Single AA LED Flashlight with diffuser

Hi everyone,

I want to buy my first LED flashlight and hope to get some recommendations.

Thanks a lot in advance!

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Short Essay Question: What do you intend to use this light for?

EDC and camping. For camping I need a diffuser tip to use the flashlight as a lantern. Therefore my main question is which manufacturers offer diffuser tips for their single AA lights? I found Fenix and NiteCore (for the D10). Are there any other manufactures that I should look at? Do-it-yourself diffusers, bottlecaps and stuff are no option for me.



0) What Region/Country/State will the light be purchased in?

_X__I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
____I am in North America. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in South America. More precisely I am in _______________.
_X__I am in Europe. More precisely I am in ___Germany_____.
____I am in the Middle East. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Africa. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Asia, Japan or Micronesia. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Australia. More precisely I am in _______________.


1) Price Range: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!

____I only want to pay $1-10.
____I can spend $15-30.
_X__I could spend $40-60.
____I am willing to spend $80-$120.
____I have no limit!

2) Format:

_X__I want a flashlight.
____I want a headlamp.
____I want a lantern.
____I want a portable spotlight.

3) Length:

____I don't care.
____1-2 inches. (Keychain sized)
_X__2-4 inches. (Pocket carry)
____4-9 inches. (Holster carry)

4) Width:

_X__I don't care.
____I prefer a long narrow light.
____I prefer a short wide light.

5) What batteries do you want to use? Alkaline batteries are easier to find and less expensive but don't pack as much stored energy and are don't work well in cold temperatures. Lithium batteries have long shelf life (10+ years, great for stored emergency lights) and are not as affected by cold but must be kept dry and are more expensive. Rechargeable start expensive, but if used frequently pay off quickly.

_X__I want common Alkaline batteries. (AA, AAA, C, D)
____I want lithium batteries. (coin cells, CR123, AAA, AA...)
____I want a rechargeable system. (an investment, but best for everyday use)

6) How much light do you want? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).

_X__I want to read a map, or find a light switch, in a dark room. (5-10 lumens)
_X__I want to walk around a generally paved area. (15-20 lumens)
_X__I want to walk unpaved trails. (40 lumens)
_X__I want to do Caving or Search & Rescue operations. (60+ lumens)
____I want to light an entire campground or dazzle an intruder. (100+ lumens)

I need different levels of light.

7) Throw vs Flood: Which do you prefer, lights that flood an area with a wide beam, or lights that "throw" with a tightly focused beam? Place an "X" on the line below.

Throw (distance)----------------------X----------------------Flood/close-up

8) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims (like some LED lights). but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries.

____20 min. (I want the brightest light for brief periods)
____60-240 min. (1-2 hours)
____240-360 min. (4-6 hours)
____360+ min. (More than 6 hours)

I don't really care. I guess all single AA lights are more or less efficient, right?

9) Durability: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

____Not Important (A "night-stand" light.)
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood.)
_X__Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box.)
____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Self-defense, Survival.)

8) Switch Type:

_X__I don't care.
____I want a sliding switch. (Stays on until slid back.)
____I want a "clickie" switch. (Stays on until pressed again.)
____I want a momentary switch. (Only stays on while held down.)

9) Switch Location:

_X__I don't care.
____I want a push or sliding switch on the body near the head.
____I want a push switch on the back end of the body.
____I want a rotating head switch.
____I want a rotating end-cap switch.
____I want a remote control.

10) Operational Modes: Check all that apply.

____A simple on-off is fine for me.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
_X__I want multiple light levels. (some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
____I want a strobe mode. (blinks to show location.)
____I want a tactical strobe. (Flashes rapidly to disorient an opponent.)

I'm not sure about SOS/Strobe yet, but I guess I don't need it and might be annoyed if it's not well hidden in the UI.

11) Is it important whether the body is metal or plastic/composite?

____I don't care.
_X__I want a metal-bodied light.
____I want a plastic/composite light.

12) Special Needs: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Circle any below or write in your own comment(s).

____Red (night vision preserving) filter
____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________)
_X__Waterproof – how deep: ___Rain______
____Non-reflective/dark finish (stealthy/hard to find)
____Polished silver or brightly colored finish (for easy locating)
____Corrosion resistant or hard-anodized finish
____"Hybrid" light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
____Built-in second (or spare) lamp or filament
____Belt/Jacket clip
____Holster
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Kobuton/self defense features
____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments

Like I already wrote - a diffuser is important to me.

Cheers,
Seb.

P.S. lovecpf

I would suggest a Fenix L1T or LD10. Shop around and you should find one within your price range, though it is at the upper limit. A clip on diffuser, and longer diffuser tip are available for these lights.

If you can do without the diffuser, 4Sevens Quark AA may be the better option for you.

Guten Tag!

I'm taking that the diffuser will be used for a floody and smooth beam?

That narrow's down the selecting since most lights don't have a diffuser. The Fenix ones do, so they might be a good choice for you.

:welcome:

HeadCSO said:

I would suggest a Fenix L1T or LD10. Shop around and you should find one within your price range, though it is at the upper limit. A clip on diffuser, and longer diffuser tip are available for these lights.

If you can do without the diffuser, 4Sevens Quark AA may be the better option for you.

Click to expand...

I agree entirely with HeadCSO
I own a LD20 and it is fantastic

Welcome to CPF, sb11.

I'll move your thread to the LED Flashlight section as that is what you are asking about.

the jetbeam element e3p is single AA and comes with difuser. It is in your price range. It is a stainless steel light if that matters to you. pretty decient light all around.

Chef

chef4850 said:

the jetbeam element e3p is single AA and comes with difuser. It is in your price range. It is a stainless steel light if that matters to you. pretty decient light all around.

Chef

Click to expand...

+1

Jackscrj said:

I agree entirely with HeadCSO
I own a LD20 and it is fantastic

Click to expand...

+1 for the LD10. I've a number of single AA lights and this is the one I like the most.

Check out NiteFlux's 1AA models. NiteFlux offers a short white diffuser cone.

It can be frustrating to discuss diffusers, because the word diffuser signifiers different things to different flashaholics:

• a lens that mades the beam even but not wider
• a replacement lens that makes the beam even AND wider
• a flip-up lens that makes the beam even AND wider
• a cone that spreads the light in 360 degrees, like a candle
  
  I like my beam W-I-D-E and WARM. I tried a ZebraLight headlamp but found that 80 lumens spread over 80 degrees was just too dim. If you want a diffuser that spreads your beam wide, you, too, may find that 1AA can't deliver enough lumens.
  
  So yesterday I ordered two 2AA warm LED lights with diffusers:
  
  • a Fenix TK20 and OliLight M20 flip-up diffuser (which fits it) and a Fenix white cone
  • an EagleTac P20A2, which includes a replacement diffuser lens that makes the beam nice and broad
  
  I'll see how what solution I prefer.

DX has some aftermarket diffusers, or you can use a bottle cap etc.

Fenix LD10 is a good starter though.

Paul_in_Maryland said:

Check out NiteFlux's 1AA models. NiteFlux offers a short white diffuser cone.

Click to expand...

Paul,
You may have meant Liteflux, but there IS a Niteflux brand flashlight made for bicycles.
The only Liteflux that I know of that use diffusers are no longer made. A quick check on the Liteflux website only shows the AAA LF2XT and the CR123 LF3XT for sale. The LF5XT AA light is no longer listed and is not in stock at one of their US distributors, EliteLED. This may signal an imminent model change or nothing at all.
It IS noteworthy because the changes to the Liteflux website have happened within the last month. Last time I checked they were still stocking a lot of the LF2X models with different finish options. Now there are only 2 lights listed. :thinking:
So, if you want a Liteflux with stock diffuser you'll have to go AAA LF2 or LF2X. Some say that a chapstick cap fits the LF2XT, I can't verify as mine is off for warranty work.
I have an LF2 with the screw-on diffuser... it seldom comes off. It's perfect for getting around in the house at night and great for walking. A diffuser is visible from many angles where a flashlight relies on light reflected from objects or a driver would have to be able to see the emitter.
Yeah, I love diffusers. Wish they were offered as an accessory with more lights.
Quarks are nice also, I'd bet there's a diffuser solution for their AA light.

Quark with the prism diffuser head seems like a good bet.

Hi guys,

thanks a lot for all the replies. I really appreciate it!

Some more clarification on the diffuser I'm looking for, since Paul pointed out that there are several diffuser solutions available. I'm looking for a diffuser cone that spreads the light 360 degrees like a candle.

Therefore the Fenix LD10 was my favorite since there is decent diffuser tip available (a do-it-yourself or bottlecap diffuser is no option for me). Recently I saw that there is a diffuser tip for the NiteCore D10 now. That's why I'm a bit unsure now.

Regarding the other models you guys recommended:

- Quark: I haven't seen any diffuser cone on the 4sevens website.
- LiteFlux: I also haven't seen any on their website
- JetBeam: Only the Element comes with a diffuser, right? I really like the looks of the "tactical" JetBeam models, but I haven't seen any diffuser for them.

Are there any other single AA lights where the manufacturer offers a diffuser cone?

If not, I have to decide between the Fenix LD10 and the NiteCore D10. What do you guys think? Which one is better?

Cheers,
Seb.