Recommendations on a 1 x AA LED flashlight

I'd like a little flashlight/torch to accompany my Leatherman Wave. I've got the following criteria in mind:

<ul type="square"> [*]Powered by 1 x commonly-found AA (2 x AA would be nice, but see the size criteria...) [*]1 or more LEDs as the emitter (obviously) [*]No longer than 4.25 inches / 10.8 cm [*]No thicker than 0.78 inches / 2 cm [*]Not a 'pencil' (narrow) beam [*]Not a custom or small brand - something that would likely be available and under warranty in South Africa [*]Not more than say, $40 U.S. [*]At least some water resistance [/list] I would have considered the Inova X1 if the beam wasn't so narrow.

I know the Gerber/CMG Infinity Ultra is supposed to be a nice little light. Any better or other suggestions, though? I really would like to pack the most lighting power I can within my limits into the pouch with my multi-tool.

Thanks for your expert help!

Welcome to CPF Raxis!! Apart from the Infinity Ultra, there's also the Dorcy 1AA 3Leds, which might be slightly brighter than the Infinity. Else Peak Led Solutions has a similar setup for a 1AA light, except you get to choose 1 or 3 Leds IIRC.
For a light with your criteria that would pack a punch, take a look in the 'Buy/Sell/Trade' thread here on CPF for 4x4Dragon's items for sale. He has a cut down 'Mini mini Mag' (1AA) running a custom circuit which would pack a nice punch I think...

Edit: Sorry I missed out on the part of your post about no customs and warranty coverage in S.Africa... I think it might be a little more difficult to find a non-custom 1AA which would pack a punch for throw or brightness...

It's not AA, but the inexpensive Dorcy 1AAA 1LED light is very nice in your application. It's got about 3.5 to 4 hours runtime and I prefer it to the Dorcy 1AA 3LED light. It's so small that you can comfortably hold it in your mouth for brief periods when you need both hands, much like you would do with a small pencil. The 1AA 3LED is not so comfortable doing this. Despite a bit of 'ringiness', it has lots of throw and flood. A surprisingly nice light. You could easily carry a spare AAA cell or two in your pouch for lots of runtime.

www.peakledsolutions.com has some 5 led 1aa lights. Note you really want to run these with at least alkaline and preferably lithium cells, because of the power drain. Even alkaline is a little bit marginal. At this point maybe you want to be thinking about a lithium powered light.

Thanks thus far! Please keep it coming.

Another vote for the Infinity Ultra. Mine is by far the most used light I have, because it is *always* with me, even when I'm (very much against my will) in a suit and tie. The AA lasts just about forever. I guess Gerber makes then now - mine came from CMG. I don't know if the quality remains the same - I hope so, but when big companies take over small, quality seems to be the first thing sacrificed.

Does Peak make an AA light?? Why yes they do. I should have read the other post first. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I would recommend the CMG Ultra also. Nice little lights.



Blades

Considering the sub-$20 price, I honestly believe just about everyone should own an Infinity Ultra. Super nice little light for working indoors. In near complete darkness, the Ultra can just about light up an entire room and in addition to the nice small hotsput, provides a huge spill beam that very few other lights in the class provide.

My suggestion would be the Ultra if you value a large spillbeam or a Peak Kilimanjaro 5LED high power if you would rather have the brightest hotspot and much, much less spill beam - but still more than the X1. I love the 'feel' of the X1, but I personally have no use for it's beam.

Do a search for Xnova....

Another vote for the Infinity Ultra (old style).

I'll recommend the Dorcy AA 3-LED. I prefer it over the Dorcy AAA simply because it's a little more substantial and feels more comfortable because of it's larger size. The AA has been my in-house EDC of choice for many months, even over my 1xCR123 lights such as Longbow and Q-III, which I prefer more for "external" use.

I have a Dorcy 3-LED single-AA light that I use as a nightlight for latenight stumblings. Works very nicely.

oO

A 1xAA LED flashlight with 8-LEDs in a small form factor with a list price of only $9.00 + shipping is just a PM away.

HTH
Dave