On the cheap but reliable side, for a single AA light, something like the River Rock (from Target stores) is a good bet. I'm not sure they still carry this particular one, but their "River Rock" flashlight label has had great bargains on excellent lights.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=167899

The second generation Inova X1 would be a good light as well, but with two other generations of the same model, it can be hard to find the better second generation one.

another inexpensive AAA light is the Gerber Sonic - around $4 from smoky mountain knife works.

I like the Fenix lights - I have a couple of L1Ps, a L2d w/ spare single AA & Cr123 bodies (can use the head & tailcap - offers a bit of flexibility), and a T1 - they all work great, no problems whatsoever.

I hate to keep upping a thread like this, but I went camping this weekend and I'm thoroughly pleased with the way my Fenix L2D CE performed in many roles.

One thing that made me feel good about the purchase is that I continually checked the setting to see what mode it was in. The low setting was so bright* that I often checked the bezel because I couldn't believe it was on low and that I could expect more than 80 hours** of useful light at that brightness. I could easily walk around in the dark with the light on low and be confident in doing so.

The high setting on the Fenix L2D CE is incredible, but it's hard to appreciate how bright just by looking at the wattage. We compared the Fenix (3W on high) to a MiniMag LED 3 Watt and the difference is unbelievable. The Flashlight Reviews site says the Fenix L2D CE (3W) on high is brighter than Surefire L2 (5W) on high. Though in all fairness I must admit that the Maglite costs $25.00 less than the $50.00 Fenix.

I must also admit that these numbers, used as as ratings to compare one light to another, confuse me and make my head spin; Watts, Lumens, Lux...

The "Strobe" mode, though I don't know what it's actually for, incapacitated one of the other campers for a few seconds, and made him feel sick to his stomach for a few moments after that. Simply put, I shouldn't have done it, and I didn't expect the results.

* 9 lumens according to the Fenix Store

** 80+ hours with Energizer E2 Lithium Batteries according to Flashlight Reviews. 59+ hours with the extra Kirkland Brand AAs I purchased from Costco. I also use Sanyo eneloop NiMH, but they are 2000mAh as opposed to 2650mAh NiMH rechargeables so I don't have runtime information on those.

Yes, after complaining about the expense of CR123s I purchased a bunch of Energizer e2 Litiums because I liked the look of the runtime graphs.

I'm not affiliated with Fenix in any way, just happy with my purchase.

The brightness of the dimmest mode is one of the reasons I have not got a Fenix. I like my LEDs to go really dim, to 1 lumen or lower (and to have corresponding battery life). My ideal would be a five-level light with something like 0.1, 1, 10, 100, max. (Actually I can agonise for hours about what specific brightnesses are best for various tasks, but you get the idea.) Either that or fully adjustable.

Well Nicodemus, actually you found out what the strobe setting is for. In "tactical" lights a strobe setting is used for blinding and disorienting a hostile target rendering him temporarily safe to take down and secure.
Care should be taken when playing around with this feature on a light amongst friends (or innocent bye standers) as it can very well induce epileptic seizures.

-Bill Liptak

has anyone noticed a decline in Inova products on the shelves. I really like their products and buy them as gifts and personal use but in Phx, I am not seeing them as much.

Then it works as intended, at least on one unlucky camper I know.

I'm surprised that there was no mention of what this feature was for in the instructions.

Still, I should have remembered warnings about strobing light and the potential to induce epileptic seizures in those who are susceptible. Thanks for bringing it up!

I think the last place I remember seeing INova lights was while I was in a Target store, but I haven't checked in quite some time.

Orchard Supply Hardware stores, owned by Sears I believe, carry some of the Inova flashlights.

John E

I've seen microlights and Radiants locally.

Price a killer, though.