Help me decide on a AAA keychain light

[gustophersmob]

Howdy!

I am in the market to replace my Fenix E01. This light has been my only EDC light for the last year, but I would like something a little more. I do like the super-robustness of the E01, its low price, and the lack of a lens (afraid of scratches), but I would like multi-mode options. I would like to stay with the really small AAA format (with maybe one exception for AA) for pocket carry. I am looking for something with a medium level that is close to the E01's output, with a lower low and a higher high. The lower low is probably the more important. I don't really care what the material is, although something "exotic" like Ti or stainless would be neat. I am also looking for something with "proven" robustness (ie, something that has been around long enough to get over any birthing issues).

I have been reading and reading, and have narrowed it down to a few (several :thinking:) choices. So hopefully you guys can help me narrow it down to one! :poke: :D

Here they are (in current order of preference):
1) Titanium Innovation's Illumina Ti CA1 - I like the Ti and Low-Med-High order.
2) Preon AAA - same as above (edit: i like the smooth body, should chew up the pocket less)
3) Quark MiNi AA - I like the low-med-high order and runtime, AR coating on both sides makes me worry about lens scratches.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice! :twothumbs

EDIT: Decided to go for a low-med-high sequence, so I am marking some off the list. Down to three! :twothumbs

 

[lisantica]

My vote is for:

ITP A3 EOS upgrade edition. I had the original and loved it so much I bought the upgraded one, two of them actually. Great value for the money.

Lisa

 

[nathan225]

quark or the fenix I think they are both great lights but I also like the jet beam rrt-o it can on one cr123 or 1 aa and its very bright

 

[gustophersmob]

I hadn't looked into the preon much, but it looks like you can order a ti clicky for it, which would be cool. I like the smooth body and option for the ti clicky, but can anyone comment on the quality of the clicky? Also can the clip/keyring thing be completely removed and the tailcap screw down flat without it?

 

[gustophersmob]

quark or the fenix I think they are both great lights but I also like the jet beam rrt-o it can on one cr123 or 1 aa and its very bright

Thanks for the suggestion. It looks like it may be larger than what I am looking for. Do you have any pics of it next to a AAA light? Thanks!

 

[gustophersmob]

My vote is for:

ITP A3 EOS upgrade edition. I had the original and loved it so much I bought the upgraded one, two of them actually. Great value for the money.

Lisa

Thanks!

 

[nathan225]

Thanks for the suggestion. It looks like it may be larger than what I am looking for. Do you have any pics of it next to a AAA light? Thanks!

your right it is a bit biger than a aaa flashlight

 

[OCDGearhead]

Lisa Mentioned the ITP:

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-160/ITP-A3-EOS-Cree/Detail

I have them in ti, ss & al & they are one of the best buys going.

The Quark mini aa is pretty slick & a viable alternative to the larger aaa lights.

All the lights mentioned in the earlier posts are high quality & won't disapoint.

I'm replacing my EOS ti for a while with a ti mini aa & love both of them. Both also work with liion batteries with discretion & prudence & give a big boost momentarily if you want it.

.02

 

[strinq]

The Liteflux LF2XT.
How can you miss that? :whistle:
Super programmable, once you set it you can forget about it.
Have it for about 9 months and it's proven to be durable.
On my keychain with a bunch of keys, dropped it a whole lot of times from heights of more than 1m and the anodizing is still awesome, hardly a nick.

 

[csshih]

the lack of a lens (afraid of scratches),

but then you'd be able to scratch the T1-3/4 led itself! :poke:

 

[lightsandknives]

For a keychain light, I'd pick the ITP A3. Excellent little light. I have the Preon and the Quark mini AA and while I like them, the ITP would be my pick for keychain.

 

[Buckley]

My EDC AAA keychain light is the ITP Eos A3 upgraded. I love everything about this light except the M-L-H sequence. The beam is beautiful, the levels are well spaced, the UI is smooth and reliable, and the high is plenty bright enough for any indoor chore you need a light to deal with.

Having said all that, if you don't mind spending twice as much money, go for the TI illuminaTi. It is, the words of Selfbuilt, nothing more than a higher quality A3 with a L-M-H sequence. You can read his review for yourself here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=256314

Please let us know what you finally decide, and how you made the decision.

 

[shark_za]

Don't discount the M-L-H sequence on the iTP if you use your light in the day or early evening.
The low is only really good for late at night when you have good night vision.

The medium is very handy for most tasks.

The keychain attachment point is very sturdy and it would be my choice.
Get two at the price.

 

[Joe Hone]

I got an ITP EOS A3 today and I'm very pleased with it. Makes my Quark mini AA seem almost colossal in size. Definite difference in brightness from the Quark to the A3, but for inside or backyard lighting it is more than adequate. I got it to carry in the coin pocket of my jeans and there it will stay. The sequence M/L/H doesn't bother me, and I agree with the comment that med is more usable than low during the early evening. I've been experimenting with a rubber washer on the tail cap to get it to tailstand, but I prefer the low on the Quark mini AA to the low or med on the A3 for tailstanding and probably won't use the A3 that way. Great light.

 

[BlueMarble]

You are looking at some great options. I personally carry the Fenix LD01 all the time. I also have the Preon and the Quark Mini AA. I love them both a lot, but the LD01 is the one that is in my pocket all the time. The clip stays on my pants pocket really well and it is a small design that is rugged and nice.

 

[BlueMarble]

Don't discount the M-L-H sequence on the iTP if you use your light in the day or early evening.
The low is only really good for late at night when you have good night vision.

The medium is very handy for most tasks.

The keychain attachment point is very sturdy and it would be my choice.
Get two at the price.

I completely agree with this. For all of my lights I usually like the Low Medium High sequence. However I've got to say for my EDC I much prefer the light to come on in medium since I use it a lot in the day and early evening. One example is geocaching during the day and trying to see down into a tree stump or something. I just flip my light on and I've got plenty of light until I turn it off.

 

[vizlor]

Here's another vote for the iTP A3. It's a great value, but doesn't feel like a budget light.

 

[BlueMarble]

Here is a photo I took for you of a few of the lights you mentioned.

Quark AA Mini, Preon, Fenix LD01, Fenix E01. The Quark Mini AA is amazing, if it isn't too big for you (as you can see it is very small for a AA light). Put a 14500 battery in it and it is incredibly bright. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the lights you're looking at.

Since you're looking to put it on a keychain I'd personally vote for the Preon. It has an awesome keychain attachment you can put on instead of the clip. The coating is awesome, too. Smooth looking, but grippy to touch. You just have to hold it to understand how unique it is.

 

[BlueMarble]

Here are a couple more pictures for you.

AAA Battery, Fenix E01, Fenix LD01, 4Sevens Preon, 4Sevens Quark AA Mini

 

[HKJ]

1) Titanium Innovation's Illumina Ti CA1 - I like the Ti and Low-Med-High order.
2) Preon AAA - same as above (edit: i like the smooth body, should chew up the pocket less)
3) Quark MiNi AA - I like the low-med-high order and runtime, AR coating on both sides makes me worry about lens scratches.
4) ITP A3 EOS upgrade edition - decent price, lumen levels seem good, don't like the order med-low-high.
5) Maratac AAA (Stainless) - lumen levels are good, don't like the mode order, the stainless seems pretty cool.
6) Fenix LD01 - lumen levels seem too high, would like a lower low, price seems high, don't like mode order. However I have had a good experience with my Fenix, so I have kept it in the running for now.

They are all good lights and you issue with the low on Fenix is not valid for the newest iteration of LD01, it has a very low low.

I do not know how much you have read about AAA lights, but here are some resources:

Beamshots of new AAA lights
Beamshots of ITP and Maratac
Beamshots of 20+ older AAA lights
Photos


For a good titanium light Titanium Innovations or Preon are good selections (I prefer a custom titanium LF2XT, but it can be a bit hard to acquire).

The ITP and Maratac uses the same driver, i.e. differences are mostly in the body design. Titanium Innovations and Preon also uses a design based on this driver, but with different software in the controlling processor.