Noob here, would like some advice

[Vancouverite]

Joined last week and I've already bought two lights and I'm looking to get a few more.

I bought a Dorcy 1 watt, 3 AAA light and an X-glow with the new Cree LED powered by a single AA. Although it's nice to have a small light, I find the single AA light to be almost too small. It would be easy to lose and easy to drop. I prefer the bigger light that takes 3 AAA batteries since the 3 AAA batteries are loaded into a cartridge like container and it increases the diameter of the flashlight making it easier to hold.

Is there a light that is the diameter of the 3 AAA light (when not laid end to end but in the arrangement above) that uses the latest Cree LED and throws 120+ lumens?

Thanks in advance for any replies. I posted on another thread and two people were kind enough to post replies quite quickly.

 

[dano101]

Theres a few threads on here already about a 3AAA setup, but just curious if you want a 3AAA setup that is end-on-end style or magazine style (where the aaa's are all grouped together)?

 

[LED-holic]

I have the 3AAA Leatherman Monarch from CostCo.

Depending on your budget, I highly recommend the L0D CE from Fenix. It's a single AAA light that will outshine many lights.

Or look at a 2AA light like L2D Q5 that is not too small and yet super versatile and bright with several modes.

 

[Empyfree]

3 AAA's together is pretty uncommon, as the length of such a bettery tube would make it rather elongated looking and in my opinion, "weak" looking. Most manufacturers shift from 1AAA to 1AA then 2AA 3AA etc.

As you're new here I'd really recommend getting a re-chargeable set-up, be it AA or some of the new Lithium cells. Personally I'm moving over to 18650 sized cells, and trying to find lights that use those! Dealextreme has a good range, or you can wait for the Fenix one that we've been promised.

I realise I've gone a long way away from your original question, AAA lights are nice, I personally carry an Arc AAA-P with me on my keys, its probably my most used light!

I agree with the other poster about fenix's L2D range, they take two AA's and are incredibly bright for the size!

Oh, and :welcome: When you've made your next purchase just stick your credit card to the edge of your pc monitor... you're going to need it again really soon!

 

[Gunner12]

Most 3AAA lights are direct drive/resistor. That means unregulated, quick drop in output(if you use alkaline batteries).

Would a 2AA powered lights work well? How about 18650 light or a 2 CR123?(You'll need different batteries and chargers though)

A lanyard would be helpful in case you drop the light.

To answer your question, yes there are many that are around that size and have over 120 lumen. Cree is only one company that makes current gen LEDs (The XR-E series), Seoul (P4 and P7 models) and Luxeon (Rebel and TFFC K2s) are the two other main ones.

 

[Vancouverite]

Sorry for the poorly worded initial post. I edited the original post. It's not the 3 AAA configuration that I like, but the diameter created by having the 3 AAA setup. It's much easier to hold the larger diameter light and I'm less likely to drop it.

So what I really want is a bigger diameter flashlight that can throw 120+ lumens. I like the new Fenix TK10, but it uses CR 123 batteries and I'd prefer to stick to the more common AA or AAA batteries and the TK10 looks like the diameter would be only slightly bigger than the AA battery itself which I think is too small a diameter.