depending on what you want to spend these are my recommendations:
$5-6 - sipik sk68 clone - a very fun light and for the price everyone should own one - three or even five of them… they work well on aa and 14500 and make good gifts (buy on ebay)
$30 - xeno e03 XML2 or nichia 219 - a good middle of the road light - can be had with your preference of xml2 u2, t6 neutral or nichia 219 from edcplus.com - just be careful of “blue” and “red” colors… they really are purple and pink in my experience
$54 - zebralight sc52 from illuminationsupply.com - use promocode sc52restock for probably the best price you will ever see on this light currently… i was on the fence about this one… but pulled the trigger after i saw TWO used ones sell in 1 hour on CPFM for MORE than the new price… i will be posting a full review, but from the zebralights i have owned in the past im sure its great… runs on aa or 14500 … the 14500 does not effect the modes at all, it gives the light a “turbo” 500 lumen mode for the first minute and then steps down to 280 lumen and behaves exactly like an AA nimh is loaded
also check out the eagletac d25a XML2 (cw and nw available) on light junction for around $52 - i ordered one of these yesterday - i owned the d25c at one point and the head flickered when i got it… but eagletac customer service made it right very quickly… (i shipped the head to china for about $4 and it was back at my door in 2 weeks fixed)
also be aware that lifepo4 batteries are good for some aa lights if you want the bang of a 14500 with a little less heat… they will run about 3.6-3.65 volts fresh off the charger and will be nearly as bright (Depending on the emitter) in a direct drive mode, without the danger and heat of a 4.2v li-ion
For a single AA don’t forget the L3 Illumination L10. At $20 it is a great value for an XPG2.
For 2xAA, I’ll second the ShiningBeam Caveman recommendation. Especially given that there’s currently a thread dedicated to Bryan’s excellent customer service!
If you ask for the best multi-aa EA4 can not compare with Blackshadow / FandyFire Rook.
”EA4” is top quality, and it is not more expensive than the others.
the rook is wired parallel - 1.5v on primary alkaleaks, 4.2v on li-ion, it also has no tailcap lock out and can drain your cells there were early reports of very high parasitic drain.
I’d like to find a nice multi aa light but nightcore can f* spiders, I wont be giving them any money, which leaves jetbeam with a question mark too
Close…. but I would HIGHLY recommend spending $5 more for the Nichia 219 high CRI emitter. It is a fantastic light! My 4-mode white version is definitely one of my best buys to date. Can’t recommend it enough.
That’s a good light, as is the ShiningBeam Spark (which converts to a 1xCR123 light for travel or better pocketability). The 47s Quark, EagleTac P and D series, and Crelant V21-A are all good 2xAA lights, and the ET GX25A3 looks interesting, but I haven’t owned it.
Both BlackShadow and Fandyfire have the mentioned problems? Is you also take out Nitecore, then what is else is available with multi-AA cells? I see that there are options when it comes to single cell, but with multi-cell the case is different.
I think the Blackshadow Padme CAN be locked-out, unlike the Rook (unmodded). Fortunately, you can mod the Rook with tape to enable lock-out…. there are threads on here about it elsewhere if you are interested.
The Fenix TK41 takes 8xAA. It is very similar to the Nitecore EA8. TK41 is nice, but about $100. Not sure if you are trying to spend that much.
There is also the Fenix LD41, LD40, and E40, and the Jetbeam PA40. All four of these are very similar. Different emitters and features… These are 4xAA like the EA4, but different shape/configuration.
…cells are you thinking? My TK41 is an awesome light, but despite being about the same size as a 2D maglite, I think many people used to small EDC lights think it’s too big. It’s a true SAR and gamespotting light. If an 8xAA light isn’t too big, check it out.
mimd to shed some light about what is happening to nitecore that turn you off?
blackshadow is a good light. not always that nitecore sits higher than it.