EDC in Leatherman Holster, Maratac AAA or EZ-AA

Hello, I have been lurking around here on and off for a while and finally found a need to register!


Years ago I bought a Surefire L2 Lumamax to take with on camping trips and Jeep trail rides. I have never carried a flashlight full time as I never really had the need.


I am about to start a new job at a Hardware/Tool rental store and will probably be crawling around some of the equipment at times. I was thinking of getting the Maratac AAA or ITP EOS for keychain or pocket clip carry but I found another option.


I have a Leatherman crunch, that I always grab for quick projects but I lost the holster for it years ago, when I was looking at the leatherman site for a new holster they have one with a flashlight holder. This opened up the option for a slightly larger light, so I did some research and came across the Nitecore EZ-AA.


Obviously the Maratac/ITP price is nicer, but I can probably stretch the budget to fit the EZ-AA if need be.


Here is where I am looking for input:

Which would fit better in this:

http://store.leatherman.com/shop/shop.aspx?category=10

Which is the better light overall?

Is there another option I should consider?

Also, how will the light output of any of the options compare to my L2 Lumamax?

The holsters are made for m@glites.
M@glites AA & AAA have a wide(r) head.
Will the EZ-AA slip through the loop?

Oh, and :welcome:

Well it is made for the 1xAAA mag. The Solitaire. It does not have a larger head.


From the research I have done:
Solitaire Diameter - 0.5" Body/Head Same Diameter, no clip.
Maratac Diameter - 0.5" Probably head diameter, not sure the body diameter. Has a clip that might be able to secure it to the holster better.
EZ-AA Diameter - 0.65"

Maratac has Med-Low-High pattern, 18, 1.5, 63 lumens respectively. Call it $58 because to justify the $8 shipping I am going to buy as close to the $50 limit as possible. Grab some paracord, a prybar, a split pea lighter, etc.

EZ-AA is 2 mode, 10 and 145 lumens (R2 version) for $58 (free shipping)

So I guess I can consider them the same price but the Maratac comes with "Free Extras" for the same price.

I like the looks of the Maratac better but the output and interface of the EZ-AA better....


Hmmm, decisions decisions.


(Please don't say buy both...my wife is understanding, but not that understanding.)

I can't comment on the EZAA or that specific Leatherman sheath, but I have to give my support to the ITP A3 EOS in the side pocket of a LM Charge nylon sheath. It's a wonderful combination. :twothumbs

IMHO, with this setup, a small lanyard makes it much easier to draw the light from the holster. It is a tad bit tight in there. For a temporary cure, I removed the large ring from the factory ITP keychain and use the remaining chain links as a small lanyard, making it easy to distinguish it from the paracord lanyard on my D10 which is holstered beside it.

However, for a primary EDC, I think the EZAA would be a little more appropriate, given the increased runtime and brightness (which is just nice to have, even if you don't really NEED it).

Truth is, it's hard to say! All depends on which you value more: lightweight and compact vs. more capable but cumbersome (or, firepower vs. mobility, for all you TNPers out there. )

Good luck with whatever you choose. You really can't go wrong either way.

I say get the EZAA for the holster and then buy an ITP A3 EOS from Going Gear or somewhere. I got mine for < $20 shipped.

--Matt

That holster appears to be made for a light with a head larger than the body of the light or with a pocket clip. You might research the site to see if anyone has come up with a good pocket clip for the EZ AA. Without a clip you would have to modify the holster to keep the EZAA from just falling through.

If you want to use that holster you might consider a LED Maglite or Leatherman light that the holster is designed for.

The ITP A3 single mode would probably be your most economic approach and it comes with a pocket clip. The ITP 3 mode is the same light as the Maratac and you don't have to pay the high shipping. I like the Maratac knurling a little better than the ITP but otherwise it is the same light. For your purposes I think the single mode would be handier unless you plan to use 10440 batteries. The medium mode it starts in would be sufficient for most purposes with 10440s, but if you plan to use NiMH or alkaline batteries it is a nuisance to have to do three twists to get to high.

slipe said:

That holster appears to be made for a light with a head larger than the body of the light or with a pocket clip. You might research the site to see if anyone has come up with a good pocket clip for the EZ AA. Without a clip you would have to modify the holster to keep the EZAA from just falling through.

If you want to use that holster you might consider a LED Maglite or Leatherman light that the holster is designed for.

Click to expand...

Actually the 1xAAA Maglite and the Leatherman lights it is designed for are all uniform diameter, head is the same as the body. The LM lights have clips, the Mag Solitaire does not.

slipe said:

The ITP A3 single mode would probably be your most economic approach and it comes with a pocket clip. The ITP 3 mode is the same light as the Maratac and you don't have to pay the high shipping. I like the Maratac knurling a little better than the ITP but otherwise it is the same light. For your purposes I think the single mode would be handier unless you plan to use 10440 batteries. The medium mode it starts in would be sufficient for most purposes with 10440s, but if you plan to use NiMH or alkaline batteries it is a nuisance to have to do three twists to get to high.

Click to expand...

I'd go Maratac over ITP for the knurling/appearance alone. I agree on the 3 twist interface for high being a nuisance. That is one of the things I like about the EZ-AA, the twist for low, one more twist for high.


After all the digging I did, I am pretty sold on the EZ-AA, I just have to figure out if it fits snugly in the holster without a clip.

I was looking at the wrong holster, my bad

Maybe the Nitecore D10 clip fits the EZ-AA.
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=93_97&products_id=636
Probably not.
just thinking out loud.
Does somebody know?

Here's a link to what I have done with my iTP flashlight (could be a maratac just as well.) I think very similar to what you are wanting. No extra holster required.

oronocova said:

Here's a link to what I have done with my iTP flashlight (could be a maratac just as well.) I think very similar to what you are wanting. No extra holster required.

Click to expand...

Nice setup you have. Looks a little easier to draw than mine, which is a little tight, but as a backup EDC, it serves its function.

Yeah it is easy to draw. I find myself pushing it down or checking to make sure it is still there. It hasn't fallen out yet and I am in and out of my car a dozen or more times a day and constantly bending down etc... As long as I put the LM Blast in with the "locks" up, then either can be pulled out independent of the other. I've been carrying it that way for at least two weeks I think. It's on it's third battery I use it everyday all the time.

I like yours... looks more secure and more "covert?". Is it just wedged in there or did you sew that on?

I gorilla glued the clip onto mine for added "security".

oronocova said:

Yeah it is easy to draw. I find myself pushing it down or checking to make sure it is still there. It hasn't fallen out yet and I am in and out of my car a dozen or more times a day and constantly bending down etc... As long as I put the LM Blast in with the "locks" up, then either can be pulled out independent of the other. I've been carrying it that way for at least two weeks I think. It's on it's third battery I use it everyday all the time.

I like yours... looks more secure and more "covert?". Is it just wedged in there or did you sew that on?

I gorilla glued the clip onto mine for added "security".

Click to expand...

The nylon sheathes come with a seperate pocket on either side of the main tool pouch -- no modification necessary. :thumbsup:

For a light that gets used a lot, your setup would work better. I might pull out the ITP once a day or so. Any more than that, and I think the edges of the elastic would fray and wear prematurely. A Maratac's knurling would chew through that holster pretty quick!

Good note on the Gorilla Glue -- that stuff could hold a house together! I think I'll keep the clip on my next ITP or Maratac, and if I do, I'll make sure to use some. :twothumbs

Ok, so I fell into the trap that we all tend to fall into. Bought the EZ-AA R2 since it boasts 130 lumens..... and the ITP EOS Upgrade since it has the integrated keychain and is nice and lightweight in aluminum.... and the Maratac AAA stainless because I like the knurling.... and a Streamlight Nano since I was able to order one at my new job for around $6.


Also I found 2 versions of the leatherman sheath. One is made for the Single AAA solitaire maglite the other is made to fit the standard Mini Maglite (Single AA). I ordered up both of those, plus a leather sheath. I figure I can play around and decide between the Maratac or the EZ-AA whichever nylon sheath they fit best in, or i can use the belt clip on the maratac to hang it off the leather sheath. The ITP was going to go on my keychain, but I think the streamlight nano will serve that duty instead. Kind of redundant to have both.


I also got a sweet employee discount on a SAK minichamp. So with the minichamp and the streamlight nano on my keychain I have a very versatile light weight setup. Add the Leatherman Crunch plus maratac or EZ-AA in the same holster and it gets a step up in all aspects, clip my new Kershaw OD-1 to my pocket and all my bases are covered. Only overlap in that is the Minichamp, but it is nice to have when you don't want people to flip out when you pull out a bigger knife. Especially since it is the same length as the very small SAK "classic".


I can also comment on this, placed orders with County Comm, 4 Sevens and Going gear all at the same time (sunday night) all 3 were delivered this afternoon. So for central Illinois, shipping/handling time was identical for all 3.


Thanks to everyone who chimed in, in the long run instead of spending just $7 on a leatherman holster and $20-$50 for a single light, I ended up spending a couple hundred on random stuff from county comm, plus 3 lights, 3 holsters, etc. Oh well, I am still behind in the cash spending game after my wife bought an embroidery machine and a very expensive burberry dress for our daughter..... hmmm.... what else can I buy to even things up a bit.... :naughty:

Ooooohhhh, nice toy's !!!!
Thanks for the update.

oronocova said:

Here's a link to what I have done with my iTP flashlight (could be a maratac just as well.) I think very similar to what you are wanting. No extra holster required.

Click to expand...

Oronova, I was thinking that you could grind out a divot of leather from the holster where the clip would contact the flashlight giving some relief to the clip and in doing so keep the light more secure. You'll probably see a little dimple on the inside where the clip contacts the leather, just remove a bunch of leather there and your clip will last longer and it will have to overcome the tension of the change of thickness to be removed. This method will make it so the clip is nearly at the same tension it would be on the light when clipped to the holster. I have found that some clips lose their clippiness when clipped to anything thicker than cloth. YMMV.

Notacop said:

Oh well, I am still behind in the cash spending game after my wife bought an embroidery machine and a very expensive burberry dress for our daughter..... hmmm.... what else can I buy to even things up a bit.... :naughty:

Click to expand...

LOL!

This is how I carry my LX2 with my Charge Ti... now, admittedly I don't carry like this on a belt, it's not comfortable for me even without the light. I put this in either my tool box during the week, or my travel bag on the weekends. Works for me.

You're right on making a place for the clip to have some relief of tension. I should have done this. Now I need a new clip, but I broke this one not the sheath. However, it had lost some tension and the "divet" would help with that if I can get another clip.

Ok, after receiving all the lights and holsters, here are my final decisions:

ITP EOS Upgrade - Given to wife for keychain
Maratac AAA Stainless - keeping for tossing in my coin pocket when I don't feel like carrying the leatherman holster
EZ-AA - fits very well in the leatherman holster designed for the 1XAA Mini Maglite. I made a small cord/pull for it using 3/32" tether cord from County Comm and one of their snap on cord ends. It is about 2" long and uses the holes around the base of the EZ-AA. This still allows use of the threaded tripod mount and still allows tail standing as well. It also adds a little width at the base to keep it from slipping out of the holster and gives something to grab to pull it out.


I have not carried it this way yet as I just got the holsters when I got home from work. I will report back in a couple days after carrying it to see how it goes.