Looking for replacement for Akoray K106: 1xAA, max £30/$45, NO strobes allowed!

[jk037]

For the last 6 months or so I've been using one of two versions of the Akoray K-106 as my EDC light.

Initially I carried the 5-mode version, and was pleased with the size, shape, output and battery life, but found the lack of mode memory and the flashing modes became highly irritating.

So I then tried the 3-mode programmable version. This solved the mode memory and strobe issues, as I could simply program it for low/med/high. However, this version brought new problems that the 5-mode didn't have: the contact between the barrel and the head is lousy which causes flickering/mode hopping, and it seems to have a parasitic battery drain despite having a "proper" mechanical off switch. Hence I went back to the 5-mode version; however, this has also developed a poor contact somewhere, which I think is the switch.

Sooo... I want to spend a little more on a replacement light which will avoid ALL the above issues!




Essential features are:

• Multiple brightness levels, preferably 3+
• Mode memory
• NO strobe/flashing/SOS modes AT ALL (unless they can be programmed out). I loathe having to cycle through these horrible flickering settings just to get to the right output level
• Battery: 1x NiMH AA
• Similar shape to K-106 i.e. straight, slender, single-AA (my EDC light has to be a comfortable fit in my jeans pocket alongside my two mobile phones, so I can't tolerate anything with a bulky head, and the K-106 has proved to be the ideal size and shape for comfortably carrying)
• As bright, or brighter, on NiMH than my K-106 (let's say a minimum of 80 lumens on highest setting)
• RELIABILITY! I've had my fill of lousy thread contacts, flickering, and batteries draining while the light is switched off. As the Honda ads used to say, "Isn't it nice when things just work?"
• Price below £30/$45 (at current exchange rate)

and in case there are a few lights meeting the first set of criteria, any of the following "bonus" features would help to sway me in a particular direction:

• 150+ lumen max output on single NiMH AA (200lm would be nice but I suspect this is unrealistic on a single NiMH cell)
• Clicky switch rather than twisty
• Ability to tailstand
• Neutral or warm white emitter
• Programmable or variable (a la nitecore D10) brightness levels
• XP-G emitter (I undersand these are the most efficient emitter on the market with a suitable power level)
• Beam profile a little more "throwy" than the Akoray
• A really low "low" mode

I rather fancied the non-SP (i.e. original variable output) version of the Nitecore D10, but these generally come in around 150% of my budget! So do any of you fine flashaholics have any suggestions that will fulfil my criteria within my meagre budget?

Mucho gracias!

 

[jk037]

Anyone?

 

[brted]

Seems like there is a dead zone between budget lights for $20 or less and good lights at $50 or more. Just not a lot of choices. A lot of the budget lights have strobe, cool white LED's, and aren't programmable (or reliable). A Quark would come close but they don't have a neutral white AA model.

You might be able to repair your AKOray by cleaning and tightening everything. Or you could buy another AKOray and hope for a better copy.

I was able to build a light starting with a stainless steel Aurora SH-035 that burned out on arrival and added a neutral XP-G R4 LED and a 2-mode driver. It works with an AA, but works a lot better with a li-ion. That was about $28 but I got a refund on the burned out Aurora. The Aurora worked out well because, unlike most AA lights, it takes a standard 17mm driver.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

~

Ha ............. with all your preferences ......

You've asked for ... " the Holy Grail " in AA lights .

For a Price below £30/$45 (at current exchange rate)

When you find it ........ WE all want a couple too !

Please keep us informed on your "Quest for" ....... (you know) .

~

 

[randomlugia]

I have never seen a budget light with more than 2 modes and no strobe.

 

[jk037]

Errr... so the "holy grail" is managing to find a light thats slightly better than a $13 Chinese job, for only 3 times the price? Not much of a holy grail!

All I really want is an Akoray equivalent that's reliable, performs a little better on NiMH and doesn't flash at me. The other stuff (e.g. neutral emitter, 150lm+, etc etc) is what I'd consider "bonus" features, i.e. not dealbreakers, just features that would be nice if they're available.

brted and randomlugia both make a good point, though: indeed, it appears to be difficult or impossible to spend between $20 and $50 dollars on a light that improves upon the reliability of the "budget" offerings without sacrificing too many the good points of most budget lights, e.g. size, multi-modes, etc etc. And the strobe functions really are a bugbear of mine - who on earth actually needs them? Why does nearly every light available have to have strobe/SOS/beacon/etc etc functions - do the manufacturers think all their customers are Indiana bloomin' Jones? :duh2:

Errr... so with that little rant out the way, back to the subject at hand...

So far on my shortlist are:

iTP A2 EOS $25
Good points: Slim body, simple UI, reputedly reliable (my experience with the A3 EOS bears this out), and NO STROBE! :naughty:
Bad points: "Only" 80lm output (although this is probably still brighter than the Akoray on NiMH), not much throw with orange-peel lens, and I do prefer a "clicky" to a "twisty"
iTP C7T $33
Good points: Decent output and better throw than many 1xAAs according to reviews, nice UI, fully variable output, NO STROBE! (can you tell this is important to me? ), iTP reliability
Bad points: Oddly-shaped body looks bulky compared to A2 and Akorays
Quark Mini AA $37
Good points: Size, shape, 3 modes, strobe modes "hidden", reputation for reliability, available in neutral white XP-G, claimed 90lm output (-7% for neutral), nicest looks of the 3 lights mentioned here
Bad points: "Twisty" not "Clicky", OP reflector suggests not much throw on offer, $12 more than the iTP

Thus far the Quark Mini AA is looking favourite (in neutral white form), but have I overlooked any good alternatives?

~

Ha ............. with all your preferences ......

You've asked for ... " the Holy Grail " in AA lights .

For a Price below £30/$45 (at current exchange rate)

When you find it ........ WE all want a couple too !

Please keep us informed on your "Quest for" ....... (you know) .

~

 

[Gregozedobe]

If you are comfortable with using a battery that will instantly void the warranty then an ITP A2 Eos running a Li-ion 14500 will be very bright on Hi (but you won't want to run it for very long as it gets hot after a minute or so). You still have Lo and Med for less heat and longer run time.

For more money than your budget the new Zebralight H51 will be very bright on a NiMh AA battery.

If you can score a s'hand Eagletac single AA light (P10A ?) they are fairly bright on Hi (two stage by rotating head, on/off rear clicky).

It seems fairly difficult to make a really bright single AA light (unless it runs a Li-ion 14500 battery).

 

[Zatoichi]

Hi fellow Yorkshireman :wave: Sorry if this isn't very helpful, but... I'm usually on a tight budget myself, but for what you'll get investing that extra £10 or so, I would go for the D10 you like (I bought one, cringed at the price, never looked back), or one of the other slightly more expensive single AA's that are popular here.

I've not seen much at all by way of bright, decent single AA's within your budget, but even if it means waiting a while to save the money, something like the D10, Fenix LD10, or AA Jetbeam etc will be worth the investment.

The only cheapo 1 x AA lights I have are an Ultrafire C3 (stainless steel) and a Uniquefire S10. They're both okay lights, reasonably bright and don't feel like they're going to fall apart, but when I pick up the Nitecore I know where the extra money went. As you put RELIABILITY in capitals I think you'd appreciate the investment once you've taken the plunge.

 

[jk037]

After much Googling and prowling of CPF, I've ordered a light...

Firstly, of my shortlisted lights these are the ones I didn't pick:
1. Nitecore D10 - in terms of features and performance, a clear winner; however, at £45 it's just too expensive to be justifiable (although I may request a D10 plus 14500s and charger as a birthday present in a few months! )
2. iTP C7T: good value and spec, but it's pretty bulky compared to the other contenders
3. iTP A2 EOS: again, good value and spec, nearly took the winning spot but was just barely pipped as it doesn't come in neutral white flavour

and of the ones kindly suggested on here, the Zebralight was an interesting proposition, with impressive dimensions and output, but the 90-degree configuration and the price unfortunately ruled it out.

... which leaves the Quark Mini AA as my eventual choice. Worked out at about £24 inc P&P, packs a neutral tint XP-G and looks rather nice too! Plus it seems to have lots of satisfied owners here on CPF so will hopefully impress me as well

 

[Paul_in_Maryland]

You won't get 150 lumens from your Quark. But pop in a 1.6-1.7V PowerGenix nickel-zinc (NiZn) AA and you'll be pleasantly surprised. If the Quark responds to the higher voltage as other lights do, you can expect about 30 percent more lumens compared to the lumens you'd get from a nickel-zinc.

The only 1xAA I know of that can deliver 150 out-the-front lumens without resorting to a 10440 (lithium-ion) is a single-stage drop-in module, the Malkoff M31. A CPFer recently measured its output at 200+ lumens on one NiZn AA, even after 2 minutes. I'm glad I bought my FiveMega 1xAA body before they're sold out.

 

[jk037]

Interesting, might just give these NiZn cells a try then!

I'm not expecting anything like 150lm from it (spec is 90lm -7% for the Quark with a neutral emitter, so just over 80lm ); the 150lm figure was just an in-an-ideal-world idea, which it soon became apparent would be unfeasible on my budget without moving to lithium cells

You won't get 150 lumens from your Quark. But pop in a 1.6-1.7V PowerGenix nickel-zinc (NiZn) AA and you'll be pleasantly surprised. If the Quark responds to the higher voltage as other lights do, you can expect about 30 percent more lumens compared to the lumens you'd get from a nickel-zinc.

The only 1xAA I know of that can deliver 150 out-the-front lumens without resorting to a 10440 (lithium-ion) is a single-stage drop-in module, the Malkoff M31. A CPFer recently measured its output at 200+ lumens on one NiZn AA, even after 2 minutes. I'm glad I bought my FiveMega 1xAA body before they're sold out.