Later, I did manage to dump the "pill" casing and reflector out of the head - both pieces made of plastic, of course. Was a little surprised they fell out so easily. Seems they are just press-fit into the head, with the threads providing minor securement.
For those who prefer DealExtreme, they just listed two of the most promising 1xAAA super-budget lights:
I received two of the nameless clickies with a clip . I bought them mainly to plunder their clips and the clips are the best thing on these lights. The led is much smaller than advertised in the pictures and I think even the DX keychain is brighter. I will do a comparison later.
Also the Richuang RC-7001 arrived and that one is actually quiet nice for the price paid. The Emitter is as big as the nameless ones should have been.
Hmm , I'm tempted to buy the 7002 also ... must ... resist... 
Having them on DX is nice, if only for consolidating purchases and giving the mailman a break wearing a path to the front door with a multitude of small envelopes. Since I need some other stuff on DX, I'll probably order one of those Richuangs while I'm at it. Still waiting for those keychain clickies from focalprice. DX's beamshot of the Richuang looks more impressive, btw.
I'm looking for a budget AAA for my keychain EDC and a bit reluctant to spend $10 or more for something fancy so quite a useful thread
$0.89 : Meritline has this one http://www.meritline.com/037-18-aluminum-compact-led-flashlight---p-40688.aspx?source=s2010 with coupon code MLCK248656082459AL1
What is meritline? another chinese site as DX? are they legit?
Meritline is very trustworthy. I have bought hundreds of items from them. No problems whatsoever. They always have these little sales with coupon codes that make certain items cheap. It's a company based in Hong Kong, but they also have warehouses in the USA.
Thanks medieval!
So how's meritline shipping times to USA customers - quicker since it might ship domestic?
It's about the same as DX. On certain items get shipped from the USA. Most of their items ship from HK.
Thanks for the heads up but the coupon is for newsletter subscribers only and I don't want junk mails in my main email account. I'd rather pay 70 cent more. But the shop looks interesting and haven't heard of them before.
I don't even get any newsletters from them. Maybe I unsubscribed after I joined.
Hmm, OK thanks ... I'll remember that if I need more clips
And according to the discussion on CPF, several users liked the MXDL clicky and twisty from eBay seller autoshop8810. This seller has once again started offering these products with the "Buy it Now" option, which I prefer. Here are the links:
http://cgi.ebay.com/MXDL-3W-LED-AAA-Battery-Pen-Flashlight-Lamp-Torch-7119-/320579913319 (Clicky)
http://cgi.ebay.com/MXDL-3W-LED-AAA-Battery-Mini-Flashlight-Lamp-Torch-/320579913323 (Twisty)
Sounds worth a try. Will be interested to have a look once they arrive. The fun bit is that even if they are rubbish, which they don't appear to be, there is very little lost.
Do you if either of these tailstand?
No, unfortunately. Although with my stash of 1xAA tailstandable lights I don't think I'd ever use a 1xAAA much as a long-term candle.
It has one major drawback as a keychain light, it comes on in your pocket. If it is going to live in my pockets I need either a recessed clicky (Which given the diameter of an AAA light isn't practical) or a twisty.
It does get warm by the time it has flattened a cell in your pocket.
The switch mechanism is positive enough, but the clip when not weighted with stuff tends to get in the way of operating the switch. Clipped to something external it could be a good, if larger, alternative to a Photon clone.
On an AAA NiMH (not fully charged it gives 98 lux at switch-on and 89 at 30 seconds 85 at 2 minutes. Will do it properly with fully charged cells soon but my AAAs are nearly all on charge just now.
It is brighter than the awful DX zoom AAA which has the same clip. It is also a lot less blue.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.33326
I put the link to it in merely to warn people to avoid it.
Nice, glad to see that the Tank007 E08 generic clone is decent. Can you confirm how DOES the switch work? Do you push in the post that has the hole through it for the carabiner?