My favorite AAA is the iTP A3. There is a AA model, iTP-A2, that would be a good one I think. It runs $25.99 on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/iTP-A2-EOS-Cree-XP-E-Q5-Keychain-AA-Flashlight-/220597819081?pt=US_Flashlights&hash=item335ca796c9.
Jerry
I own the Balder HD1. It is far and above my most used light, as it is clipped inside my pocket constantly.
Your information about it is only partially correct. It doesn’t have any delay on power ON, it’s immediate, and it defaults to high. It does have a delay on power OFF, you must hold down the button for approximately 1.5-2 seconds. Yes it’s annoying, BUT, because of the design of this light, it’s more compact than most, extremely bright on high, and I love it. I’ll accept the annoying power off problem.
I recommend the Balder-HD1.
On a side note, I just ordered this:
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1601/10001533/1114402-akoray-cree-q5-wc-6-mode-memory-200-lumen-led-flas
It will be my backup EDC. I ordered it due to price and construction appearances. I’ll report in soon on how it actually is.
I’m new around here, been a lurker since the late summer, but I came here with essentially the same question you are asking.
I found out about the Balder HD-1 and ordered one, and it has been in my pocket virtually every day since October. It performs great on both my Eneloops and, more recently, the AW 14500 cells I’ve been using. I’m very happy with the fit and finish of the light, and while I have had reason to contact Balder customer service, I was very satisfied with the interaction.
Also, I don’t have a lot to compare it to, but the interface isn’t that bad. The piston system is neat from a technical point of view and does add to the compactness of the light. I don’t have any issues with ‘non-positive’ button pushes, and the hold for off thing is just a minor annoyance. The light turns on instantly with a single push of the piston.
I paid around $8 more for my neutral white unit since it was very new at the time, and I am thoroughly satisfied with it even at that price. IMHO its a steal at ~$25.
Hope that helps!
Welcome and thanks for sharing, its nice to hear real world experience of an item.
+1
Yes, thanks for posting your experience. I'm seriously considering this one now!
-Garry
I think I’ve finally decided on my EDC, the Lighthound/Balder, after buying a handful of ~$10 single mode 1AAs from DX.
After Christmas to avoid the madhouse.
Is there a Lighthound coupon?
What little things should I get from Lighthound at the same time to save on shipping later?
Joel
Fasttech has the UltraFire UF-H2B. There’s a 10% coupon (GOTECH) that’s still good which brings the price to sub $25. Runs on 1.5 and 3.7. Clip, plus magnet, plus infinite zoom, plus the headlamp option thing.
Would say it’s great value in that pricerange. 
I have a few of the more popular budget AA lights. Here is my take:
Uniquefire G10 single mode XP-G: $15 from manafont. Good brightness on eneloops. Afraid to try 14500s. Beam is good for the price. No rings. Tint is good, but not great. Slightly greenish cool, but not awful. No PWM that bothers my eyes. Switch is OK, very slight vagueness. Button sticks up, so its a little wobbly, but can tailstand. Personally I don’t care for the tacticool style body with all the fins and aggressive bezel… also large for a 1xAA light, but not a dealbreaker for me. Machining and threads are good for the price.
Trustfire R5A3 three mode XP-G: $16 from ‘shop advance’ on ebay. Not as bright as the G10 on eneloops. Really needs 14500s for full potential. Beam is OK, but I like G10 slightly better. Tint on mine is very blue and not pleasing to the eye. Mode spacing is OK, not great. I hate all strobes. Bad PWM, very noticeable to me. Switch is firm (I like this, some may not). Button is a little small and slightly recessed, so may be tricky with gloves. Tailstands well. I like the simple smooth body and polished stainless [?] bezel of the R5A3. Would prefer a flat bezel over crenalated. Machining and threads are good for the price.
Ultrafire C3 single mode XP-G: $15 from manafont. Good brightness - similar to G10. Beam is good, but some slight artifacts on white walls. Tint is good - cool but pretty much white. No PWM that I notice. Switch is nice and firm. Button sticks up and is rounded… Does tailstand barely - Very wobbly! Body is nice and compact… Smaller than G10 and R5A3. Machining is actually better than I expected, but I hear other C3’s leave something to be desired.
Tank007 tk566 single mode XP-G: $17 from DX. Excellent brightness! Brighter than G10 and others above. Beam is good, but a little more ringy on whitewalls than these others. Not horrible though. Tint is good, cool but pretty much white. No PWM that bothers me. Switch is good. Button is slightly recessed, but easier to actuate than the R5A3. Tailstands well. Body is nice and smooth and compact…… but for some stupid reason Tank glues everything! WTF? I could only open from the switch end. Unfortunately there appears to be some dirt on the inside of the lens too. A real shame about the glue b/c otherwise I like this one. (My wifes purse light currently.)
Those are some decent options for under $20… If you are willing to spend just a few bucks more I would strongly suggest the Thrunite T10. I got mine for $25, including a free AAA Ti too, which is a smokin deal for two great lights!
The T10 is a three mode twisty with [I think] an XP-G emitter. Brightness is very useable on high. Peak lumen output is a bit less than the better of the cheap lights listed above, but if so not by much. Even if OTF lumens are less, the light from the T10 seems more useable to me. Beam is outstanding. Clean, focused spot and smooth spill. No trace of artifacts or rings - due to orange peel reflector and quality coated lens. The twisty switch is smooth and works as expected. Tint is typical “premium cool white” with a slightly purple tinge to the corona. Very useable, well-spaced modes. Love the firefly mode! No strobe! Yay!! Can tailstand if you are careful, but only on the flat raised ridge on the tail end where the lanyard ties to. Build quality is outstanding for the price. The body of the T10 is extremely small and light! Not much bigger than the AA cell. It is about 1.5cm shorter than my AAA Peak Eiger, and only a few mm wider (my smallest AAA light). I am wearing the T10 around my neck now actually. The eiger is getting jealous.
If you want a good tiny AA, the T10 is worth checking out. Whichever option you choose I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for your input. I wondered about the TF R5A3 myself, but sounds like it's not so great. And if I were to change the driver & possibly emitter, then I might as well spring for a higher end light!
Myself, I'm looking for one that is quite the "pocket rocket" in stock form yet also runs on common cells if needed (AA primary, AA NiMh, 14500 LifePO4, 14500 Li-Ion). Has to be small enough to be unobtrusive in my pocket or preferably on a key ring (which of course then necessitates key ring mountability). Neutral white and XM-L is a big plus. If the light hits all the points and the build quality is acceptable then the price I'll pay rises. I think the Balder HD-1 (neutral white from Int'l Outdoor) is my light.
-Garry
Was not really thrilled with the R5A3, but it’s not a total turd either. At least it seems reliable with 14500s (which cannot be said of all cheap AA lights). Always possible I got one with a crappy emitter I guess. If it was closer to $10 my standards would be lower.
My loathing of strobes is what drove me to these single mode lights. I have read about the possibility to delete the R5A3’s strobe with solder. That might help me like it a bit more.
Strobe and PWM seem to be its biggest flaw… just like my trustfire Z1. Both are decent lights that would be a lot better with higher freq PWM, strobe delete, and better tint. TF should work on that.
Sounds to me like the Balder is probably a good call for your pocket rocket needs. The Thrunite T10 could make a great keychain light though.
I should also have mentioned, Thrunite themselves warn because the T10 is so small heat dissipation could be an issue on 3.7V. LifePo4 might be safer… I have not tried either to be honest. It does get a little warm after a couple minutes on high with just an eneloop.
Strangely, the thrunite T10 seems to be often overlooked for others like the olight i3 or ITP a2. For what it is I think its a great little light for the $. Hopefully this info might come in handy for someone shopping AA lights in the future.
Yes Garry, the Lighthound rebranded HD-1.
Joel
Wow, between the holidays and being really busy at work, I forgot about this thread for a while… It was a nice surprise to come back and find so many more posts.
Much appreciation for all of the great info here!
So, I got an R5A3 right away and liked it so much that I bought five more to give out as gifts. They were so popular that I no longer have any! While I actually agree with the cons pointed out above, IMO they are a very good value indeed. I particularly appreciated the wire clip and the glow in the dark ring inside the bezel, it’s definitely handy to be able to find the light in the dark. I may pick up another one soon.
I also ordered a Balder SE-1, it just arrived today after four weeks… Should have let go of a couple of extra bucks and gone with the Lighthound version. I agree with the negatives pointed out with this one as well. While it is nice, and I can clip it to a hat, the clip setup doesn’t really work for pocket carry and it cannot tailstand. I like the way the modes switch on this better than on the Trustfire though. I’m happy to keep it around.
Anyway, the light I have actually been carrying most is… A Fenix LD01, lol! I know, I know, almost twice my stated budget and a AAA as well. I stumbled on the LD01/E01 combo pack and couldn’t pass it up. Basically paid for the LD and got the E01 free. Seemed like an awesome deal and I haven’t been disappointed.
If anyone knows of basically an LD01 in AA (small, reversible clip, three mode), with a glow in the dark bezel, I’d love to hear about it. It sounds like I might have to pick up Thrunite T10, but I’m still open to suggestions.
Thanks.
Check out that new Thrunite Saber with an XP-G2. Thrunite has been selling them for $29.99 on their EBay store. Not sure if that's over yet, but if not it will be very soon. There is a thread around here on it with the EBay link.
-Garry
Cool man. Glad you like your r5a3. I didn’t mean to make it sound like a total turd. Its not. I’m critical. For the price its OK, just not outstanding IMO. The tint on mine is OK outside. Only really noticeable on white walls.
Not sure I know of one to fit your criteria. I can say the lumapower lm31 is kinda interesting but not talked about much:
Oh thanks for the heads up! I have been waiting for the xp-g2 version of the T10 to drop. (The archer replaced the neutron, but they changed the UI.)
Glad its still a simple three mode, but I wish they spaced the modes more evenly… maybe .9lm / 35lm / 160lm OSLT. Still may pick a 1C version up for outdoor use, vs the T10 indoor.
Thanks Garry, that Saber looks like a nice light, found the other tread no problem.
Hater, no offense taken, really enjoyed your detailed post. Like I said, I agree that the R5A3 has it’s faults, but they were a big hit amongst the uninitiated, lol. Haven’t yet pulled the trigger on a replacement since giving them all away, but it’s starting to look like I’m not going to find exactly what I’m looking for without doing mods.
Anyone have the LPX-516? Looks like a copy of the Trustfire without the clip at half the price?
Example: Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com
Are there any lights out there at any price point fitting all of my revised criteria???
1. Small 1XAA, with at least two modes (good low w/ long run-time important)
2. Removable/Reversible clip
3. Glow ring
These list of lights fitting #1 is strong and growing, but I can’t seem to find much with either #2 or #3… In addition to those mentioned here, I’m also now considering the Fenix LD15 and the Quark Mini AA. It sure would be nice if I didn’t have to scavenge a clip and work in a glow ring myself though…
No experience with the LPX. I do see a clip there in that picture.
For the glow ring, buy some o-rings and DIY?
Jetbeam ba10
Klarus p1a
I like my Olight i3s (AAA) so much that I’m waiting for the i2s version to be released. I have not heard of a timeline (or commitment to even do so) but can only imagine they will do it. This would provide an updated XP-G2, reversible clip, tailstand, twisty and firefly mode.