Best clicky AA Flashlight for EDC under 20$

panakart · 2018-02-24T11:45:06.000Z

Hi all, i’ m looking for an edc AA Flashlight with a clicky button. My preferences are:

1. Medium mode 30-50 lumens and high mode above 150 lumens with a nihm AA battery
2. High output for a 14500 above 400 lumens
3. Fits both protected and unprotected 14500 batteries
4. Good build quality.

Any recommendations?

Thanks you in advance!

TBone · 2018-02-24T13:32:30.000Z

I have not checked the exact lumens or if they fit protected cells. Some types in alphabetic order:

Lumintop Tool AA
Jaxman E3
Sofirn SF14
Sofirn SF12 (forward clicky)
ThorFire TG06 or TG06S

sesgum · 2018-02-24T19:12:14.000Z

I have sofirn sf14 and I love it. Great mode spacing, neutral white tint, clean beam. Built quality is quite good. Drop tested by accident and passed. Highly recommended.

Oh, very important, no visible PWM.

panakart · 2018-02-24T19:20:57.000Z

I see that Lumintop AA has PWM on low and medium and it’s too weak on Ni-hm. Sofirn SF14 shows very good choice. 230 lumens on high are real?

toddcshoe · 2018-02-25T00:48:46.000Z

Can’t beat any of those suggestions. I have a TG06S and really like it. The Sofirns are on my Amazon shopping list for my next purchases.

Satan · 2018-02-25T01:54:45.000Z

SF14 trick all your requirements for only half the price you want to pay.

Lightbringer · 2018-02-25T03:37:06.000Z

SP10A/SP10B.

Anthon · 2018-02-25T12:08:48.000Z

SP10b has annoying “long click for off”, SF14 is a conventional reverse clicky light

RobertB · 2018-02-25T13:25:20.000Z

Anthon:

SP10b has annoying “long click for off”, SF14 is a conventional reverse clicky light

It’s the shortest “long click for off”, I’ve seen. Very short hold for off, maybe a half second. Same for on.

panakart · 2018-02-25T14:51:52.000Z

I prefer reverse clicky flashlights over side switch for edc becouse of parasitic drain

Persechini · 2018-02-25T15:23:51.000Z

I recommend the Sofirn SF14 a lot

But I’d avoid the SF12 (bad driver, bad pwm, bad tint, bad machining)

The only thing I wish the SF14 had to be the perfect EDC is a clip or tube that could be reversed for use attached to a cap, it’s perfect otherwise

toddcshoe · 2018-02-25T17:14:45.000Z

The Thorfire TG06S had a reversible clip, tailcap switch, good output on alkaline though it kicks butt with a 14500. High(500LM) -Middle(200LM) -Low(50LM)-Moonlight (1LM ), and Strobe(500LM); When powered by AA battery High(150LM) -Middle(80LM) -Low(20LM)-Moonlight (0.5LM ), and Strobe(150LM)

Lightbringer · 2018-02-25T19:01:49.000Z

Anthon:

SP10b has annoying “long click for off”, SF14 is a conventional reverse clicky light

Sofirn shortened the longclick from the 0.5s (SP10A) to 0.3s (SP10B).

Entirely tolerable, after getting used to other lights using longclicks for on/off.

sesgum · 2018-02-25T19:05:54.000Z

Tg06s has bad pwm and I gave away mine.

Anthon · 2018-02-25T19:34:20.000Z

Lightbringer:

Anthon:

SP10b has annoying “long click for off”, SF14 is a conventional reverse clicky light

Sofirn shortened the longclick from the 0.5s (SP10A) to 0.3s (SP10B).

Entirely tolerable, after getting used to other lights using longclicks for on/off.

I understand it isn’t a “long” click, but I always stay away from lights that need more than a inmediate and quick single click to turn ON and OFF

Persechini · 2018-02-25T19:35:22.000Z

sesgum:

Tg06s has bad pwm and I gave away mine.

from what I read, exactly like it’s clone, the Sofirn SF12

Lightbringer · 2018-02-25T19:49:08.000Z

Anthon:

Lightbringer:

Anthon:

SP10b has annoying “long click for off”, SF14 is a conventional reverse clicky light

Sofirn shortened the longclick from the 0.5s (SP10A) to 0.3s (SP10B).

Entirely tolerable, after getting used to other lights using longclicks for on/off.

I understand it isn’t a “long” click, but I always stay away from lights that need more than a inmediate and quick single click to turn ON and OFF

Wellp, if EDCing a light like that, it’d be turning on, off, on, off, on, off, etc., in your pocket all day. I’d rather it be that much harder to accidentally turn on.

And having to lock it out, whether physically or electronically, is even longer to turn on than even a longclick.

Besides, on the ’B, a fast doubleclick goes right to turbo anyway, and a shortclick off.

flashiman · 2018-06-13T04:46:25.000Z

Another vote for ThorFire TG06S min flashlight. You can check my top favorite and the best aa flashlight My Favorite Top 10 AA Flashlights in 2023 (Better Than AAA) list. Most of them are affordable.

LightUpTheDark · 2018-06-11T04:57:21.000Z

sesgum:

Tg06s has bad pwm and I gave away mine.

I read the reviews about the pwm and did not notice it (I could see the rainbow lines when watching media on projectors) so I bought it because it was less than $10. It’s my current EDC until I can get my Thrunite T10T working again.

Anthon · 2018-06-11T17:10:16.000Z

I have many clicky AA’s, (Sofirn SF10, SF14, Lumintop Tool AA, Thrunite Archer 1A V3, etc) and in my opinion the best of all is the Acebeam M10

The sofirns and Lumintop are a “toy”, they can only sustain like 100lm, whereas the M10 pushes 200lm constant when using NIMH. The Thrunite is nice but it’s so big, nearly 18650 size