Neutral-to-Warm, 2xAA, Efficient. What are my options?

I like my 2007-era Fenix L2D but it had a greenish tint Rebel emitter @ 175 lumens. I need a similar flashlight, but don't want another green or cool tint. Have been put off by reports of the LD20 putting out cool green tints. So next I examined the Quark AA2, but have also read reports of cool tints (I'm aware that there USED to be a Quark AA2 with a neutral tint, but they're long gone....darn it), and 4sevens pre-emptively warns me they do NOT pick tints for you (I knew better than to ask). Regarding beam shape, I'm not looking to see into the next state, so throw is not a big issue for me.



So what are my options in the $50-$100 range for a 2xAA, maybe around 150-200 lumens max, but with neutral-to-warm tints?

The Q4 module is technically neutral (not warm). Eagletac released a XP-G R4 neutral white module not too long ago. I did a comparison here.

im not sure that the old l2d is warm. i think its just a pink tinted cool. maybe a 1R or 1A. like bolster , i much prefer this to a green or yellow tint. i have only 1 xpg that has such a tint and its only a single aaa. many xpe will have this tint. so maybe something that still has a xpe. maybe dereelight. not sure if you can still get a lumapower 2 aa. itp?

many of the warmer tinted lights that are going to be mentioned are going to be yellow

TK20. One of my first, still one of my favorites. Getting rarer and rarer now, so if you see one, buy it and don't look back.

beerwax said:

im not sure that the old l2d is warm. i think its just a pink tinted cool.

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You're correct, of course. I figured this out since my original post, having gotten acquainted with a neutral/warm Zebralight H501w.

I actually like a "copper" cast, which looks like what the EagleTac P20A2 MKII XP-E Q4 offers. Seems dim by today's standards, though.

theres the fenix LD25 which is available in neutral XP-G R4
thrunite neutron 2A which is available with neutral XM-L.
i dont think either with has the pinkish hue your looking for though, from my experiences with neutral XP-Gs and XM-Ls, it leans more towards a greenish hue.
which is a big reason why i prefer warm tints now.

those limited run neutral and warm quarks are sold out everywhere it seems, but if you post a WTB add in the MP maybe someone will give theirs up

Xeno E06 is offered in both neutral (XP-G R5 in a smooth reflector) and warm (XR-E Q4 in an OP reflector) tints. The E06 is a rather throwy flashlight with large and deep reflector and robust construction. Good output and features modules too, plus it has no strobe and I like it this way.
Fenix TK20 is kind of dated, but robust and nice tinted. Throwy flashlight.
Too bad Quark neutral and warm aren't available anymore, anyway the regular heads weren't really good for throwing at far distances but had nice beam shape (I liked my neutral mini AA, but couldn't stand the twisty thing and gave it away).
Eagletac P20A2 mark 1 and P100A2 mark 1 had the best neutral tints I have experienced, very powerful and did throw well too, but I hated the dumb UI that triggered strobe too easily.
Fenix LD25 is kind of limited but seems well built and it is affordable too. Output is not great though.

I'd go with a Xeno E06.

What about the ThruNite Neutron 2A? Is it a good neutral/warm option?

Bolster said:

What about the ThruNite Neutron 2A? Is it a good neutral/warm option?

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I don't have one myself, but plenty of members here have said good things about them. They do seem to have an issue with wobbly heads/loose threads on them though. I'd imagine that if you made your purchase through Going Gear, they'd be willing to check the light for you first, before shipping it off. I've asked them to inspect items before purchases before, and they've had no problem with that.

I kind of fell out with 2xAA lights for a while, and was really getting into 18650. While there certainly are advantages to 18650, I found that I was only using them around the house, and never taking them out on camping trips, traveling, or the like, because I didn't want to run out of power and not be able to recharge. While I typically prefer 1xAA lights, I'm starting to get back into 2xAA because of the extra run-time they offer, for things like emergency prep, bug-out bag storage, etc.

Thanks, but is the ThruNite 2A a neutral/warm? I can't tell by the reviews; that seems to get left out...

(Agree re your AA comments...I'm buying for in-the-field emergency use, so AA's the way! But I really want neutral/warm/pink/rose/copper tint this time around. Enough with the green/green-yellow; can't take it anymore.)

There are neutral versions available of all the new Neutrons. I don't know about the tint though, as I don't have one myself, but I am strongly considering getting one of the neutral 1A's. My favorite tint is the 5A/B bin of the XRE/XPE's, but I've also come to appreciate the slightly cooler, more pure white of the neutral XPG-R4's.

Can anyone with a neutral Neutron give us a report on the tint? Guesses as to what its bin code might be?

Bolster said:

I very much like my 2007-era Fenix L2D with a warmish (slightly pink?) Rebel emitter @ 175 lumens. I need a similar flashlight, but have been put off by reports of the LD20 putting out cool green tints.

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I know the tint you are referring to - many of the RB100s had a rather pleasing, relatively warm tint *for a cool white emitter*. The RB080s in contrast were typically quite blue, again for a cool white emitter.

My point is that you find an actual warm-tint emitter a LOT warmer than those rebels. Even most Neutral-tints will seem far too warm. Allthough its an oldie now, my original tint comparison round-up will at least allow you to compare that Rebel to the 5A Neutral tint (TK20).

Tint comparison roundup = awesome thread, thanks!

Yes you're correct. I was in error when I posted the L2D Rebel was warmish...seemed that way in 2007, but no comparison to today's warms. Funny story: I recently did a beamshot, and for ducks, placed my beloved but geriatric "warm" L2D next to a bunch of other lights (including a Zebralight H501w). I was shocked...shocked...to see my "rose colored" L2D to have a grey-green cast. But back then, I was comparing the Rebel L2D to truly, unambiguously, nauseating-to-see sickly green tints on my other Fenix lights, so it looked pretty good at the time.

To clear things up, I am NOT looking to duplicate my L2D Rebel. I'm looking for a neutral/warm (say 3500-5000, on the red side as opposed to the green/yellow) 2AA with a thin easy-to-carry profile. With NO green cast.

And the more I read, the more I'm thinking maybe I want a high CRI 2AA. But I'll settle for a good neutral/warm.

Update: Purchased a ThruNite Neutron 2A Neutral, nice light, but have to return it due to "wobbly head" syndrome. So, still looking for a 2AA neutral/warm. I sure liked the sublumen mode on the ThruNite.

I took the Malkoff route (you know, M31W/WL, VME or 9P,...). I am sure you know of this option but it should be mentioned here ;-).

Actually, I don't. I'm mostly a headlamps guy, don't buy handhelds very often, and I've never been able to figure out the Malkoff thing. I'm guessing: You buy a surefire, and replace the LED/head, is that correct? What prices are you looking at? I assume this route goes way over an all-in-one for price, and do you get options such as sublumen output, etc?

There is a budget option :

The Romisen RC-N3 in WW at Shiningbeam
2AA for runtime , or 1 CR123 for a pocketable light
The Q3 5C has a peachy tint .

Bolster said:

Actually, I don't. I'm mostly a headlamps guy, don't buy handhelds very often, and I've never been able to figure out the Malkoff thing. I'm guessing: You buy a surefire, and replace the LED/head, is that correct? What prices are you looking at? I assume this route goes way over an all-in-one for price, and do you get options such as sublumen output, etc?

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I may be wrong, but I think Malkoff drop-ins are one-speeds and don't have any sort of low-low mode to them.

I just got a TK20 and I like it but its pretty warm but it says neutral.