New itp A3 R5 or Maratac AAA?

Well that is the info that I needed. I knew they were very similar, but I was not sure if the iTP lights were simply another Chinese replica. Thanks jekostas!

I have both a ITP A3 EOS natural and a Maratac AAA SS bead blasted (I like matte finish). ITP has a nice keyring chain for your Jeans belt loops and the Maratac can tailstand. On CPF is a detailed review on both. Maratac can be bought via groupbuys or maybe via a nice US BLF member? ;-)

My 2cents:

The new ITP A3 has an R5 instead of Q5 AND it has a much higher PWM than previous versions

Also the mode are now low-med-high

Is it possible to reverse the clip on the A3? It's hard to tell from the photos at shiningbeam, but it looks like it's possible to slide the clip on opposite of the way it's shown. In other words, the clip would open from the bottom, allowing the unit to be clipped to the bill of a ball cap.

Just wondering.

RB

You can. It works great that way. The only problem is you might bend the clip a little taking it on and off and/or clipping it to a hat.

Looking for a good AAA light to mod.

Is the iTP A3 head still glued? Where's a good place to get one?

All of the ITPs and Maratacs made in the last year or so have been L-M-H, as well as having the higher PWM.

Here's the thing, the new A3 lights have XP-G emitters instead of XP-E emitters. Yes, they have a higher output (96 to 80 lumens new vs. old), but they will have a much larger flood as well. What you gain in actual output you lose more in light concentration.

The A3 is pretty floody already due to the small reflector size, so I don't know that there is that much throw to lose in the first place.

I just really prefer the knurled maratac over the 'slotted' look of the itp. Hmmm. Choices choices choices. thanks everyone for the help, and thanks Vectrex for the link. An excellent review indeed!

don't sweat it too much, both are great.

don't sweat it too much, both are great.

All of the ITPs and Maratacs made in the last year or so have been L-M-H, as well as having the higher PWM.

Did not know that of the Maratacs, thanks!

The new one have to have the PWM solved because the old ones are junk .. people love them but personally I think they are garbage .. the PWM bugs me so badly I will not use the light ..I have always liked the look of the martac better With a much higher knurling , the only thing slowing me down is the absudly high shipping costs from the only US martac seller , hence the group buy business whcih I think is a pain too . avoid the old ones they really suck .. mines for sale .. it went up for sale the fist day i used it ..everytime i use it i curse it .buy a nitecore and forget the itp ..Any company that can't do it right with a Q5 doesn'y need to sell you on the idea of an xp-g as a saving grace 90 lumens is 90 lumens lots of little lites can and have done that from black cat to tank to ultrafires etc etc etc . not impressed enough with the design to toss out good AAA money ..Maybe that's just me

I had a few issues with the first A3's. The PWM was noticeable, but the thing that bugged me more was the loose threads where it would flash while you were twisting and exerted uneven pressure (which happened a lot using one hand to hold and twist the light) so you would end up skipping modes. Also a lot of the ones I saw had very cool tints which I wasn't crazy about. The newer ones fix the the threads and PWM, but the tint seems about the same.

I like the iTP because of the lack of knurling which I feel like will cause less damage to everything else on my keychain. I think the Maratac looks better, but I was put off by the high shipping, even in the US.

I am also not a fan of the older slow PWM version (but it is still my most used ligt)

The only reason why I do not have the new one is the low-med-hi and the funky colors (need bare or neutral)

I decided on the satin finish stainless steel aaa maratac. I am sure I will be happy with it when it arrives :D I am excited for a new EDC because my current tank tk-703 is giving up the ghost. Bad contacts. It has been an awesome light though, and super bright for an aaa light!

You made a good choice , the good knurling is important on a twisty.

I didn't heard about these sites before

I just ordered the black iTP A3 EOS R5 Upgrade Edition from :

http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_19&products_id=2310

Total cost : Sub-Total: $20.50
United States Postal Service (First-Class Mail International Package**(Varies by country)): $4.60
Total: $25.10

My first > $15 FL.

The Q5s are on sale at $17.50.

Offtopic: Ordered a R5 standard (18.5 dollars) on the 10th of February. For future references, discount code ggcpf10 gives you 10% off from all the products. Mine total with shipping (4.80 dollars) was 21.45