Help me with a budget 1AA light with a clip.

[speedsix]

OK,
I am not new to lights but I am still no expert. I have a few lights and have been using them enough to get a good idea of what I want in a light. Here is what I know I want:

1. CLIP!!!!! If it doesn't have a clip, I won't carry it and won't use it. This is the single most important factor in any light I will own. I won't buy a knife without a pocket clip and I won't buy a flashlight without one either. It is a deal breaker for me.

2. Single AA. No need to explain why I want a AA light. I can get batteries anywhere.

3. One hand on and off operation with easy to use button.

4. 1-2 modes only. I don't want to have to switch it five or six times to get to a mode I want. I just want it to go on when I need it. Two modes wouldn't kill me, a nice high mode with a low mode for reading maps would be okay.

5. Price, under $40. I don't need a $11.00 light if it will mean giving up on features and quality. I would rather spend a bit more and get more. I have no interest in spending more and not getting more however. If there is a $15 light that works just as well, that is a bonus. I know you tend to get what you pay for up to a point but there is is a point of deminishing returns as well. A $200 light is not 4X better than a $50 light most of the time. It might be 10% better or something. A $40 light is more likely to be 4X better than a $10 light I think.

Anyway, I am not too picky about most features. It needs to be LED, have a pocket clip, single AA, easy on and off and that is about it. Being slim as possble is a plus but length is not a factor. Any single AA will be short enough not to bother me while clipped to my pants pocket.

What do you guys think about this one: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35078
It is a Hugby P31 HA-III

I have a Akoray K106 and I love that it has a clip. I carry it even though I have better lights just because it has a clip and the others don't. I hate the 5 modes because I am forced to click through them every time I want to use the light. The ONLY modes I ever use are the high and the low. I never use the med or the strobes. I have only used the low a few times. The button is a little hard to operate sometimes esp when wearing gloves for work.

 

[Ecolang]

The Hugsby is a good light. Review here. http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/275

I'd recommend it to anyone. Not a ludicrous brightness monster, but it won't set your hands on fire either.

 

[fishx65]

If your in the U.S.A., Target sells the 1aa Energizer Cree for around 16 bucks. Very bright, nice combination of throw and spill and a solid clip. Built like a tank so it's a little heavier then most 1aa's. I have 2 and really like them. Don't like it, return it without hassle!

 

[davidt1]

Can't you just program the K-106 to give you the modes you use? For example, you can program to have 2 highs and 3 lows, etc. I absolutely love my K-106 for the deep clip and smooth body all around. The deep clip keeps the light flush with the pocket, making it discreet and hard to fall out. The smooth body makes it feel like a pen. I use it on "high" only, so I program all the modes to "high"

Instead of buying another light, program it to give you only the modes you want.

 

[how2]

Hi speedsix

Why don't you try the Smallsun c89.

http://www.focalprice.com/LF485B/C89_Super_Bright_LED_Flashlight_Black.html

This meets all your requirments

1 mode
great clip 2 way use
lasts for 1hour+
Build quality is o.k.

See the review


http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/383

 

[SirJohn]

The Hugsby P31 is solid so that is a definite possiblity. If you want to stay away from DX and the like, I would suggest to go for the Terralux Lightstar 100.
http://www.batteryjunction.com/terralux-tlf-1c1aa.html

Edit: I should add one more thing. Since you like the K-106, you could just get the Uniquefire AA-S1 which is a single mode version of the K-106 using an Osram emitter. DX item 24220. Review here:
http://www.jayki.com/6073

 

[ama230]

Personally if you are looking for a solid light thaat has an awesome warranty, I would go with the photon proton. I has a cree xre and its a solid 100lumens(artifact free) and uses the photon freedom circuitry, so it really simple and it has a battery indicator, glows in the dark and comes with a very nice sturdy clip that you requested. Its a little below the 40 mark at batteryjunction.com or 41.00 at lighthound with a free bright-ace keychain light. I have this light and it comes with very nice holster and is completely waterproof and has a glass lens. It has a verrrrrry long runtime of 250hours on the included single AA battery.It has a very simple UI and has a dim function that is very easy, turn it on and then just hold in the button til the desired level wanted then let go. Also they have the best customer service out there IMHO.

Hope this helps...

 

[speedsix]

Personally if you are looking for a solid light thaat has an awesome warranty, I would go with the photon proton. I has a cree xre and its a solid 100lumens(artifact free) and uses the photon freedom circuitry, so it really simple and it has a battery indicator, glows in the dark and comes with a very nice sturdy clip that you requested. Its a little below the 40 mark at batteryjunction.com or 41.00 at lighthound with a free bright-ace keychain light. I have this light and it comes with very nice holster and is completely waterproof and has a glass lens. It has a verrrrrry long runtime of 250hours on the included single AA battery.It has a very simple UI and has a dim function that is very easy, turn it on and then just hold in the button til the desired level wanted then let go. Also they have the best customer service out there IMHO.

Hope this helps...

That sounds great! I had never heard of this light until now so I am going to look into it further. I love my Photon keychain lights and this sounds like a winner.

A few questions, is it really 100 lumens? Does it really have 250 runtime? Something doesn't sound right about that.

 

[OCD]

If your looking for a quality light, check out the Quark AA. You can program any two modes you want with the option of changing what is programmed for a specific task.

Also, If you decide you want a 2AA light you can simply buy a spare body and have a different light.

Its slightly higher than your original price point, but the flexability and quality is worth it.

 

[ama230]

250hrs on low. Then it is really a hundred lumens on high. I have a icon rogue 2 that is definitely a 100lumens and this matches it but the photon has a whiter color than the cyan of the icon. Of course the throw is going to be a smidge better on the rogue because it has a longer reflector.It easily throws a 60+/- meters and I had just ordered the old version where they had the 6 nichia ds's in the emitter, just because i love nichias and its a solid product. Then again I have the new cree model that absolutely does awesome. The specs are as claimed and there is nothing that I can find wrong with it. It comes with a AA energizer lithium too.

Of course there are other ones out there that are brighter, smaller and better. Then again I go for warranty, customer service and product quality(then these usually = an awesome product) If you like their keychain products you are going to love this.

 

[Monocrom]

Target still sells the Energizer AA light. (Not to be confused with the more expensive Energizer Lithium AA model.)

Meets all of your requirements, and is a helluva lot more reliable than anything from DX.

 

[speedsix]

I have not decided yet but I am looking up each and every suggestion. All replies are welcome and very helpful.

I have been looking into some of these lights and it seems like there are a lot more to choose from than I was aware.

The single AA with clip light is just such a great platform that I am surprise that it is not more common.

With the new LEDs out now, a single AA pocket light can outshine my old 2 D cell mag light that was huge and weighed a ton. The Maglight always burned out bulbs and ate batteries like it was starving. My Rominsen RC-G2 is amazing for it's size. I have not even tried a 10400 battery in it yet.

 

[Colorblinded]

If your looking for a quality light, check out the Quark AA. You can program any two modes you want with the option of changing what is programmed for a specific task.

Also, If you decide you want a 2AA light you can simply buy a spare body and have a different light.

Its slightly higher than your original price point, but the flexability and quality is worth it.

The Quark AA isn't a bad suggestion. More expensive for sure but it is certainly offers a good bit more. If you do start looking at that there are some other things I'd look at in its range too which I'll mention below.

It does unfortunately have a whole lot more modes than he's looking for, but sometimes compromises must be made

The Quark Mini would be a good option too, less 'complex' in use than the Quark AA (3 standard modes and 4 additional hidden ones). Unfortunately it lacks a pocket clip and i don't know what can be done about that. For me it's more of a keychain/keyring light. I have a Fenix LD01 on my car keys which may be replaced by the Quark MiniAA soon, and I'm fine with that vs the key clip but my needs and wants won't necessarily match yours, speedsix. A clip would just get in the way for me. The twist interface is also a matter of preference or opinion. In my pocket it's not very likely I'll accidentally twist it on, whereas I could click a switch.

Sadly most of the single AA lights that come to mind that I'd look in to are twisty interfaces, so I don't have much in the way of suggestions to ofter! Lots of good affordable twisty options (like the iTP A2 EOS) but it seems like most of the comparable options with switch are more expensive.

I like Fenix but all they've got is the Fenix LD10 with 3 power levels and a clip or the LD15 with two power levels and it appears no clip but possibly clip mounting points? sheesh

With the new LEDs out now, a single AA pocket light can outshine my old 2 D cell mag light that was huge and weighed a ton. The Maglight always burned out bulbs and ate batteries like it was starving. My Rominsen RC-G2 is amazing for it's size. I have not even tried a 10400 battery in it yet.

I love my Romisen RC-29, I looked at whether they could have anything to solve your quest but I came up empty handed. The RC-29 flat out embarrasses my 4D Maglite. To be honest so does the LD01 connected to my car keys!

 

[speedsix]

Target still sells the Energizer AA light. (Not to be confused with the more expensive Energizer Lithium AA model.)

Meets all of your requirements, and is a helluva lot more reliable than anything from DX.

I happened to be at Target today and I remembered the suggestion. I walked down to the flashlight area and found one. It was a bit over $17 with tax.

I bought it and opened it in the car. It was daytime and it didn't seem very bright at all. I was sort of dissapointed because I wanted something close to the brightest setting of my AOKay K-106 and this seemed pretty dim.

Long story short, I got it home and compared it to the K-106 in a dim room and the Energizer was much brighter!:twothumbs I really like it and think it was a great buy.

I love the fact that it is a single mode. I love how bright it is. I love the sturdy clip because it seems like it can hold up much better than the clip on my K-106. I love the solid feel and large checkering. I REALLY love the forward clicky. It is easy to turn on and off.

I don't like how heavy it is. It feels almost twice as heavy as the K-106. I also don't like the lens is carried up where it may be damaged. I wish the clip was a deep carry clip like the K-106.

Taken as a whole, it is a much better light than the K-106. It doesn't flicker and always comes on and off unlike my k-106 which has problems sometimes.

Great light that is well worth the money and has the added benefit of being able to be returned if needed and you get it right away.

 

[fishx65]

Speed, how does your RC-G2 compare to the Energizer Cree? Which one is a better thrower?

 

[speedsix]

Speed, how does your RC-G2 compare to the Energizer Cree? Which one is a better thrower?

The RC-G2 is brighter and a better thrower than the Energizer.

I have the K-106 as well and even on high it is not as powerful or as good of a thrower as the Energizer.

The RC-G2 is a great light and I love it but it is too bright for some tasks. Try reading a map with it in a dark car at night and you will see that a light can be too bright.

The Energizer is a really nice light and I am glad I was tipped off to it. I would never have thought that an Energizer from Target would be worth having but it is good. Better than I expected.