What is Your Favorite 1xAAA Light?


Brass UltraTac K18 w/10440

My Peak Eiger would be my favourite if I bought Ultra X instead of Ultra. It’s expensive light. And the process of purchasing it wasn’t as smooth as I could wish. But I really consider buying another because output-aside it blows away all my other small lights.

1- Jetusolis (Jetbeam Jet-u modified by clemence with optisolis 5000K)
2- Sofirn C01 5600K and C01 3200K
3- DQG AAA titanium

“Useful” is a wonderfully ambiguous metric. :innocent:

The light I carry the most and does almost all of what I need is the diminutive Thrunite Ti3. More light to read a menu, just enough to find a dropped screw, can show you what’s under a couch, etc.

I’ve compared it against a nice list - Tool AAA, Wuben E01, Astrolux A01, Nitefox K3, Glareee something or the other, and a few more I can’t place right now. All have their strong points. The Ti3 is the one that keeps finding its way into that little gap next to my wallet.

Tank007 ES12

I’m not sure I have a singular favorite. I currently use a Fenix E05 as my EDC, but the mode spacing is not great and there is no moonlight. The Fenix E01 and Sofirn C01 both share a simple ruggedness and efficiency that really resonates with me, but the low output limits their versatility, and I adore the beam of the C01.

The Lumintop clickies look interesting, but I wouldn’t want the MLH mode order, and some of the past runtime tests have shown poor efficiency.

The Olight i3e is charming for its size, but they went with a low CRI emitter that is not easily replaced, since it is mounted on the driver board and has an uncommon footprint.

The Lumintop IYP07 with a UI like Bistro would be really appealing to me, even if it were based on a variation of existing drivers that would require a 10440.

I actually have a Sofirn C01s in my Amazon cart waiting for my next order, because I decided work use is one case where coming on in high is a good feature for me, but I don’t need to do this kind kind of task regularly enough that I want to carry a larger light. This will be a dedicated light my job. Otherwise I wouldn’t want it to start on high.

The AAA light I drool over the most is the Balaton (10440 only), but I’d never be able to justify that, and it’s as large as some AA lights.

At some point in the future I might make myself a couple Jet-u E21A mods, but don’t have time to do so right now.

It depends on how much light you need. Even when I’m using my D4, it spends the overwhelming majority of its time below 100 lumens.

The higher outputs are certainly useful to me on a fairly regular basis, but for simply walking around comfortably at night or doing arms-length inspection tasks at work, a AAA is fine for me.

Right now I carry the BLF 348 clipped into my right pocket for easy access - and I use it alot! It also makes a nice gift.

FWIW, my normal EDC light is the 14500 Thorfire TG06S that I carry in a belt pouch. For good measure, I keep one of these on my keychain.

best bang for buck… c01S
nicest beam but limited use… c01 3200k
brightest and nice tint… ultratac k18 2019 219c

I also like the ti3 and astrolux a01 for their great firefly modes. too bad they messed up the interfaces with next mode memory on both. easily fixed though.

AAA- Thrunite Ti - Original with perfect firefly mode for the night
AA/14500 - Wuben E05 - my favorite, this packs serious punch for the size

I like the Frelux Synergy 1. Expensive but, nice.

Olight i3e
Small size - one mode. Perfect.

LD01

I have found that I don’t need the barnburners any longer and this lil’ guy meets most of my needs. Plus I love the “raw” aluminum body. The look of SS with the weight of aluminum. Plus, it hasn’t turn my hands black as some suggested. It is a Peak Eiger single mode Mule (simple), level 4 (probably around 10-12 lumens) of high CRI light.

The only one that I currently carry is the Manker E02 right angle light. Nice mode levels and floody enough beam for close up work

My Factor Equipment Mizpah 130 was the one I carried for hat brim use because of it’s fabulous two-way clip and floody beam, but it was replaced by a non-AAA light a month or so ago - Folomov C2, so now I don’t have any 1AAA lights for hat brim use.

I like the looks of the runtime graph for the EDC01 in the OP, but I generally don’t use twisties.

This LM21

Well thats just silly. When I was younger and only carrier a photon II in green for YEARS and, somehow, I survived. For the past 10 years or maybe more I’ve only carrier 1xAAA lights and they work great. Many years carrying a trusty Fenix L0Dce, only recently have I found a couple lights which I’ve been happy enough with to replace it. The Lumintop Stainless Worm is a stellar little light but I abhor cold white. Currently carrying a Thrunite Ti AAA with the neutral XPL and I’m loving it. I wish the threads were a little better (tighter and smoother) and I could appreciate a M-L-H mode order but for $20 its an amazing EDC light that really can pack a punch.

Not to say I don’t use other lights, but 9/10 times its my AAA edc light which gets the job done.

If I really had to pick only one AAA light, though, I think it would go to the Lumintop Ti. Its a bit larger than the Thrunite, about the size of my old fenix. But it has a flawless 219B with perfect tint, well balanced modes and a nice e-switch with virtually no parasitic draw.

I carry one of my Astrolux AO1’s on keyring mostly.
Used to be a Convoy AAA Stainless twisty.
(Whoops SORRY. Titanium not s/s.)

I Have about 8 or 9 AAA’s. But they all only really a novelty.
Sensible torches start around The AA/14500.
Jetbeam Jet-1 mk pro my fav.

+1 for the Jet U
I have the E21a version in three different colour temps. Love them!

Loved my Jetbeam Jet - u on my keychain, but it stopped working after a year. Got myself a Nitecore TIP as replacement, which is an even better keychainlight in my opinion. The Lumintop Ant (stainless steel with tritium in the Tail) ist also very awesome, but that beauty is just to shiny for edc.

It is not nice to judge or to condemn a person because of his physical needs (wish things were different).
Talk to you again when you are my age.