which of these would be better?

hi, i hardly know anything about flashlights but i do have a few from DealExtreme.

i am looking for a single AAA flashlight to use with my keys, so the smaller and brighter the better. wanting to spend around $20aus

i have these in mind
Fenix E01 from here (just to double check, these are both the same right?)
DX1
DX2
DX3
DX4

the fenix and DX3 are the smallest (the DX4 is pretty close), but which of all these would be the brightest, best value for money, and best suited for my needs.

are there any other good AAA lights i have missed?

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Spend some more and get a L0D or maybe a LiteFlux LF2X, they have multiple levels and on the highest setting they are much brighter.

I agree with HKJ that if you want a very bright 1xAAA, you want something like the Fenix L0D. If you want a little light that will be enough to find something under your car-seat or read a map or find a keyhole in the dark, the Fenix E01 will be sufficient.

With a 10440 rechargeable lithium in place of the standard AAA battery, my L0D is one of my very brightest lights. Even with a standard rechargeable AAA or alkaline, it will still shock and surprise people.

HKJ said:

Spend some more and get a L0D or maybe a LiteFlux LF2X, they have multiple levels and on the highest setting they are much brighter.

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like this one?

thats too much for me to spend on a flashlight, l'm not a flashaholic, just need someone small and bright that will do the job.

i have found that many people here have ordered the fenix E01, is it any good compared to those other ones i mentioned?

thanks

Yucca Patrol said:

I agree with HKJ that if you want a very bright 1xAAA, you want something like the Fenix L0D. If you want a little light that will be enough to find something under your car-seat or read a map or find a keyhole in the dark, the Fenix E01 will be sufficient.

With a 10440 rechargeable lithium in place of the standard AAA battery, my L0D is one of my very brightest lights. Even with a standard rechargeable AAA or alkaline, it will still shock and surprise people.

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nice, but i cant imagine myself spending 50$ on a flashlight.

would your L0D be brighter than this (that is what i currenty use), would any of those lights i mentioned come close to the brightness of the wf-606a? i was shocked when i first used it, its really bright for my standards

DX1 you linked to is designed for the specific purpose of being as bright as possible on 1xAAA, and let battery life be damned (search for "KD buckle light", as it's the same thing). Coupled with an E01 for when you don't want so much light, that should satisfy most of your lighting needs.

Are you planning to use rechargeables in these lights? The higher power lights won't take well at all to an alkaline battery, as they simply can't deliver enough power, giving abysmal runtimes.

Providing you run a decent rechargeable battery, I imagine DX1 would be similar brightness to the RC-N3 you linked to on a primary CR123 battery/2xAA's. However, it will not have so much throw.

Jarl said:

DX1 you linked to is designed for the specific purpose of being as bright as possible on 1xAAA, and let battery life be damned (search for "KD buckle light", as it's the same thing). Coupled with an E01 for when you don't want so much light, that should satisfy most of your lighting needs.

Are you planning to use rechargeables in these lights? The higher power lights won't take well at all to an alkaline battery, as they simply can't deliver enough power, giving abysmal runtimes.

Providing you run a decent rechargeable battery, I imagine DX1 would be similar brightness to the RC-N3 you linked to on a primary CR123 battery/2xAA's. However, it will not have so much throw.

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hi and thanks.

i will be using rechargeables.

l'm sorry but i didnt post the RC-N3? also, are you saying the DX1 or E01 would be my best choice?

Sorry, my bad- I meant 606A when I said RC-N3. I read CR2 as CR123...

As to which you should buy, depends what you need. The E01 runs forever on an alkaline cell giving more light than a stock mini-mag on 2 (brand new) AA's, and DX1 gives significantly more light. Useless for reading a map/menu in a dark restaurant/walking around with dark adapted eyes. If you're only going to buy one (Obviously, this is CPF, so you should buy both ), then I'd get the one that'll suit your needs better. No matter which you get there'll always be times you think "wish I had the other one", you need to try and make it so you think this as little as possible.

Personally, since you have the 606A, I'd go for the E01 as it will allow you to use your lights in more situations.

l think l'll get the E01 and then maybe the KD buckle light.

just one more question please...

would the E01 be brighter than these?
1
2
3

thanks

The E01 is not built for brightness- you're missing the point a bit here . The idea of the E01 is that it gives enough light to look at a map/find key, etc, for a very very long time. I'd say it'll be brighter than number 3, but loose out to number 1 and 2 for the first few minutes. However, its main strength is how it will last for a very long time on a single AAA cell at the same brightness to what it starts with. The DX lights you linked to will start off bright, but within an hour will probably both be significantly dimmer.

If you are looking for a powerful light, you'll be disappointed in the E01- the buckle light (DX1) suits this better.

Jarl said:

The E01 is not built for brightness- you're missing the point a bit here . The idea of the E01 is that it gives enough light to look at a map/find key, etc, for a very very long time. I'd say it'll be brighter than number 3, but loose out to number 1 and 2 for the first few minutes. However, its main strength is how it will last for a very long time on a single AAA cell at the same brightness to what it starts with. The DX lights you linked to will start off bright, but within an hour will probably both be significantly dimmer.

If you are looking for a powerful light, you'll be disappointed in the E01- the buckle light (DX1) suits this better.

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yeh i think your right, l'll order the buckle light as i want brightness

thanks for your help jarl:twothumbs

You really can't go wrong with buying a Fenix

The 602C SSC should impress you fairly well with output, so should the buckle light. They have about the same output as the L0D on high.

warriorz said:

nice, but i cant imagine myself spending 50$ on a flashlight.

would your L0D be brighter than this (that is what i currenty use), would any of those lights i mentioned come close to the brightness of the wf-606a? i was shocked when i first used it, its really bright for my standards

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Hi Warriorz,

I happen to have both the 606a and the LOD Q4. I would estimate their respective Lumen outputs as approx. 110 and approx. 75. I just did a ceiling bounce test with them. The 606a has far more throw, i.e. a much more concentrated beam. But the size difference is enormous. Even with an CR2, the 606a is much larger, and would have a very short runtime.

I appreciate that $46 seems a lot for a flashlight (fenix-store.com), but then you'll have 3 (brightnesses) in one, and so small that you'll always have it with you. And the craftmanship and reliability are very good (do a search on the buckle light and see what you get there).

So, you guess what I'm saying ... get the lot, eh, LOD

Kees

LukeA said:

The 602C SSC should impress you fairly well with output, so should the buckle light. They have about the same output as the L0D on high.

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thats what i wanted to hear:thumbsup:

@ doubledutch. the LOD would be better quality than the DX lights, but if the 602C SSC or buckle light would have the same output, then i think l'd rather save some money and go for that one.

i am starting to get back into flashlights a little, i am trying to mod my romisen RC-G2 with a Q5 emitter, so with that and a new AAA light, i may just become a flashaholic like you guys. then, thats when i buy $50 fenix's

just ordered the V4 Q5 buckle light from KD

it should be really bright and small, just what i need