Sofirn SP10 Pro (AA/14500/Andúril 2) - now available!

I wonder if it is because of the overwhelming amount of work being done with 18650 lights. 18650 lights are amazing, but probably not for the average consumer. Almost nobody I work with at school has even seen these new LED lights we have, and even less even know about 18650 batteries.

Love it or hate it, AA sized batteries are still very much the standard for consumer electronics. I definitely think we need to get more legit AA lights simply because those batteries can be purchased anywhere. (and the size is easier to carry)

I think something people often forget is that there is a majority of the population that knows absolutely nothing about their hobbies. (none of my students know about flashing ROMs on their phones, and people on forums act like everybody should know how to do it or call phones DOA because it is missing some random feature that 99% of the people won’t ever use)

I wonder if the average consumer who likes AA batteries would also balk at the idea of spending more that $3 on a flashlight. They are like, “What? $25 for a flashlight? You must be crazy.” Hence very few well made AA flashlights.

What the hell are you talking about ?

There are lots of BLF AA lights . .

I’m simply repeating what people are saying. Tell them, not me.

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/35990

Gotta give credit to all the people who worked on getting these AA BLF lights made.

Jason, I don’t think that is a correct assessment really. I mean basically everyone here has a T10 or Tool AA or Sofirn or ZL AA something similar, so I don’t think it’s accurate to say BLF peeps are not really AA light consumers.

I am surprised at this dismissal of AA lights. Very few people, even here, are carrying an 18650 light 24/7. Most only carry them when anticipating a specific need, or for their occupation, or to simply play around. Even the smallest 18650 light is a hefty and bulky item to clip to a jeans pocket and leave there permanently. That role is perfect for the AA light. It’s a light that’s always there, yet small and unobtrusive, while still being a “real” light in handling and function as opposed to a keychain AAA or something. You can get plenty sufficient lumens, and sufficient runtime, especially with L91’s. You could buy an 8 pack and it will last most people as many years, or close to it. And if one wants to use rechargeables, there is that option.

The purpose of an always in the pocket AA is not an overdriven turbo boost light with artificially high output and constant recharging. There are 18650 for that, and do it far better than the 14500

The best AA light is one with the appropriate output for the source, at a sustained level, with an optimized design for that battery to maximize efficiency. Not 700 lumen bursts.

Basically what ZL does with the SC53, but make it with some better emitter choices (sst-20 and others), less bulky, deeper reflector, tail clicky, and user friendly disassembly.

There is no need for new tech to make that happen. And it can be at a lower pricepoint that ZL

Why do you think the 14500 is the worst Li-ion?

Eh, I’m just tossing out ideas. Whatever pops into mind.

I already posted my interest. Decided to toss in my desires on what could be a great EDC.
The pocket clip, in my opinion, they’re always on backward for a light this size.
I put a light this size IN my pocket. Clipping to a cap brim or simular pointed at your work makes the clip functional.
The 14500 is a must IMO, an orange peel reflector, moon or candle mode with a timed cut-off and I’d be a happy camper.
Looks like the op has the guts in order, this could be a keeper!

Interested

Not really. I hate having too much crap in my pockets, and yet I’ve always carried an 18650 light. ’502 forever, then traded off between an SK98, S2+, F1, UT20 (talk about a moose!), and then finally settled on an MH20, which seems barely bigger’n the cell itself.

The MH20 practically disappears when clipped. And with built-in charging, I can top it off anywhere, even on the bus(!).

And I’m also carrying an E03 (Xeno; lotta “E03”s flying around…) for kix.

I like having the oomf if I’d need it, but much prefer the way longer runtime, especially at throttled-down AA-light levels.

But hey, for some people, anything bigger’n an AAA light is “too bulky”.

I don’t think it is the worst, because I like the fact that it is about 3/4 the diameter of the similar volume 18350. Diameter affects pocketability to me more than length.

However, it does perform worse on a volumetric basis, especially for amperage. HKJ’s tests show a big performance gap for the most recent Vapcell’s of each size, for example. I think the relative proportions of internal volume to sidewall is a factor. I suspect many people dismiss 14500 on the basis of this relative performance.

My question was towards another user who claimed “14500 is the worst”
What you say is true, however modern 14500s can sustain 3-4A drain and hold 800-1000mAh of charge, which is sufficient for a backup light. If I’m going some place where I may or may not have to use a flashlight for a few minutes, I certainly prefer to carry 14500 light compared to 18650.
About 16340 I don’t know why people like them honestly, batteries max out at 800 and the flashlights are too short to be held comfortably.

They can be carried nearly unnoticed in the pants pocket. I’m rotating a couple of 16340 lights (and one 14300), but own just one AA and one AA/14500 light. I like both, it’s just that they are too long to EDC (for me!)

I’d be interested in one

Interested

Interested

Interested

Yes, very interested in this. I’d be in for 2 or more as long as price doesn’t go too much higher than a regular version

Interested.