Sorry, but Brightest AAA or AA flashlight?

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Scorpion1080

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I know this question is asked all the time and the last thread I found is a little outdated so I would like to ask for help.


At work I have an unlimited supply of Alkaline AA and AAA batteries and I normally replace them daily so I do not have to worry about leakage as they are not in there longer then 24hours normally. Sometimes 48hours.

I use alkaline because they are free and I do not have to worry about charging. I know they will never be as bright as the alternatives but I cannot complain with free batteries..

Can anyone recommend the brightest AAA and AA flashlight using alkaline's?
I can afford up to $100 USD and am wanting something to fit in my front shirt pocket.

Can someone please give me some idea's?

Any help would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks.
 
I would suggest a Preon II if you have an unlimited supply of AAAs. They're available in different colors and tints, and you can go to a single AAA with a purchase of the AAA tube if that works for you.

http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=297_332_367

http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_310&products_id=2294

http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_402&products_id=2316

Forgot to add....I don't think I would want to carry anything larger or heavier than this in a shirt pocket, a AAx2 for example would be brighter, but too much weight and bulk for me. YMMV
 
Last edited:
You are pretty much stuck with an 1xAA format if you want it to fit in your pocket with a few variations Ive included.

The brightest will be one that uses an XP-G emitter, which is the most efficient. Since you are limited to 1.5 volts and a single alkaline which means 500mA, your brightness will be limited. But these should be bright enough to do the trick.

If you give us an idea what it is used for, this would definitely help.

Here are some of my thoughts:

http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_18&products_id=909
55 bucks, XP-G emitter. good brand. 4 output levels up to 132 lumens.


Less fancy 41 dollar model:
http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_18&products_id=1678


Tiny 1xAAA model. 70 lumens.
http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_43&products_id=469

2xAAA pen format light. 160 lumens. Light and ought to fit in your pocket nicely.
http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_43&products_id=1223

Different brand of 1xAA light.
http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_43&products_id=327


A 1xAA flood to throw adjustable light. Very nice for seeing up close without a glaring hotspot which is awesome if that is your main use. Also solid for seeing far off if the need arises. Its even an XP-G emitter too.
At 25 bucks its a bargain!
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-180/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-29-II/Detail
 
The Zebralight SC51 that's about to be released is 200 lumens on one regular AA.
 
Brasso said:
The Zebralight SC51 that's about to be released is 200 lumens on one regular AA.
Click to expand...

exactly, there is no mass produced single AA flashlight that is brighter on one single AA. end of story. The test was done with an eneloop (NiMH) but I don't see why alkaline would act any different - especially if you change the battery every day.

The only debate would be if you want a 2AA light with a clip. That would be at least 6 inches long and would clearly stick out of your pocket a bit. Do you want to stick with one AA or go to 2AA?
 
tre said:
The test was done with an eneloop (NiMH) but I don't see why alkaline would act any different - especially if you change the battery every day.
Click to expand...

From what Ive heard, NiMH is a lot better at high drain applications than Alkalines.

I dont see how you would get 200 real lumens out of a 1xAA light. Even with an XP-G you would need what? 0.8 Amps at 3.0 volts?
I dont have specifics but thats probably a good guess.

Even if the Vf is lower, that is still a lot of amperage out of 1 battery. I dont think an alkaline would cut it personally.
 
One option to consider would be the new Quark Mini AA2. Outputs 180 OTF on high, three modes, and is penlight sized so it will work in a shirt pocket. Plus, it probably has the best clip 4Sevens has ever offered.

For their price and your budget you could actually get two.

I will echo other posts here and suggest that you avoid alkalines even if you can get them free. Aside from waste issues, their chemistry really doesn't work well for LED flashlights as they perform very poorly under sustained high draw applications. In some situations you'll get as little as one third the run time compared to other chemistries. They are also HEAVY and add substantial weight to a light if you're going to want to carry it in a shirt pocket. Energizer L91 lithium primaries are in my experience the best non-rechargeable AA size cell available right now; long run time and very light weight.
 
For use as a front shirt pocket light with alkalines I wouldn't look any farther than the 4Sevens Preon. It was made for this.
 
AlphaZen said:
For use as a front shirt pocket light with alkalines I wouldn't look any farther than the 4Sevens Preon. It was made for this.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup: YES! This is a no-brainer, especially since the OP said he wanted to use it in a shirt pocket!

Go get this: Preon 2, Titanium "Black Edition" for $49.00

Then, when you order, put in the discount code "CPF8" and in the comments section, tell them you are a member of CPF and include your user name. This will get you a discount of a few bucks, plus they have free shipping.

This is absolutely the best choice IMHO......

-
 
+1 to get 2x AAA for shirt pocket.

And for 2x AAA: Preon! :thumbsup:
 
joe1512 said:
From what Ive heard, NiMH is a lot better at high drain applications than Alkalines.

I dont see how you would get 200 real lumens out of a 1xAA light. Even with an XP-G you would need what? 0.8 Amps at 3.0 volts?
I dont have specifics but thats probably a good guess.

Even if the Vf is lower, that is still a lot of amperage out of 1 battery. I dont think an alkaline would cut it personally.
Click to expand...

I don't either:thinking: but to quote selfbuilt's review "Zebralight informed me that the SC51 was optimized for standard batteries, but I wasn't expecting this kind of performance. Output/runtime efficiency clearly outperforms even the Fenix LD10-R4 – in some cases by as much as 50% or more! Max output is also noticeably higher than the Fenix (which was itself head-and-shoulders above the other lights in my collection). The Eneloop, L91 and alkaline graphs all tell the story pretty well!"
 
tre said:
I don't either:thinking: but to quote selfbuilt's review
Click to expand...
Just to clarify, the alkaline runtime graph show pretty well what happens if you try to run on Hi1 (i.e. 200 lumens, which I think is a good estimate) - an alkaline cell starts dropping immediately.

But Hi2 (which is likely in the low 100+ lumen range) is quite well regulated on alkaline.
 
I was really impressed with the output of the Preon 2, and the Preon is certainly no slacker! I really like those lights, just wish they have a bit more traction, they are really slippery.

I'm really pleased with my SS Preon Revo, while not the brightest, it's just such a great light, and those brass threads make it a pleasure to use.
 
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