Recommend a AA pocket spotlight?

[jaab]

I am new to the flashlight world and am looking for a quality and inexpensive (less than $50) light that can be used to illuminate street addresses from my vehicle. As such, the light should be good at throw. I would prefer to use AA or AAA batteries. I have read reviews on this site but am having difficulty judging which lights would have adequate output/throw for my needs.

What details should I look for in a pocket spotlight? Lumens, throw, etc?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Roland]

You need to be more specific. What is the size of those street addresses and the distance from your vehicle?
Generally I would buy a 2AA light, those are available around 200 lumens and should be good.

 

[vickers214]

I use a eagle tac p100a2 for just that at work, should tic all your boxes

 

[TomH]

The Streamlight PT 2AA would fit your needs very well. IMHO, it is one of the best throwing 2AA flashlights available.

http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=201


If you want something a little smaller, Streamlight also makes a 1AA version that would be much more pocketable. Same runtime as the 2AA version, but 1/2 as bright.

http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=199

 

[tre]

Lumens = brightness, Lux = throw. You want more lux to see street addresses. The highest lux 2 AA light is the dereelight Javelin - no question about it. I don't have a lot of 2 AA lights (I like cr123a and 18650) but I do have a Fenix LD20 R4, EagleTac P100A2 & P20A2. Of these the LD20 and P20A2 are not even close to the throw (or the brightness) of the Javelin. The P100A2 throws decently but still looses to the Javelin. I don't know anything about the Streamlight PT (suggested above) but I've heard on this forum that it is comperable to the LD20 throw (The LD20 has no throw so that may not be true). Lux value on the Javelin 2AA with XR-E is 9000 and XP-G is 7000. You can get the XR-E version from flashlightconnection with cpf discount for about $53 which is just over your range. The XP-G version will be brignter with a bit more spill and a little less throw of about $3 more. I like the XP-G version of this light myself. If you don't want to go that high, get the next best thing which is the EagleTac P100A2.

 

[TomH]

I don't know anything about the Streamlight PT (suggested above) but I've heard on this forum that it is comperable to the LD20 throw (The LD20 has no throw so that may not be true).

The PT 2AA has a fairly deep, smooth reflector whereas the LD20 has an orange peel reflector. I've never handled an LD20, but just based on the reflector alone, the PT should throw much farther.

 

[red02]

Get the Dereelight Javelin with the XRE R2 module. Its got the most throw out of the 2xAA selection of lights. Its going to be more than 50, but its worth it to get the best. Besides you can upgrade the Javelin with higher output lamps once they come out.

 

[Lucciola]

I propose the Fenix TK20 which has IMHO excellent throw with a small and defined hotspot.

For closeup work I don't like it at all. But I guess that you need it normaly for distances around 10-40m. In this range the TK20 works very well. Here in Europe it costs around 60 Euros, so it should be roughly around 50 US$.

Maybe you can get a good deal for this light because its successor, the LD25, is being released now. So possibly the price for the TK20 might go down a bit.

And it's built like a tank a can definitely take a fair amount of beating. Can someone make a comment how the TK20 compares to the Javelin? That would be something I'm really curious about. A comparison beamshot would be excellent.

Lucciola

 

[tre]

Can someone make a comment how the TK20 compares to the Javelin? That would be something I'm really curious about. A comparison beamshot would be excellent.

Lucciola

I don't have a TK20 anymore and it has been a while since I did. From what I remember the TK20 has a warmer LED but less throw than a Javelin. Measurements show the TK20 at about 6000 lux vs. the Javelin XR-E at 9000 lux which would indicate that the Javelin has a good amount more throw.

 

[Vaughnatic]

+1 TK20

 

[hello_frank]

I believe the Fenix LD25 would perfectly suit your needs.
http://www.fenixlight.com/viewnproduct.asp?id=74

 

[LiveForNight]

Try these threads, they might help you sort out the differences between lights and help narrow your list of requirements.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=263203

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=193377

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=257806&page=2

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=191935

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=248093

My personal favorite can be purchased here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NiteCore-D10-CR...0348288?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item3358097a80

It's a little over $50 but good quality and compact. I got tired of the size of the TK20 which is a little to long for me. I like something that disappears in my pocket until I want to use it. I have bought a couple of lights from Elvis Electronics and never had a problem. Just expect to wait 7-14 days for it to arrive. I have used it for my nightly walks and it won't light up the neighborhood but I can see addresses across the street.

Below is a quite excellent review of the D10 that you should read before purchase.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=255627

Happy hunting.

 

[Xak]

Get an older Quark AA with the R2 LED and a 14500 (3.7v rechargeable AA battery).

 

[LedTed]

Welcome Jaab,

You asked a great question and you did it well.

The Good:
From experience I can tell you that I have a JetBeam, Jet-1 Pro (Ver. 3.0) for a very similar purpose. The throw factor/feature is why my Jet-1 Pro has a smooth reflector. This single AA light also has the portability you may find useful.

The Bad:
The Jet-1 Pro costs around $65.00 to $75.00 shipped. So, for you to keep in your budget, you may have to look for a used flashlight - which has the smooth reflector. You can check: the CandlePowerMarketPlace (CPMP), Craigslist, or local pawnshops.

Best of luck.

 

[Polar QMCM]

I am a bit of a flashlight collector - always on the search for the "perfect" light. Have come to the opinon that the battery(ies) are the key. If you go with a light that uses rechargable lithium batteries (14500 are the equivalent of a "AA") then I think you will find you'll come out ahead of expenses.

Some recommendations:

NiteCore D10 - uses a infiinite setting for dimming/brightness (around $65)

4 Sevens Quark series. Just recently got the Preon 2 which uses 2 AAA batteries - has a small clip will clip in your shirt pocket and puts out amazing light, always starts out in dim mode and fairly easy to ramp up to bright (3 brightness levels). (around $48)

47's Quark Mini's - again very small lights amazing amount of output, I'm pretty sure they don't accept the 14500 battery.

If you want to go with a little larger light - I favor the one's that support the 18650 battery. Most of these go for $70 to $100. Major drawback is if your light runs out of juice is a little more difficult to find batteries.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gaffle]

There are 2 lights that I am hella interested in.

The Zebralight SC51 ($64).

The Jeatbeam RRT-0 ($110 with AA extender).

Obviously the RRT-0 isn't quite in your price range, but I really like the control ring UI and the forward clicky. Set the ring to high, either fully click it on, or just slightly press the switch for momentary light. Due to the depth and size of the head on this light it can throw very well. Rated at 180 lumens (at the emitter) so it is throwing out over 100 real lumens for sure.

Now the SC51 is made for full AA usage. Using alkaline, lithium, NiMH, or 14500 batteries is mega cool. You buy a charger and some 14500s and you how have a small hand canon. Even if you use NiMH your all right, and NiMH is an inexpensive way to go.

There are 2 more reviews for ya. Check'em out and enjoy.

 

[jaab]

Thanks to all who have responded. There have been a dizzying array of choices and I have a few more questions. Although over my budget the dereelight javelin seems promising. Is the javelin adequately waterproof? The XR-E led was reccomended over the XP-G but I cant seem to locate the XR-E version. Would the XP-G version suffice? What is the P-60 head on the javelin and how might this affect my purchasing decision? Will this light take lithium batteries? Thanks again!

 

[CarpentryHero]

Fenix LD20 would do nicely.
The Rayovac Roughneck would do it, it's a good budget light.

 

[red02]

Thanks to all who have responded. There have been a dizzying array of choices and I have a few more questions. Although over my budget the dereelight javelin seems promising. Is the javelin adequately waterproof? The XR-E led was reccomended over the XP-G but I cant seem to locate the XR-E version. Would the XP-G version suffice? What is the P-60 head on the javelin and how might this affect my purchasing decision? Will this light take lithium batteries? Thanks again!

The Javelin is as waterproof as any other light. P60 is a standard for 26mm lamps/lamp assemblies that you can easily interchange as new tech becomes available. You can buy aftermarket "P60 dropins" which are complete reflector-lamp assemblies that will fit into the Javelin provided the voltage of the dropin is correct.

I have the DBS body, but a Javelin module. This allows me to use the larger reflector of the DBS with 2-3xAAs.

You can also buy other bodies to screw on the head, but again you have to match the batteries to the voltage of the dropin.

Lithium? If by that you mean those Energizer Lithiums, then yes. 2x14500s (AA sized Li-Ions) then no, youll need a AA sized spacer. If you want Li-ion your better off with Javelin head and C2H body to use a single RCR123. Point of the Javelin is to use AAs to get throw previously reserved for Li-Ion based lights. Using Li-Ion makes no sense when there are dedicated solutions available like the CL1H which still uses the Javelin sized reflector.

Since the Javelin is designed with throw in mind it probably won't sacrifice much for output. The XPG will give you more overall output sacrificing 2,000-3,000 lux in the process. It still has the most throw of any AA light I know of.

The XRE is available (pictured above, i think there were some XPG beamshots somewhere...) but you need to email flashlightconnection to see if Jay still has some. The 3-mode XRE is available from dereelight directly.

 

[Lumenly Challenged]

I would always say the Nitecore D10...but i'm very interested in the Lumapower trust model 1 - xpg- rated 350 lumens on 14500!! $47.95.

Can anyone comment on this ? Thankslovecpf