1xAA, 1x5mm LED light

I'm looking for something that will let me squeeze every last bit of energy out of the various spent AAs I have.
I have a DX 8-LED light, but it doesn't fit the bill too well because 8 LEDs want too much power and the cell's voltage sags too much to provide useful light.

Ideally I want an Infinity Ultra, but its price is outrageous from both online stores and eBay. Yes, it's a quality product, but $15 plus international shipping for a single 5-mm LED light? No thanks.
It's not like I couldn't spend that money (I'm not THAT monetarily challenged), but it's the principle of the thing.
When I can get a perfectly ok CREE 123 light for $12 shipped, spending significantly more for a light that makes maybe a fiftieth of the light really goes against any rational thought.

So I've looked around on the various chinese sites (DX, Kai, QCG...), but all I found are this one, which is not good because it runs on AAAs, and this one, which would be perfect if I needed to equip my own private army, since it seems I can't get less than a hundred of the things.

Any ideas?
Thanks.

Edit: the quality of the LED is irrelevant, because I plan on replacing it with one of the 20.000mcd ones I have.

How about an nice quality Inova X1?

Tough light. Where are you located anyway (international shipping can be killer, I'm in Canada and it's hit and miss).

Edit: Oh wow, that second light seems to be the original Inova X1 with Tiros, complete with incorrect polarity on the instructions...

gunga said:

How about an nice quality Inova X1?

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It costs even more than the Infinity Ultra...

Where are you located anyway

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Italy.

(international shipping can be killer

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Which is why I was hoping to get it from a place like DX. Too bad they don't stock any...

Look harder

https://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1380 - even cheaper than buying them per 100.

Or possibly try one of the cheapo '1 watt' 1 AA lights that sell for around $5.

BTW, if you were hoping that the optical lens light used a standard 5mm LED, I don't know if it actually does (I'm thinking it doesn't).

http://www.szwholesale.com/1xaa-tech-spotlight-p-612.html
and
https://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1380

it looks like inova x1 old styl or?.

mmmflashlights said:

https://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1380

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Thanks, I missed that one.
The site has no data on it whatsoever. It doesn't even say what kind of LED it uses. Does anybody here have it?

Or possibly try one of the cheapo '1 watt' 1 AA lights that sell for around $5

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Got one from DX. It has a Luxeon clone of some sort, but it's quite inefficient. At full power it eats the thick end of half an amp. I blame the converter: the head gets really hot after some use, much hotter than my Fenix L1S on full power (which gives only slightly less brightness).
Not what I need, sadly.

Fallingwater said:

Thanks, I missed that one.
The site has no data on it whatsoever. It doesn't even say what kind of LED it uses. Does anybody here have it?

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I mentioned it since it's the same light as in your first post, but Kai has it under their category of 'other' LED lights rather than '5mm' LED lights. It could be that they listed it there because of it using an optic and still possibly have a 5mm LED. But then the packaging only mentions a 10 hour runtime, so that makes me doubt it'd be what you're looking for.

I would like to have a cheap 1 LED 1 AA light with a long runtime as well, but it seems that they've all gone past such a simple design. Maybe it's time that we make our own out of one of those 1 AA '1 Watt' lights, I already have one that was DOA from Kai, maybe I'll use it for that purpose. I also have some of the 8 LED cluster lights like you mention and like them, and I also have a 5 LED cluster version of the same light that is a little more efficient. Maybe that would interest you, Kai sells it for around $3. I suppose you could just disable 4 of the 5 LEDs if you really wanted to.

It is sad that people nowadays have forgotten the OTHER Chinese dealer of flashoholic toys. I haven't heard a single bad thing about Dae at QualityChinaGoods.com, yet he seems so unpopular here. I order from him. I checked his website, he is selling Cree and multi-LED 5mm's, don't see any that fit your wants.

The Gerber Infinity Ultra *is* worth the money. If you think that is expensive, you should take a look at how much the old Arc-AA generally sells for and how much the current Arc-AAA Premium sells for. Lighthound stocks the Gerber IU and regularly ships overseas using USPS.

Found a cheap $5 1xAAA light that comes close: http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1644

Or for $20 shipped you can get the Fenix E0 from Fenix-Store.com, which is really easy to mod -- on my natural anodize one the head can just pop out if you push the LED in (it's sealed around the LED with an o-ring instead of epoxy). It is also AAA, however. Regulation is fantastic -- you get 9 hours of flat regulation on an alkaline.

I know you don't want to hear this but I would just suck it up and pay the extra $10 and get a MUCH nicer product. Spending $20 on a great light will give you a much better feeling than spending $10 and having a lesser quality cheap light. I suggest the Inova X1 (reflector version) it is super high quality and has great runtime. You can purchase one at Targer for right around $20 I think.

I will never buy another cheapie light from Dealextreme/Kaidomain again. They do have some nice lights, but those ones that are under $10 are pretty much junk.

Well one problem with the CMG Infinity is that it likely uses out of date LEDs. Whats nice about most of the cheap lights is that it usually fairly easy to make modifications. The Infinity LED and circuit is probably potted or crimped in place. Personally, I've seen what some current 5mm LEDs can do and they are pretty amazing. I have 4 Jeled 55ks in my Tikka Plus and its probably putting out about 35-40 lumens. I try to swap these LEDs into anything that I can...

I have a couple Inova X1s I'd love to Mod, just not sure I'm into the freeze pop mod. Also, is the JLED that much better than a Nichia CS (I think that's what they have)?

gunga said:

I have a couple Inova X1s I'd love to Mod, just not sure I'm into the freeze pop mod. Also, is the JLED that much better than a Nichia CS (I think that's what they have)?

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Here's the data. I definitely like it better.

Link

mmmflashlights said:

I would like to have a cheap 1 LED 1 AA light with a long runtime as well, but it seems that they've all gone past such a simple design. Maybe it's time that we make our own

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I thought about that, but I can't find driver boards for single 5mm LEDs. They all seem to be made for higher power emitters... DX's least powerful board delivers 350ma, good for about ten 5mm LEDs...
I could try building a board, I guess, but I don't have the slightest idea of how to do so.

I suppose you could just disable 4 of the 5 LEDs if you really wanted to.

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The idea of purposefully mauling a multiple-LED light in order to have only a single emitter work horrifies me. Poor emitters
Besides, the driver boards are made to feed multiple emitters. If I killed or disconnected all but one, the lonely survivor would probably get all the power meant for the others in addition to its own, and would therefore be very bright but not long for this world.

Minjin said:

Well one problem with the CMG Infinity is that it likely uses out of date LEDs. Whats nice about most of the cheap lights is that it usually fairly easy to make modifications. The Infinity LED and circuit is probably potted or crimped in place

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I'm pretty sure I saw threads about people modding their Infinity Ultras. The driver board is potted, but I'm guessing the LED isn't.
Can anybody confirm this?

Personally, I've seen what some current 5mm LEDs can do and they are pretty amazing. I have 4 Jeled 55ks in my Tikka Plus and its probably putting out about 35-40 lumens. I try to swap these LEDs into anything that I can

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I bought a 50-bag of nameless 20.000mcd LEDs on eBay some time ago and they are brighter than anything I have but the emitters in the DX keychain lights (which DX state are 22.000mcd) and about as bright as those in the DX 9-led 3-aaa lights (20.000 official rating).
I was impressed, but then I read this and I'm even more impressed.
I long to see what a 55.000mcd LED can do
Where do you get them, and how much do they cost?