Single AA flashlight, not too spotty and quick to operate

Hello everyone,

I am new to the high performance flashlight arena, and i'd like to have some advice
before pulling the trigger on my first buy.

I need a flashlight that:

Has a decently wide beam,
Runs on rechargeable batteries (hence the AA choice)
Is compact (hence the 1x AA choice)
Jumps directly to a preset beam configuration without much cycling
Decent run time

It's use will be indoor (i'll carry it with me everyday) and outdoor, both in strolling
and in "tactical" - i play in an airsoft team - situations.

After waay too much time spent on various sites i am focusing on the Klarus ST10.

I also liked 4sevens AA and Mini AA but the first seems all but quick to operate,
while the latter, much like Nitecore EZ AA R5 has a twist switch that looks too
impractical to operate one handed in "tactical" or overloaded situations.

Any thoughts on your part will be severely appreciated

welcome to CPF...

some other single AA lights you might want to check out....

sunwayman V10A
Fenix LD15
Fenix LD10
Xeno E03
Zebralight H51, H51w, SC51, SC51w
Nitecore D10, D11
Jetbeam E3S, BA10,

my favorite single AA lights would be.... zebralights, quark tacticals, sunwayman V10A.... in no particular order.

The Zebralight sc51 woud get my vote. It's just so versatile with a really low low, and 200 lumens of floody beauty on high. 2 options for low, 2 on medium, and 2 on high. Give it a good look.

And....welcome to CPF!

Welcome ZapBeeb! I've got to go along with the Zebralight SC51 recommendations. It might seem a bit pricey for a first light, but relative to competition it's worth the difference. The highest and lowest levels are instantly available and it's built like a tank. Save some time and go straight to the top (well, close to the top anyway).

Geoff

I can't really say it any better than Flying Turtle... and could have saved a lot of money had I followed his sage advice.

ZebraLight SC51.

:welcome: - Jas.

Zebra SC51

The SC51 is the best performing AA NimH available, IMO it is your best option.

hi , 18650 rechargeable batteries are widely used in LED flashlights , i advise you to buy 18650 batteries

Tactical flashlights usually very brightness , also high price around 150 USD. i mean a good quality products .not fake ones

Ultrafire brand is crap :green: barf :sick2:, there are many many fakes , Ultrafire is manufaucture in Guangzhou china mainland . i reasearch this for long time .

ZapBeeb said:

I need a flashlight that:

Has a decently wide beam,
Runs on rechargeable batteries (hence the AA choice)
Is compact (hence the 1x AA choice)
Jumps directly to a preset beam configuration without much cycling
Decent run time

Any thoughts on your part will be severely appreciated

After waaay too m

Click to expand...

Zebralight AA series. SC51/51w for conventional "out the front" style. Or The H series, where the emitter/reflector is located on the "side" of the light. ZL's circuitry is "optimized" for the lower voltage provided from rechargeable AA cells, which is typically considered to be 1.2v rather than the 1.5v from alkalines. All brightness levels are "instantly" available and they're tiny. You could practically hide one behind your ear! LOL Nice pocket clips, very hard anodizing, all around "perfect" little EDC lights. Good luck in your search and :welcome:

ZebraLight SC51 or the ThruNite Neutron 1A.

First of all, thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the great advices.

I was not aware of the Zebralight SC51 that really looks like a great little flashlight.

I don't quite like its appearance judging by the photos (color, curved surfaces
and the crome inserts around the light and the button) i like 4seven's quark
"tactical" look much better (even more than the Klarus ST10 i was thinking to get)
but that would not be a big deal.

It's the button position that leaves me puzzled, i'd really like a tail switch.

This said, the almost unmatched performance and apparent ease of carry of this
thing looks really impressing, and i'm really tempted to get it.

Meh, i'll have to sleep on it

I'd personally go with a 4sevens Quark AA Tactical.

Myself and many others found the SC51 to look better in real life.

Try the side switch, it much easier to activate overhand and underhand. Tail switches are hard to activate underhand, and usually require two hands. The SC51 is ridiculously small though, and the switch would be easy to get at no matter where it was put.

I overlooked the tactical Quarks thanks for pointing that up, one more choice
to consider

Hi there cnosider having a look at Led Lenser M5 (Coast in the USA). The adjustable focus system is their great plus along with build quality look and feel.

The Zebralight SC51 is a great light, but I'm loving my Xeno E03. It has three levels of light. When you turn it on, it goes to medium. Click again for low, then again for high. Rinse and repeat. That's it, nothing too fancy, and that's why I'm loving it so much. The SC51 is a great light with 'instantly' accessible levels, but it requires more thought than the E03.

About the only negative about the Zebralights you should be aware of is that they can be activated accidentally fairly easily. Mine has come "on" in my pocket a few times, and a quick pop of the switch is the high level. It was the heat from the light that alerted me. A very slight turn of the tailcap will prevent this, but it's easy to forget. It kind of depends on how you plan to use the light.

Geoff

I read that on the revew in the forum, and i hoped it was just for the SC50
(though being the two so similar it was a bit naive of me), and it can be an
issue, because i'm not carrying it always on me so i could not feel the heat
if it is lit up accidentally.

I'm really bad at decision making, i have to say

one thing about the Quark tactical AA is its a bezel twist mode selector (2-hands). So it would be difficult switching back and forth between modes with one hand. But if you only use one mode when playing, then it will be OK.