The best 2xAA flashlight Iāve used is the Thrunite Archer 2A v3. I found out about it reading the best flashlight article by theWireCutter
It is very bright and their lumen rating is legit and not exaggerated.
The brightest 2xAA is the Armytek Partner A2 Pro, which I measured 630 lumens for the WW version with my TA lumen sphere. The tint is beautiful if you like WW/NW. The Prime A2 Pro for some reason measures significantly less probably because of the optics. The only thing I donāt like about the Partner A2 Pro is that it lacks tail standing ability whereas the Archer 2A does.
They already do existā¦ā¦ I see them every day walking the streets with their faces glued to a phone screen whilst walking in to me, or out in front of cars etc with completely blank emotionless faces.
They may not be trying to eat me yet, but they are out there in their millions!
This flashlight is very similar to the Lumintop Tool in size, construction, performance, modes, and it even comes with a diffuser. Here are the outputs::
Lumens
Battery
Low
Med
Med
14500
20
280
600
AA
1
30
220
This would be a great bug out single AA light IMHO because it provides a battery conserving and discrete 1 lumen Low mode as well as a very robust 220 lumen High mode, if needed. Additionally, it would be very easy to carry because of its size and weight. It has no mode memory and always starts up in Low mode.
Zombies among us now...............the newer generation with their smartphones......duuuuuuuuhhhhhhh..... must load app............duuuuhhhhh....press..press...click.click (tongue-and-cheek )
:+1: Maglite has a two nice 3C lightsā¦one the āold timeyā Alkaline/incandescent model, that can be upgraded with a drop-in LED bulb. But, they are hard to come by.,
Or, for about $40, they build a very nice LED 3 C model. Lighter than the Incand model, donāt feel as rugged as the otherā¦and probably, less utility as an impact weapon. Had one, returned it. Streamlight, I think it is, offers a couple of LED C cell lights. Utilitarian, not really great throwers, but very capable.
1A flashlight: ThruNite Archer 1A V3
2A flashlight: Nitecore MT2A LED Flashlight. Here is my favorite 2aa flashlight list
Although, I am a big fan of Thrunite v3 aa flashlight.
How do you like the color rendering index (CRI)? In a YouTube video, a guy walks in the woods with a Partner A2 Pro. The tint, he says, is warm white. But to my eyes, the woods looked like a colorless moon. I commented as much. The video maker said the CRI looks a lot better in real life.
I have a hard time believing that a warm white light in a V5 or V6 bin can generate over 600 lumens out the front AND have high CRI.
My two 4300K XM-L2 lights use a modest T6 bin. They have a high CRI. But theyāll still no match for a Nichia 219C.
My 4300K XM-L2 light in U2 bin is incrementally brighter than my T6s. But its CRI is incrementally lower.
I keep somewhat dated 2AA lights in one of my BOBs: a Klarus P2A and a Jetbeam BA20. A quad of standard Eneloops and some Energizer Ultimates round things out.
Theyāre two mode twisties (250/30LM,) but they get the job done.
I have a Prime A2, likely using the same warm white emitter as the Partner. While I like the warm tint, itās certainly not high CRI. Better than a cool white, but thatās not saying much. Overall, I donāt really like it outdoors, as it does make things look flatter than other lights I have.
I like my new Manker T02, but it would not be a good choice for a bug out bag. It has no physical lock out so always draws some current from the cells, and the tailcap is a bugger to install without cross threading it.
But it looks good
Sunwayman D20A has same issues, but it does have the cool red LED and zombies canāt see red light, so it has that going for it
My AA bug out light would be my single cell Lumintop EDC05. Bright, simple UI, magnetic tail, very well made.
I really like the Jaxman M2. It is reliable and has a wonderfully simple UI. The high is very bright and reaches out nicely for a 2xAA flashlight. The ālowā is still fairly bright and lasts a good while. Some people might miss a lower low but this really works well for what it is. I prefer the 4300K version, which they strangely call āwarm yellowā on the Ali Express page:
Something interesting I noticed about the Jaxman M2, is that if you run it on two lithium primary AAs the two modes are almost identical. With alkalines or nimh the low and high are noticeably different as expected, even though itās more like medium and high. The driver is very sensitive to the higher voltage I guess.
Yeah I dont like that strobe in main sequence either on the Zanflare, I just leave it in my car with some Lithium primaries, really liking the output on Tool 2.0 with just 1 AA, so not sure if it fits your request, the Sofirn 2AA is pretty good and cheap, Fenix LD or E AA lights are also pretty good but pricier.
Forgive my utter lack of electrical knowledge here but I remember reading something about the high mode being realized through a boost driver. Iām guessing whatever controls are involved keep the high regulated so you only see a boost from the voltage in low. Either way, Iām not sure youāre supposed to use lithium batteries. The information Iāve seen specifies alkaline and NiMH for the M2.
In another thread, people joked that this is the best flashlight for people who donāt know how to care for lithium batteries. Things might have changed in the last year or two but is this the most powerful 2xAA thrower for non-lithium users?
Iām talking about 1.8v Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries, which folks around here call lithium primaries, not the much higher voltage lithium ion batteries that most lights use these days. Lithium primary AAs are usually interchangeable with alkalines in most devices.