150 lumens for the d10 is way too much.

it's about 100-110 lumens out front with NiMHs, and maybe 130 with 14500 li-ions

The Shiningbeam modded Romisen looks like a cheap alternative for an AA light.

What do you loose?
-cool selectable output
-smallness. Other lights are bigger
-ruggedness. I'd trust the Shiningbeam a lot more than the ones directly from DX (loose cables...) but... gold plated crap is still just crap (nice german proverb)

MTE is brighter than what? Those DX lumens aren't very trustworthy.
And if you go the really cheap route, then I'd say you shouldn't be afraid of using a solder iron - converter board may fry, cable come loose. So I'd advise looking for a light which is easy to take apart.

I myself wanted to go the cheap way first.. but I decided for a light which will last a bit
See my original thread here, http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=214541 especially post #12 and following. Ok, I also wanted a low mode which you don't want.
But really... are you ok with just 1 mode, which lasts less than an hour, and is only useable with NiMHs or Energizer Lithiums?

 

[Zatoichi]

thanks for the info zat, do romisen do a brighter aa light?

I'm not sure, in fact I don't even know how bright the G2 is even though I've ordered one lol. A very popular Romisen is the RC-N3 which runs off either 2xAA or 1xCR123. If you were prepared to go with CR123's, I believe you'd have a very nice, bright little light for the money. Again, shiningbeam do a Q5 version for a little more (about $25 IIRC). I don't have any other single AA ideas I'm afraid.

 

[victorsamuel]

150 lumens for the d10 is way too much.

it's about 100-110 lumens out front with NiMHs, and maybe 130 with 14500 li-ions

The Shiningbeam modded Romisen looks like a cheap alternative for an AA light.

What do you loose?
-cool selectable output
-smallness. Other lights are bigger
-ruggedness. I'd trust the Shiningbeam a lot more than the ones directly from DX (loose cables...) but... gold plated crap is still just crap (nice german proverb)

MTE is brighter than what? Those DX lumens aren't very trustworthy.
And if you go the really cheap route, then I'd say you shouldn't be afraid of using a solder iron - converter board may fry, cable come loose. So I'd advise looking for a light which is easy to take apart.

I myself wanted to go the cheap way first.. but I decided for a light which will last a bit
See my original thread here, http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=214541 especially post #12 and following. Ok, I also wanted a low mode which you don't want.
But really... are you ok with just 1 mode, which lasts less than an hour, and is only useable with NiMHs or Energizer Lithiums?

must be explaining myself extraordinarily badly again

i didn't say 150 lumens for the d10
the mte is supposed to be 150 lumens


also i just found where i read about it before by googling "MTE C2-1 review"

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2735398&postcount=3

this is why i was considering it


here it says the light is brighter than the d10

 

[Gunner12]

I think you should rename your thread to "looking for budget bright single mode 1AA light" or something like that, because as of right now the title says you are looking for a cheaper D10 substitute, none of which I can think of at any price range.

The Romisen light has a bigger head, which means more throw.

You might want to try the MTE. If the specs are right it is a pretty bright budget 1AA light.

 

[victorsamuel]

you know what, i agree

mods/admin please lock/delete this thread.

you guys are pretty unforgiving aren't you, if you read my posts instead of just skimming through, you might get it

 

[victorsamuel]

it's pretty obvious i'm not going to get a single aa, piston drive, tiny 40 gram light with 100 different light levels unless i get a d10 and that i was just using it as an example of a pretty bright single aa light

 

[kitelights]

I read your thread thoroughly and I'm guessing that the others did, too. You're getting consistent answers, you just don't like them. You want our suggestions or blessings to buy crap and we're telling you not to.

 

[seaside]

You are not unreasonable, but asking bit hard question.

The thing is... cheap, reliable and brighter than D10... well... that's hard to find. If that's easy, then people already told you what it is by now.

Some whatever-fire AA lights are brighter than name brands, because they are pushing the light only to squeeze out the light to the last drop. But that could mean they may not be reliable, and you're taking a risk of buying a crap.

If you want brightness and cheap price by sacrifying reliability, your best bet is cheap DX flashlight that has Q5 LED in it. There are few 1AA lights that claims output up to 230 lumens. Don't know how reliable their claims are, or how good is the quality but those lights could be quite brighter than other AA lights. You will be able to find those light by searching that site. You can reasonably expect anywhere from 100 to 130 lumens with 1 AA, even about 200 lumens with 14500 if it accept that battery.

If you want reliable flashlights from better source, try find Q5 light from reputable companies. That romisen people recommending is something like that.

 

[victorsamuel]

I read your thread thoroughly and I'm guessing that the others did, too. You're getting consistent answers, you just don't like them. You want our suggestions or blessings to buy crap and we're telling you not to.

it's not that i don't like them, i just keep having to correct people on what they think i mean because they won't read my posts properly,

if it's tl/dr then just admit it or don't reply

i just came across that review and thought the mte sounded good and just wanted to discuss it/other options, that's all, i'm not asking for a beluga whale on a cocktail stick to whisper in my ear that everything's ok

i can handle the truth

 

[victorsamuel]

You are not unreasonable, but asking bit hard question.

The thing is... cheap, reliable and brighter than D10... well... that's hard to find. If that's easy, then people already told you what it is by now.

Some whatever-fire AA lights are brighter than name brands, because they are pushing the light only to squeeze out the light to the last drop. But that could mean they may not be reliable, and you're taking a risk of buying a crap.

If you want brightness and cheap price by sacrifying reliability, your best bet is cheap DX flashlight that has Q5 LED in it. There are few 1AA lights that claims output up to 230 lumens. Don't know how reliable their claims are, or how good is the quality but those lights could be quite brighter than other AA lights. You will be able to find those light by searching that site. You can reasonably expect anywhere from 100 to 130 lumens with 1 AA, even about 200 lumens with 14500 if it accept that battery.

If you want reliable flashlights from better source, try find Q5 light from reputable companies. That romisen people recommending is something like that.

thanks dude