Is there such a thing as a 1xAAA light with moonlight, low, and medium modes? I’m thinking 0.2, 2, and 20 lumens, in that order. (no point having a moon mode if it requires going through brighter modes first)
I got my iTP A3 EOS out again recently since I hadn’t used it in a while, and I found that it’s actually too bright for me most of the time, even on low. (selfbuilt tested the low mode on my model at about 3.5 lumens) Its medium mode is definitely brighter than I generally want, and its runtime on med/high is terrible.
So, what I’d really like is something with lower, evenly-spaced modes, moon/low/med, and hopefully good runtimes at all levels. Ideally no PWM either, though that’s not a big deal. And, of course, as small as possible.
The Olight i3S has a nice moon mode, decent runtime on medium, and no PWM, but it lacks a low mode and the moon mode is at the end of the primary mode sequence. Bleh.
No PWM? Or is it just high frequency PWM that you can’t see it?
How are you going to boost the voltage up from 1.2V to the LED Vf of 3V and up without any switching? I’m really curious.
Sure you can use a linear buck to make the lower modes and waste the energy as heat.
Not aware of any good aftermarket drivers in AAA size
They would be handy as most stock drivers really suck unless you buy a fancy well picked AAA light.
I’m not 100% sure, but Olight says “Utilizing the latest CREE XP-G2 LED and updated drive circuitry, no stroboscopic output.” I interpret that to mean no PWM. As far as the voltage, I’m not sure how, but Zebralight is able to do it quite efficiently.
I don’t terribly mind PWM, but I’ve found that I see it even when I’m not looking for it. I see the PWM on my Skyray King (~200 Hz?), iTP A3 EOS (2.45 kHz), and Convoy S3 (4.5 kHz), and it’s a bit distracting. I still prefer constant output though, unless I’m using it as a strobe light.
Programmable drivers exist, and we already have software to put on them (see DrJones luxdrv). I’m not aware of any which would fit into a 1xAAA light though.
Sort of related… I’m still tempted to get a luxdrv-compatible 1x18650 light, just so I can play with the firmware.
I have just received a P0 from 4Sevens. A thing of beauty!
In brushed & polished SS, scarcely larger than the included AAA. The broad (~110 degree) EVEN beam would be hard to better. The initial Low at ~0.25 lm (>100 hr) is eminently satisfactory for these old eyes. A ~25 lm High (~1.5 hr) falls between an old 2AA & 6V lamp output.
My only concern is regarding the strong magnet in the base - I have the P0 stuck, horizontally to the side of my fridge.
If it can corrupt a plastic card’s magnetic strip, perhaps the magnet should be removed?
I think what I’m really looking for is a AAA Zebralight. Too bad they don’t touch that type of battery.
They could totally make something great if they stuck with the same UI and just lowered the maximum output to be more appropriate for the battery type:
H1 63lm, H2 20lm
M1 6.3lm, M2 2lm
L1 0.63lm, L2 0.2lm, L3 0.06lm
Or maybe 80, 25, 8, 2.5, 0.8, 0.25, 0.08… if they wanted more impressive output at the high end.
I’d totally buy a 1xAAA Zebralight. Especially if it came in colors that aren’t military drab.
… but that probably won’t happen. And I’m mostly happy with my SC52 anyway.
Thanks, but it lacks any sub-lumen modes and the beam is all flood instead of spot+spill. And I was really hoping for something which shines out the front.
The H502 is nicer — brighter and dimmer and longer runtimes… but it’s still all flood and angled.
The H51 is another step better since it has spot+spill, but I already have one.
The closest I’ve found is the ZL SC52, which I also have and am quite happy with. My only complaint about it is that it’s really inconvenient to switch between 0.34lm and 0.06lm modes, both of which would be very useful if it didn’t take 18 clicks and a bunch of bright flashes to switch between them.
I really don’t need another 1xAAA light… but if I find a perfect one, I’ll totally buy it anyway.
I agree that would be a sweet light. A Zebralight with that UI is something I would buy.
My current lowest output light, a Fenix LD01 Cree XP-G with a low of 3 lumens is way too bright at times when I just need to navigate around the house, without bothering others.
You can only assume a well run flashlight company closely follows the CPF and BLF flashlight forums to see what us flashaholics desire.
Not sure what a DD-214 is, but… Personally, I just spend a lot of time in the dark. My partner and I are both rather photosensitive so I don’t often use bright lights. It’s nice being able to use a light in a movie theater without bothering anyone, or to look around without waking up my partner or ruining my night vision. The runtimes are great too… The 0.06lm setting on my SC52 is just about right as a nightlight and it runs for roughly 2 months in that mode, so I don’t feel bad using it that way.
I use 0.06lm, 0.18lm, 0.34lm, 2.2lm, and 2.5lm settings on my lights a lot, and only occasionally want more than that. So, even my 3.5lm keychain 1xAAA light tends to be brighter than I want most of the time.
OTOH, I also love my Skyray King, but I don’t often use it for more than a few moments at a time.
