which form factor of light do you hate?

[fuyume]

my number one hated light is them dang 3 aaa lights. i hate them so much but i hate most multi cell lights. i want my light to use one battery .so how about you?

1000%. Why anyone would choose a 3xAAA configuration is completely beyond me. I won't touch one with a 10 metre pole.

 

[fuyume]

For those that hate 3xaaa lights. Try a maglite xl200.
You're welcome

It's still a 3xAAA. Nothing can salvage that. There's nothing a Mag XL200 does that other lights with more sensible battery configurations can't do.

 

[fuyume]

i hate them lol hate is the perfect word lol. a few times i saw one bought it becuas i thought it was a single cell aaa light. the aaa cell sucks if you ask.me

I can't think of a single application in which a single AAA saves enough volume over a single AA to make it worthwhile. Product engineers who specify AAA cells should be fired.

It's like with cell phones. Thinness is not a virtue, if it means you can't comfortably hold the damn thing without dropping it, and you have to keep it in an external case, anyway to avoid breaking it.

So, just make it bigger and give it a bigger battery, so it works better.

 

[freeme]

 

[idleprocess]

I can't think of a single application in which a single AAA saves enough volume over a single AA to make it worthwhile. Product engineers who specify AAA cells should be fired.

1xAAA lights are one use case I will argue for keychains.

My former EDC keychain light of a ~decade ago vs a contemporary

My current EDC keychain light vs a modern 1xAA

The absolute length delta has declined in the last decade however the 1xAA is still longer and appreciably fatter than the 1xAAA.

However, outside of keychain-esque use cases where volume and mass (I learned this expensive lesson regarding automotive ignition switches 15 years ago) are at a genuine premium I concur that the AAA cell is largely superfluous.

 

[vicv]

3xAAA is better than a single AA. No need for a boost circuit so the light is brighter, has much better regulation, better runtime, and is a more comfortable diameter.
As idleprocess says, keychain lights.
I understand you don't like the AAA battery. Maybe it stole your lunch money as a kid and threw you in your locker daily. That's doesn't make your opinion over ride actual facts though.
Is this a trolling thread? I've seen no evidence except "I don't like them." That's a weak argument.

 

[vicv]

I'm going to add to my previous post. I was trying to be funny but looking at it it could be looked at as combative which was not my intention.

We're flashaholics here. We don't represent the wide consumer audience. Most people don't want to use 18650s. They don't know what they are and don't want to use them. But they know alkaline batteries. That's who the AAA lights are meant for. Not for us.
That being said, there are some distinct advantages to AAA lights over AA.
Now if all you've had experience with is cheap bargain store 3x AAA lights that have 9 LEDs in the head, I can see why you would hate that battery configuration. But those lights are not in a vacuum.
To go on about the mag xl200 again, it's battery holder is of excellent quality. You won't have issues with it. Would an 18500 be better and the same size? Yes. Would the general consumer like an 18500? Probably not.
Now for an led light, 3x AAA is better than 1x AA in every way. The led needs 3+ volts to operate. With a single AA, it needs a boost circuit. Those are very inefficient. What you get is a dim light with low runtime and bad regulation.
With 3x AAA, you need a buck circuit to reduce voltage. This is much more efficient. You'll get better output and much better regulation. 3x AA would be better but will make either a fat or too long light. Neither is very pocketable.
Some lights, in the front of my mind armytek, make lithium ion powered lights with low voltage protection and a magnetic attaching charger. This is a great idea to get superior lithium ion batteries into the hands of the general consumer and better than alkalines in every way.
But that doesn't automatically make every other light obsolete. How boring would that be? I mean I still prefer C sized mag lights with incandescent bulbs in them.
My point being is I don't think these AAA lights are as bad as you think they are. Probably because you've never used a quality one.

But I would love to hear a good argument

 

[GarageBoy]

I'm also NOT a fan of built in charging - don't want to deal with a magnetic dongle, don't want to deal with a weak USB port that lets in water

 

[vicv]

While I agree with you that's the only way you're going to get lithium ion battery powered flashlights to the masses

 

[GarageBoy]

Now for an led light, 3x AAA is better than 1x AA in every way. The led needs 3+ volts to operate. With a single AA, it needs a boost circuit. Those are very inefficient. What you get is a dim light with low runtime and bad regulation.
With 3x AAA, you need a buck circuit to reduce voltage. This is much more efficient. You'll get better output and much better regulation. 3x AA would be better but will make either a fat or too long light. Neither is very pocketable.

Most of those 3AAA have a resistor to limit current and no regulation. At least a 1XAA light you know is current regulated

 

[vicv]

That is why I particularly said good lights. And why I keep using the XL200 as a reference point.
And unfortunately these are not arguments. They're just saying you don't like something because.
Phones have USB charging. And IPX 68 ratings. Same with wireless charging. Streamlight, Maglite, Surefire have been making rechargeable in device lights since man first discovered fire. They all work just fine.
Because they are the ones who make the lights for the general public. Most people aren't going to log into o lights website and purchase a flashlight or any boutique store. They're going to go to Walmart. Or if they feel really special they will go to some type of online tactical store. Because they believe they're a ninja. And they're going to buy something from streamlight or Surefire more than likely.
If you don't like a particular feature of a light that's fine. That's what this thread is about. But don't automatically assume that something is crap just because you don't like it. Saying that you hate AAA powered lights because all the ones that you've ever seen cost $2 and are made horribly doesn't mean they are all like that that just means that you don't like terrible products. Which makes sense.

Oh and the cheap single double a powered lights. A good one maybe current regulated. But most just have a simple boost circuit and the output will completely depend on the charge state of the battery. So they're not really regulated either

 

[idleprocess]

With a single AA, it needs a boost circuit. Those are very inefficient. What you get is a dim light with low runtime and bad regulation.

Can't say that I've found 1xAA to be dissatisfactory in those areas for my purposes.

 

[GoVegan]

In order of hatred.

1. Most hated (probably enough to turn me to the dark side), was the small Inova button cell light, which initially had a non-replaceable (non-rechargable too) battery. The light was disposable after running down the battery, which was only usable for several hours as far as I recall.
Even thought no longer sold, I still wouldn't purchase an Inova light, just because they suck as a company. I guess I'm not really a forgiving type of person. lol

2. Unnecessarily small lights. I'm thinking of the small Olight i1R keychain lights, with the non-replaceable Li-Ion cell. There is no reason for Olight to make it non-replaceable, when every other company can and does. I guess they wanted to shave off something like 2mm.

3. 3xCR123 lights. Oh yeah I really hate those too. Such a waste to keep these lights fed (both financially and on the environment).
I'm specifically talking to you Streamlight, with your Protac HL3.

4. Soda can lights, not only are they fugly, but their shape just doesn't just don't make sense to me, as they are too fat to pocket, and if keeping in a pack, then why not carry a slightly longer light. Plus the soda can lights don't normally come with clips, to keep in a pack anyway.

 

[vicv]

In order of hatred.

1. Most hated (yes really hate), was the small Inova button cell light, which initially had a non-replaceable (non-rechargable too) battery. The light was disposable after running down the battery, which was only usable for several hours as far as I recall.
Even thought no longer sold, I still wouldn't purchase an Inova light, just because they suck as a company. I guess I'm not really a forgiving type of person. lol

2. Unnecessarily small lights. I'm thinking of the small Olight i1R keychain lights, with the non-replaceable Li-Ion cell. There is no reason for Olight to make it non-replaceable, when every other company can and does. I guess they wanted to shave off something like 2mm.

3. 3xCR123 lights. Oh yeah I really hate those too. Such a waste to keep these lights fed (both financially and on the environment).
I'm specifically talking to you Streamlight, with your Protac HL3.

4. Soda can lights, not only are they fugly, but their shape just doesn't just don't make sense to me, as they are too fat to pocket, and if keeping in a pack, then why not carry a slightly longer light. Plus the soda can lights don't normally come with clips, to keep in a pack anyway.

I agree with everything but no. 3. It's almost a perfect size light. And just use 2x 17500 and you're good to no. No expensive non-rechargeable cells to feed it

 

[GoVegan]

I agree with everything but no. 3. It's almost a perfect size light. And just use 2x 17500 and you're good to no. No expensive non-rechargeable cells to feed it

Personally I wouldn't spend all that money, and then risk using non-supported cells (especially when Streamlight even includes a warning sheet about this with each CR123 light). I'd rather just go for single or double 18650 model. (Of course I'm aware of the voltage, and it should be OK, still).
I think it's only a matter of time before they come out with their own USB rechargeable 3-3.2V 16340 cells, just as I had predicited them doing with the 18650 about a year before they released them (as ASP, Nightstick, and Powertac had already beat them to market, so they had to).

 

[RUSH FAN]

I don't like the twisty form factor.
My preference are clicky types

 

[parnass]

Lights which use button cell, proprietary, or non-replaceable batteries are not for me. Not (yet) a fan of lights with side mount switches. I don't have the patience to use ramping brightness lights.

 

[idleprocess]

Not (yet) a fan of lights with side mount switches.

I can embrace side-mount switches so long as there's not also a tailswitch with the endless transition from on/of to mode adjust and back again. I acknowledge that many OEMS have yet to master the microamp standby current challenge, but that's what a physical lockout is for.

I don't have the patience to use ramping brightness lights.

I find this is probably the biggest downside to the D4 V1 - that ramping UI where I find myself constantly trying to find the right level as opposed to simply an adequate level. On the D4S and my FW3A's I engage stepped levels and spend a fraction of the time 'hunting' for a level.

 

[fuyume]

Now if all you've had experience with is cheap bargain store 3x AAA lights that have 9 LEDs in the head, I can see why you would hate that battery configuration. But those lights are not in a vacuum.
To go on about the mag xl200 again

No, I'm speaking specifically about Maglites with 3xAAA battery requirements, not junk flashlights. Aside from the terrible form factor, Maglites have notoriously poor regulators, bad selection of brightness modes, and poor UIs.

Now for an led light, 3x AAA is better than 1x AA in every way. The led needs 3+ volts to operate. With a single AA, it needs a boost circuit. Those are very inefficient. What you get is a dim light with low runtime and bad regulation.
With 3x AAA, you need a buck circuit to reduce voltage. This is much more efficient. You'll get better output and much better regulation.

The fact that a 1xAA battery requires a voltage doubler does not in anyway imply that the tradeoff isn't a good design decision, given that it enables the use of a superior battery configuration. An Energizer L91 can provide over 3 times the capacity of an L92 at the same current drain, and has a maximum continuous current rating 66% percent greater, and a maximum pulse current rating 100% greater.

1xAA lights are easily capable of delivering 100+ lumens with reasonable battery life, and a 1xAA flashlight with a spare AA battery in my handbag still takes up less space together than any 3xAAA device.

And let's face it, for what most people need a flashlight for on a daily basis, 100+ lumens is really not needed. The vast majority of my flashlight use, my need is for sub-10 lumens, with the much less occasional need for 40-60 lumens, and only rarely would I ever actually need 100+ lumens. If I'm going to be in a situation where 100+ lumens is likely to be used, I'm going to use something with a much larger battery capacity than 3xAAA, anyway.

I'd much rather have a 2xAA Fenix E20, which is more or less the same size as a Maglite XL200, 0.2" longer, and 0.2" thinner.

 

[vicv]

What is it exactly the problem with the "form factor?" Is it the diameter? I guess you don't like 18mm battery lights? Because they're the same size.
Agreed 100 lumens is plenty for most uses.
L91s are awesome indeed. They also make them in AAA format. But either size I'd rather use rechargeables. And while both L91s and nihm are superior to alkaline, they're unfortunately not what the lights are designed to use. So you need to compare with alkalines.
Your description of the Maglite xl200 shows you clearly have never used one. It has an excellent form factor, has very good regulation, has infinite brightness modes, and a very intuitive UI.

I get it you don't like the AAA battery. That's fine. It's not my favorite either. But please don't form an opinion of something you know nothing about or have experience with