1 x AA Light - Ideas ?

Looking for a good robust 1 x AA light. Intend to run it on the Energizer lithium batteries (they take the cold and heat well, and last a long time)

Ultimate brightness not a big factor, but would like a max output of at least 150 lumens if pssible. Long runtime important, and a low output long runtime mode would be an advantage (good for power outages)

Type III annodizing essential, and a glass lens.

I tend to like Fenix brand, but want to consider others before I take the plunge

Thanks in advance for your input.

Have a look at the Jetbeam BA10 for starters. Plenty of choice in the Fenix range as well, but the BA10 is a pretty tough light and reasonably priced. Not the smallest single AA though, if that is important to you.

Thanks D

More interested in good beam etc than overall size - though, all other things being about equal, small is good

Take a look at the Quark AA^2 X (XML), great rebranding sales on this light to finance the optional 1xAA tube. I use the 2xAA tube as a spare batt container, or for additional runtime/power. The XML beam is nice and smooth - on the floody side with big hotspot. Max should be around 120-150 lumens on a 1.5v or about 300 lm on a 3.7v. Moonlight will probably run over 300 hrs on an Alk or Lithium battery.

I've read the Fenix lights don't operate on lithium primaries too well (something about losing the lower modes).. the Quark 1xAA X will run perfectly on Alkaline, NiMh, Lithium, and Li-ion. Other plusses incl, 10 yr warranty, US headquarters and customer service, reversible/screw-down clip.

Might also look at the Zebralights, sc51, sc80, or Sunwayman V10a, m10a, etc.

I am real happy with my Fenix LD12. I have come to really like the side button and memory. The LD10 is nice also with the old interface and slightly less runtime. I think either would be fine on a lithium primary, but I don't have any to try for sure. The fenix LD20 and LD22 can have trouble on fresh primaries and lose low mode until the batteries run down a bit.

The quarks are something to look at too. Two different interfaces to choose from and the option of using a Li-ion 14500 cell. The 14500 cell will give you a very powerful light in a 1 AA format, comparable to a AAx2 in brightness. As Reppans mentioned, you can swap bodies on the quark and run on 1 or 2 AA.

Both the quark and fenix on a single AA will fall a little short your preferred 150 lumens, but still plenty usable for many outdoor activities.

There are other good lights mentioned, but I'm not real familiar with them.

just browsing the internet, this looks like a V good spec - not familiar with brand quality / durability though

LumaPower Trust Model-1 LED Flashlight with CREE XP-G R5 350 Lumens

Thanks for the continuing input. This one looks like a winner too (trying to keep under $50)

[h=1]Nitecore EZ AA LED Flashlight, R5 Edition, 160 Lumens 1 x AA[/h]

DonK said:

Thanks for the continuing input. This one looks like a winner too (trying to keep under $50)

Nitecore EZ AA LED Flashlight, R5 Edition, 160 Lumens 1 x AA

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I have one of these and unfortunately I cannot recommend it. The light looks nice and the finish is good but it has some major issues:
1. The threads are very loose. The only thing keeping the head and tail from bouncing around is the rather thin o-ring. On mine, the first o-ring broke almost immediately due to this forcing me to use the spare.
2. When turning on the light one-handed it is very easy to accidentally have it turn on and off and on without realizing it. Result is light enters ramping mode.

For a brighter and more practical AA light with a better interface try the Zebralight SC51 or SC80. If you want one that's really small and thin you could try a Jetbeam PA01 or maybe the new Eagletac D25a.

DonK said:

just browsing the internet, this looks like a V good spec - not familiar with brand quality / durability though

LumaPower Trust Model-1 LED Flashlight with CREE XP-G R5 350 Lumens

Click to expand...

Lumapower just caught my eye today with newer models even cheaper than the model you mention. Check their website. I don't know anything about them yet, but the 350 lumens is on a 14500 cell and I suspect it is calculated or measured at the emitter rather than OTF -'out the front' like others measure brightness.

tonkem said:

Might also look at the Zebralights, sc51, sc80, or Sunwayman V10a, m10a, etc.

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I would also look at the ZL lights. Good quality, .2 lumens to about 200. I've often used mine in nasty weather with no problems. It's a light that , knowing what I do now, I wouldn't hesitate to buy again.

You could take a look at the JetBeam PA10: it's rated at 140 lumens on max with a runtime of 1,5 hours. Jet-Beam state that they used a AA 1.2v 2500 mah to achieve that runtime so assuming the is somewhat accurate you'd probably be getting a better runtime on a L91. I have used the PA10 with L91s and it doesn't seem to lose any brightness levels.
If you use it with a 14500 it hits 650 lumens but you lose all lower brightness levels.
Just keep in mind it has XM-LT6 so it's kind of floody.

+1 on the LD10 and LD12.

The Klarus XT1A is also rated at 150 lumens but runtimes aren't great so I'd rule it out.

thanks for all the input

just scrubbed the Nitecore from my list of potentials - no substitute for user reviews eh

Love my Zebralight SC51.

Rinspeed said:

Love my Zebralight SC51.

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Agreed! I don't use AA lights very often, but when I do I prefer my Zebralight SC51w. Great AA light!

Sunwayman V11R with AA extender. The 190 lumen stated output is a conservative number. Plus you can switch it over to CR123's or RCR123's (or 14500's) for a real pocket rocket.

DonK said:

Thanks for the continuing input. This one looks like a winner too (trying to keep under $50)

Nitecore EZ AA LED Flashlight, R5 Edition, 160 Lumens 1 x AA

Click to expand...

I have the Nitecore, no problems with build quality on mine, and it is a nice bright, white beam, but I can't recommend it either - the user interface is too slow and fiddly when changing modes. If you only want one brightness level, it might be ok, but then it is expensive if you are going to just use it like that.

A couple of other single AA's I have -

Fenix LD15 - a really nice little light, two modes, small and compact.

Olight i2 - good value for money, but a bit less well built than Jetbeam / Fenix / Nitecore in my opinion.

Fenix E11 - a winner for the price, but has a plastic lens optic so may not meet your needs.

Jetbeam PA01 - a nice looking light but the user interface is poor.

Hope this helps.

I picked up a Xeno blue neutral white XM-L T5 EO3 and while not quite 150LM, it's a nice 3 mode light that will run on 14500s for 400 LM.

Can't complain for ~$38 shipped.

I also picked up a 2 mode Icon Rogue 1, but that's closer to 60LM, so while a nice little light, it's a bit bigger than the Xeno, but I like the green color and shape, so at $20 shipped, it's a nice addition.

Chris

I really like my Sunwayman V10A. Running on a primary Lithium AA, the digital sensor magnetic control ring allows you to go from "moonlight" (< 1 lumen) to 140 lumens (considerably higher on rechargeable 14500s). The V10A is kinda pricey; you might also want to check the variety of lights at Shining Beam (www.shiningbeam.com).

Fenix LD15. Simple (two modes) and bulletproof. I use it as my keychain light and it's been dropped, banged and abused often but it just works. Great runtime on a lithium primary.