Received my (used) Crelant V11A. For 26 bucks, near new condition, I am very happy.
Fit and finish are excellent. Definitely on another level from, say, a Trustfire R5A3 for example. Anodized coat is a classy grey color. No flaws in the finish. I really like the look and feel of it. I’m not taking a steak knife to it to test ano durability, sorry guys. The bezel is another nice clean design touch. Knurling on the body is effective. Gotta say the clip sucks though. It kept moving on me so I removed it.
Overall size is not huge for a AA but not tiny either. Its a very useable size and weight in my opinion. I suspect width is on the big side for a AA because the head is shared with the CR123 powered V31A.
Switch is fwd clicky. Mode change requires off-on. Using as momentary on does change to next mode. I’m not a huge fan of this setup but I can put up with it. At least the clicky and button feel pretty solid.
This light can tailstand but it does wobble a bit because the button sticks up a hair past the body. Its very close… I have others that wobble worse.
Light output is pretty much what should be expected. On alkaline AA its not terribly bright, but this should be no surprise given their low voltage. Lithium primaries give more useable output and would due OK in a pinch. Nimh (eneloops) were a tad brighter still and worked pretty well. For indoor useage around the house eneloops would be sufficient. Obviously, li-ion are really the ticket with the XML U2 emitter. 3.7 volts make all the difference! On my IMRs this thing rocks. Even the wife remarked so. Again, really no surprises here… there’s no free lunch…. you need powerful batteries for high output.
The U2 in mine is a nice clean pure white. For a cool emitter it actually looks pretty damn good. Maybe even ever so slightly warm/neutral. I am pleased. (Still wish it was NW but the price was too good to pass up.)
Throw is pretty good for a light this size, but it is still an XML… more flood than throw. On Li-Ion, on high mode, output alone gives a fair amount of throw. I don’t have any way to measure, but I can believe the advertised 450 lumen claim.
Modes are pretty good. They are pretty evenly spaced. Seems like about 100/50/10. I wouldn’t mind a lower low, something like 100/40/5 or maybe even 100/30/1… but the mfr setup is good as it is. I am kind of picking nits.
Overall I am digging this light a lot. (So much so that I ordered a V31a in NW!) For the price I paid it is well worth it. I would say it is still a good buy at 30-35, but you will have to make that call.