The perfect 1AA flashlight for a woman?

I went hiking over the weekend with my wife, and she complained her pink E01 that I gave her was not bright enough. She wanted something brighter like what I was using (my D10).

So I had her try out my D10 and my L1D Q5. She preferred the L1D Q5 because the rubber clicky is easier to use with her longer nails, and the UI was so simple she didn't have to practice to go to low / high / ramp up & down.

This led me to think about what would be the ideal attributes for a light targeted at women. I came up with a list:

1. Should be pink / red if possible
2. Should be as small as possible, to fit in their purse with all the other stuff they have to carry
3. UI should be dead simple, and easy to use with longer finger nails
4. No SOS, this will confuse them. Maybe strobe, it may come in handy to attract attention in a crowd or ward off possible attackers, but not required
5. Either a twisty OR a clicky, but not both. My wife was confused about twisting the L1D Q5 into turbo mode, so I suggested she just keep it on general mode and just click the tail to use the light
6. Should have a nice diffuser cap that will stay on securely. This diffuser will help protect the lens from all the other junk in the purse, and will be a nice way to use the light up close to apply make up, etc...
7. Should be able to run on alkaline well, and not require nimh or lithium to run well. I currently have Eneloop 1AA in the L1D, but I worry my wife may accidentally run the battery down too much and damage the battery. I don't want to put an alkaline in there, and I have no desire to buy lithiums for it either (this is why I stay away from CR123s). She does not require the extreme brightness so a L1D Q5 on medium should be more than adequate. If the light can run on an alkaline fine for an hour or more, then I would prefer to use cheap alkalines that she can run down to nothing and simply pop another alkaline in as needed.

These are what I thought would make the perfect light for most women.

What do you think?

Unless pink or red is their favorite color, you should consider natural HA aluminum. My wife loves her Surefire L1 (cree), and wears it around her neck on a lanyard. When I was working on a plumbing problem, without having to be asked she got "her" light and provided much needed illumination.

A yellow G2L is another light she uses regularly, mostly checking the hellhounds in our back yard. One of them has decided that licking a strange looking toad was "fun", in spite of foaming at the mouth and dry heaving afterwards.

A 2AA energizer 3 watt from Target is another of her frequent users, and a grey Gerber 2AA "Trio". Her lights make it back onto her nightstand when she shuts off the living room lights at bedtime, and about once a week she carries them all back out to a shelf near our rear door. Almost forgot, she has a 1AA Gerber in the "rotation" as well. So since you asked, get her FIVE lights and she'll be happy!

Paladin

It should have those glow in the dark vilse so they can spot it easy in the purse. But everyone likes that.

I have found they like the same thing guys like in a light...paid for by me of course...and batts replaced free anytime :scowl: :kiss: :sigh:

LED-holic said:

Should be pink / red...
...dead simple...
...this will confuse them....
...I worry my wife may accidentally run the battery down too much and damage the battery...

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Hi Greta! :wave:

lctorana said:

Hi Greta! :wave:

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Oh oh...I`m out of here

LED-holic said:

I currently have Eneloop 1AA in the L1D, but I worry my wife may accidentally run the battery down too much and damage the battery.

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I worried about this too (I've got an L1D, non-Q5). I've set it on high and let it run until it was very dim (less than "low"), then checked the battery immediately after shutting the light off and opening it up.

The voltage has been at least 9.0V each of the times I've done this. It appears to cause no harm in the single celled lights.

By the time it gets to this point, you'd probably want to shut it down anyway and use something else unless things were desperate. But then you wouldn't care about frying a battery. My 2cents.

fenix l1t nice and simple