3AAA lights: Ya hate'em, right?

I hate 'em myself. I don't know why; they seem to be such a pain in the @ss and I have a big mental block about them. In practice, I'm sure changing/charging 3AAA probably doesn't take too much more time than 2AAs, for example. But it seems monumental to me for some reason. The battery holders for the 3AAAs seem to be of questionable quality, and a nice potential point of failure, not to mention unknown and dubious resistance added gratis.

3AAAs have similar or more energy than a similar sized li-ion, but I'd rather use the single cell.

It's not that I hate AAA lights, I hate AAA batteries.

I'm not that fond of the format, that's why I posted this thread http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=98356&highlight=1C for 1C and 1D LED lights.

I would prefer on 3 AAA lights they either
A:Give us multiple carriers for quickswap
B:No carrier, make interior solid and drop 3 cells in, screw on tail or head.

Looking over my collection, I have 12 3xAAA lights (including two of the oddball Craftsman Lux lights that look almost more like a 2xAA light due to the unusual carrier). They certainly aren't my favorite lights, but I don't really dislike them. A lot of my mods have been on Metal Gears and Sam's Club Elements. I also dislike the AAA cells more than the 3xAAA lights. I mean, with NiMH cells, one good AA cell basically has three times the capacity of a AAA cell so energy-wise, one single AA could replace all three AAA cells.

Navck....great ideas! At a minimum, should come with a spare cartridge.

The use of 3xAAA batteries is the price we pay for wanting small bright flashlights!

I agree it is more the batteries - small capacity=yuk.

I only own one 3 X AAA light - my Princton Tec EOS - thank goodness it uses rechargables!

As others have written, my beef is with the AAA batteries. AAA batteries are a poor value compared with AA. As a matter of fact, I avoid just about any device which employs AAA batteries. The only exception is the 2AAA Logitech cordless mouse.

I have done a simple conversion on my Triple A lights. It is cheap but it works. I have cut strips of printer paper and coiled it in the barrel of the light till a single AA Lithium Ion rechargable just drops in. I cannot tell the difference in brightness if there is any.

Thurmond

The thing with 3aaa handheld lights I've seen is they're cheap and crappy and THAT causes the bad reaction. I haven't seen one yet that I like. I do like my PT Aurora headlamp and there are many comparable headlamps that are also good (Petzl etc). But I wish someone would make a 1AA headlamp with a boost converter.

I avoid anything that doesn't use AA batteries. I like having one standard that is interchangable. This way I only have to carry one type of spare with me and the AA alkalines are cheap worry free and store well for many years.

Ok, I admit I have a coin cell flashlight too and a UV water purifier that takes the CR123's.

You forgot the price factor. 3xAAA LED lights are most affordable. And it will not put me in flames like 123 does. I'll take AA flashlight anyday if given the option with reasonable price.

I have been trying to get someone to build a carrier to fit a 18500 litium in place of the 3AAA carrier. I don't know if there is much interest in this though. Is anyone interested in that type of carrier?

I've just wrapped 18500's in paper or whatever i can find, then used an extra spring or something.

I once asked about a 22500 or 22550 lithium as it would take up all the space a carrier does.

I think of them as low cost mod hosts. A single 18500 fits nicely, and I know of a few were 2 CR123A's fit. Most of the budget 3 AAA models have room for converter boards. There are a few that actually have decent deep reflectors for possible Lux 3/5 upgrades.

I too hate AAA batteries and thought of using an 18500 instead. I remember someone saying that they had a 3AAA light that would take an 18650, but I can't find the thread anymore.

Does anyone remember or know of a 3AAA light that can fit an 18650?? This would be ideal.

AAAs SUCK, the only reason I hate them

I don't mind AAA batts. A few of my favourite lights are AAA powered.

All those that don't like theirs can send them to me. :wave:

Learjet said:

I don't mind AAA batts. A few of my favourite lights are AAA powered.

All those that don't like theirs can send them to me. :wave:

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I agree. Most of my favorite lights are AAA powered:

River Rock 2AAA flashlight
River Rock 2AAA headlamp
Sam's Element 3AAA flashlight
Petzl Tikka XP headlamp
Princeton Tec Aurora headlamp

I have plenty of NiMh AAA batteries and a LaCrosse charger that will charge batteries in odd numbers, so I don't really see any problem. I had nothing but AAA lights on my backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon. AAA's are tiny, light, and don't take up as much space as AA's.

That being said, my next flashlight purchase will be a Fenix L1P