There has been great improvements and new models coming out that are based on 18650 and AAA cells. Smaller and brighter more powerful lights. For quite a while now, I haven’t noticed any significant improvements on the AA cell based lights, especially on the tail clicky ones. Convoy, Astrolux, Manker, to name a few, doesn’t have any single AA cell lights at all. Why is there no exciting developments on the AA based lights at all? Is the AA nearing it’s ‘end’? Is there no demand for AA lights anymore? Is the 18650 the new ‘in’?
Manker have three that I know of - the E11, the T01, and the T01 II.
Yes, they have. Priced at least $30. Can’t really call it a budget light.
True, but they are lights that they have. There’s the Jetbeam AA and the Thorfire TG06 which I think can be seen as more budget friendly. I honestly would have though that AA flashlights would be a much bigger thing, seeing as the AA is the most used battery cell on the planet.
Are AA lights nearing it’s ’end’?
For us Forum members maybe.(but I still use them and have quite a few)
Believe it, the AA is here to stay. Millions of em all over the World.
Nitecore MT10A, AA and 14500, top rate. There are loads of AA lights. They are perfect for trousers (pants in USA-land).
I have a lot of AAA and 18650, but just a few AA, because they are bigger than AAA for the keychain or the pocket and less powerfull than 18650 for the bag.
I like AAA, I like 18650; and I like too AA… :person_facepalming:
I’ve scratched off the MT10A from my list. Biggest drawback of the light is it’s side buttons. The MT1A is great, they should have improved it by ONLY upgrading the LED and making it compatibly with 14500.
I have an Olight S15 and the side button is no longer working, all of a sudden. for some reason side switches are bound to fail far more quicker than the tailcap switch.
That’s why the twisty is a no fail. No switch =’s No breaky.
My iTp i3 failed as well all of a sudden (last year), it was with me for 2 years. While my Led Lenser P5 and P7 for over 4 years still works.
my jetbeam mk AA unscrew itself in my pocket: lost one of my ikea battery
Switch did not fail. Something else failed.
The T01 is pretty awesome and was a pretty big semi-recent step forward in AA flashlight output. The Olight S1A is pretty great too. Not clickies though.
They aren’t budget priced, but the high output AA/14500 capable driver seems to be a significant factor in that.
Budget option AA are (in my experience) pretty low output.
Not the twisty switch’s fault….
I really wish team Kronos would come up with an offshoot of the X5. Same body tube but with maybe around a 23mm bezel. Just big enough for a 20mm reflector or optic.
Make an AL version that's is budget friendly, AA and 14500 compatible.
Make a full copper version that's 14500 only with a FET + ? 7135 driver.
Yea I'm dreaming...
I have flashlight of basically almost every power source type, but if I had to leave only one - it would be probably AA. It’s not the brightest, smallest, but…I just like AA. Oh, and in case of zombie apocalypse it’s easier to find AA 
I think that Manker E11 or Klarus Mi7 are something in good direction. It appears that Manker can squeeze more out of AA cell, and that’s what I like. Usage of 14500 is actually not something needed for me if I could get 200+ lumens on AA.
Actually I also think that there’s a gap…Something priced around $15-20, tail clicky, nice tint, but with boost driver that could match E11 on AA.
I’m on the fence with this one. My “very happy with it” EDC/backup light has been a TG-06 (running a 14500) for about a year. I liked it a lot but wanted better UI so I was always on the lookout for a WK-41 at a good price. Then I was gifted a ZebraLight HF-600 that’s the same exterior size but uses a 18650. Having a backup light that runs the same cells as my duty lights and has way more run time and output than a 14500 cell light is kind of a no brainer. This one light just about put all of my small lights on the auction block in one fell swoop (is it really “fell” if it’s an improvement?)
The only survivor (meaning in carry rotation) was likely going to be the Kronos X5. The other 16340 AAA and 14500 lights were headed for Ebay, 3rd string backup or first aid kit duty.
I know the HF-600 isn’t exactly “budget” of itself but considering that $90 light was replacing more than a half dozen $12 - $20 lights the math is really working in its favor.
If the performance, size etc. of a light like the XTAR H03 at ~$50 is comparable I can see most of my cohorts ditching their 14500, 16340 lights forever.
SMM
Oh man…BLF was built on AA lights and there is a big soft spot in my heart for them .
I think it is really about the best edc you can carry apart from a keychain light .With emitters getting more efficient and brighter the case for just a basic AA even with or without a 14500 option becomes easy.
18650 lights are great but there are no good 18650 lights the size of a chapstick
Doubt it. There are great picks of AA lights out there, and the battery availability with the relatively burly runtimes (compared to AAA and sometimes 163400) are sure keep the market for them alive untill the AA battery platform falls out of favor in all appliances, something I doubt will happen anytime soon.
To a lot of people, you have lights like this
http://www.microcenter.com/product/466497/R22_1W_LED_Flashlight
which are perfect for 3bux!
The one I’ve been carrying around for so long that I call it “bobofett” (beat to Hell from keys, change, etc., in my pocket) is my go-to light that goes everywhere with me along with my ’502.
It’ll wring the last bits of juice’n’pulp from AAs that won’t even power my wireless optical mouse. AAs that won’t feed my Quark anymore, I use in this so I have instant moonlight-mode when I need it. Late at night, I’ll tailstand it as a little nightlight so I can go and come back in otherwise pitch darkness. This was easily my most-used light for, well, everything, before I started carrying my ’502. Still is, actually, unless I actually need >300lm.
And now I carry both, not just the ’502. bobofett goes with me wherever I go. 