Nitecore EA45S …… would be my recommendation. 4 x AA in a nicely sized light. I personally use Eneloops in mine. It makes for a great combination.
Time for an update 
I gave my dad three lights to choose from, Thorfire TK4A, Lumintop SD4A and the Thrunite TN4A.
He liked the Lumintop SD4A the best, so that’s the one I’m gonna have to order him 
Only need to find out if I give him the XM-L2(U2) 1000 lumens or the XP-L HI 920 lumens.
He likes cold white light the best, any help on this??
Ps. for anyone that has this Lumintop SD4A, how does it run on alkaline AA’s does it give any problems with the UI or anything else?
I ask this because I noticed that my Nitecore EA41 does have trouble with going correctly through the UI.
Probably gonna buy some NIMH AA’s anyway but I would still like to know.
Eneloops are not going to be an option in the Netherlands.
So either throw away Aerocell Alkaline 2400mAh from the Lidl or NIMH 2450mAh from Ikea.
Good job getting your dad something nice.
I’ve run my TN4A through a set of alkalines and they only lasted about 10 minutes on high. Lower levels would be fine.
Then I got the IKEA Ladda 2450 and they provided something roughly equivalent to rated run times. Literally multiples of the alkalines - maybe 500 percent increase. Get them. They’re great, and a great deal.
I have only heard good stuff about the Ladda AA’s thanks for confirming
I found this Russian site and with translation it tells you about all kinds of different batteries and their stat’s HERE
The Aerocell’s of the Lidl are the best when it comes to easy, good and cheap to get alkaline AA’s
The same goes for Ladda NIMH AA’s from Ikea.
With my respect, but this site is Bulgarian, not Russian.
Anyway, just to mention.
Yeah, the IKEA LADDAs are equivalent to the Eneloops of the same capacity - they are both made by FDK in Japan. That’s your best bet. Don’t even bother with Alkalines for lights like these.
hmmm
I much prefer the form factor of the Nitecore ES45S
sits in my hand and back pocket so much better
the unibody seems structurally sound also
rides in my truck daily
Only need to find out if I give him the XM-L2(U2) 1000 lumens or the XP-L HI 920 lumens.
He likes cold white light the best, any help on this?
It does not give the binning on the Leds, but they are probably a similar cool white light. The XP-L HI just has a bit more throw compared to the XM which is a flooder light.
No problem with alkalines but with Eneloop works better
I have both versions and I can confirm this behavior
The XP-L version is my favorite
this would be nice light for modding but don’t recognize name
Nobody mention Zanflare F2(s) yet?
This is fairly cheap and surprisingly good. The reflector is deep and resulting a good throw.
I’m currently looking for a multi-AA light as a Christmas gift for someone who is not a flashaholic, so this thread gave me some good ideas. Right now I’m leaning toward Nitecore EA45S because of its form factor, but still researching…
Yup. My only hang-up with it is that blinky mode cannot be bypassed.
Thorfire TK4A? Had a coupon on Amazon for 15bux, might still work, dunno.
the thorfire is sold out …
but the Sofirn version is on sale for $5 more .20$
Were the bugs ironed out as far as it turning itself on, etc.?
no idea …I assume they are the same light as the thorfire … I like sofirn lights and they have always been very responsive in the past when contacted . Under 20$ is as cheap as I’ve ever seen these lights
Ended up ordering Manker MK41.
Ugh… so the MK41 that GoingGear sent me has a badly scratched up lens glass - can’t give this to someone as a gift. Unfortunately, they don’t have any more in stock to send me a replacement. So, back to the drawing board…
NItecore EA45S is in the same ballpark as the MK41.
MK41 HI 43,400cd (410m)
EA45S 40,500 (402m)
MK41 HD 38,000cd (389m)
I am a big fan of mine. Much nicer in the hand than the mini-soda can 4xaa lights.