i live off the grid in the wilderness so i EDC 2-3 small flashlights, all using a single AAA battery.

my theory about any seriously important survival gear is that it has to be on me 100% of the time, so being very tiny is important, and even more so because i carry multiple units.

runtimes are also important to me so i've been keeping track of any runtime tests conducted over at CPF that involve 1xAAA 'lights.

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here are the current winners:

Liteflux LF2XT - 42 hours of useful light on alkaline

ReVO - 43 hours of useful light and finally going dead at 55 hours on alkaline (82 hours with a lithium)

Fenix E01 - 55 hours until dead on alkaline

Mako - 63 hours on alkaline of useful light (79 hours with lithium)

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currently the $60 LF2XT is not in production but used ones show up in the BST boards. because its a clickie its a bit larger and kinda complicated compared to the other three.

the $50 revo has three brightness levels and is a particularly useful having such a bright beam when needed, but its not as tough as the Mako or E01 as a survival unit.

the best-buy of the four is the $10 E01 which is inexpensive and super tough and can be easily be purchased on amazon.

the $125 Mako was a very limited run of around 100 units that sold out instantly. this handmade light is a masterpiece in design.

i've owned all of these and prefer Mako due to titanium construction, gold (non-corrosive) battery contacts, and because its super dependable and tough. i buy any used ones i find so i always have a few extras laying around, just in case...

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final thought: a 40-plus hour, non-flammable light that you easily carry 24/7 on your keychain, in case of blackouts etc, is way more useful than bigger/brighter/fanicer items left at home. and even better is that additional AAA batteries can be scrounged almost anywhere on the planet, ie: out of remote control units, radios, kid's toys, etc