I resemble this remark, and have a UF2100 w/18650 as EDC for this reason . . that said, I also carry an AA light as a backup. When I travel light (much of the summer due to long hours of daylight), I just carry the AA light (Thrunite T10).
The AA light is fine when I’m not outdoors or just using it to go inside . . it might even be fine in areas with good streetlights. If the Thrunite deal for the free Ti is still on, you might consider the T10 or one of their other small lights.
Frankly, most regular people go Wow! when the see the Ti on high even though it’s only AAA.
For $38 (I don’t know if that’s within your budget) you can get the Photon Proton Pro. It’s not a “new” light as it has been out a while.
It’s still my favorite however for many reasons. It is small, has a great interface and is bright for that size. It throws well if that is what you want. If not it’s easy to unscrew the bezel to put a piece of diffusion material behind the lens (which is what I’ve done).
It has continuously variable output as well as a red led if you should need that. It’s well made. It has a side switch.
Everyone who received the gift of the AA flashlight went WOW when they saw the light. Some people are impressed with a little Kia Sorento because they never saw a Bentley Azure. ONce you use a brilliant XL-M U2 or comparable lite, a little AA flashlight is just almost unacceptable.
I’ll put my TK41 or my PA40 up against your single-18650 lights any day.
I actually wish I hadn’t started on the 18650-battery thing. There are some fun lights, but I could live with just my 2 26650-powered HD2010’s and my AA lights.
They fill every flashlight need I have, and I have a supply of Costco 40-AA battery packs that will last 7 years and won’t need to be recharged if the power grid goes out.
The Caveman is a great all-around light, even outdoors if all you need to see is your yard, not someones yard a block down the street.
Single AA lights are way more pocketable than 18650 lights, and you can pack 2 spares in the coin pocket of your jeans. The Klarus single as well as double AA ST-series have awesome beams for AA’s, moonlight lows and no blinky modes that you have to cycle through. I’s trade away a Solarforce 18650 XM-L for another one in a heartbeat.
Plus no one ever worries about AA lights blowing up in your pocket because you didn’t test and match the battery voltage.
So I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or maybe flashaholics evolve. I also tend to shy away from the cool-white beams that I was so impressed by at first. I prefer the more natural light of a neutral beam than the brightness of a blue-ish one.
Another vote for the Ultrafire C3. I have bought quite a few of these already. Many were for friends who didn’t want to use Li-Ions or buy new chargers.
It’s reasonably bright on AA, and very bright with 14500s. Build quality is also excellent, I just have to lube the threads. I also prefer single modes myself.
(A side note: always had good service from Manafont)
EIGHT AA batteries? Ha. That’s really funny. I remember looking at that light as it is indeed a strong performer. But 8 batteries was just out of the question for me. My TM11 has 4 18650’s which is the limit before things start getting really hefty.
But I must state out front, I am not looking to get into a pissing contest.
But I must remind you, the question we were addressing was a single AA battery flashlight.
....agreed. There are lights for doing "parlor tricks" and then there are the breed of AA's you have mentioned...handy, easy to tote, highly functional; noteworthy is that they all reside in the 'best buy' budget category. Few of us need to illuminate the next block down when we need useful light. I'll take a nice budget single AA every time for EDC.
The OP didn’t state whether or not he wanted a light which was single AA.
Some people just don’t want to use batteries which aren’t readily available in stores, and for some of them 8 AAs isn’t that much.
The specs for the NITECORE EA1 look very interesting, but the few Amazon reviews are rather spotty. “The” recent purchase by the also looks interesting.
Everyone is presenting good points. Clearly, the world of flashlights is plenty rich enough so that everyone can find their huckleberry.
With my ever increasing flashlight collection and ever thinning wallet, my favorite light (now) is the TK21. It has a relative small size, a dazzling light, a reasonably good defensive light and I can easily put it in a pocket if needed. However, with a new crop of torches about to be released for the 2012-13 holiday/selling season, maybe an improved or innovative design model will catch my fancy. Technology and the mind of man are always progressing and improving!
I have become increasingly fond of single control side switch design (for tactical purpose). I find it most convenient to use. It doesn’t require hand manipulation as the tail switch/side switch models do or the tail switch versions do. Holding a weapon in one hand limits your manipulation ability with the other hand grasping a flashlight. Having just one convenient switch makes the most sense in defensive applications. When using a tail switch only light in tactical application, you are forced to adopt a modified FBI style position (ice pick grip) with bent arm, holding the light up somewhere near your head. I prefer to hold the light out in front of me which allows more dexterity of aiming the light. It also provides a more confusing target for an assailant to target and allows pointing the light beam separate from pointing the weapon. One must be able to identify a shadowy figure down the hall without pointing a deadly weapon until one makes the decision to engage. Aso holding the torch out front, keeps the dazzling light of our powerful lights further away from the eyes and prevents the ’flood spill” from illuminating your head. Using any of the grips styles keeping the flight adjacent to the weapon is not preferable since the light ruins your sights view. Not everyone on this board uses lights for defensive purposes, but then I would believe there are plenty that do. Flashlight designers should consider that special design need. These photos show defensive flashlight techniques that I do not favor for the reasons stated.
