After reading all of this I am going to do something I never do and recommend a light I don't have. It sounds like the Romisen RC-29 from Shiningbeam would be exactly what you are looking for, plus if you order it today you will have it by Friday and you are guaranteed it will work with no tinkering.
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-180/Romisen-RC-dsh-29-II-R5/Detail
If the above is what you want this is what you need:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/uniquefire-aa-s1-3w-osram-160-lumen-led-flashlight-1-aa-1-14500-24220
Very floody, very bright, nice natural tint and cheap.
Thanks nautic. was going to suggest AA-S1 at 9usd from DX as i have good luck with them but feel like i am becoming that lights champion on the site and there are a bunch of good lights.
the romisen rc-29 from shiningbeam at 21.75usd is a great plan. company ships fast ( to the states anyway), great customer service, nice modified romisen in a XP-G r4 OR r5, the only flood -to-throw i own. more expensive sure, but good company in brooklyn.
I'm with E1320 the RC-29 is a wonderfull little light, Flood to throw are not everybodies cup of tea, but in this case I think it's the way to go, especially if you find yourself taping the front of the light to atenuate the hotspot.
Comparing to the Sipik the RC-29 has a larger illumination area in flood mode, and the zoom is actuated by rotating the bezel not by pushing/pulling.
I dont know however if the shiningbeam model has modes or not.
OK everyone, thank you all for the great help and advice. I am still unsure as what I may get. I am on this forum because I can not afford a lot of lights listed on CPF. At the same time I am a bit sceptical about the quality of a light from a place such as DX. This simply may be all rubbish that I have built up in my head about things made in Chuina. LOL :) Here is what I mean....will the light simply work out of the box? Will it break if I drop it be accident? What if I forget it is in my pocket and it falls in a sink full of water while shaving? I am not trying to be a bother at all, I simply am new to all of this and also do not want to waste my limited income money. Heck if I had more to play with I would buy 5 lights and have different ones to pick from depending on my mood. LOL :)
It looks like the Ultrafire U20 might be the "tank" or best built of the group plus it is waterproof to IPX8, I like that idea just in case. Yet I can gettwo lights from DX for $21. Then there is than Romisen from Shiningbeam. :) So many good choices.
If you're buying a cheap light and want it to be waterproof, I recommend when you get it you immediately check to make sure that all the o-rings are in place and well lubricated.
. I think the trustfire R5-A3 might be the closest thing to what he's looking for .Flood, 3 modes , moddable easily to get rid of the flash, higher lumens than other lights ,much greater increase on 14500, pocket clip,Not a bad light .
Well folks based on what everyone has shared with me and from reading reviews on this site, I have ened up with this....so I hope I made a good choice:
| Shipment # | SKU | Product or Service Name | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24220 | UniqueFire AA-S1 3W OSRAM 160-Lumen LED Flashlight (1*AA/1*14500) | x1 Pending | USD 9.72 |
| 1 | 26124 | TrustFire Protected 14500 3.7V 900mAh Rechargeable Lithium Batteries (2-Pack) | x1 Pending | USD 5.34 |
| 1 | 28546 | Akoray K-106 Cree Q5-WC 5-Mode 230-Lumen Memory LED Flashlight (1*AA/1*14500) | x1 Pending | USD 12.51 |
It is coming from DX which I have never ordered from before. :) Thanks for the help and input. By the way, I asked my same question on CPF in the budget lights section and they told me to get these lights:
Xeno E03 XM-L
Zebralight SC51F
Jetbeam BK135A
AAAGGGHHH!!! Ummm I said budget light people....I mean seriously? LOL :)
The AKOray you ordered isn't the one mentioned earlier in the thread.
Thats what CPF is all about. LOL
You may consider this instead of the Akoray:
http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=10582
You get a extremely bright light with modes, AA or 14500
OK I canceled my DX order so now I am back to square one. :) All is good I just want to make the right choice and I am not in a rush. I will keep looking, reading and learning.
If you can find the products you are interested in anywhere besides DX you will probably have a better experience. DX is legitimate, but they are slow, dishonest, and error prone.
The romisen RC-29 from shining beam is an excellent light with a 14500. The Husby P31 Review: Hugsby P31 with the high voltage driver is also an excellent high quality light.
I have found the AA 's to be the trickiest light on the market , especially under $20 ..
I have yet to find one that was perfect over the long haul and did not develop some sort of issue ..
Tank 007 566 , beam quality ? Ringy , otherwise works .
Go above $20 , and the Akoray 3 mode programable , The ITP 3 mode twisty [ Hell of a buy ]
I have a Jetbeam AA that just rules , fully programable , 3 modes , no memorry , set it up the way you want , but is not Cheap .
Most of my AA purchasses have been disapointing in the long run [ buyers remorse ] , so chose carefully .
I dont know why , but speaking for myself , I have found the AA format troublesome in the budget segment , plenty of good budget CR123A or 18650 lights , but the venerable AA , most of mine are sculking behind CR123A and 14500 lights , or have been modified to 14500 .
Alright, I took a step back, read reviews on this site and looked at what people were saying might be a good light for me. I was not comfy with the DX order after I made it so that gave me my money back via Paypal. I made my decission now and I am happy with it and it is coming from Manafont and here is what I bought:
| 1 x | Protected TrustFire 14500 3.7V 900mAh Rechargeable Batteries - Colorful (2pcs/set) | $6.12 |
| 1 x | Ultrafire U20 Cree XP-G R5 200-Lumen Waterproof LED Flashlight (1*AA/1*14500) (No Gift Box Package) | $19.33 |
It seems to me that overall people are happy with the U20 and they seem to not have many issues with them. :) Again this will be a pocket EDC that I want to last a while. Maybe later as money will allow or the wonderful folks here offer me deals and such LOL :) I will add a few more lights to my collection. For now I am thinking that I made a good choice because of all the help this forum has offered. Thank you.
Just remember if you put a 14500 in a light (or anything else) not designed for them they will almost certainly emit that exciting blue smoke :P
My understanding is that this light can handle the 14500, am I right? If not I have 1.2V rechargables for it.
U20 should be fine with 14500s.
fantastic :) By the way, how long does it take on average to get an order to Virginia, USA from Manafont from the time the order is said to be shipped?
My guess is 10 to 20 days