1xAA neutral white thrower suggestions.

Hi all,

I'm constantly looking for the perfect light to stick on top of my bike helmet for night riding. I've poured through the headlamp threads and can't find any mention of anything other than a Zebralight that comes in a neutral tint. The problem for me with the Zebralights is they don't have much throw, and for a helmet mounted light, that's what I want.

My requirements are (seemingly) simple;

-1xAA,
-neutral white emitter,
-small and lightweight as possible,
-no greenish cast; I have a Quark XPG neutral white head that is very strongly green and it is unacceptable for this purpose.

Please note that I've tried an RRT-0 with a Q3/5A and it is too big and heavy and the spill isn't very usable for biking. Anything in the size/weight category of a Quark AA that throws?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Jet 1 pro V3 has a neutral tint option but its beam is similar to the RRT-0.

how about some of nitecores offerings?

or a quark XP-E Q3 head which might still be available from 4sevens. it has better throw than the XP-G version, with a really nice tint.

if your patience zebralight will come out with neutral versions of the h51 and sc51. probably with XP-Gs, im just hopeing the tint doesnt have green in it either.

I use an RC-G2 WW from Shiningbeam on my helmet . Light , bright , and the throw is good enough for my purposes .

jacktheclipper said:

I use an RC-G2 WW from Shiningbeam on my helmet . Light , bright , and the throw is good enough for my purposes .

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That's a Romisen, right?

I'm amazed at how much Quark tints can vary: my neutral-white XP-G miniAA has a kinda pronounced magenta cast. I don't dislike it really, but it is there for me to notice everytime I turn on the light and it is certainly not green compared to, say, my NW zebralight H501 or my NW Eagletac P20A2w.

That said, for cycling I would advise choosing an XP-G based light for a wider beam that helps to see the path ahead well. I have very little use for throw when cycling, al wider hotspot and useable spill are more important to me then.

I really like my Jet I Pro V3 with the neutral white! If you want a flawless beam, you need to go with the OP reflector however.

The Zebralight SC50w is also very nice, not very throwy, but a well floody beam.

I also have an older Dereelight C2H (Q3-5B / 123 only, currently they offer Q5-5C running on AA) which is very bright and throwy on a CR123A but sucks a cell dry in 20 minutes...

I must admit that I have no idea how all these lights perform on an AA cell, I use all of mine with 14500, thus 3,7V and certainly brighter

B0wz3r said:

The problem for me with the Zebralights is they don't have much throw, and for a helmet mounted light, that's what I want.

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My Zebralight H51 throws further than my Nitecore D10. However it does lean towards the green side a bit :-(

Thanks for the input guys. I've been doing a lot of soul searching on this, primarily because the Quark XPG NW I have is awfully green; on the two lowest levels it's barely white. I've matched that head up with the 18650 body I have and it is now my dedicated handlebar light. Since it will see 95% of its use on high or max, that greenishness won't be as much of an issue then.

I thought hard about a Jet I V3 but decided to leverage the Quark stuff I already have; I ordered one of their XPE Q3/5A neutral white heads and another tailcap, and will pair them up with the AA body I have and feed it a 14500. That will give me more throw, plus the tint I want, and it will double as a second EDC light after my Zebralight.

Yeah, tints do seem to vary a lot. My SC50w+ is a nice yellowish-warmish tint that I like very much, and it is my everyday EDC. I'd much rather my Quark XPG NW be more of the magenta than the green of the one I've got now; if you want to trade Chenko, I'll be happy to do so!

Anyway, I think this solution will work for me for now. I have been alternating between my Q3 RRT-0 and Q3 Jet 3 ST but they're both rather big and heavy for helmet duty. The beam profile of my ST is smoother than the RRT-0, but doesn't sink heat quite as well. My ST is my favorite 'big' light right now; I love the form factor, the beam pattern and tint, and the 18650 compatibility. And the UI too. So, I'd rather have that one be able to be on hand, rather than relegated to my bike helmet.

Thanks again for the info; I knew it would be a difficult search for a light like this. You guys have been a help.