Need a new 2xAA light

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NOOOOOO! Not the MiniMag LED! The truth is that Mag were so behind with the times when they released the LED series, they have been totally surpassed.
You would be hard pressed to better the Fenix L2D-CE for $50. Ok, so it is $6.50 over budget, you could wait for a sale.

Fenix L2D CE. A good all around choice, slightly above your price range but worth it.

EDIT: wow, beat me to it... You could always find one on BST for less than $50

Hi benplaut, welcome to CPF.

It is indeed difficult to find something better than Fenix L2D CE in that price range. Why don't you check www.fenix-store.com

Moreover should you one day decide to change it there will be no problem to sell it in the Buy/Sell/trade section here on CPF.

I would go for the MiniM@G 2AA

You need a 2AA Inova Bolt. Or the AAA version. Basic review page here
Far superior to the MiniMag LED. Far more rugged and reliable too I suspect. For rugged outdoors situations... Fenix? If you go that route, good luck.

Whats so bad about fenix for durability? Also, I LOVE my minimag with TLE-5ex.

* I think a basic LED Minimag is not a bad choice for the price.
* Gerber just released a new 2AA that is not as bright, but cheaper ($25 retail), has a clickie (I think) and runs a lot longer and looks tougher. Gerber also just released new 1AA ($20) and 1AAA ($10) models too - very small, but with Nichia 5mm LEDs. I saw these at REI yesterday and they have optics for throw. I think they claimed only 18 lumens, but the 2AA one claimed to be focusable from somewhat floody to a tight spot via an optic.
* For a higher quality light, I would go for the Inova Bolt or Inova made Victorinox Swiss Army branded 2AA (twist head like Mag) that is smaller than the Bolt series. The Victorinox versions are actually very small for the batteries they carry. The 2AAA one is tiny.
* While I think the L2D is not bad for the price, I prefer the L1D as it is still bright enough in a smaller package.

L2D-CE. There's nothing else on the market that can truly compete in the 2AA size (which is an excellent size for a flashlight).

I think the OP can handle the extra few bucks.

The Magled 2xAA is an ackward size for me personally... I tend to jump from single AA- or 123-sized lights to a modded 2C Mag.

But in the range of the 2xAA lights, within your budget and assuming you only want/need on level of output, my favorite is probably the Inova Bolt 2xAA light. It's about $5 more than the Mag LED, but I think it's a better light in every single category except throw which you listed as a prime goal.

To my eyes, the Mag throws about 30% better, but the Bolt is very impressive... It just has quite a bit larger hotpost. I'm estimating that the Bolt probably puts out at least 25% more total light... the hotspot is larger, the spillbeam is both wider AND brighter. With two fresh NiMH cells, it pulls 580mA vs 480mA on the Minimag LED so runtime will be roughly 20% less.

The light is considerably shorter than the Mag and it's so solid it feels like a solid piece of matte finished aluminum... Makes the Mag feel a bit like a toy in comparison. But, the Maglite absolutely throws better.

Here's a thread with some more comments and beamshots.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/162167

And here's a shot showing the relative sizes of the lights...

On the left is a Minimag LED 2xAA, in the middle is the Inova Radiant 2xAA light and on the right is the Inova Bolt 2xAA light.

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Another vote for the Bolt. I can't recommend the MinimagLED because of the apparent flicker problem in the switchgear.

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C5 Review

It is not really a L2D-CE clone. It only has one mode, it uses a twistie, and looks different but it's not bad. It can use CR123s or 2 AA batteries. The L2D-CE needs a P2D-CE body to run on CR123s.

Welcome to CPF!

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First time I read about someone complaining that a flashlight is too bright. Like other people have said the L2D CE is the best bang for the buck. It takes 2 regular AAs and it can be adjusted if the turbo mode is too bright. I got two mini mags just to add to my growing flashlight collection. In my job I use the cheap $10 cree Elly to do all the dirty work and use my L2D CE for the times when I need more specialized lighting.

Wow, somebody really loves Inova here...it seems there are some many options for 2AA flashlights these days. Although I would prefer Fenixes to be a little bit lower in price, I do think their "tube style" L series of 1AA and 2AA flashlights have set some sort of standard for flashlights in $50 price range. With that said, you still have a ton of choices out there. Why limit yourself to off the shelf brands like Inova, Dorcy or Garrity??? Maglites seem to have a place of their own in the flashlight hall of fame in my book. Sure you can look at them as an off the shelf brand, but I think they'll always have a certain mystique about them. For the price, a 2AA MiniMagLED isn't a bad choice...but then again, there are so many choices...

there is NO light at the moment to even come close to the Fenix CE-Models.
Multilevel and extreme brightness for this size, finish way above the cometitors, one of the few lights at that size/output that gives the led a good thermal path.

to the MM-led itself: too long, just one level, boring and unsafe switch (self activating), worse finish.
Yesterday I saw them here in the major retail consumer electronics shop: 2AA for € 47,--, 3 AA for € 57,-- !!
At Your prices worth thinking about (but then the Fenix clones at www.dealextreme.com are cheaper), but here ... What a mess.

PS: always a good idea to check some tests at the best site: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews_index/reviews_index_led3watt2.htm
(but somehow I might have read this is no longer updated, correct?)

Don't get a minimag LED in any way, shape, or form, just pop the TLE-5ex into a regular MiniMag and you will be happy, I was!! If you want a minimag, go for it.