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#192250 - 12/31/09 05:15 AM Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights
Todd W Offline
Product Tester
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/14/04
Posts: 1928
Loc: Mountains of CA
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.

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#192252 - 12/31/09 05:55 AM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: Todd W]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
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.

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#192253 - 12/31/09 06:09 AM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: haertig]
Todd W Offline
Product Tester
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/14/04
Posts: 1928
Loc: Mountains of CA
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.
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Self Sufficient Home - Our journey to self sufficiency.

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#192257 - 12/31/09 06:38 AM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: Todd W]
LED Offline
Veteran

Registered: 09/01/05
Posts: 1474
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.

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#192264 - 12/31/09 09:34 AM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: LED]
fasteer Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 09/01/09
Posts: 63
Loc: away
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'.


Edited by fasteer (12/31/09 09:53 AM)

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#192271 - 12/31/09 12:56 PM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: LED]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
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.
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#192272 - 12/31/09 01:01 PM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: fasteer]
KenK Offline
"Be Prepared"
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 06/26/04
Posts: 2211
Loc: NE Wisconsin
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.

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#192274 - 12/31/09 02:01 PM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: Todd W]
Jesselp Offline
What's Next?
Enthusiast

Registered: 07/19/07
Posts: 266
Loc: New York
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.

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#192275 - 12/31/09 02:09 PM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: Todd W]
Lon Offline
Member

Registered: 11/14/08
Posts: 115
Loc: middle Tennessee
I'm not sure, but I think that my favorite AA Flashlight may be out of production. frown
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.

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#192278 - 12/31/09 02:41 PM Re: Favorite AA or AAA Flashlights [Re: Lon]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3842
Loc: USA
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.

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