Apocalypse Single AA Flashlight

Looking for my 'flashlight for the apocalypse' - if I had to walk away with one flashlight type thing.

Single AA, super durable, small enough to clip into my pocket with a pocket clip, tail clicky, High / Low / Moonlight in that order - IE, I always want high to come on when I turn it on. Has to be able to be run on regular batteries, eneloop, and lithium rechargeables. (14500's)While I don't mind buying Chinese, I would definitely prefer not and really want it to be from somewhere that will actually deliver it...I've been having trouble with chinese companies not shipping / packages not coming from China the last couple months.

==================Flashlight Recommendation Checklist================

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?


____This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!


____Up to $100.



3) Format:

____I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).



4) Size:

____TINY - Every day carry (2-4 inches).
____SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).



5) Emitter/Light source:

____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)



6) Manufacturer:

____I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would like a light from a specialty manufacturer (Possibly limited run/Custom).


7) What power source do you want to use?

____I intend to use "Primary"/Disposable Alkaline batteries based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D sized cells common to most stores.
____I intend to use "Primary"/Disposable Lithium batteries based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D and CR123 sized cells common to most stores (often a cold weather or long storage choice).
____I intend to use Rechargeable cells (NiMH or NiCD) based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D sized cells common to most stores.
____I intend to use Rechargeable cells based on less common formats (18500 or 18650 Li-Ion, RCR123, et-al).


7a) If you have selected a rechargeable option

____I don't care


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).

____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).


____SPECIAL NOTE: Burst/Turbo mode Category - There are several lights that will run at a super bright maximum for a very limited period (usually 5-10 minutes) and then will "step-down" to a lower level for thermal control. Check here if this is acceptable.

X - Sure.


9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.

____Narrow Throw: I want a beam with a very tight "hot center" and minimal "side-spill". Good for distance viewing, fog, and looking through dense undergrowth.


9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)

____30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)
____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).

____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).




11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).



12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):

____I need a BIG switch (I'll be using gloves or have very large hands or coordination issues).
____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
____I want a momentary switch (Predominantly for use with signaling and short bursts of momentary light only).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)



14)Material/Finish/Coating

____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's higher end flashlights).
____Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive).

15) Water resistance
____IPX4 (Splash resistant)
____IPX7 (Waterproof to 1 meter/30min)
____IPX8 (Submersible to greater than 1 meter for 4 hours)

16) Storage conditions
____In house (temperature/climate controlled environment)
____Emergency kit (long standby periods)
____Automobile glove-box (wide temperature swings, long standby periods, critical reliability)


17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.

____Red filter (for preserving night vision).
____Pocket/belt clip
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Crenulated bezel
____Non-sparking, Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments

Malkoff hdc 1aa seems ideal. Other than that I have a couple fenix L1Tv2.0 lights that were used for years as mountain biking headlights. Lots of impacts, drops, rain, snow, etc and they still work perfectly. I can't vouch for the new fenix lights these days but they are probably just as good.

Another though would be the d25a or d3a from eagtac. Probably not as bulletproof as the malkoff but my experience with the D25C has been very positive.

My choice in this regard, currently, is different. I have a couple Gerber IU lights (red, warm tint, stock) that would be great. But I'd probably choose my Foursevens qk2a with single AA body. Or break your single cell rule and use an old Incan minimag with a 5mm LED stuck in place of the bulb. Tested this out a couple years ago and ended up with weeks of runtime off 1 set of batteries.

Or maybe a headlamp. Thrunite th20 has been my travel headlamp for a number of years now and has held up wonderfully. I am also I impressed with the acebeam h40, though it is sitting in an emergency kit and does not see regular use.

The Malkoff MDC is great but not lithium ion compatible in AA. Also doesn't come on in high.
Personally, I have mostly malkoff stuff that I have legoed to do what I want for my apocalyptic preparations. I have 3x cr123 lights that will.run a long time on 2AA also. I have single mode AA and 2AA. And lithium ion from 2 x 18650 on down to 1 cr123. But none that meet all your requirements. But all are user serviceable and tank like Malkoffs (with some Surefire parts thrown in at times.)

I can think.of several quality options that meet SOME of your requirements but nothing that meets ALL. Except the D25A that buck mentioned. Mine had a switch and some other electronic that died so I moved on. Great while it lasted but not amazing.

Maybe give preference to your requirements and we can narrow down. (I should.caveat that I am almost exclusively a Malkoff and surefire guy now after 20 years of fooling around with sub $100 chinese stuff- that wasn't all bad just not all my taste.)


ETA: There are LOADS of posts on this board about SHTF and "zombie" apocalypse lights - if you have time, you WILL learn something by reading them. Lots of good thoughts and setups out there.

+1 to malkoff mdc aa

For the apocalypse it would be good to have two torches if one should fail ;-)
If you are looking for AA format in a critical scenario I would like to have a headlamp that leaves my hands free.
By removing the headband it can be used as an angular torch (also with clip)
See Armytek (tTiara A1 Pro Warm) and Zebralight (H53w, H53c, H53Fc, H53Fw) models.
For maximum brightness you will need to use Eneloop batteries but in an emergency they can also go with classic batteries.
If you find a good dealer and spend a little with $ 100 you can take a headlamp and also a 2xAA hand_torch for the throw.

Lithium ion compatible or not you want the Malkoff AA. Trust me. It's way over built, runs well on any AA not to big not to small and is a battery vampire. She will run for an easy 2 hours on high an hour full power then another hour down to 10-20 lumens. And I have done run time on low and she will run for over 9 days. And btw low is very useful. And if it really is going to be used as a one light does all lithium ions will need electricity to keep them going unless your using solar. And if you plan on carrying a charger and solar panel around with you might as well either carry a second light " my choice" or 20-40 extra AA cells with you. With that light they would last you a year. At least

bignc said:

.... I can think.of several quality options that meet SOME of your requirements but nothing that meets ALL....

ETA: There are LOADS of posts on this board about SHTF and "zombie" apocalypse lights - if you have time, you WILL learn something by reading them. Lots of good thoughts and setups out there.

Click to expand...

Yes, I agree with @bignc above.

OP has listed a combination of criteria that (for a number of reasons) would be difficult to precisely satisfy. So, I will look a bit beyond the exact specifics and reply more to the spirit of the thread topic. And yes, it seems that we have been doing the "apocalypse torch" threads more often than usual these days ...

Peak Logan 17500, in stainless steel, with pocket clip and momentary switch would be my choice. Oh wait, that one IS my choice for this



(no momentary switch shown on this one, but I have that installed on the version I use for travelling)

Oh dam! Yes the 17500 would make a good choice wouldn't it?

thermal guy said:

Oh dam! Yes the 17500 would make a good choice wouldn't it?

Click to expand...

Well, I like it because of the multiple battery options, yes

Absolutely. And the fact That you could probably pound it Into the ground for a tent stake Without hurting it is a plus if you really were relying on a single light for the rest of your life.

1. I thought about the Malkoff - but it HAS to come on first with High first, every time. I pocket carry a single cell AA flashlight to use off-hand with my CCW in case I need to use it low-light.

2. Prefer more lumens than the 110 that Malkoff's AA has.

3. Prefer being able to use rechargeable Li-Ion cell's, but I can deal with Eneloops if I have to.

The above 3 are the reasons I haven't gone the Malkoff route.

I have a couple Zebralight headlamps already BTW. Right on with that suggestion.

While not quite up to Malkoff build quality, I am surprised no one has yet suggested the Streamlight Protac 1L-1AA. It would tick nearly every one of the OP's boxes as far as I can tell, runs off of AA or Cr123. If the budget is $100, this will leave enough room to get something like an Olight I5T as well seeing as two is one and one is none.

polizeifritz said:

While not quite up to Malkoff build quality, I am surprised no one has yet suggested the Streamlight Protac 1L-1AA....

Click to expand...

Not US-made, I believe. Not sure about voltage range beyond 3V, either.

EDIT - According to this link ...

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?444263-14500-16340-in-streamlight-protac-1l-1aa

... it looks like a 4.2V Li-Ion is not recommended by the manufacturer. Results in "overdrive" but apparently not insta-

I would submit that if this is truly a flashlight for the apocalypse, extreme runtime and reliability/durability are priorities. High output may in fact be undesirable due to the unwanted attention it may draw.

idleprocess said:

I would submit that if this is truly a flashlight for the apocalypse, extreme runtime and reliability/durability are priorities. High output may in fact be undesirable due to the unwanted attention it may draw.

Click to expand...

Yes, a common characteristics of these types of threads is that they often ask for one thing but want another .... ~ 700 lumens of "high-output first" would not be my choice, either, personally.

I don't need 700 lumens.....250-400 is about right.

And I need the high first, because my primary use is to carry in my left pocket to use off-hand. I am right handed and carry a handgun, if I ever had to use it at night, it's nice, you know....to identify your target. And turning your flashlight on in low mode then having to cycle to high isn't...preferable...in that situation.

I have a zebralight headlamp for lower light level usage.

Problem is a single AA light capable of 250 plus lumens is NOT a good choice for a end of the world apocalypse light. Low runtimes etc etc. think arch is correct about what these threads are about and where they end up. Good luck my friend I'm sure you will find a happy medium for what your looking for.

madbomber1998 said:

I don't need 700 lumens.....250-400 is about right.

And I need the high first, because my primary use is to carry in my left pocket to use off-hand. I am right handed and carry a handgun, if I ever had to use it at night, it's nice, you know....to identify your target. And turning your flashlight on in low mode then having to cycle to high isn't...preferable...in that situation.

Click to expand...

Understood, but I would suggest that is a different scenario than "apocalypse"

There are plenty of other threads here on CPF for "tactical" usage, and many of them discuss considerations of UI with anything other than momentary "on / off" may not be ... preferable :shrug: