I came across the following 3AA LED flashlight and thought I'd throw it out as another 3AA host possibility, although it's a little expensive at $24. Supplier is apparently US based. Found on Amazon.com here or the suppliers website here. Not sure if this has been posted before.
Looks decent enough to try one. Now the hardest part is to find a retailer for around 13usd shipped which is the max i would pay for it. Would rather pay 9 for the host alone.