Which AAA light between these two?

[hcd615]

I ordered 2 Maratac AAA lights and received them last week. I really liked them. I then ordered 12 more today.

I then saw the Olight i3S today online. Out of those two AAA lights which one is the preferred light? I have never used a Olight.

I know the Olight AAA has 3 modes (M-H-L) and cycle twice (Strobe). Where the Maratac is (L-H)

 

[RedForest UK]

I have never used the Maratac, but the Olight I3S is very nice. Very good square threads with zero wobble (very tight manufacturing tolerances), an XP-G2 with a very high efficiency constant current circuit, and a strong stainless steel clip.

I can see possible benefits to either, but if you were willing to buy 12 Maratacs then you have to order at least 1 I3S for comparison imo.

 

[hcd615]

I now saw the Titanium Innovations CA1.

Anyone have or have used them?

 

[american]

Damn 12 you shoulda ordered 1 of every aaa light made you need a preon and a ld01

 

[hcd615]

I never liked the LD01.

Also got a copper Maratac AAA

 

[Norm]

My old SS LD01 is very rugged and has survived many years on my car keys.

Norm

 

[creyc]

I now saw the Titanium Innovations CA1.

Anyone have or have used them?

I have the Ti innovations, and it's a nice light and very bright for its small size. The L-M-H interface is good for a keychain size light, but the titanium threads are slightly too stiff to easily operate a light of this small size with one hand. Usually brass or aluminum threads feel much smoother than titanium, something to consider.

 

[hcd615]

Great. I was waiting for someone to say something about the Ti Innov light. I think I will buy some today. I am going to buy the aluminum one, not the titanium.

 

[yoyoman]

I have all three (and many more AAA lights (but not as many as HKJ)).
Titanium Innovations CA1-Al is very nice. XP-G2 emitter. L>M>H interface. Nice fit and finish.
Olight i3S is nicer except for the UI, which I don't like. XP-G2 emitter. M>H>L UI. A shame because the L is very L. Very nice fit and finish (square cut threads).
I have the Maratac copper AAA. Had the emitter switch to an XP-G2 4000k and it is nice.
All three run on Li-ions. I enjoy how the Maratac copper gets warm when running on H.
These are just some, but you can see the Titanium Innovations CA1-Al and Olight i3S

 

[Outdoorsman5]

I agree it's a real shame that Olight's i3 user interface is now M-H-L instead of L-M-H. I can't stand lights that make you go through brighter output options before getting to low......such a shame.

 

[hcd615]

Just ordered four of the Titanium Innovations CA1 black aluminum from Battery Junction. Their site says high is 132 lumens. I thought it was 115 lumens?? They said it is a new model?

 

[yoyoman]

Just a question: Why do you buy multiples before trying them? You're not really buying in bulk to get a discount, so I don't really get it.

Since you opened the door to more options, consider the Peak Eigers from Oveready. They are upgrading the QTC and show as out of stock for the moment, but they are great.

 

[hcd615]

I buy multiple because I have numerous people that work for me and I give them to my guys, my wife, friends, etc. I also always pay for overnight shipping (hate waiting for packages) so that way it makes it worth the fee. Don't want the spend $29.95 on a light and $36.77 for overnight shipping, doesn't make sense to do that.

 

[yoyoman]

I can relate to that. USPS keeps raising the internation shipping rates and they don't allow international shipping of Li-ions. I end up adding things to the shopping cart just to make the shipping make sense. In my case, I usually add AAA lights. Luckily, I really like them.

 

[bassopotamus]

I agree it's a real shame that Olight's i3 user interface is now M-H-L instead of L-M-H. I can't stand lights that make you go through brighter output options before getting to low......such a shame.

I've had the Olight on my chain for about a month, and am totally happy except the interface. I'd really rather have a switch than a twist (though I'm not sure that any of the little AAA lights have a switch), but the order of modes is a pain in the butt, and it is pretty hard to consistently access the strobe mode. I guess for most of my purposes, coming on in medium isn't the end of the world, but it is still kind of lame.

 

[yoyoman]

^ Be careful if your light has the tiny lobster claw attached to the triangle. There are a few posts about it failing. You check your key chain and the light is gone. The triangle doesn't seem as robust as a split ring either.

M does have good runtime. In general, it is a good AAA light. Bright, very bright on a 10440 li-ion and good fit and finish.

One light not mentioned is the TruNight Ti2. XP-G2. I like the ui: twist to L and keep twisting to H. And it is cheaper than the i3S.

 

[ltsba]

you can check the klarus Mix6, it has aluminum, titanium and stainless steel three kinds of material, use AAA battery

 

[hcd615]

If I remember I read there was a problem with the rear spring if dropped for the Klarus Mix6

 

[bassopotamus]

I've had the Olight on my chain for about a month, and am totally happy except the interface. I'd really rather have a switch than a twist (though I'm not sure that any of the little AAA lights have a switch), but the order of modes is a pain in the butt, and it is pretty hard to consistently access the strobe mode. I guess for most of my purposes, coming on in medium isn't the end of the world, but it is still kind of lame.

I think I want to reconsider this statement, actually. I used the light last night to look for something outside, and really, for most purposes, medium is plenty (and at any distance, L is totally inadequate), so perhaps it makes sense to start on M. That said, I still would rather have a switch than a twisty

 

[yoyoman]

^ Yes it really isn't so bad starting on M. It does have long runtime...
There are not that many clicky AAAs out there. I have a LumaPower LM21 EDC and the clicky is a little hard to use because it is so small.
I have a Peak Eiger large optic XP-G2 N SS AAA body with no QTC and momentary switch and I like it a lot - very smooth. But you still have twist to keep it on.