best single aaa flashlight

i know this has been answered b4 but every day a new light comes out i want it to be brights and small and under 30 dollars

Streamlight microstream USB rechargeable

This should be interesting.

michiganstud said:

Streamlight microstream USB rechargeable

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i want a aaa light but ty for the advice

A used Surefire Titan

btw im so old i recall when a good aaa flashlight ony made like 7 lumens and at that time that amazed us

raggie33 said:

btw im so old i recall when a good aaa flashlight ony made like 7 lumens and at that time that amazed us

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For awhile my favorite AAA LED light was a Dorcy 1AAA until I bought my Fenix LD01SS that has been on my keychain for 8 years now.

As far as the best LED light.... define how many lumens "bright" is as there are many that take nimh AAAs that are about 100 lumens max. IMO a 1AAA LED light needs at least 2 modes: Bright mode with short runtime, and other mode that is acceptable output with extended runtime. Some 1AAAs have a firefly or super low mode which to some are useful but with other lights around I don't need a super dim mode to extend runtime as I have other lights with larger batteries like 18650s.

i think i had a few of them dorcys i recall we all liked them even had a guy from dorcy on the forum. but i forget his name

Some lights to consider:

• Twist Switch: Surefire Titan Plus
• Twist Switch : Thrunite Ti3
• Budget Twist Switch: Olight i3e
• Clicky Switch: FourSevens Preon 1
• Clicky Switch: Lumintop Tool
• Hi-CRI Flashlight: L3 Illumination 08
• Budget Hi-CRI Flashlight: Manker E01

The two that I carry are:

Factor Equipment Mizpah 130 - mainly for hat brim use because of it's exquisite two-way clip and only 30g weight with NiMh battery installed. I haven't found a better light for this use, even though I'm always looking.

Manker E01 for it's right angle, magnet tail and a low mode that's perfect for my dark adjusted eyes in the house.

When they're on sale for $32 or so

https://countycomm.com/collections/.../products/copper-maratac-aaa-flashlight-rev-3

LightObsession said:

Manker E01 for it's right angle, magnet tail and a low mode that's perfect for my dark adjusted eyes in the house.

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The E02 is Manker's right angle AAA light.

The E01 was a twist head light. Manker no longer offers it, but the Astrolux A01 is a very reasonably priced clone (with a couple compromises made on the driver).

SwellGuy said:

Some lights to consider ....

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Could you please edit out your "hidden" commerical links ?

OP, I don't mean to discourage you, but the category of 1xAAA flashlights under $30 is so robust that it would be in your best interest to decide on what features you want before proceeding. Not to use two idioms in the same sentence unintentionally, but it's a buyer's market and this particular type of flashlight is an absolute dime a dozen. Everything from switch type, form factor, tint color of the light, to mode of carry is up in the air. Some are a little better at clipping into a pocket than others, some are a little better at sitting in the bottom of a pocket than others, and others are a little better at living on a keychain than others. The brightness doesn't vary that much from one flashlight to another, despite minor discrepancies you'll see in advertised lumens. Most will have a low mode that's good for reading menus, a medium mode that works well for tight spaces indoors and a high mode that works for seeing your way down a dark sidewalk. Don't think too hard about absolute brightness of a 1XAAA flashlight. They are all about the same in this regard. Warmer tints will appear a bit less bright than cooler tints for a given flashlight, but people argue that the truer colors of objects observed with the warmer tints make up for the discrepancy in apparent brightness; the argument goes that it's easier to recognize an apple for an apple with the high CRI tint light, even though it's illuminated with fewer total photons. As far as utility of the light, some start on low, others on high, and some start on medium. Some have a twisty cap, others a side switch and others a tail switch. Your potential flashlight is infinitely customizable by shopping around, while at the same time, there differences are pretty minor regardless of what you buy.

I think you're probably best off deciding on what kind of light you want, re: the above criteria, reading people's suggestions here, Googling them, searching the forum, Googling what else you find, and deciding after all that. I am not a huge fan of this size flashlight anymore, but for a long time, I would carry a Maratac AAA in the bottom of my pocket and I could barely tell it was there. The pocket clip doesn't retain that well to fabric and it does have a twisty switch instead of a button, but it starts on medium, then goes to low and then to high before repeating the cycle, which I always liked. My favorite one was purchased in 2013 and has a cool white LED. Many of the newer ones have LEDs with warmer tints.

raggie33 said:

btw im so old i recall when a good aaa flashlight ony made like 7 lumens and at that time that amazed us

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Really? I recall buying an incandescent Maglite Solitaire 15+ years ago and thinking it was so dim as to not have a practical purpose at all. I still have it sitting in a drawer and it's in like new condition because I never found a reason to take it anywhere. Hoping someday it will become collectible or something.

iamlucky13 said:

The E02 is Manker's right angle AAA light.

The E01 was a twist head light. Manker no longer offers it, but the Astrolux A01 is a very reasonably priced clone (with a couple compromises made on the driver).

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Thanks for catching that - I meant E02👍

raggie33 said:

i want a aaa light but ty for the advice

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Get the Microstream that doesn't have the USB recharge feature.

And while you are doing your research make sure you check out the Lumintop Tool AAA. Great little light, you won't even know you have it in your pocket. It's a rear clicky, but you can also get a magnetic tail cap that can also tail stand, and twist the head for on/off and mode selection. One feature I really like is that the mode sequence is M-L-H, without memory. The Medium mode is so useful I seldom move to either of the other two.

Maratac AAA with nichia 219 led. Gonna have to spend $10 - $12 more than $30 but well worth it!

awesume advice everyone what do you all think of this it was the one i was going to get b4 i made this post https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FXGFJYJ/?tag=cpf0b6-20

raggie33 said:

awesume advice everyone what do you all think of this it was the one i was going to get b4 i made this post https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FXGFJYJ/?tag=cpf0b6-20

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I was going to recommend an Olight I3E copper if you only need one mode, because the fit and finish and feel of the copper is so nice. But I haven't seen those, that's a good deal I'd get three of them instead

raggie33 said:

awesume advice everyone what do you all think of this it was the one i was going to get b4 i made this post https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FXGFJYJ/?tag=cpf0b6-20

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Looks like a winner to me! I've actually had my eye on that one for a while, but I've already got so many other AAA keyring lights that I simply don't need it. Hey, it's got all the features you could want, and at a great price.