Leightweight 1AA emergency/ first aid light

[Roland]

I am looking for a very lightweight flashlight to use in an emergency (backpack loss)/ primary light failure/ accident situation. The light will be used as first aid lamp from cleaning wounds to stitching and worse. Also the light needs to be usable to hike out in darkness and therefore needs to be able to run about 6-8 hours.

The light needs to be able to be stored for long periods (years) before use so a light without parasitic power drain is indicated. A bright blue colour might be the paint colour with the most contrast for finding it back if dropped. Plastic is fine as it is light and during long term storage it will be protected. If spare batteries are at hand it will be AA batteries and therefore a 1AA light would be best.

+ very light weight
+ rain/ wet condition proof
+ 1AA battery
+ good colour rendering for caring for wounds
+ Led is preferred because incans have a bigger chance of bulb failure when dropped during use
+ no parasitic power drain

On the net I found the "WARM WHITE Quark MiNi AA" http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_355&products_id=2044
runs on 1AA alkalines, 8 hours of 18 OTF lumens, 0.67 ounces = 19 grams.
It does not say if it has a parasitic power drain.

Does anyone know this or have other suggestions?

 

[Zeruel]

Cleaning wounds and stitching would mean that you'll need both hands for the job...
Try Zebralight H501. Great for hiking too.

These days, parasite drain is inconsequential, it's so minute that it'll take years to drain completely. Those that depletes the battery completely sooner than that indicates a faulty light. Besides, you can always lock out by unscrewing the tailcap slightly.

 

[sol-leks]

I think the quark mini is a good choice, although something with a tail switch might be more useful for your needs like the quark regular.

It would also be best if you keep AA lithiums in it as they have better shelf life and are less prone to leaking.

I hadn't thought of the zebralight, good choice.

Neither of these lights come in blue, but its easy enough to but some reflective tape on it.

 

[shark_za]

Good choice, I have the WW Mini AA and would like it a lot more if it ran silently.
Only low its a feint whine and on medium its distractingly loud.

Only in black , no drain so it will standby forever with a lithium L92.

 

[MikeAusC]

Cleaning wounds and stitching would mean that you'll need both hands for the job...
Try Zebralight H501. Great for hiking too.

These days, parasite drain is inconsequential, it's so minute that it'll take years to drain completely. Those that depletes the battery completely sooner than that indicates a faulty light. Besides, you can always lock out by unscrewing the tailcap slightly.

I agree - a Headlight is the way to go - my Zebralight has 3 brightness levels - bright for walking - dim for reading, long life etc

 

[SixM]

I am looking for a very lightweight flashlight to use in an emergency (backpack loss)/ primary light failure/ accident situation. The light will be used as first aid lamp from cleaning wounds to stitching and worse. Also the light needs to be usable to hike out in darkness and therefore needs to be able to run about 6-8 hours.

The light needs to be able to be stored for long periods (years) before use so a light without parasitic power drain is indicated. A bright blue colour might be the paint colour with the most contrast for finding it back if dropped. Plastic is fine as it is light and during long term storage it will be protected. If spare batteries are at hand it will be AA batteries and therefore a 1AA light would be best.

+ very light weight
+ rain/ wet condition proof
+ 1AA battery
+ good colour rendering for caring for wounds
+ Led is preferred because incans have a bigger chance of bulb failure when dropped during use
+ no parasitic power drain

On the net I found the "WARM WHITE Quark MiNi AA" http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_355&products_id=2044
runs on 1AA alkalines, 8 hours of 18 OTF lumens, 0.67 ounces = 19 grams.
It does not say if it has a parasitic power drain.

Does anyone know this or have other suggestions?

I carry this light daily.
Without going into details, I have an infected pressure sore on my foot that I've been dealing with for the last month, with dressing changes and cleanings 2-3 times a day. I could use any one of my lights but the warm AA Mini on med. using a 14500 is my choice by far.
An energizer Lithium would give you long storage life, and med maybe high would provide plenty of light. High with a 14500 is a little too much light for my needs in this situation.
Never heard of any parasitic drain on these.

 

[LEDninja]

The Quark Mini AA is available in cool white, neutral white (limited run), warm white (limited run) at this time.
The cool white is too blue for out in the country use, the warm white is too yellow - mine is close to the tint of a 25W incandescent household bulb.
Suggest you look at the neutral tint version.

I assume you are using lithium AA for the 10 year shelf life, Alkaline will leak and destroy the light in 3 years.

Two is one, one is none.
Nothing is guaranteed to work all the time. Especially true for stuff that is lying around for years.
My gut feel is to have 2 lights and alternate them as your normal EDC. That way if corrosion fouls the contacts you will notice ahead of time.
-
At least have a spare backup pack of batteries.
During the "The light will be used as first aid lamp from cleaning wounds to stitching and worse." stage the light is liable to be used on high. Half an hour on high will reduce the 8 hour medium runtime to 4. Worse in an emergency you may be frazzled enough to forget to turn down the brightness and be without light in an hour.

-

This may be worth a read.
1xAA Round-up Review - Part IV - RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, & more!
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/224932

 

[mightykid]

A Neutral or Warm White Quark Mini AA would be ideal for your requirement.

 

[Lucciola]

I would also recommend a quark mini AA with a lithium cell.

However as addition in an emergency pack you also might consider a Petzl E+Lite (not an AA light):
http://www.petzl.com/en/pro/headlamps/emergency-and-signal-lighting/elite

Very lightweight, very long storability, tiny package. Maybe go for both, the mini AA as primary light, the e+lite when you need the hands free.

Lucciola

 

[davidt1]

Cleaning wounds and stitching would mean that you'll need both hands for the job...
Try Zebralight H501. Great for hiking too.

These days, parasite drain is inconsequential, it's so minute that it'll take years to drain completely. Those that depletes the battery completely sooner than that indicates a faulty light. Besides, you can always lock out by unscrewing the tailcap slightly.

+1

Unless the OP can work with one hand while his other hand is holding a flashlight, the H501 is a good choice.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

+1

Unless the OP can work with one hand while his other hand is holding a flashlight, a hand-free light like the H501 is a good choice.

You could also hold the MiNi in your mouth and drool on what you're working over. The MiNi has no parasitic drain, a properly-working Zebralight has very little - and can be locked out to have none.

I have microsphere tape. It's silvery-gray with a rough texture, and it reflects light like a highway sign. Even dirty (blood, oil, mud) it'll reflect. Not easy to clean, though.

 

[damn_hammer]

Brinkmann 809-1095-0 Armor Max LED 1AA Flashlight discussed in detail here: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/237106 This matches your requirement with a Energizer Ultimate Lithium (L92) AA battery. The only thing I don't know is the runtime. If your interested I can probably sacrifice a L92 to find out?

 

[davidt1]

You could also hold the MiNi in your mouth and drool on what you're working over. The MiNi has no parasitic drain, a properly-working Zebralight has very little - and can be locked out to have none.

I have microsphere tape. It's silvery-gray with a rough texture, and it reflects light like a highway sign. Even dirty (blood, oil, mud) it'll reflect. Not easy to clean, though.

Try communicating with the victim with a light in your mouth.

 

[damn_hammer]

... I have microsphere tape. It's silvery-gray with a rough texture, and it reflects light like a highway sign. Even dirty (blood, oil, mud) it'll reflect. Not easy to clean, though.

Where did you get the tape? Google didn't come up with much. Thanks

 

[AnAppleSnail]

Where did you get the tape? Google didn't come up with much. Thanks

I found it in a box. This is the same stuff (What DOESN'T 3M make?)

 

[damn_hammer]

I found it in a box. This is the same stuff (What DOESN'T 3M make?)

In a box, classic. Thanks for the link.

OP should give the Brinkmann a look. Its a very good single mode 1xaa light, but gets drowned out in these recommendation threads by quark!, quark!, quark!

 

[RobertM]

Similar to other members' recommendations, I'd go with the ZL H501w. Given your requests, it seems to be the closest fit that I can think of. Just be sure to stock it with an Energizer e2 lithium AA, untwist the tailcap to prevent any drain, and you should be set.

-Robert

 

[fixitman]

If you dont need hands free, then the quark, in neutral. I have a few, 1 for daily carry, and one in my emergency bag. Great little light.
For hands free, I would go with the zebralight H51 over the H501. The H501 is pure flood, which is nice for up close work, but pretty much useless beyond 20 feet. The H51 has a wide spot, and wide spill, making it useful in more situations. Also keep in mind you can add a fenix clip to the quark, and then mount the quark to a baseball hat for use as a headlamp, it works great.

Me, I cover the emergency thing by having the Quark, and the H501. Both with neutral tints. 2 sources of light is better than 1

 

[PCC]

I like the idea of a Quark MiNi AA with the body dipped in yellow plasti-dip. You end up with a yellow and black flashlight (black head) that would meet most of your requirements. Use Lithium cells in it. As people have found out, MiNi AAs (and probably a few other 1AA flashlights) will run on AAA batteries in a pinch as well.

I have an old Tekna Lite that I had bought for this same exact purpose some 10-15 years ago. I made the mistake of leaving a new alkaline battery in it for 10 years and, well, you can guess what happened to it. I've since salvaged the body and have converted it into an LED light using 1 AA battery. It currently has a NiMH battery in it but will soon get Lithium primaries and will go back into the survival kit that I had originally bought it for. It only puts out around 5-10 lumens but that is more than enough for close-in work and having any light is better than groping around in the dark.

 

[M@elstrom]

How about one of the new energizer 1AA lights? combined with a Lithium primary AA cell it would make a great addition to any emergency kit especially when you consider it has an automatic "power off" feature so it can't run flat accidentally :thumbsup:

User configurable for 2.5h @ maximum (65Lm) output and 16h @ 6% (minimum) output