Hi! I am new to the forum and I wonder if anyone can point me to a source for an inexpensive LED light small enough for an Altoids tin but that uses a standard alkaline AA battery. Thanks!

Here is one of many sites, look around - lots of neat stuff: http://countycomm.com/lightindex.htm

For an emergency kit, you probably want long-lasting light rather than bright-light. So don't get one of the new multi-watt wonders ... they will drain your battery too fast.

AA lights mihgt be a little large to fit in an Altoids tin. Even if they fit, they will take up quite a bit of precious space. You might want to think about AAA instead. Or even a flat battery type light like the Photon.

Gerber makes some nice, inexpensive, older technology lights (read: low light output but long lasting). Look at the Infinity (AA) or the Tempo (AAA). The Infinities, when they were made by CMG, were built like tanks. I own several. Now that Gerber bought CMG out I don't know about the build quality, but I assume it's at least still reasonable.

http://www.rockynational.com/1379_22-800..._White_LED.html

http://www.rockynational.com/2440_22-80107_Gerber_Tempo_Compact_LED_Flashlight_Metallic_Green.html

I have no idea if the specific merchant in the links above is any good. I just did a Google search on the lights and that one popped up. It shows pictures of the lights and a reasonable baseline on the price you might expect to pay. I am not recommending/dis-recommending this merchant - they are just an illustration.

Oh boy... Candlepowerforums.com will give you more info than you need.

So, what do you need? Single mode or several modes? Hi output/short runtime, or low output/high runtime? One AA battery, not two, I assume?

Hmmm...
Fenix EO1
Mag Solitare, with LED drop-in
Nitecore EZ AA

Would be good choices for starters. The Maratac AAA from CountyComm is a wonderful light, IMO, and cheap to boot. It's a AAA, so smaller than a AA, but decent runtime and high mode is pretty bright. I plan on ordering a few more at some point.

I was just looking around the other day for a keychain light for my wife and happened across the Nitecore EZ AA (w/XP-E R2) and while I don't have one, I'd suggest it is a good candidate because it has two brightness modes and a simple interface.

Turn and it comes onto low (10 lumens), some more and it goes into high (145 lumens). Run time in low is about 20 hours (independent run time tests seem to suggest this is close) and is about an hour in high.

10 lumens is a good amount for task lighting, and 145 is quite bright. Seems like quite a flexible little light.

FWIW, I suspect Haertig may be right in that an AA light might have trouble fitting in an Altoids tin. The Fenix E01 might be a good AAA choice and comes in colors (10 lumens for ~10hrs).

-john

I've been using a Maratac AAA for a while and its a surprisingly good light.

+1 on the photon - get one with a sliding on/off switch and tape it in the off position.

Photons are nice and light, but IIRC, some versions have no waterproofing.

-john

Specs look impressive for an AAA powered light.

-john

What is the switch like on the Maratac?

Is it waterproof?

I have had good luck with the Peak Solutions Matterhorn (AAA). Back when I got mine you could do some tailoring of the light to trade off runtime vs Brightness. I got the bright version (similar output to incandescent mini-mag) and the runtime is pretty impressive. I carry it all the time and use it a lot. Only draw back is having to remember to change the batteries twice a year like a smoke detector. I once forgot and got about 10 months out of a battery before it started to get really dim.

- Eric

The switch is a tail-cap "twistie." Twist on, med, then on/off quickly goes to low, then on/off goes to high. I don't know if it's "waterproof" since few lights truly are. It could probably be dropped in a stream and fished out fairly quickly without problems.

The med mode is great for most things. Hi is good out to maybe 30 yards (in a suburban environment) before it starts to get drowned out with ambient light. This is a floody light with a decent hotspot, not a true "thrower" like a spotlight.

The low is great for around house at night. I use it as a "night light" in the hospital call rooms on my overnight shifts. Bright enough to see everything, not bright enough to keep me awake.

rechargable AAA's do well in it. Nice, cuz I can just change them every few weeks and not worry about it dying.

Another nice thing is the tailcap comes off, if you want just a little more room for the Altoid tin.

ITP has 2 other versions of the same light, one with a tailcap mounted keychain-type attachment.

TANK007 TK-566-3 Cree Q2-WC 3-Mode 95-Lumen LED Flashlight with Extension Tube (1*AA or 2*AA use)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18626

It appears to be good value for money for $15 with a good quality beam but if you want something that will fit in an Altoids tin then a Fenix EO1 AAA cell might be a better bet

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13005

You may want to check out this Pak Lite review though for an LED which will fit nicely in a PSK tin.

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=176514&page=1

Inexpensive - try these guys
http://dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.942 (AA cree lights)
http://dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.943 (AAA cree lights)

Although I can't resist County Comm :-)

I like my ARC-P super bright and rugged.

There is just SOO much to choose from. It all depends if you want it simple or sophisticated (or both!), cheap or not so cheap. You have had lots of good suggestions already.

I suggest you get a light that has more than one level (mode) of output. The least bright mode will still be plenty for most task and with looooooooong runtime. The brighter modes will serve you well for looking further ahead and illuminating a larger area. You typically just need to use the brighter modes in shorts bursts. Multimode lights used this way enables you to preserve batteries and still illuminate things ahead when you need to.


If you want high quality and performance, I suggest fenix, quark or nightcore. A very good dealer for these lights is http://4sevens.com/. If that's too expensive ($50-80 range) I suggest ordering something from http://www.shiningbeam.com. If you want to combine the words "cheap" and "reliable" he is one of the few dealers that can be recommended ... Guess around $15-40 for something useful in the AA format from him. The cheapest possible will be a single level light, raise the bar until you're happy... The maratach suggested above is also supposed to be a very good light. I'm not sure if that fits into the "cheap but reliable" or "upper class, but still won't break your bank" class....


Oh, and probably the toughest lights of all would be the $12-15 fenix E01 (AAA format). Not the brightest, but it is a very small, sturdy light that is next to impossible to kill. Its simplicity (twist on) makes it extremely reliable. Long runtime (10 hours + 11 hours declining "moon mode"), still bright enough for most close range work. Use either an low self discharge AAA (LSD, such as sanyo eneloop) for regular use or possibly a lithium AAA if you want to store it indefinetively and forget about it until needed. Want more levels? Maratach, fenix LD01, ITP...

It replaced my Fenix LD01 as a keychain EDC. The Maratac low is much lower than the Fenix, its significantly smaller, has a more secure clip, and the beam pattern is wider so I find it a bit more useful. The only problem is the slightly noticeable PWM on med. and low which is not an issue on the Fenix. But overall its a good light for the price.

All,

Go to some website called Equipped to Survive and check out the eGear PicoLight, designed by some guy named Ritter for this very purpose!!! :-)))))

All kidding aside, the Pico is the almost Perfect light for the purpose (and lots of other purposes also). I have 4 and am going to be ordering lots more. The only question is reliability, and from the photon, disigned by Doug, et al I don't expect any problems.

The best,

Jerry Fountain

But it doesn't run on a single AA per the original post.

I have an Arc premium. While it is built like a tank and has service me well as an EDC light, it is certainly not the brightest light I've seen, but may be about as good as it gets for a single AA.

I bought a Fenix P1D's for my own kit (not EDC) and another one my wife's barn key chain (for safety - it also has a Storm whistle on it).

The P1D runs on a single CR123A - not a single AA - but they are fairly small AND they are AMAZINGLY BRIGHT and very VERY tough (anything that can survive this long on my wife's barn key chain has GOT to be tough - it gets really abused). It has three settings. Low will run for 20+ hours on the low setting. High will only run for 2.8 hrs but during that time it is stunningly bright for such a small flashlight.

I'm talking bright - as bright as my 4AA Streamlight ProPolymer. Maybe brighter.

The reason I bring it up is that the other night I walked out to the barn with my wife. Since I wasn't wearing my barn boots I needed a light to avoid stepping in canine-generated land mines (sorry about that image). I pulled out the EDC Arc-P to use that, but then my wife turned on the Fenix P1D ... and the difference was stunning and almost embarrassing. I shut off the Arc-P and used the P1D instead.

Yes, the Arc-P would have been better than nothing, but in all honesty it really doesn't produce enough light for me to work (or avoid objects on the ground) at night.

BTW, I wish the P1D had a tail-end switch for easier one-handed operation. It can be turned on one-handed, but it is awkward.

Overall my favorite "survival light" would be my Princeton Tec Rebel EOS headlight. Its fairly small (not Altoid size though), one-handed, BRIGHT, 50+ hours on low, and it frees hands for work. I don't have one of Doug's eQ multi-light, but it might be work checking out. There's nothing quite so useful as a good headlamp.

A lot depends on the size of kit you're packing.

Ken

Lately it seems like there are less "AA" powered flashlights on the market and lights that run of a single "AA" battery are even more scarce (in comparison to lights using "AAA" and "CR123" batteries).

I don't know if you can find a "AA" light small enough for an altoids tin. If you are looking for a light small enough for an altoids tin, but uses other then coin batteries I would look at Leatherman's Serac-S2 . The Serac S2 uses a single "AAA" and runs at 35 or 5 Lumens.

Like others have mentioned, Fenix makes some nice, relatively inexpensive lights that run on "AA" batteries. Fenix quality and durability isn't quite on the same level as some of the other lights on the market, but I believe you get more then what you pay for with Fenix and I wouldn't have a problem including some of their simpler lights in my kits.

Fenix has a whole series of "AA" powered LED lights.. I would consider Fenix's L1T V2 it is simple and can be found for under $50. I am not sure that it would fit in an Altoid's tin, but I can check when I get home Saturday afternoon.

I personally would use a eGear Pico light and carry a spare battery pack... together with the spare battery it would be smaller and lighter then any "AA" or "AAA" option and have more then enough light for survival tasks... in fact that is exactly what is in all of my small kits.

The Fenix L1T is a good light, high and low settings is all my simple brain wants when I really need a light. I seriously doubt it will fit in a altoids tin.

Thanks, everyone, for the many helpful suggestions. In the end, I decided that my on-my-person (actually, in-my-messenger-bag) needs would be better served by a simple head/clip light, so I ordered something completely different - the Doug Ritter eQ Hands Free. Yes, I know that on-my-person would be even better, but that doesn't work for me in a warm weather business suit. And no, it won't fit in the Altoids tin, but I can use the space saved for the little and more survival-oriented items that I'd prefer to keep out of sight. A flashlight is very benign. Cheers, Matthew

Altough you've already made your choice to go with a headlamp, you may consider getting a light for your PSK, a spare for your bag or something for EDC later on. You certainly don't need a flashlight but they're nice to have sometimes and I personally wouldn't consider them entirely benign.

There arn't many single AA LED flash lights made nowadays but AAA and button/flat cell keychain lights are popular for small lights.

A Fenix E01, Fenix L0Ds, iTP A3 EOS(standard and upgrade), Maratac and Romisen RC-B3 are single AAA LED lights that will cost under $30 with the exception of the Fenix L0D which will cost around $40 depending on retailer.

The iTP A3 EOS "upgrade" and Maratac lights are essentially the same light, the two only have small differences but are roughly the same price(around $20 depending on the retailer) both come with a pocket/belt clip that can be removed and flipped so that the light can be clipped to the bill of a ballcap, to the band of a wrist watch or a car's visor, ect.. They are both Med>Low>High twist setting lights that run off a single AAA, the Medium setting(18 lumens) will last a few(3-5) hours and the low setting more than 30 hours on both lights. I've had the iTP upgrade for several months and the maratac for a few months.

The Fenix E01 will last about 10hours at 10 lumens then dim for several(5+) more hours.($12-18 depending on retailer) I've been using a purple Fenix E01 for a long time now as a replacement for my old maglite solitare(which is junk in comparison), the fenix is not as bright as my iTP AAA but it suits my needs and I happen like purple...

I don't own a Romisen or Fenix L0D, the Romisen retails between $15-20 depending on retailer and the Fenix L0D retails around $40.

The iTP A3s, Maratac and Fenix E01 will fit in a altoids tin or can be carried on a key chain without getting in the way, They arn't much larger than a AAA battery, the Romisen and Fenix L0D are slightly larger than the first three but may still fit in a altoids tin, I don't have either to check though. www.Goinggear.com has the Fenix E01($12.50, several colors) and iTP A3s EOS lights($18.50-20.50, black or gray) among many other lights.


There are alot of cheap Button cell LED keychain lights(in various shapes, sizes and colors(including colored LEDs)) available at almost any walk in store like walmart and many gas stations for between $1-3. They can be bought in bulk online from places like www.Dealextreme.com for about $5 for 10x lights(or $25 for 50x) or a single can be purchased from www.Goinggear.com for $.99. The majority of these kinds of lights will also fit in an altoids tin, some are flat but may have unusual shapes which may get in the way of other items in your altoids tin. Most button cell keychain lights produce enough light to easily find your way around a dark room/building in a power outage or at your feet on a path/sidewalk at night and should last for several hours.

These button cell keychain lights are cheap, have decent run times, small and weigh practically nothing so you could easily carry one on your keychain along with your keys and not be bothered by it, it's there if you need it(if you don't have your shoulder bag at that moment for example) so there's little reason not to carry one on yourself at all times.

I'd like to comment on this. Stepping outside your eyes needs 20 minutes to adjust to night vision. Also, most places it is a lot of light pollution. You are somewhat blinded by the light coming from nearby windows, street lights and the like, and it is really hard to see anything on the unlit ground.

In darkness with eyes adjusted to low light conditions just a tiny bit of light goes a LONG way in lighting up your path. You need much, much more light to see into the dark shadows in a semi-lit environment than you need out in the wilderness.

Pick your tools accordingly....

Yes, there is. Singe AA is a pretty popular format. Fenix LD10. Quark AA. Nightcore. Budget lights such as Romisen, MG, ITP - just to name a few. Check out some previous posts of mine if you'd like specific recommendations for dealers.


As this thread shows, there is an abundance of lights of various battery configurations and brigthness/runtime options. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the good suggestions here.


One of the smallest and most versatile lights that runs on AA batteries is actually designed to be worn as headlamp or "clip on any place" light: Zebralight H50 or H501. My own personal favorite is not listed on their web page, but if you contact them they may still have some samples lying around. (H50b with a more "warm"-ish light output, which is more pleasing to my eyes, particular outdoors).

Zebralights are nice, but $50-60 is beyond the price I was looking to pay.

These are very nice lights:

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamps/tikka-zipka-series/zipka-plus

This is not a single-AA lamp (it's 3xAAA), but it is very small and versatile. It would not fit into an Altoids tin, but it is very pocketable. It can be used as a headlamp, handheld, attached to various objects, etc. I have the earlier version Zipka2 ( http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamps/compact-headlamps/zipka2 ), but the new Zipka-Plus2 looks even better.

Yes but the Romisen AA, Fenix LD10 AA, iTP C7R and 4seven's quark AA lights will not fit in an altoids tin(about 3.5in long) as outlined in the OP's original post.

I neglected to specify that in the line of text you qouted, I also should have specified I was trying to list lights for $40 and under to keep the list inexpensive as also mentioned by OP's post.

The Romisen is the only above AA lights I currently own, it's within the price range I was going for but it's too long for an Altoids tin. I had the quark AA but I no longer have it and I cannot test if it fits an altoids tin but based off the specs listed by retailers, the quark and the others(aside from maybe the nightcore AA), seem too long or too fat for an altoids tin.(That's flat, you could fit a longer light if you put it in at an angle but that would consume more flat space in the tin and possibly get in the way or limit the space available to other items.)Most of the above AA lights mentioned are $+40-60 depending on retailer which I wouldn't consider inexpensive.

The only AA light I'm positive is short enough is zebralight H50 / H50b, or possibly H501.... But that's out of your price range. It may also be too thick, but I don't think so. (Depends on the box). You could also get just a tiny bigger box, that would make finding and fitting an AA powered light much easier.

If it has to be such a small box, I personally would have chosen another battery format than AA. Either an AAA-size or a photon light. Or you could pack an AA size light separately, or tape it to the box. If so, get something that you can "lockout" (light won't work if tailcap is loosened a few turns) so it won't click on accidentally.

I've tried Candlepowerforums.com a few times and have always been intimidated by it. It's not a place for beginners like me I think. Good thing there's a lot of knowledge and experience to be found here.

I've tried the CGM AAA light before it was bought out by Gerber, and found that it had one major flaw in that the number of complete turns it took for the battery cap to come off was pretty low resulting. This is the same cap that's used in a twisting manner to turn the light on and off. For me, this light or any of its' descendants is not a good choice.

On the other hand, the Gerber Infinity Ultra does take some turning before that cap comes off. Unfortunately it's a bit larger. Then again, it is a AA light.

I've reverted to my Maglites modified with LEDs and have found that this is the best bargain for your dollar - cheap, sturdy, uses regular batteries and has long battery life compliments of the LED conversion mods. The pride of my collection is a 4 D-cell mag with a TerraLUX MiniStar 5 LED (approx. 15hrs battery life) while the workhorse is a 2AA mag with a Nite Ize LED (approx. 8hre battery life).

Long live the AA and AAA (and D-cell) Club!!!

Nas.

PS. Sorry about the rant - get a Gerber Infinity Ultra...

I just received my NiteCore EZ AA and can confirm it DOES fit in an altoids tin. You'll have no trouble with the AAA lights as every one I have fits in the tin. The EZ AA is my first single AA light so it is the only one I can comment on. Although I did pick up a single AA tube for my Fenix 2 AA light. I suspect it will be a little too thick to fit and might only fit diagonally for length. I will confirm when I get home and get to try.

The Fenix 1 AA will NOT fit in the altoids tin. It might be a little too thick and it IS too long.

The EZ AA is pretty nice. The high mode is very bright and the low is plenty good for most things.

For an Altoids kit, I'd go with the cheap Fenix AAA light. I've had the similar-performing Arc AAA-P on my keychain for years and it's enough light to get things done and the battery goes for a long time. I wouldn't use an alkaline though, especially if it will be stored for long periods. Use a lithium. It'll never leak.

I gave up looking for a good compact single AA flashlight. And went with single AA and Photon ReX in my mini kit. ReX actually can recharge from any battery cell and is very versatile flashlight. The EZ AA looks pretty nice though.

That ReX is kinda clever.

A while back I had an idea for a rechargable keychain light that would primarily be intended to charge via USB power.

I plug a flash drive plugged into my work computer in the morning and then take it with me at the end of the day, so the same habit would keep the light fully charged. I imagine many people do the same.

It was actually made in 2005: http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/10/ion-technologies-flashlite-usb-thumb-drive-with-flashlight/ Some available on Amazon now. Like this Victorinox for example: http://www.sureneeds.com/5301g2.html