Lightest AA Flashlight (Cree - Based)

I did a search but could not find any recent threads related to this. Please note that weight it the main concern (not size). I'd like to know what are the lightest single AA flashlights that use an XPG or XML emitter? The lightest I've been able to find is the Quark Mini AA @ 19 grams. Is there anything else around this weight or lighter?

Thanks,

Jonas

I think the mini aa is the king, think you need to go aaa for anything lighter.

~

Nitecore EZAA ... is close in weight @ 23 grams.

~

My Fenix LD15 (21 grams) feels about the same as a mini AA. As I recall, it is XPG.

Quark Mini AA - 19 grammes
Nitecore EZAA RS - 23 grammes
Fenix LD15 - 21 grammes
Olight i2 (same as Mini AA except has clip) - 20.5 grammes

These are the lightest AA lights I am aware of. If you want a clicky switch, Jetbeam PA01 weighs in at 27 Grammes.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I didn't know the Olight i2 existed, and it is quite a bit cheaper than the Quark. I placed an order today. Will be perfect for backpacking.

~

Curious ... whatcha gonna do for a light if it suddenly dies on ya ???

I wouldn't bet my life on the light that you ordered .......

Take my word for it ..... they are not very reliable .

~

TooManyGizmos said:

~

Nitecore EZAA ... is close in weight @ 23 grams.

~

Click to expand...

TooManyGizmos said:

~

Curious ... whatcha gonna do for a light if it suddenly dies on ya ???

I wouldn't bet my life on the light that you ordered .......

Take my word for it ..... they are not very reliable .

~

Click to expand...

Which is not very reliable, the olight, the quark, something else?

jd_oc said:

Thanks everyone for the replies. I didn't know the Olight i2 existed, and it is quite a bit cheaper than the Quark. I placed an order today. Will be perfect for backpacking.

Click to expand...

leon2245 said:

Which is not very reliable, the olight, the quark, something else?

Click to expand...

leon, I think he was referring to the Olight i2

tgwnn

TooManyGizmos said:

~

Curious ... whatcha gonna do for a light if it suddenly dies on ya ???

I wouldn't bet my life on the light that you ordered .......

Take my word for it ..... they are not very reliable .

~

Click to expand...

Though this comment does have some truth, I think you could say the same about most name brands out there as I've had problems with my quarks, fenix lights, zebralights, and LED Lensers. All but the crappy LED Lensers were fixed by the manufacturer/dealer without any issues.

The i2 is a good light, and I don't want the OP thinking he just bought a piece of junk. He could do a whole lot worse, and at least he's buying a quality light compared to what he prolly used to buy (compared to what most of us used to buy before we became enlightened.) The Olight i2 used to be ITP. Olight was the parent company, and recently took over the ITP name & rebranded it under the parent company's name. Same light different name. The ITP lights have a very very good reputation for their price point, and I'd highly recommend them. I have an ITP A3 on my keychain, and really love it. Have given many of them away as gifts with no complaints or problems. The i2 is the same design just uses a AA instead.

So, to the OP - you got a good light; don't worry about it. Still you, like the rest of us, should always carry a backup light whether you're carrying an olight or a surefire or a HDS or whatever. Back up lights are a must in my mind.

If weight is the consideration, or you need a back-up, you could always:

http://www.9voltlight.com/

JD....do not take this the wrong way, I am not trying to be a smart #@!....but it is not going to make any difference, at least noticably, to the weight of your backpack, regardless of which AA light you go with. I would just buy whichever one appeals to you. You are talking about a difference of a couple of ounces or grams between these different lights, and I doubt if you would even be able to tell if the light was in your backpack if the pack was empty!



DOH!! I just realized that you had already purchased a light!!!...oh well......;p).

I don't honestly think brand is any real guarantee of quality, IMHO. I had 2 Nitecore EZAA R5's with faulty ramping, both had to be returned. I also got a very poor Quark Mini AA which had to go straight back (bad anodising, broken O rings, green LED, mode skipping). But many on this forum love the Mini AA and have no issues with it. Sometimes you just get a bummer of a light, whatever the brand. My Olight works fine, threads could be a little tighter, but for the price I'm not complaining.

~

As davecroft said ... "Sometimes you just get a bummer of a light"

That's how I felt when all 4 of my Olight/ITP A3's died in 14 months .

I personally just don't consider them reliable after my experience with them.

The dealer could never get Olight/ITP to replace them - he said he tried.

I gave up on the brand after that and can't recommend them .

I think we should be able to expect their lights to last much longer .

~

I was hinting that he should carry a back-up light . (not just one)

I bought a couple lights for the same purpose- serious hiking where every ounce matters- at least mentally .

I decided to go with two light-weight lights in case one fails:

AA- Olight I2 (will run energizer lithiums which are also 30% lighter)
AAA- ITP A3

I also have a Xeno E03 XM-L but for the weight I think I'll take the two above in-stead.

I was willing to spend significantly more until i read about reliability issues with pricier competing lights.

I've purchased 5 ITP A3's (some given away) and all are still working perfectly. Of course I'll have a backup light, this (Olight i3) is just the spare

@mikekoz - I take it you are not familiar with ultralight backpacking? There are even books written about it! Do a web search, and you will see there is a group of people as obsessive as us flashaholics. You say a lighter flashlight will not make a difference overall, but stop to think, this light is half the weight of many other AA lights. Now what if you take that mentality to every single item in your backpack (including the pack) and it all adds up in the end. But sorry to get off-topic.

jd_oc said:

I've purchased 5 ITP A3's (some given away) and all are still working perfectly. Of course I'll have a backup light, this (Olight i3) is just the spare

@mikekoz - I take it you are not familiar with ultralight backpacking? There are even books written about it! Do a web search, and you will see there is a group of people as obsessive as us flashaholics. You say a lighter flashlight will not make a difference overall, but stop to think, this light is half the weight of many other AA lights. Now what if you take that mentality to every single item in your backpack (including the pack) and it all adds up in the end. But sorry to get off-topic.

Click to expand...

See ya at the top of Mt. Whitney

TooManyGizmos said:

~

As davecroft said ... "Sometimes you just get a bummer of a light"

That's how I felt when all 4 of my Olight/ITP A3's died in 14 months .

I personally just don't consider them reliable after my experience with them.

Click to expand...

Man, that sucks. I guess I'd feel the same way if that'd happened to me. Were you overly hard on those lights or something?

Outdoorsman5 said:

Man, that sucks. I guess I'd feel the same way if that'd happened to me. Were you overly hard on those lights or something?

Click to expand...

~
No .... absolutely not .
They were used on my keychain and 3 Adult female family members.

They were always used with standard batteries (never any Li-Ion's)

I don't think they were abused in any way , just used several times a day.

I am still puzzled as to why they died so quickly . (averaged 10 months)

We don't work, play or live in any strange or unusual environment for them.

I've not had that experience with any other maker of lights .

~

Sounds like you just got a bad run of lights. I guess if that'd happened to me then I wouldn't trust em either.