I just updated a similar post from another forum, but thought users here might be interested.
Until last November I hadn’t looked at 1xAA lights in a couple of years. Back then I thought that they were mostly too big for true EDPC (Every Day Pocket Carry), and outputs were low. I happened upon the Thrunite Ti when looking for stocking stuffers for Christmas, but as cool a little light as that one is, I wanted a little more output and a bit longer runtime. That led me to reconsider the 1xAA pocket light, and I was pleased to see several sub-90mm long models with 100+ lumen outputs and runtimes near 90 min. w/a rechargeable 1.2v AA. I thought it might be useful to others to post my thoughts. All lights were carried at least a week, and used as often as I could, for everything from walking the dog, reading, looking for things in my basement to nighttime trail hikes. I cleaned the threads of each light, lubed o-rings and installed a freshly-charged Duraloop for pictures. Pictures were taken on manual mode, daylight white balance with my Canon point and shoot, and beamshots were underexposed a couple of stops to avoid them getting blown out (pictures taken against a piece of bright white foam core). The summation at the end touches on the main pros and cons of each of the core lights (the Xeno was included because it’s popular, but it’s size was a deal breaker for EDPC, IMO. The TrustFire is included because it promised 240L on an AA, but I don’t think it quite delivered (but it was bright, with a decent beam). Maybe DX meant on a 14500? At any rate, after about 4 min. on high it blinks (no more DX for me - that’s 3/3 lights that have quickly developed problems), and at 97mm it was also too long.)
First, the lights:
L-R: Maratac AA, Nitecore SENS AA, ThruNite T10, L3 Illumination L10 XPG2, L10 Nichia 219
Here’s a larger comparison pic which adds a Duraloop, then the Xeno E03 v3, the malfunctioning TrustFire SA-2, Eagletac D25C (for size comparison) and the one that started all this, the ThruNite Ti:
Some beamshots:
Left: Maratac AA; Right: Nitecore SENS (on high mode, –2 stops from about 3’)
L to R: T10, L10 XPG2, L10 Nichia (same setup)
Same two as above, but underexposed a further stop to show beam artifacts and color:
The five small lights (Maratac, Nitecore, ThruNite, L10 XPG2, L10 Nichia) up against the white board:
Same order as above, but with the addition of the Xeno and the TrustFire SA-2 (L. to R.):
The two “throwiest” lights (Maratac on left, TrustFire SA-2 on right):
Finally, a coupe of beam color pics. Maratac on left, L10 Nichia on right:
And the L10s compared at the head:
Conclusions (all subjective, of course):
Maratc AA:
Pros: Small and light, well-built, tailstands for candle mode, nice throwy beam.
Cons: Only two modes. Low mode is great, but needs a middle mode for use around the house or at mid distance with dark-adjusted eyes. Beam color is a little green, but not as bad as some 47s and Olights I’ve had.
Nitecore SENS AA:
Pros: The “SENS” part actually works. Beam color OK. Tailstands.
Cons: Everything else. Clunky, a bit heavy for this group, beam artifacts, can “flash” on by itself if not unscrewed more than the others. If it wasn’t for the position sensor (and the decent beam), this light wouldn’t be very interesting.
T10:
Pros: Small and light, smooth threads with very easy one-hand operation, three perfectly-spaced modes, nice creamy cool white beam color. Last-mode memory, so whether you like your light to come on in high, low or medium, you’ll be happy (all makers should offer this, IMO).
Cons: After a few weeks of use (this was one of the lights I carried the most), it started to “mis-fire” (shifting from one mode to the next it would momentarily catch the next mode and leapfrog. For example, I would want to go from low to medium and it would flash medium and end up on high). The head has a bit of play, which likely causes the misfiring. A thick application of Nyogel 760g helped a great deal. Barely tailstands.
L10 XPG2:
Pros: Well-built, nice operation (if a little stiff). Great thick anodizing and rich “burnt orange” color (take note, Longhorns!), well-spaced output modes (I have the 4-mode); seems like it should be a $40 light, not a $20 light (bravo!). Tailstands.
Cons: The head was initially too stiff for comfortable one-hand operation, but a cleaning and Nyogel 760g application and it’s smooth as silk and easy to turn. Beam color is a bit green, which I don’t love.
L10 Nichia 219:
Pros: Same as the L10 above, but the head is a bit looser (but no wobble) and one-hand operation much easier out of the box (cleaned threads and lubed with Nyogel and it’s as smooth as you could want). Nichia 219 color is a pleasure for general use and especially for reading (I use third mode of four). “Natural” finish is very nice.
Cons: None. (UPDATE: finish has started to chip a little, still a great light).
Rank: If the Maratac AA had a middle, 30-40L mode, it would tie with the L10 219 for the best light (the throw of the Maratac is very nice). Or, if the ThruNite hadn’t so quickly developed the above-noted contact problem, it might tie for first, but as is, and for my needs, I rank these five lights in the following order:
1. L10 Nichia 219
2. ThruNite T10
3. L10 XPG2
4. Maratac AA
5. Nitecore SENS
All are good lights, all have similar output on high modes. I should mention that ThruNite picks nice tint LEDs. The Ti (which has also developed contact problems), the T10 and my T30S all have creamy, cool, bluish beams, despite the fact that they are three different emitters (XPE, XPG, XMLU2) and look as if they might even come from different factories. No annoying green tints. I should also mention that for a basic tool light, the Maratac would be very good. I just miss a middle mode for reading or looking around darkened rooms at night with night-adjusted eyes.
The Xeno E03 is a very well-built light, with a great variety of useful modes. It also punches above its weight, price-wise. It was just too big to rest unobtrusively in my pocket.
Final conclusion: Only the L10 Nichia and a correctly-working T10 could give my D25C clicky any real EDPC competition. For those of us who want a great single AA light, they stand out from the field.
Lights I didn’t include.
- I wanted to get an Eagletac D25A clicky to throw in the mix but couldn’t find any in stock (and didn’t want to spring for the titanium).
- I passed on the Zebra SC52 for two reasons: with the XML and small head I figured it would be more floody than the other five, and I tend toward slightly throwy, and it looked like its shape would be too lumpy in the pockets of thin dress pants.
If I end up trying either of these I’ll add them to this comparison.
Thanks for reading.
APRIL UPDATE: Since I posted this I have received two more 1xAA light: an EagleTac D25A Mini (XPG2 R5) and a Thrunite Saber 1A/T10. Forget the Saber: it’s only a bit brighter than the T10 I bought a few months before, the beam is more bluish and the QC sucked (required a complete contact cleaning/regreasing/fiddling to work without flickering). The D25A, on the other hand, is a winner. Build quality is excellent, it has a stainless steel bezel to resist dings, tint is decent for a CW, it’s nice and bright (noticeably brighter than the Saber), includes a well-made clip, and if you remove the clip and re-install the two screws it won’t roll. The D25A also has good tolerances (no head wobble; very reliable mode switching). The UI is also great, with two cycles of “regular” modes and then “hidden” modes like SOS (x2) and beacon (x3). The twisty is a few mm smaller than the clicky, but doesn’t have the real “moon” mode, only the brighter “low.” With so many $20-30 1xAA lights out there it will be tempting for folks to ask why they would pay $40 (shipped) for the D25A, but for $10-20 more you get a noticeable better light, IMO. I’ve carried it daily for more than a month and couldn’t be happier.
New rank:
1.EagleTac D25A
2. L10 Nichia 219
Tie:
3. ThruNite T10
3. L10 XPG2
