Help selecting a budget AAA flashlight

I'm planning to buy a AAA flashlight to my key chain. I'm on a budget so I looking for a cheap flashlight. I've been looking at some cheap models at DealExtreme. But I decide which one of the to buy Need some advice here...

Right now I'm looking at the following models:

TANK007 TK-701 SSC 42180-U
Ultrafire WF-602C Cree P4-WC
DX Cree R2 XR-E R2

Thanks!

Look at the Fenix LO1.

Get it at:

www.4sevens.com

It's a great light!

I know, but it's too expensive...

Super Dave just posted a positive review of the Tank701. That's a good light for a good price. I wish I had bought it instead of the 702.

What do you want from your keychain light? The Fenix E01 is $15 but it is only one level and it does not have a white tint. It does have a really long runtime though and it is certainly bright enough to do many tasks in dark environments. I would be leary of cheaper lights. While they may be brighter, will they still function after being on a set of keys for a few months? My keys get dropped and thrown around and I think a cheaper light would not be durable enough.

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I own a Fenix LD20 today and I'm very happy with it. I didn't know that that E01 was so cheap. But does is it throw?

Phaselock said:

I own a Fenix LD20 today and I'm very happy with it. I didn't know that that E01 was so cheap. But does is it throw?

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It's not bright at all only a few lumens!

This budget light comes with an R2 Emitter.

DX Cree R2 Cree LED Buckle Flashlight with Mountain Clip

Dim does not mean unuseful. The E01 has very long runtime and makes for an excellent backup light. Since you already have an LD20 as a primary I think the E01 would be a fine choice.

What do you want with this light?

Output? Runtime? Multimode?

The E01 is more of a back up light. It's not very bright but it's tough and will run for a while.

The Tank 701 might be a good budget bright 1 AAA light.

STi said:

It's not bright at all only a few lumens!

This budget light comes with an R2 Emitter.

DX Cree R2 Cree LED Buckle Flashlight with Mountain Clip

Click to expand...

Good luck trying to read something like a map or look in a cupboard when its pumping out 50-100 lumen coupled with it running a battery dead in 30 minutes.

Essentially all a keychain light should do is put out enough light for some close up work and if it all goes dark it will guide you to a more powerful light.

Edit, well, its an over simplification and assumes no multimode like the LD01.

Unless you specifically have a low output light and want some other AAA keychain light with a lot of output for some other reason then id strongly recommend against something like this (phaser didnt specify either way however in his brief so who knows right now).

What id look for is a good usable amount of power coupled with a long regulated runtime and extremely high reliability. Which is why i chose the E01 for my keychain and its what id always recommend if you want a cheap AAA form factor. In fact, i think the E01 could be lower in brightness for an even longer runtime, but im happy with the 10 lumens for 13 hours it produces.

I'm looking at some beam shots of E01 and I must say I'm impressed! It's actually close to the LD01 which is a bit bigger and much more expensive. I peronally think the E01 will last a bit longer in my pocket than many of the DealExtreme lights. Even though the Tank007 TK-701 looks like a durable light. It's also very cheap, only $8

Now it's time to wote... The Fenix E01 or the TK-701?

I bought the TANK007 for my daughter and it seems to be a good little light. Definitely not 80 lumens as they claim (as compared to my Fenix LD01), but still bright. The clicky switch is nice and I have not had to change the battery for her yet.

Phaselock said:

I'm looking at some beam shots of E01 and I must say I'm impressed! It's actually close to the LD01 which is a bit bigger and much more expensive. I peronally think the E01 will last a bit longer in my pocket than many of the DealExtreme lights. Even though the Tank007 TK-701 looks like a durable light. It's also very cheap, only $8

Now it's time to wote... The Fenix E01 or the TK-701?

Click to expand...

I dont want to hardsell cos its your cash, but personally id give through to whether you are truly saving $8 if the thing isnt reliable (and it wont be as reliable as the E01 thats for sure). It could be a false economy.

My personal view is my E01 is always with me, so it tends to be the light i use the most and by that token the light i rely on the most. I love me some DX cheapy chinesey goodness but i chose the E01 for the very specific reasons of reliability and efficiency.

Which isnt to take away from the other. You could always buy both

True... I do have a couple of those Chinese lights, and the quality is very variable. I will go for the E01

Thanks everyone!

From what I have read the tank seems the best of those three. I also support the E01, its a great light, just not that bright.
Maybe you want to consider one of the cheap keychain fobs from dx too. I actually got a 10 pack from dx that was recommended here on cpf and they are surprisingly good. Brighter than my e01, about 15 lumens I would say( equivalent to my LOD on low with an alkaline). It has a momentary on button and an on/off switch as well. Plus you get 10 for 4.50, its hard to beat. Of course its plastic so you don't get the sturdiness of a AAA light or the easiness of a common battery light. Still it's a good option.

Too bad that the E01 is back ordered at DealExtreme. They sell the black E01 for $11.82 with free shipping!

It's really not worth the three bucks to get it from dx. If you order from the fenix store you'll get it in less than three days usually, and have the assurance that it will work when you get it and that if anything goes wrong there is a phone number to call that someone will actually answer. I mean, DX really isn't bad, I've always had perfect success with it, but who knows when they will have it in stock again? Add that to the standard dx shipping time and its a pretty simple choice to go with the fenix store imho.

At 4sevens.com, they sell it for $15 and with the discount code cpf8, you get 8% off, bringing the total down to $13.8. You save $2 from DX, but you'll have to wait awhile for it to arrive from Asia.

Personally, I would rather have a dimmer (10 lumens or less) keychain light than something that generates over 50 lumens (unless it has multi-mode). There is such a thing as too much light ... not very typical for a flashaholic to say.

No, no, no. Forget the EO1 and the TK-701. Get the Kaidomain Buckle Light V5. Naysayers will tell you lots of horror stories about loose thread and crappy build quality. They are correct for versions 1 thru 4, BUT with version 5 Kai finally got it right. The build quality is up to Fenix standards, and it's more durable because it's thicker. I had an E01 and the tint was way too blue, really off putting. TK-701 is probably ok, but the runtime is poor. With the Buckle Light you can choose from three different runtimes--they have three different versions. I got the RT version which gets about 90 min on an NiMh. It rocks! Great tint and beam quality--very smooth beam with a nice wide spot and lots of spill. The threads are excellent. The electronics are potted in epoxy to prevent damage from drops. The anodizing is HAIII and is uniform and free of defects. I have nothing negative to say about this light. On the personal preference issues, the aluminum is thicker than most AAA lights, so it weighs a more and is thicker than most AAA lights; however, this make it more durable, so it's a personal preference thing. The different versions are the MAX, the RT and the XRT. MAX stands for max output and has the shortest runtime. XRT has the longest runtime. This is the one I got (the RT):

Bessiebunny gives it 5 stars too.
I hope that helps,
Nick