Opinions on an AA Powered LED Carry Light

adnj

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Messages
699
All opinions are appreciated...

I'm looking for a light that:
o can serve general purpose around the house duty
o carry easily in my briefcase
o be small enough to tuck into a jacket or pant pocket and
o still be bright enough for back-up tactical use
o less than $100 ok but prefer less than $50 delivered
o I would prefer using rechargable cells (AA?)
o regulated with at least 2 hours of useful light
o two illumination levels, so I don't go blind in the back yard
o tail-click switch with momentary

Based on what I've read here, The Fenix and the LiteFlux are primary contenders.

And if there's a good flashlight/cellphone holster, I'll be much better off.

Thx
 

josean

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 1, 2006
Messages
170
Location
Spain
I have a Fenix L2T. I think such flashlight mets your requirements.

After several weeks of usage I recommend you to get one of these. The only inconvenience you can find is a soft greenish tint (in some units), most noticeable in low mode.

Mine has such green tint, but, except in the case when you are pointing to a white wall, you do not notice it at all.
 

carrot

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
9,236
Location
New York City
I'll second that. The Fenix L2T is my favorite of all the Fenix series, because it is bright, inexpensive, and has a great form-factor. Mine has a pure creamy white tint on high and a slightly greenish tint on low, which makes color rendition very good.
 

Blindasabat

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
2,204
Location
Michigan
Only thing I can think of that meets ALL of your requirements is a MiniMag with Kroll switch and a Flupic PIL driving a Lux 3.
A 1AA version of the MiniMag will be smaller and will work with some Sammies from The Sandwich Shoppe, like a MadMax Lite. That would give you a smaller, more pocketable MiniMiniMag, but not as bright as a 2AA version.
MiniMag $9, FluPic PIL with Lux 3 ~$45-50, Kroll $5, one AA tactical light, Priceless.
 

Bullseye00

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 1, 2006
Messages
157
Location
Orlando, Florida USA
I also recommend the Fenix L2T. It meets all your requirements. It is small, bright, and has a great runtime on NiMH batteries.(about 3 hours on high, about 20 hours on low) One thing not mentioned so far is that the holster is very slim, which makes it very convenient to wear. Also, the low setting is bright enough that you probably won't need to use it on high very much. I'm very happy with mine.
And it's 44.95 with free shipping from 4sevens at the Fenix Store: http://www.fenix-store.com/
 

TigerhawkT3

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
3,819
Location
CA, 94087
Here's a fourth for the L2T. As a pocketable alternative, you could get the L1T. It's the same as its big brother, except it uses 1AA instead of 2AA. I EDC an L2T in its included holster and a P1 on my key loop, and I can safely say that it's a great combination.
 

Solstice

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 26, 2005
Messages
1,019
Location
Portland Oregon
No one mentioned the JetBeam MK-II?! This light is more sophisticated than any of those mentioned since it uses a micro-processor rather than a resistor for its multiple levels and even has strobe function (for attention-getting and tactical-disorientation purposes). Not many folks have them yet, but judging by the Jet-I, the finish and build quality will be a notch above Fenix and LiteFlux as well.

You will pay a little bit more for this light ($68+$5 shipping, $20 more for the 2 AA tube), but it should have additional versitility and quality over the competition.
 

Blindasabat

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
2,204
Location
Michigan
Solstice said:
...more sophisticated than any of those mentioned since it uses a micro-processor rather than a resistor for its multiple levels and even has strobe function ...

FluPic has all that, and a Kroll switch gives you a momentary clicky that none of the above actually have. Total cost is about the same as the just now being released Jet-1 Mk II.
 

yekim

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Messages
260
Location
AK = ALASKA
I have the Liteflux and the L2T. The LF1 has a better tint than my L2T but other than that they are pretty equal, with the LF1 edging out the L2T in utility with an actual candle mode and use of an extension tube so it can run on either 1 or 2 aa's. With 1 aa it cranks out enough light that it still surprises me. Being able to shorted it up is also handy if I ever had to pack it in dress pants or the like.

The Fenix is smoother, the transition between the high and low modes is more definite, and the greenish tint is only really noticeable when comparing it to other lights, especially red tinted ones, and it seems to go away when put into High mode anyhow.
 

LED Cool

Enlightened
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Messages
218
Location
Ipoh, Malaysia
hi adnj, your AA LED light requirements are in black, please allow me to offer my comments in red to your requirements:

o can serve general purpose around the house duty.
LiteFlux LF1 can become a general purpose LED light PLUS as an electric candle with hi/low output. i don't think other offers this extra house/picnic duty feature.

o carry easily in my briefcase
LF1 2AA format easily fit inside your briefcase.

o be small enough to tuck into a jacket or pant pocket and
LF1 AA format is small enough to tuck into a jacket or pant pocket.

o still be bright enough for back-up tactical use
LF1 accepts 14500 rechargeable Li-Ion AA (4.2V), so it is still bright enough for back-up tactical use.

o less than $100 ok but prefer less than $50 delivered
US$54.95 delivered.

o I would prefer using rechargable cells (AA?)
LF1 accepts all type of rechargeable AA cells (Nicd, Nimh, Li-Ion)

o regulated with at least 2 hours of useful light
use Energizer's Lithium AA (1.7V) in LF1 and you will get more than 3 hours of regulated output. please see link
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/liteflux_lf1.htm

o two illumination levels, so I don't go blind in the back yard
LF1 has hi/low output by twisting the tail cap. the low level is much lower than L2T's low.

o tail-click switch with momentary
LF1 has tail clickie switch with true momentary function. please see end of post #2 in link on how you get 4 modes of operation by combination of the twisting and clicking function of the tail cap.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=127530&page=1

And if there's a good flashlight/cellphone holster, I'll be much better off.
LF1 comes with a good quality holster with adjustable velcro flap for AA or 2AA configuration.

basically the LiteFlux LF1 meets all of your requirements plus it offers the extra electric candle with hi/low feature. AFAIK, no current production AA LED 3W light offers the above features at US$54.95 shipped.
 

Blindasabat

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
2,204
Location
Michigan
LED Cool said:
o tail-click switch with momentary
LF1 has tail clickie switch with true momentary function. please see end of post #2 in link on how you get 4 modes of operation by combination of the twisting and clicking function of the tail cap.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=127530&page=1

Well I've been schooled. I did not know the LF1 has a momentary clicky. I thought I would have heard about that, or maybe I just forgot... my bad.
 

Brighteyez

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
3,963
Location
San Jose, CA
Taking the last point of having a cellphone/flashlight holster, it sounds like it might be worth waiting for the MiniMag LED and then coupling it with one of the Nite Ize cell phone holsters. Don't know if the Kroll switch will fit, since these lights haven't been shipped yet, but if so, the Kroll switch would fulfill your need for momentary functions.

For use around the house and in a briefcase/laptop case, the Streamlight Propoly 4AA Luxeon is probably your best bang for the buck, though it might be tough for some people to find a pocket to put it into (fit's fine in a pants pocket for me, but it does take up room.

If you want to get a "tactical light", there's a number of them from various vendors including Surefire, Streamlight, Pelican, and various look-alikes from China. But real tactical lights usually also have the mystiqe of using CR123 or rechargeable proprietary batteries, so that could be an issue if your preference is for AAs.

Insofar as multiple levels is concerned, you won't need it. No currently available LED light is going blind you in the back yard.

On the other hand, if you're looking at Fenix, it's possible that your needs may actually be a bit different and not quite in the tactical light category.

adnj said:
All opinions are appreciated...

I'm looking for a light that:
o can serve general purpose around the house duty
o carry easily in my briefcase
o be small enough to tuck into a jacket or pant pocket and
o still be bright enough for back-up tactical use
o less than $100 ok but prefer less than $50 delivered
o I would prefer using rechargable cells (AA?)
o regulated with at least 2 hours of useful light
o two illumination levels, so I don't go blind in the back yard
o tail-click switch with momentary

Based on what I've read here, The Fenix and the LiteFlux are primary contenders.

And if there's a good flashlight/cellphone holster, I'll be much better off.

Thx
 
Top