Favorite 2xAAA Stylus/Pen Lights

Got two Sunwayman P02A's this week.. One is working well, other was DOA. Looking to replace the DOA one with something else. I like a 2 AAA and tail clicky. I also prefer 150 lumens or more. While these are specs I prefer, I'll take quality outside my specs over junk within my specs.

What are your favorite pen lights (even outside my specs above).

Thanks,
Hawk

The only 2xAAA pen lights that I have tried are the Streamlight Stylus Pro, Foursevens Preon 2, and the Terralux LS80. Of the 3, the Terralux lightstar 80 is my favorite only because its inexpensive. The Streamlight Stylus Pro performs better than the LS80 but I do not like the stiff switch. I tried a 4sevens Preon 2 once and did not like what appeared to me as PWM on the high mode. Besides it was kind of expensive. The LS80 was less efficient but good enough and I liked the price. Was able to pick some up for $12.50 and later for $9.99. A year ago Battery Junction must have had too much inventory as they were selling them pretty cheap for several weeks. That was the only reason I bought a few. Since then they have kind of grown on me due to their simplicity. There's just something about the size of a 2xAAA light that just feels right in the pocket. I tend not to focus on AAA lights too much but I do like those LS80's. I have one in the Kitchen utility drawer. And also would use one as a loaner light if need be.

Why is it hard to find a really good quality penlight? Would be nice to see a manufacturer offer a higher end model with a great design & build quality...

I recently bought the Lumintop IYP365 and the build quality leaves a lot to be desired.... I mean I guess that's what you get in the $20-25 range... Previously had a Steamlight Stlyus Pro - same situation...

wolfgaze said:

Why is it hard to find a really good quality penlight? Would be nice to see a manufacturer offer a higher end model with a great design & build quality...

I recently bought the Lumintop IYP365 and the build quality leaves a lot to be desired.... I mean I guess that's what you get in the $20-25 range... Previously had a Steamlight Stlyus Pro - same situation...

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Sorry for my curiosity, but what's wrong with your IYP365? I've got one and find no flaws so far.

yeah i was eyeballing that sale on the sunywayman for a week, could not pull the trigger after researching the failures posted on here, when price is too good too be true, you know something is not right.

I have an olight and a 4 7's preon Ti penlights, both are great

I picked up an Olight O'pen when they were clearing them out on ebay for $25 and like it except the switch is so easily clicked on accidentally you have to loosen the barrel to lock it out or you find it burning a hole in your pocket or dead when you need to use it. I had to put some plumbers tape to keep the light from falling apart as it did once in my pocket till I figure the tape trick. It is a good light but I dropped it and broke the glass lens and I don't think you can replace it. I even posted a query in the Olight forum to be ignored totally. I like the mode spacing well enough but for my needs I wish it had a higher low and middle mode something like 15-70-200 instead of 5-30-200. I use my penlight not as a flashlight but for a blast of light so I rarely use it more than 20 minutes at the time typically a minute here and there.

wolfgaze said:

I recently bought the Lumintop IYP365 and the build quality leaves a lot to be desired.... I mean I guess that's what you get in the $20-25 range...

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I think most owners of the IYP365 on CPF find the light to be pretty good build quality, though it doesn't feel "tough" and rugged. What do you dislike in particular about it?


I got the IYP365 a month ago and it is by far one of my favourite lights. I've not owned any other modern 2x AAA lights so I can't compare to many others, but I do own Nitecore, Fenix, and Maratac AA and AAA lights and I find the IYP365 to be very good in the following sense:


* My Nischia tint is superb, creamy with slight pink but very pleasant and not blinding.
* The light is a bit floody, so a very useful beam profile for indoor use.
* I find the Mode spacing very useful, almost perfect: 24Lm/1.5Lm/125Lm
* runtime at Medium is rated at 25hr which I find very useful.
* Clip is perfect for this type of light, it is light enough that clipping to pant pockets and shirts is not too tight. It might feel loose on thin shirt pockets, I'm mostly using with Flannel shirts and jeans pockets.
* Changing modes is super easy, the button pressure is perfect for this.
* size is really good, not alot of wasted space bulking up the design
* although the button is a little wobbly, it is large and flat and is nearly the entire diameter of the light so there's a relatively large surface area to stand on. Tailstanding is very very easy with this and pretty stable, far easier than recessed click button designs with a "U" shape tail (eg Nitecore MT rear clicky designs). I was pretty surprised since the light is so tall relative to its thickness. It is by far a better tailstand than my shorter, fatter Nitecore MT10A or my Astrolux A01 (1xAAA).


Some stuff people may not like or might need some getting used to:


* The tailbutton is a rear clicky, no momentary on
* the button is a bit squishy and wobbly, some people might not like this
* the button presses fairly easily, I really like this but I also found I accidentally click it on during jeans pocket carry. You may have to lockout by untwisting the front a quarter twist.
* the body is perfectly smooth, so it's not "tactical" feeling. At first I thought it might be slippery (and it's a lot less grippy than knurled flashlights) but I find I never have problems with it slipping.
* I do feel that the Medium should probably have been set to 40Lm or so, it's just a little bit less bright than I'd like.


Personally I'd highly recommend the IYP365 to anyone that wants this formfactor and I'm thinking of buying some as gifts. I use it more than my 1xAAA lights like my Maratact AAA Ti.

hiuintahs said:

The only 2xAAA pen lights that I have tried are the Streamlight Stylus Pro, Foursevens Preon 2, and the Terralux LS80. Of the 3, the Terralux lightstar 80 is my favorite only because its inexpensive. The Streamlight Stylus Pro performs better than the LS80 but I do not like the stiff switch. I tried a 4sevens Preon 2 once and did not like what appeared to me as PWM on the high mode. Besides it was kind of expensive. The LS80 was less efficient but good enough and I liked the price. Was able to pick some up for $12.50 and later for $9.99. A year ago Battery Junction must have had too much inventory as they were selling them pretty cheap for several weeks. That was the only reason I bought a few. Since then they have kind of grown on me due to their simplicity. There's just something about the size of a 2xAAA light that just feels right in the pocket. I tend not to focus on AAA lights too much but I do like those LS80's. I have one in the Kitchen utility drawer. And also would use one as a loaner light if need be.

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Yeah im not sure what version my preon TI is(black body, titanium head and cap) but there is no PWM in any mode

Blackbeard said:

Yeah im not sure what version my preon TI is(black body, titanium head and cap) but there is no PWM in any mode

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Things may have changed but it was back in early 2012. I was testing it in the light box with a data logging light meter and the output was all over the place even though you could not detect it with your eyes. Not sure if it was PWM or instability. Also the efficiency (run time) wasn't that good and I'm sure it was because of whatever was going on with the driver. Who knows it may have just been that unit.

Redemption said:

I think most owners of the IYP365 on CPF find the light to be pretty good build quality, though it doesn't feel "tough" and rugged. What do you dislike in particular about it?


Some stuff people may not like or might need some getting used to:

* the button is a bit squishy and wobbly, some people might not like this
* the button presses fairly easily, I really like this but I also found I accidentally click it on during jeans pocket carry. You may have to lockout by untwisting the front a quarter twist.

Click to expand...

What didn't I care for? The squishy/wobbly rear tailswitch - and also that little spacer ring that is loose and easily comes off when you remove the head for changing batteries...

But don't get me wrong, I bought this light not as a primary user but as a light I could throw in my winter jacket and keep as a backup or maybe even leave in my vehicle... The beam profile is fine, I love Nichia 219B emitters, and I agree they maybe could have upped the output on medium mode a bit more... To like 35 lumens....

You might like the Pelican 1920 pen light. The latest version is rated at 224 and 22 lumens. I have the previous version which has lower ratings (120 and 12 lumens). The 1920 has a solid build so it is a bit thicker than other pen lights. I've powered 1920s using Energizer Lithium primary batteries as well as Eneloop NiMH rechargeables.

Manufacturer's web page: http://www.pelican.com/us/en/product/tactical-dive-flashlights-headlamps/small-light/standard/1920/

wolfgaze said:

What didn't I care for? The squishy/wobbly rear tailswitch - and also that little spacer ring that is loose and easily comes off when you remove the head for changing batteries...

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I've read other members say that spacer is easy to lose. I've been lucky that while the spacer is loose, it never falls off when I spill out the batteries. The squishy button hasn't bugged me much, but if it ever gets more squishy to the point it can't tailstand I'd be very unhappy.

PS. To those who try to tailstand the IYP365, I just noticed it can't tailstand at all when it is off. In the off position the button is too squishy and wobbly to stand whatsoever. When on, the button is still wobbly but the tailstand is very easy.

I have about 10 2aaa pen lights and my favorite is the Gen 2 pelican 1920. It also throws better than my other penlights with a smaller more defined hotspot. A close 2nd for me is my Inova xp, I use these 2 pen lights the most. I run these 2 on eneloop pro

parnass said:

You might like the Pelican 1920 pen light. The latest version is rated at 224 and 22 lumens.

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@parnass, Thanks brother! Is there a way to tell the old version (120 lumens) vs the new versioin (224 lumens)? I was looking on the interwebs and I see the anodized/colored versions say "Gen 2", but none of the black models. On Pelicans site, it looks like only the black model is the higher lumens.

My favorite is a Peak Eiger w/2xAAA body and momentary tail switch. You'll be hard pressed to find one of better build quality, but the price of admittance will be higher than those already mentioned.

hawk45 said:

@parnass, Thanks brother! Is there a way to tell the old version (120 lumens) vs the new versioin (224 lumens)? I was looking on the interwebs and I see the anodized/colored versions say "Gen 2", but none of the black models. On Pelicans site, it looks like only the black model is the higher lumens.

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This vendor offers both the older and newest black versions, though at different prices:

http://www.brightguy.com/Pelican/Pelican+1920+LED+High+Performance+Light

I have both a Preon II Titanium and an Olight O'pen. They are both very attractive lights (IMO). The titanium looks a bit slicker but the O'pen in dark brown looks great as well. The Preon is mostly a cylinder whereas the O'pen tapers down and looks more pen-like. They perform quite similarly in their high modes and their low/med are similar brightness but the O'pen lasts significantly longer in those lower modes due to a more efficient driver. Either one of these gets used when I want something nicer looker with a slim in pocket profile and still want half decent performance.

parnass said:

This vendor offers both the older and newest black versions, though at different prices:

http://www.brightguy.com/Pelican/Pelican+1920+LED+High+Performance+Light

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Thanks!

The Nitecore MT06 is a nice penlight. Two AAA, two modes - 145/32, reverse clicky, nice clip, stylish enough that I wouldn't have minded carrying it in my suit days.

Wiggle said:

I have both a Preon II Titanium and an Olight O'pen. They are both very attractive lights (IMO). The titanium looks a bit slicker but the O'pen in dark brown looks great as well. The Preon is mostly a cylinder whereas the O'pen tapers down and looks more pen-like. They perform quite similarly in their high modes and their low/med are similar brightness but the O'pen lasts significantly longer in those lower modes due to a more efficient driver. Either one of these gets used when I want something nicer looker with a slim in pocket profile and still want half decent performance.

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I have both of these also, only thing that is an issue is the olight can get very hot if you keep it on high too long