Good AA light

[Pahrens]

Hi, it's been a while since I've been on here.

I've been looking for a nice AA light to replace my Fenix P3D Q5 because of battery availability. We're going to go camping all over Australia and want two lights which use common AA batteries.

I love the Maglite design and see they have a new multimode LED model, however I cannot find it anywhere! Nowhere is selling them at all, all I've found in a couple odd stores is the old incan models.

LED lenser is absolutely everywhere and it's getting very tempting to buy the P5. However I know they have not been a very popular brand on here. Is the P5 any good? How would it compare to the very elusive AA LED Maglite?

Are there any other nice lights I could consider?

Thanks everyone

 

[LightOnAHill]

A lot of people will be in to answer, which is what makes CPF very nice. I'm no expert, but I agree with the need for a few good AA lights. I've had a few brands in the past, but I'm currently pleased with the 4sevens Quark models for my small AA lights.

I recommend the Quark AA or AA^2 light for your needs. They are priced well, have very good features such as square threads, good LED emitters, and sapphire coated lenses (just to name a few).

There are currently 2 models, their latest Quark which uses a new R5 led, and their "last year" model which uses the R2 led. I have a Quark AA with the R2 led and love it. Because they just rolled out the new model, there is a sale on the older models, which makes these lights a steal. The sale also includes a "prism" kit which allows the light to be bent 90 degrees, and a headstrap so you can convert it to a headlamp if you please. Also, the clip on the lights is reversible and very sturdy (and removable too).

The AA lights with the new R5 led are available here and the AA lights with the "old" R2 led are available here. I own a few fenix lights, and retired my LD10 after purchasing a Quark AA. They, to me, are better. YOMV

Here are some pics, so you see what I'm talking about.



Good luck with whatever you buy and have a sweeet trip! :thumbsup:

 

[Pahrens]

Thanks LightOnAHill. I've never even heard of that brand before. Does the beam focus on it?

I really like being able to focus the beam which is why the Maglite and LED Lenser appeal to me. What's nice about the Maglite is that it also has a low brightness mode. However I think the Maglite is not as bright, is that correct?

I am open to other brand of course, these are just the two I know and LED Lenser is in the shops everywhere here.

 

[jslappa]

My man, the Quarks do not have the abiliity to focus the beam. But, the Quark has a low low, that is 0.3 lumens. On one AA, it will run for 15 days. The Quark AAx2 will run for a month on a regular battery. Some believe it will run for closer to 45 days on 2 Energizer lithiums. Plus, 4Sevens gives you a full 10 year warranty on the light. In addition, there is no stock Mag light that is brighter than the Quarks. It's a great choice, and allows you to use alkaline, Nimh, lithium, and 3.7v rechargeables.

 

[sol-leks]

If you really like the focusing head of the maglite, check out the Fenix E20. It only has one mode but the focusing feature works very well and it is very reasonably priced.

The romisen rc-29 is also very neat and has a focusing head with aspheric. I am not crazy about the output fully focused as it takes on weird tint and shape, but unfocused it lets out a really beautiful perfect circle of light.

You might also want to consider a light that is available in neutral white which is supposedly optimal for the outdoors.

In addition to whichever light you get I recommend getting a good small backup light and there are a ton of good ones that are very reasonably priced. Look at the ITP A2 or the Quark Mini AA. They are both incredibly tiny and easy to attach anywhere and have nice low modes for super long runtimes. The ITP is also available in AAA and 123 flavors and the mini just in AA or 123.

 

[Egsise]

@LightOnAHill, hotlinking images is not allowed, read the rule #3.

Led Lenser P5 and 2xAA Maglite..

Try these:
Fenix TK20
Led Lenser P14
Jetbeam JET-I PRO EX V3.0

 

[carrot]

I don't know anything about the multimode Maglite except that it uses a newer LED than the old MagLED... but BrightGuy stocks them, and they are cheap! http://www.brightguy.com/products/Mini_Maglite_LED_Flashlight_2AA_with_Multi-Mode_Switch.php

 

[JaguarDave-in-Oz]

LED lenser is absolutely everywhere and it's getting very tempting to buy the P5. However I know they have not been a very popular brand on here. Is the P5 any good? How would it compare to the very elusive AA LED Maglite?

Yes, Led Lenser does seem to be saturating Australia of late doesn't it. I have P7, P17, P6 and P5. The P5 is a very nice little torch for the fifty odd bucks it costs in oz but to be honest I don't regard it as very versatile when compared to my otehr AA torches. Being a one level torch it just doesn't offer the broad range of brightness and runtime options that one can get from say the mainstream fenixes and Quarks. Due to the small head the flood/spot arrangement isn't really as useful as it is on say the P7.

I like the P7 and carry it every day but on 4 AAA's it's not quite as simple to look after and feed as say my Fenix TK20 would be in a bush environment.

My bestest, favourite most versatile 1 x AA torch would be my Nitecore D10 R2 but frankly it needed quite a bit of tuning and fiddling before it attained the reliability and consistency necessary to achieve that status so it may not be the best for taking away on a bush trip unless it was well tested first but it is rugged and has a geat clip.

If not for my love for the D10, I reckon the 1 x AA I'd be choosing is a Quark AA. It has a number of brightness levels from bright down to really low which allow it to achieve good runtime if necessary and it also has some flashing modes which are supposedly useful too. It's quite strong, has a clip for the shirt pocket and can be fed on alkalines or rechargeables and can be changed to a 2 x AA with just the purchase of a twenty dollar tube. I have the 2 x AA version in R2 and I reckon it woudl make a great camping trip light too.

To come down to brass tacks though, for rugged simplicity I'd choose the Fenix TK20. Runs on AA alkies and recharegables, it's also solid, easy to operate, easy to load batteries in the dark and has a nice hard to lose yellow handle thats and easy to grip in the wet though one does need to like the neutral tints to appreciate that torch fully (I just don't like the tint or the placement of the clip otherwise I would have fallen in love with my TK20).

 

[skyfire]

check out the fenix E20, it has an adjustable beam like the maglites.

at only about $35-$38.

the quarks aax2 are awesome, r2 for more throw, the new r5 for wider hotspot, and bright spill, less throw of course.

 

[HarveyRich]

Since everyone seems to be focusing on the Quark's, I'll do that too, with a twist. I like small and EDC. The new Quark MiNiAA (4 Sevens site) really is the perfect single AA light for me. It's heads and shoulders smaller than other AA lights (except for the new iTP A2 and Maratac lights), yet has the XP-G R5 led with it's wonderfully large hot spot and efficiency. It runs on both AA NiMH (and Alkalines) and can run on 14500 li-ions (although the manufacturer, for legal reasons, doesn't say so). It is amazingly bright on li-ions and quite bright on NiMH. On AA the run time on low is about 5 1/2 hrs and even over 3 1/2 hrs on a 14500. The hand feel is great, with all the knurling. I was skeptical at first about carrying it in my pocket since I've been used to the "thin" factor of AAA lights for that purpose. Yet, this is the first AA light I can easily carry in my jeans' pockets. On high mode it lasted nearly 2 hr 20 mins too (despite the lower number on the 4 Sevens website), with an AA battery. Oh, did I mention that it can candle stand.

If you can only have one all purpose AA light, this would be my recommendation