Husky 3 Watt AAA (revisited)

[Skyeye]

Yeah, I know what you are thinking, here we go with another Husky thread!

Well, here it is anyway!

I have the 4 watt Husky 2D and like it very much in spite of the "saturn" effect of it's beam.

Lately, I have been on a quest to get a light with almost as much throw but in a much smaller, easier to carry size. Mind you I don't want to take out financing on this purchase, so I vowed to keep it under $80. I went to my local gun shop which sells Wolfeye's and although they were great lights, were over my price point. I then went to Academy and looked at the Streamlight Super Tac. I really liked the brightness but the reflector being so bulbous made it just as hard to carry as my 2D Husky.

So today I went back to Home Depot to see what they had new. Didn't see much new stuff save for an updated 4 watt Husky with multiple brightness, etc but still too big. I noticed that they still had the compact 3 watt Cree AAA tactical light which I passed on to buy the 4 watt 2D a year ago. I thought perhaps I should just try it to see if it was indeed 145 lumens like the package indicated. I could always bring it back if it was a dud. Yes, I made sure the pill was centered.

Well, after I got home and dropped the 3 AAA's into the holder I was surprized how bright this little guy was! Now, I know it's engine is the dreaded AAA and it's circuitry direct drive but given the price per lumen equation, I can't let a little less run time bother me. It appears to be over 120 lumens but I don't have a meter so it's guesstimation only.

The light is very well made and easy to hold. It has a rear recessed momentary clicker that requires very little pressure to go to stay on mode. Got a pocket clip, plus the lens is deep enough to resist scratches in the pocket. Sure it has the silver head like it's big brother but that kind of grows on you.

Actually, this very small light is nearly as bright as the Super Tac that I tried in Academy for 1/4 the cost. I think it will now become my ENC (every night carry). Here are the size comparison and beam shots. The first beam shot is the Husky 2D 4 watt, the second is the 3 watt AAA. (notice how smooth the 3 watt is compared to the "ring a ding" of the big brother) Incidentally, the distance from the lights to the garage door is 20ft.

 

[mikekoz]

I had one of these for about a week and returned it. It seemed well made and bright, but I did not like the slick body. I also do not like AAA's, but was planning to try NIMH batteries in it. I guessed they would make up for a lack of regulation and give it a more flat run curve. Did the new 4 watt D light look like the old one, but with different brightness levels, or was it a different design?

 

[Skyeye]

The new Husky 4 watt looks nothing like the prior one. It has an all black semi-gloss finish and appears like a giant streamlight. If I didn't already have the older model, I would have gotten it too simply for the multiple brightness feature. I think it also had a small lanyard on it but I can't be sure. :thinking: Next time I go near HD I will check it out further.

I tried my little 3 watt out last night on a dog walk and it suits me good as far as the throw and ease of carry. Yes, they could have dropped the high gloss anodizing/paint but not withstanding that, it works just fine. Runtime is not a factor for me as I only put it on with the momentary when I want to see something ahead on the path or in the trees.

 

[bob4apple]

My Husky 3AAA is running on (1) 14500 lion battery, using the old wrap-something-around-the-battery-to-make-it-fit trick. In my case I used a piece of plastic split loom wire organizer. (I use that same method to use (1) 18650 battery in my Husky 2 D flashlight).

Anyway, the light is brighter than with my NIMH batteries, I don't have to deal with the battery carrier, and I only have to charge one battery. For the price, I think it's a good deal.

 

[Skyeye]

I went back to HD today to look again at what I thought was an update to the Husky 4 watt 2D Cree and was I in for a surprise. It appears that they have indeed produced another version of the 2D super torch but it has been downgraded to a "3" watt! It looks better than the silver head cause it's all flat black aluminium. It also has a multiple brightness circuit. The big letdown was the really bad placement of the LED pill and a reflector that looks like it was made by a chimp. Way bad QC. I found only 2 out of 12 that had a centered LED. It's priced at $21.95 which IMHO is about $15 over what I think it's worth. I threw it back. Perhaps someone here with more cohones will get one and we will see what we shall see.

 

[mikekoz]

I went back to HD today to look again at what I thought was an update to the Husky 4 watt 2D Cree and was I in for a surprise. It appears that they have indeed produced another version of the 2D super torch but it has been downgraded to a "3" watt! It looks better than the silver head cause it's all flat black aluminium. It also has a multiple brightness circuit. The big letdown was the really bad placement of the LED pill and a reflector that looks like it was made by a chimp. Way bad QC. I found only 2 out of 12 that had a centered LED. It's priced at $21.95 which IMHO is about $15 over what I think it's worth. I threw it back. Perhaps someone here with more cohones will get one and we will see what we shall see.

That actually sounds like the old version of that light which a lot of Home Depot's still sell.