I would say all but my headlamp, and keychain lights are CR123a.

I want to get a nice AA and/or AAA flashlight too since I have those batteries for other things and diversification is good + if I`m at someone elses house they most likely will have those batteries.

So, what's everyone's favorite AA or AAA light? Size requirements are something that fit on your belt. Similar to a surefire G2 size smaller but no larger.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.19187

I love mine! Bright as all get-out. I use a NiMH rechargeable AA cell.

If you're willing to go with a larger 2xCR123 (or 1x18650) light, then the one below is fantastic too (but the batteries are less common and more expensive):

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16178

Both of the above are simple on/off lights. I don't like the ones with a multitude of different modes.

Thanks for the ideas!

However, I`m looking for a little more known/proven manufacture. Also I don't want to go CR123. I have a bunch (all my lights almost) of high-end surefire, streamlight, etc that use cr123. Now I want a high-end AA and/or AAA to use more common batteries in case of emergency, etc.

Thanks though for the ideas.

Right now my favorite single AA light is the 4Sevens Quark mini, (similar to the Maratac AA). 3 nice levels and its easy on the batteries.

in my pocket: Leatherman S2.
in my bag: Maglite LED 2AA.

My criteria is not necessarily 'the best', but 'good quality, reasonable price, readily available'.

My latest (not sure it's my favorite) AA light is a Quark AA2. Other AA lights here are a Fenix L1T and Fenix L2D CE which I don't think is available. In non-Chinese lights, consider the Underwater Kinetics 4AA ZOOM eLED, it has hazardous area ratings that make it an excellent work light.

I EDC an Arc AAA flashlight attached to a keychain. It is one tough light! I've carried it for many years and it shows NO wear ... at all. Amazing.

I didn't like having the LED bulb exposed, even though they say it is real tough, so I went to the local Ace Hardware and bought a plastic dowel cap (not sure what its really called) that was just a tad too tight, and then I sanded the inside of the cap just enough for it to fit snugly on the light. Its worked well.

A few months back I lost the keychain (I found it a few days later) and bought a Fenix E01 ($13) to replace it, but never used it.

Though I don't really use flashlights much anymore, I do carry a Streamlight ProPolymer 4AA. It is amazingly bright (for finding gear/Scouts in the woods), tough, and I like plastic because it doesn't scratch other gear (and hides scratches on itself) and feels warmer in winter.

I have several UK 4AA LED lights but I've found their switches to be tougher to press than most other lights. The kids really couldn't use them because they struggled with the switches.

I like Fenix lights a lot, though I've pretty much stuck to the 123 lithium batteries for those.

As are many here, I'm a bit of a flashlight junkie.

I really like the Maratac 9290 AA Tactical Flashlight from CountyComm that Izzy recommended a while back. It's quite robust, has a useful range of brightness, and good runtime. While not cheap, it's a good value at $33.95. Only downside is it's a little big and does not have a pocket clip. They do sell a holster for it, if that works for you. I EDC this light on a regular basis.

On a whim, I ordered a Nkoray K-106 Cree Q5-WC 5-Mode 230-Lumen Memory LED Flashlight (1*AA/1*14500) for $13.99 from DealExtreme. I must say, I'm very impressed with this light. I don't even notice it's there when clipped to my pocket - I often sleep with it clipped to my pajama bottoms for late-night trips around the house. I know some folks don't trust stuff from DealExtreme, but this light seems well made, has variable brightness, and puts out a lot of light from a small size when you want it. Amd it's cheap.

I power all my AA lights with Duracell low-discharge rechargables bought at Costco.

I'm not sure, but I think that my favorite AA Flashlight may be out of production.
About 2 years ago, SamsClub had "Energizer" 2xAA LED Flashlights; they sold those in a 2-pack for less than $20.00 .
It looks somewhat like the MagLite 2AA LED flashlight.

I bought several of those Energizer flashlights, and use them "all the time" ... around the house and yard, kept in the cars, etc... .
For me, that flashlight is bright, compact, rugged, and the batteries last forever. And at about $10.00 per flashlight, I won't be crying if I misplace or damage it.

The Quark AA or Quark AA MiNi are both great choices, based on my experience with 123-based Quark models. I bought my brother-in-law a Quark AA MiNi and played with it a bunch tested it thoroughly before sending it off. I like it a lot.

The Maratac AA has gotten some very good reviews on CPF. I own its little brother, the Maratac AAA, and the lanyard/keyring attachment broke. The iTP A3 EOS is the same light with a slightly different body, and its lanyard/keyring attachment point is far more robust, at the cost that it will not tailstand.

My favorite AAA light is the IlluminaTi. It's spendy compared to the Maratac / iTP lights, but it uses a more efficient emitter.

sorry, all my pocket flashlights are 123,, I started with that battery and have a "one caliber" phylosophy.

I do like the gerber Omnivor.

For the price the TANK007 TK-566 is pretty good costing around $15 and it compares very well to the older Fenix 2xAA L2D CE, but the TK-566 can be used as either a single AA or double AA flashlight. It is very lightweight and compact if used as a single AA cell flashlight with an Energiser AA Lithium cell.

Here is an earlier review from a few months ago.

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=187063&page=1

Available here;

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

Another review for the Fenix L2D CE (I actually prefer the cheap TK-566 over the L2D CE though) from nutnfancy who raves about the Fenix flashlights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbWzhRB9_9Y

The great thing is that there are better lights available at my local home center, than were available anywhere, just ten years ago. The array of bright, small, dependable lights on the market today is a shining example of good technology, well developed.

Good video by Nutnfancy. Something I did with my L2D CE was to buy the kit and change the switch to the taller Orange clicky switch (tactical??). If you wear gloves the taller switch makes the light a bit more usable.

With the Quark AA2 I've noticed the same issue; the clicky is well protected/recessed and that makes it difficult at times, but allows it to stand on end. I've got the tactical switch on order ($9).

I think favorite flashlights are like favorite cars, only they're cheaper, they come out more frequently - so we're all right when it comes to our favorites. For me my favorite is whatever I've bought lately, because the technology keeps inching along and getting better and better. I have one of the CountyComm 1XAAA lights on my keychain which has been pretty good and run a couple 1XAA and 2XAA Fenix lights that are pretty good too - although one of the 1XAAs hasn't been very reliable, although that seems to be an anomaly. Fenix has a new 1XAA headlamp for ~$40 that I'm thinking of trying out.

My real favorite at the moment isn't an AA or AAA, its the solar flashlight, and my workhorse (for doing night time paperwork) is the Doug Ritter headlamp. Not sure if I'd take them to war exactly but I don't have many scenarios like that - and my backups are the CountyComm/Fenix lights. I expect in the next 5 years to see more and better flashlights like them that aren't dependent on the AA/AAA stored cell technologies. They're all good.

Fenix LD01 in stainless steel. A little heavier than the aluminum version, but not too bad. 85-ish lumens from a 1xAAA keychain light is impressive. The 28 lumen default is plenty bright for most uses.

This replaced my Arc AAA-P on my keychain. Great light, but just not bright enough (10.5 lumens) in some situations. It also replaced my Fenix L1D that I kept sticking in my pocket because the Arc wasn't bright enough.

I really like a lot of the LED tactical lights like the 4sevens Quark AA Tactical, but I'd rather have something like the Fenix LD01 with me than a bigger light back in the car or back at my desk.

I now only use low self-discharge NiMH cells like the Duracell "precharged" so I can keep them topped off and know that they won't leak like an alkaline. For a stored / rarely used light, lithium cells would be a better choice.

Quark AA2 may be what I get. I like that it comes with the "kit" too!


Ratbert - I`m going to have to check into those.

Around my house and yard, I'm usually carrying one of the MiniMagLED 2AA or 3AA jobs (they're not sexy, but they keep on truckin'). Or the Cree 2AA "LightMates" that I bought dirt cheap (2 for $15) at Costco. I charge all my NiMHs off my solar panels to get that granola greenie halo effect.

When I go into the city, there's currently a Fenix L1T (1AA) on my belt, undergoing torture testing after a warranty replacement. Also a 2AAA MiniMaglite with LED conversion clipped on my jacket pocket, and a Princeton Tec Photon on my keychain. Of course, the real lights are in the car.

If I'm farther from civilization, I may switch to my 2AA/3AA LED Streamlights. Again, not sexy, but I've never had one fail: I hit the switch, I get light. That counts for me.

My newest toy: a Streamlight Stylus Pro LED 2AAA. Nice half-watt LED with good spot and spill, and light enough to clip into my shirt pocket like a pen. I already love it, after only a few hours. Testing is underway.

(Like they say on CPF: hold on to your wallet!)

I'm still happy with my Nitecore D10. It's a single AA, so pretty small, with variable brightness. On 2 lumens (just enough to read) it lasts over 50 hours on one Eneloop, and on 120 lumens it lasts around 1 hour. It uses alkaline, lithium or NiMH. The piston switch can be used as a twisty, or momentary on, or click-on. It's water-proof and very versatile as an every-day carry light.

If I were buying today I'd consider the Preon 2, which is a 2xAAA light, long and thin.

http://www.4sevens.com/

I love my Fenix L1D that I bought some time ago.
Has several different brightness settings on it from 16 lumens to 120 lumens, plus strobe.

I do have to admit the flashlite in the first post rated at 220 lumens, for that price is tempting.

Of course, now that I posted this on here, the light proceeded to die for no apparent reason. As others have said, you get what you pay for. A real shame too, I really liked the light.