I noticed in another thread a single AA LED flashight, I remember a ew years back when I bought my Arc AAA there wasn;t much choice in the LED flashlight market, you had the high end like the Arc and the crap coin cell lights, but it looks like there are more now.
I'm looking for a single AA powered LED light to replace my ARC AAA as it is the last piece of gear I have using AAA's and not AA batteries.
Any suggestions
Right now I've found:
Inova X1
Infinity CMG

I replaced my CMG Infinity with the Fenix L1P. Very happy with it so far. It's brighter and has a tailcap switch. Does seem to use up the battery a little faster though. Maybe one of the flashlight guys can chime in with some more suggestions.

The CMG Infinity is now the Gerber Infinity Ultra, same light internally with some external tweaks. I like this light for its size and battery life. Its got a nice even light pattern but not high output (which would go against battery life).

If you want more light output, check out the Peak Kino Bay with a 1 watt Luxeon LED. Personally, the runtime charts aren't that impressive, short life and not very flat considering it's regulated.

Or you could go the Fenix route with the L1S. This model has an adjustable output which extends battery life if you use the lower output.

My fav though is the low output, long runtime Infinity Ultra. For close up work the Luxeon LEDs are just too bright and for EDC the runtime isn't even close to enough. When I want more output, I go to a light with more batteries.

I would head over to FlashLightReviews.com he stopped updating his site (very sad) but he is leaving all his research up. It's a great site, he has used the same testing method over the years so you really are comparing apples to apples.

If you need more up to date info, check out candlepowerforums.com it just requires a bit more work.

Good Luck!

I second the Fenix L1P. I've had one a couple of months now and it is a fantastic EDC. It can use rechargables as well as lithium and alkaline batteries, so feeding it isn't a problem.

I've been using the Photon Proton for a while now. Good light quality and the the dimming and alternate red light capabilities are excellent. The multiple 5mm LEDs seem to have a run time advantage of a single brighter LED. Battery seems to last forever (I am using a lithium AA). Only complaint is the switch. No problem if you leave it clipped to your pocket (or elsewhere). Very occasionally comes on if just dumped into the bottom of the pocket. But, the switch is also what allows for the magic of the dimming and red light. <shrug> Passable tradeoff, though be nice if it had a tail switch and some sort of lockout. That would require both a complete redesign and probably a significant price increase for an already not inexpensive light.

I bought an Inova X1 as a backup to my main bush light because they both run on AA batteries. The Inova has been a good light but I cannot compare it to the others mentioned because I have never tried them.

Two negatives to the Inova X1 I have found is that the metal case can be cold in your hand and being metal it is not easy to hold in your teeth when you need to have both hands free.

Otherwise I have had no trouble with it.

Take care,

Mike

IMO Just about the best single AA light out there for the price, output, runtime, multiple battery usage, is the Fenix L1D CE. I'm using the 2AA model L2D CE and the output and runtime are incredible. https://www.fenix-store.com/index.php?cPath=22_55&osCsid=6e111de46ffe009909033a0caa3e5882

I've also been thinking of getting one of the new (rev. 2 I think) photon protons DR was referring to. Seems like a truly useful light. I think brightguy.com has them on sale for under $50.

Another headlamp/angle light that looks interesting thats supposed to come out soon is the Zebralight, a single AA Cree headlamp with a flood beam. Don't know all the details yet but following the thread at CPF if it lives up to expectations it could be a great light. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=166258&page=3

I second the fenix L1D-CE. Very robust and great output on 1 AA batterie. I EDC the L1D-CE.

for quick and easy, i cant recommend the Rock River LED from Target enough.

its cheap and run of the mill, but man is it convenient.
for AA, 30 hours runtime, 60 hours signal mode runtime (strobe-esque), and a really clean beam it cant be beat. oh...it's $12 !!!

great for BOB's and glove boxes

I'd third the Fenix L1D CE. In an indoor setting, mine is comparable to my 3D Maglite or my Xenon Pelican Saberlite. It doesn't "throw" quite as far as either of those outdoors because it's more of a flood pattern than a tightly focused spotlight, but it lights up the immediate area just fine. It can still put enough light up into a tree or on the side of a building to be useful.

I really like the Target River Rock lights. They brought out a new lineup a few months ago and I haven't had a chance to buy them all yet, but the whole line has a good reputation and is a great value. They have a single AA 1 watt Luxeon light for about $23, which is less than half the Fenix.

Of course the Fenix probably puts out 3-4 times as much light, but a 1 watt Luxeon is probably plenty for most uses. Even with the L1D CE, I still rarely get a "holy crap is that bright" from people.

Are you running high or turbo?

There is just a 10-lumen difference between high(80 lumen) and turbo(90 lumen). I don't really notice the difference between them. I have it standard on turbo-mode.

With the L2D-CE, the difference is a lot more noticebel(sp??)= 80/135 lumen

BTW: The P1D-CE and P3D-CE are even brighter (135/160 lumen), but they do run on CR123...