Help finding a mini light

Hi,

I have had for a wile now a Princeton ten impulse. I really love it and use it all the time. But, there is one main drawback, it's not waterproof. So after a few accidental runs through the washing machine its time to get a new light. I would like it to fit these criteria.

1. Waterproof or Water Resistant: basically will work in rain, dropped in a puddle, or it takes a plunge in water

2. Small

3. Cheap, I'm on a budget so cheaper = better

4. Bright or somewhat bright, E.G will work in a "lit" room

5. Reliable

I was looking at the Arc-AAA (not premium) and the Infinity Ultra Task Light if anyone has had good/bad experiences with any of these two lights please share.

Thank you all very much for your help
-Gigman

The Arc-AAA is a light that definitely suits your criteria. But for the same price ($40) you can get a Fenix L1P which is much brighter and not much bigger than the Gerber Infinity Ultra. http://fenix-store.com is a good place to buy from. Great prices, and free and fast shipping.

Runtime is about 2-3 hours on 1AA, and if you do a very simple modification to the tailcap, it can have two-stage output, high mode and low mode.

So between the AAA and the L1P which is better?

Gigman said:

So between the AAA and the L1P which is better?

Click to expand...

Better is kind of a matter of perspective here. The Arc AAA is closer to your original requirements except for the one about cheap and depending on what you mean by "bright". The Fenix L1P is much brighter and considerably larger (being a 1AA light). There is the Fenix L0P which is much brighter than the Arc AAA, less bright than the L1P, much smaller than the L1P - almost Arc AAA small - but doesn't run as long.

There are many, many competitive, high quality, cheap-to-costly lights in the 1AAA and 1AA category which you might want to read about before you decide. Check Flashlightreviews for some specific brightness, total output (sort of a combination of how bright x how wide the beam is), run time, and quality assessments of bunches of these lights.

My favorite in the 1AA size is the Civictor, $30 shipped from Fenix Store. My favorite in 1AAA size is no longer available (old model Dorcy 1AAA with upgraded LED). This one is very small and cheap, although of variable quality (some are nice and tight, some have heads which turn perhaps too easily). This one looks nice to me and is inexpensive, but may be too heavy for its size (brass, not aluminum) and I haven't ever held one.

Have fun...

Hello Gigman

Welcome at CPF

Good 1xAA light, bright and the price worth, Fenix L1P (2stage switch mod. possible for looong runtime),
good 1xAAA light, less bright, the price worth and smaller than the L1P=LoP

Best regards

_____
Tom

yes....stay with fenix.....you wont be sorry.

their P1 might be the only exception to this!!

Bill

Welcome to CPF Gigman! (are you related to our moderator Sigman?? :laughing: )

Ok, so you want a new light, lets see...

It has to be waterproof/resistant. Most decent quality O-ring sealed lights will meet this criterium. It has to be small, You mention Arc AAA and Gerber IU, so lets take 1AA as the maximum. You want it cheap, Arc AAA is about $30. You want it bright & reliable, so a luxeon led and twisty switch would be preferred.

So we're looking for a O-ring sealed, 1AA or smaller Luxeon LED light with a twisty switch for $30 or less.

Well, that just SCREAMS 'Civictor V1' Which is a O-ring sealed, 1AA or smaller Luxeon LED light with a twisty switch for $29,75 from fenixstore...
http://fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=76

If you want something smaller, you can look at the Fenix L0P, Arc AAA or Peak Matterhorn AAA. The L0P is the brightest of the 3, but is also a bit more expensive at +/- $40 while the other 2 are $29,95.

If you prefer a clickie switch over a twisty (a bit more userfriendly and more mod potential, but less reliable) You can take a look at the Fenix L1P (I have one of these on my belt at all times). There are also various 'Clones' of this light available. Like the Ultrafire WF-602A. This light just as bright as the L1P, but runs a bit shorter on 1 battery, it also has type 2 anodizing while the Fenix has type 3, so the Ultrafire will be scratched a little easier. Also the L1P has a glass lens while the Ultrafire has plastic. So the L1P is a bit better in quality, but... the L1P will set you back 37,95 while the Ultrafire will only cost you $19,99. Both prices have shipping included.
The Fenix L1P: http://fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=31
The Ultrafire WF-602A: http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/ultrafirereg-1xaa-flashlight-602a-regulated-p-440.html

Ofcourse if you are willing to spend a little more, a whole new world of lights will open up to you. Especially if you are willing to consider a light powered by lithium cells.


I hope this helps

Who is willing to wash there Fenix in the washer a few times to test it's durability?

Jeff

xpitxbullx said:

Who is willing to wash there Fenix in the washer a few times to test it's durability?

Jeff

Click to expand...

Hello Jeff

I can remember here are threads where people have washed their Fenix lights in a washer and all of them still worked

Best regards

____
Tom

So like I said I would need one to be relatively cheap. So I guess it's the Civictor V1 Vrs. the Ultrafire WF-602A. So it really boils down to 2 questions.

1. Is the Ultrafire waterproof?

2. Is the Civictor V1 $10 better than the Ultrafire?

Also I have read some very good things about the ARC AAA light if this light is really THAT much better than the Civictor then may ill invest the extra $10.

Thanks everyone for all your help
-Gigman

Gigman said:

So like I said I would need one to be relatively cheap. So I guess it's the Civictor V1 Vrs. the Ultrafire WF-602A. So it really boils down to 2 questions.

1. Is the Ultrafire waterproof?

2. Is the Civictor V1 $10 better than the Ultrafire?

Also I have read some very good things about the ARC AAA light if this light is really THAT much better than the Civictor then may ill invest the extra $10.

Thanks everyone for all your help
-Gigman

Click to expand...

1. It's dunkable, it will survive wet weather and drops in puddles and stuff like that, but it's no dive light.

2. The Civictor is said to be made by Fenix, so the circuit is likely to be the same as that in the L1P, which would give it a bit more runtime than the Ultrafire. According to Lighthound.com it has a glass lens, but I don't know what type anodizing has been used. So the build quality on the Civictor is a bit better.

Arc AAA is probably the best light in its class, but it's in a completely different class than the other lights mentioned. The Arc uses a 5mm LED (3 lumen output according to Arc website) The Civictor uses a Luxeon LED (37 lumen output according to lighthound.com) and the Ultrafire uses a Luxeon Clone. I couldn't find output numbers for this one, but it is just as bright as my Fenix L1P (rated at 46 lumen). Please remind that these numbers are factory claimed and are no guarantee for real world performance

So I don't understand if the ARC has a 3 lumen output and the Civictor has a 37 lumen output. then isn't the Civitor better? or is the ARC a dive light?

Thanks for all your help
-Gigman

Sorry bad post

First let me just thank everyone for all of your help regarding this matter. In under a day i have receved many posts helping me chose a light , Thank You All

Ok, after nawowing it down im pretty sure that i would like a Civictor, but finding a review of this product has been hard. So does anyone have this? Good/Bad?

Thanks for all your help
-Gigman

Gigman said:

So I don't understand if the ARC has a 3 lumen output and the Civictor has a 37 lumen output. then isn't the Civitor better? or is the ARC a dive light?

Thanks for all your help
-Gigman

Click to expand...

Better is kind of a relative term when it comes to lights... It all depends on what you want to use it for. The arc is perfect for navigating a dark room, reading a map and things like that. But it would completely suck at a search and rescue mission (unless you're reading a map ofcourse ). A HID spotlight or a hotwire is great for the search and rescue, but if you try to read the map with it, the reflection will blind you (or you will set the map on fire :naughty: ).

And this is aplicable to almost all aspects of the light, different circumstances require different features of a light. Brightness, beamshape, runtime, tint/color, size, weight, waterproofnes, material, battery type, switch type and more can all be factors to consider.

Welcome to CPF, Gigman.

Sounds to me like you're looking for replacing your keychain light. The ArcAAA is, IMO, a great choice because of it's small size, common battery type, and waterproof design. Getting an ArcAAA would be a huge step forward from what you had on your keychain ring before.

The Fenix L1P mentioned before is brighter than the ArcAAA and your old Impulse, but you'll have to replace batteries more often. Is something you can live with? If you want more runtime and are OK with less light... ArcAAA is your choice.

The Photon microlights are smaller and better than the Impulse you had. I haven't kept up to speed on what their latest specs are, but chances are they have a relatively decent waterproof rating (don't know about washing machine proof).

Any other (good) light that we can recommend will use AA batteries and, thus, will be larger than what you're used to carry. Is this something you'd be OK with on your keychain? I can't carry an AA-based light on my keychain (not even a CR2 light). I have too much stuff on my keyring and things get too bulky, so I pocket carry those lights. Again, is this something you'd be comfortable doing? I can guarantee you won't feel an AA or CR2 light in your pocket.

No putting a light in a pocket is not a problem thats where I keep it now, so thats why I was thinking the Civictor would be good.
1. "Lowish" price
2. Waterprof (or so they say)
3. Bright
4. Good battery life

Also changing a battery every now and then is also not a problem.

Ah, then you're set. Please run it through the washer a couple of times and report back on its waterproofness. (I'm serious about it. If it's not waterproof better to know from the get-go than in the middle of a situation where you need your light to be waterproof.

Well considering CPF huge following I was wondering if anyone has done this? Also does anyone have this light? is it a good one?

It's a relatively new offering. That's why your test will be so useful.