Looking to replace my old MTE SSC-p4 light, needs to be able to tail stand and I would really like high/low/medium, or just high/low mode.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39062 looks good, but doesn’t really have a medium mode, apparently.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.36358 also looks good.
New brand of 1xAA XP-? R5 3-mode on DX - Eastward YJ J609 looks excellent, but 30 mins runtime semms awfully short
What do you guys suggest?
Welcome Ricez! Good to have you here.
I like the Trustfire R5-A3 a lot. It is fearsomely bright. Pity the low is silly high.
The Maratac AA clone, the jury is out on. Nobody's actually got one yet and DealExtreme's credibility is limited around here.
I don't know anything about the Trustfire S-A2 but it looks very much like the Uniquefire S10 - and likely has very similar internals.
I suspect the Akoray K-106 3 mode programmable model (AFAIK only available from kaidomain.com) would suit you very well.
Another good one would be the Ultrafire C3 Stainless Steel - Lightake.com say they have the 93mm long model which is the good one. The 96mm or longer ones are not nearly as nice.
The Trustfire F20 in the same body as the Akoray K-106 is well worth a look - there are reviews of most of these around here or on www.jayki.com
One of my favourite AA lights though it is huge by AA standards is the Trustfire F22 in stainless steel - a very, very nice but large and heavy (for an AA) light.
I recommend the TrustFire F20. 13,06 USD. I have one and I am veeeeeery happy with it
Hey there Ricez, welcome to BLF! Thanks for joining, enjoy your time here.
I would second Don's recommendation of the 3-mode Akoray programmable K-106 from Kaidomain. Note that it appears that only Kaidomain carries the programmable version.
I also second the recommendation of the Trustfire F20, especially if you want it to definitely be tailstandable. I also like the Ultrafire C3 Stainless, but unfortunately its design is a lot more prone to possibly having an ever-so-slightly protruding tailswitch boot that prevents it from tailstanding. On the other hand, I have no complaints about the new 98mm version's quality, although I never experienced the original to know what I'm missing.
As we have been discussing over on Jayki.com, we are trying to see if we can maybe work something out with a manufacturer to see if they will sell us the Maratac AA clone with the modes to our liking.
And we will have to buy at DX, I imagine or not? I imagine that we cant buy directly to the manufacturer. I am interested in that fashlight, but with a real xpg-r5, 3 or 5 USEFULL modes, and hybrid driver (AA/14500 support)
If there is any way to avoid DX I will try to avoid it. I detest DX, although I am not averse to buying from them if there's no other option. Among its many other flaws, DX is too huge to pay any attention to us small guys. Old4570 has managed to contact Eastward, however they have not returned my emails yet. We'll see.
Thanks for the suggestions guys, so many to choose from.
I really like the look of the R5-A3 but the modes look kinda junk.
What's the difference between the F20 and the K-106? Just 5-mode vs 3-mode programmable?
KD doesn't say the K-106 will run on AAs, but it does say "AKOray K-106 DC(0.7~4.5)" however in the details it lists "Voltage input range:(3.7V~4.2V)"
http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=6974
Hi Ricez,
Yes, the most noticeable difference between the F20 and the Akoray K-106 is the modes. The F20 also has glow-in-the-dark parts, which is really a gimmick, but I still like that feature a lot. The K-106 3-mode is also slightly higher quality that the F20. They are both very nice for the price.
As for the max and min input voltage, don't believe any specification that KD publishes, they are notoriously sloppy and even misleading with their claimed product specs. You're best off reading a good review, like this one by our member brted:
http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/223
And these are the two reviews I made:
I went ahead and ordered the Turstfire F20, and since it's apparently more of a thrower I just added a diffuser which should be handy http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.24123
Just hope it actually works when it arrives 
I have been happy with http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.33544. Has good high med low modes along with disco mode :( but fetures a very good memory mode. Small, tough and decent runtime. Only 1 AA and pretty small. aluminum reflector and glass lens. It is not a tight thrower and i like the beam isn't too focused. It seems just right. My sample arrived as a pretty neutral white tone. Couldn't be happier (if i find a way to disable the strobes it's just a perfetct 1 AA)
Ah, thanks budgeteer. I always wondered if that Skyray was any good. I own the SmallSun ZY-C41, which has the same body style, and frankly I don't like the crenelated bezel, so I never bought the Skyray.
Oh that never bothered me but now that you mention that crenelation has a use... much harder to fall form pocket when you sit. XD