The best 1*AAA light?
- Thread starter The Chief
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mcnair55
Flashlight Enthusiast
Yes but not if you are dealing with people like DX.
Well, that's what I'm asking for, exactly. A flashlite model & dealer. Any recommendations?
EZO
Flashlight Enthusiast
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have a Black Cat as well and I love it. You just can't beat it for the price and no matter what kind of abuse I put it through I never worry about it like I might with a more expensive light (and it seems to take it, too). DX has the TANK007 TK-703 - SKU # 26988. (or SKU 26990) (Tank manufactures the Black Cat, by the way) They're in your price range and can accept a 10440 Ii-ion and will be brighter with that power source than the Black Cat running an alkaline AAA or NiMH. Hey, a AAA HAIII tail clicky light with good knurling for 11 bucks that takes a 10440, what's not to like? It's hard to go wrong for the price even if you eventually spring for a higher end light. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As far as a flashlight model & dealer I'm not sure what's available in the 10-15 dollar price range outside of places likes DX. I guess the next step up would be the ITP A3 EOS's, Maratacs and so forth. As you probably know there are some really excellent threads here on CPF comparing the various AAA offerings. Just try a simple search on CPF for "AAA" and you will find more links than you know what to with.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Personally, I've placed numerous orders with DX and have never had a single problem. Even had to contact customer service one time to cancel a too long back-order item and got a very prompt, friendly reply and efficient refund. So far I've never received a defective or broken item. (knock wood) As long as you know what to expect from DX and the level of products they sell, they're a great resource. The Black Cat was a good example of my experience with them. For what I spent I got something that exceeded my expectations for quality and functionality even if it lacks the refinement of a higher end product.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As far as the "Best AAA light" goes, not sure how to answer that one. You'll probably get lots of opinions, I'm sure.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As far as a flashlight model & dealer I'm not sure what's available in the 10-15 dollar price range outside of places likes DX. I guess the next step up would be the ITP A3 EOS's, Maratacs and so forth. As you probably know there are some really excellent threads here on CPF comparing the various AAA offerings. Just try a simple search on CPF for "AAA" and you will find more links than you know what to with.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Personally, I've placed numerous orders with DX and have never had a single problem. Even had to contact customer service one time to cancel a too long back-order item and got a very prompt, friendly reply and efficient refund. So far I've never received a defective or broken item. (knock wood) As long as you know what to expect from DX and the level of products they sell, they're a great resource. The Black Cat was a good example of my experience with them. For what I spent I got something that exceeded my expectations for quality and functionality even if it lacks the refinement of a higher end product.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As far as the "Best AAA light" goes, not sure how to answer that one. You'll probably get lots of opinions, I'm sure.[/FONT]
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randomlugia
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2009
- Messages
- 146
I know it's not AAA, but the TrustFire R5-A3 is only a tiny bit bigger and should have much better output.
mcnair55
Flashlight Enthusiast
But AAA is the subject why hijack the op,s posting?
jacktheclipper
Enlightened
iTP A3 EOS
mcnair55
Flashlight Enthusiast
Will go over his budget of 10 to 15 US,that is why I did not respond with that,as it is my edc.The op has set DX as his standard and in all honesty I think he has no more options coming if he prefers to buy there.If he expanded his budget to cover other options it is all been asked and replied to hundreds of times before.
Trancersteve
Newly Enlightened
mcnair55 I don't think he is limiting himself to DX only, as you imply.
I think that he misread what you posted.
His reply was:
I think that he misread what you posted.
His reply was:
mcnair55
Flashlight Enthusiast
And look at his budget from his post.
Now I use Black Cat HM-01 from DX. Feels good - solidly built, bright (100lm) & compact. But! Can anyone suggest something even brighter in same form-factor (not bigger) and near same price ($10-15)?
Near same price he states 10 to 15 US $. The Itp comes over that no matter where you buy it including HK.If he ups the anti to say 20 0r 25 $ we can have a far wider lot to choose from and then we can deal and suggest many.
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EZO
Flashlight Enthusiast
I was poking around over at the CPF marketplace and stumbled on the Lightake.com offerings. Has anybody dealt with them before? I'm not familiar with the site, but I notice they sell some higher end brands like the ITP A3 EOS. The site has a some stylistic and functional similarities to the DX site so I wonder if there might be a relationship, or if it's a knock-off.
Anyway, they have an interesting looking light that seems to fit your requirements and in particular, your budget. The AAA [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]TrustFire S-A7 Cree R5 230-Lumen. [/FONT](well they claim 230 lms, which seems unlikely) but it still might be worth the $9.99 - SKU: 30917. They don't mention voltage ranges so this leaves some obvious questions. Maybe they're implying that it can take a 10440 by saying that it will output "up to 230 lumens" or perhaps that's why they named it a Lions.
DX has the same light - SKU 42670 but with a XP-E Q4 emitter.
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]- TrustFire S-A7 Cree R5 230-Lumen LED Flashlight
- Powered by 1xAAA (not included)
- Maxium Lumens: Output up to 230 Lumens (manufacture rated)
- Durable Aluminum Alloy housing
- Glass lens and aluminum smooth reflector cup
- One mode reverse clicky[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Emitter Brand : Cree
Emitter BIN: R5
Lumen: 230 lumens (max)
Reflector: Aluminum Smooth/SMO Reflector
Color: Black
Lens diameter: 14.0mm
Length: 82.5mm
Weight (including the packing): 22.0g[/FONT]
I know that there are some folks at CPF who look down their noses at lights like this, but they have their place. Me; I have high end lights, mid range lights and cheapies and I love them all. I think of the ones like this as "Cheap Thrills". Gee, that title might make for its own thread.
Anyway, they have an interesting looking light that seems to fit your requirements and in particular, your budget. The AAA [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]TrustFire S-A7 Cree R5 230-Lumen. [/FONT](well they claim 230 lms, which seems unlikely) but it still might be worth the $9.99 - SKU: 30917. They don't mention voltage ranges so this leaves some obvious questions. Maybe they're implying that it can take a 10440 by saying that it will output "up to 230 lumens" or perhaps that's why they named it a Lions.
DX has the same light - SKU 42670 but with a XP-E Q4 emitter. [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]- TrustFire S-A7 Cree R5 230-Lumen LED Flashlight
- Powered by 1xAAA (not included)
- Maxium Lumens: Output up to 230 Lumens (manufacture rated)
- Durable Aluminum Alloy housing
- Glass lens and aluminum smooth reflector cup
- One mode reverse clicky[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Emitter Brand : Cree
Emitter BIN: R5
Lumen: 230 lumens (max)
Reflector: Aluminum Smooth/SMO Reflector
Color: Black
Lens diameter: 14.0mm
Length: 82.5mm
Weight (including the packing): 22.0g[/FONT]
I know that there are some folks at CPF who look down their noses at lights like this, but they have their place. Me; I have high end lights, mid range lights and cheapies and I love them all. I think of the ones like this as "Cheap Thrills". Gee, that title might make for its own thread.
march.brown
Flashlight Enthusiast
I would be inclined to save up a bit more money and go for an iTP A3 ... $22-96 (£14-87) without a clip or $23-49 (£15-25) with a clip (postage included) on Ebay ... I realise that these are up to 8 or 9 dollars more , but I love my two that are mounted on my two sets of keys.
For $15 it is possible to get several of the MXDL 3W AAA torches from Ebay and they are great value ... I bought five and I don't really want to give them away to the family at the moment ... They are not the same quality as the iTP A3 , but for the price they are great.
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kaptain_zero
Enlightened
- Joined
- May 31, 2010
- Messages
- 220
My suggestion would be the TrustFire XP-EF23. It's a bit heavier/longer than the black cat (which I also have) but its made from polished stainless steel, seems very sturdy, has low, high and a strobe setting (strobes I have no use for but it's only one setting and easy to skip past). I use it mostly on low. High with a 10440 is almost as bright as my Preon 1 with a 10440 but the TrustFire can use protected cells and doesn't heat up quite as much.... the Preon cannot use protected cells. My only complaint besides the strobe setting is that it's a bit slick... Polished stainless steel, if you have dry hands, can be a bit slippery. Mine survives in the bottom of my pocket with 2 sets of keys, a pocket knife and a cell phone. Beam is smoother than the Black Cat which in my case is quite ringy but I still like the Black Cat a lot too.
Regards
Christian
Regards
Christian
brted
Enlightened
I don't believe it. In the pictures, the LED looks more like an XP-C (looks like it only has one bonding wire) which is a much smaller die LED than the XP-G or XP-E. It is probably Q2 or Q3 at best. I bought a "Solarforce" host from lightake.com recently. I even asked Daniel from there to confirm whether it was a real Solarforce before buying it and he said it was. However it is a fake. And he has not changed the description on the site now that he knows the truth. But the item did arrive fairly quickly, so they are a real store.
There are a lot of these Chinese discounters that all use the same suppliers and sell basically the same stuff.
I have a Trustfire XP-E F23 and like it. It is reasonably bright on an AA, but is pretty impressive on a li-ion. It has a good low too.
EZO
Flashlight Enthusiast
Thanks for the feedback about Lightake.com. If Daniel is actually refusing to change the description now that he knows the truth it doesn't sound like a place to do business with. I've noticed that DX will at least sometimes admit that an item turned out to be a fake or not the stated specs when a customer points it out and makes a stab at correcting it. Other times they go out of their way to make clear that something is genuine, like when there was a minor broohaha over whether their Eneloops offerings were real.
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EZO
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hey Chief,
Let us know what happens. I would love to know if the [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]TrustFire S-A7 from lighttake.com is the real deal as far as the emitter is concerned, or even if it just turns out to be substantially.....or perhaps only sort of, or then again, maybe, not brighter than a Black Cat with its Osram emitter. I would probably order one considering the size, price and form factor if its output is in fact much greater than a Black Cat. Would also very much like to know your experience with Lightake.com.
You know, it's a funny thing, I have more friends and acquaintances ask me where I got my little Black Cat and how to get one than my Surefires and other similar lights. On the other hand, my friends who ask me about the "serious" flashlights sooner or later end up becoming flashaholics themselves, or at least buy a better light than they now own.
Last night I helped a young couple in their mid twenties move some furniture with my pick-up truck. I used the little Black Cat many times during the evening and at first the guy, and then his girlfriend got very curious about this light. Lisa, the girlfriend had a little blue LED light she got at the local dollar store. It was surprisingly bright, but relatively useless. I gave them both two 22,000 mcd fauxtons I keep on hand from DX and they loved them and they both immediately checked out DX on their iPhones.
I think I may have created two new flashaholics!
[/FONT]
Let us know what happens. I would love to know if the [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]TrustFire S-A7 from lighttake.com is the real deal as far as the emitter is concerned, or even if it just turns out to be substantially.....or perhaps only sort of, or then again, maybe, not brighter than a Black Cat with its Osram emitter. I would probably order one considering the size, price and form factor if its output is in fact much greater than a Black Cat. Would also very much like to know your experience with Lightake.com.
You know, it's a funny thing, I have more friends and acquaintances ask me where I got my little Black Cat and how to get one than my Surefires and other similar lights. On the other hand, my friends who ask me about the "serious" flashlights sooner or later end up becoming flashaholics themselves, or at least buy a better light than they now own.
Last night I helped a young couple in their mid twenties move some furniture with my pick-up truck. I used the little Black Cat many times during the evening and at first the guy, and then his girlfriend got very curious about this light. Lisa, the girlfriend had a little blue LED light she got at the local dollar store. It was surprisingly bright, but relatively useless. I gave them both two 22,000 mcd fauxtons I keep on hand from DX and they loved them and they both immediately checked out DX on their iPhones.
I think I may have created two new flashaholics!
[/FONT]
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