you open it from the lense ,when you remove the reflector you will see the brass pill ,will take 14mm pcb ,you can use the copper pcbs from fasttech and you can add a 17mm driver but you have to mill it a bit to fit.
Interesting that sound like a nice possible host then 
thanks for the info.
I can recommend the Trustfire R5-A3 from UltraOK (http://www.ebay.de/itm/Good-quality-TrustFire-CREE-R5-LED-800-Lumens-3-Mode-Flashlight-light-Torch-/280839148324?tfrom=271011007298&tpos=top&ttype=coupon&talgo=undefined&autorefresh=true). It’s similar to the somewhat cheaper PX-516 keltex reviewed/recommended but has these advantages:
- XP-G2 emitter with nice neutral tint (of course no 800 lm) ->> my UltraOK version from ebay, possible not from other sources like fasttech
- 3 modes (low, high, strobe) with mode memory (last mode!)
-good reflector/beam (hotspot with soft transition to spill/flood)
- can take AA and 14500
- slim cylindrical shape like the Convoy S series
The only thing I had to mod was the switch/rubber hat. I’ve put a small plastic disc between switch and rubber cap (1,5…2mm?) to eliminate the slack. Without it you had to press the hat very deep into the tailcap to made the switch change.
The same seller has the PX-516 too: http://www.ebay.de/itm/271011007298?\_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&autorefresh=true
But I would prefer the R5-A3 for it’s better/newer emitter, esp. when I want to use it as stock light and not mod it.
I also have several different cheapies and I like the small zoomie like showed in post #18
It’s a very nice light, the perfect 3$ zoomie.
But the only one with good quality and reasonable price is the SC01, it is a really nice light. You can check out the thread and like mentioned above more than a few have reported that it dies quickly and so on.
Maybe I haven’t used mine like they did or I am just lucky. I always run mine with a nitecore or keepower 14500 and it is very small and bright with easy sideswitch ui.
Other than that the quality is a total winner and would be exactly what you want except that convoys are always easy to mod and this one is more on the hard side with that.
I also have read here often about the hugsby lights but I don’t own one yet.
must be this one got it from ebay at like 4$ or something has zoom and 3 modes low high and strobe… and feels very sturdy and takes 14500 and regular AA batteries.
UltraFire L-Q5ZZ
It was my 2nd flashlight after my Sipik SK68 as I needed something more watertight than a zoomie.
Not the best in the market.
Hollow pill with press fit star, ugly standard 3 modes with slow pwm, plastic reflector that isn’t focused properly
But personally it’s my favorite thrower for an AA/14500 light that isn’t a zoomie.
It never fails to be my edc light even with lots of drops and abuse.
Just a 5 minute cleanup and adjustments works fine to me
Glow tailcap and o-rings are by far the brightest glow material I’ve find in a cheap light.
$8.80 light. How much more one can ask?
The Xeno 03 is easily moddable if you manage to screw out the bezel (I made a tool for it from a piece of sheet metal). On 14500's it is very bright but the mode spacing becomes ugly.
But I must mention the newer Xeno ES1. It seems like it has the same features as the Xeno 03, but it is way smaller, almost the size of the Eagletac D25A and has a lower low. It eats 14500's but I'm not sure how hot it gets, it has less 'beef' than the 03. Not sure about the moddability, but it comes in three different emitters. Here's a link to hkequipment, they are $31 over there. They may be cheaper elsewhere.
EDIT: I do not own one, and the 14500 compatibility only comes from a mini-review at CPF, the nice 1.5lm low becomes 31 then :-(
Hey! Thanks for that! I had picked this light up cheap and reviewed it here for possible AA-host use! I didn't know the model for that light as BIC didn't include that info...
The pocket clip fits a 501b perfectly... 
It’s weird how mine had totally hollow pill while yours had an aluminum plate underneath.
Oh well… not like I care as I’m going to add coins into my unit soon. 
probably gonna change the emitter to some XT-E Q5-7B for some warm warms
glad I helped you discover the name of it.
had fun reading the review lol
Here’s the easy way to unscrew that kind of bezel without any risk of damage to the light:
1. Get one of those rubber pads from the grocery store used to open stuck jars.
2. Place the pad in the palm of your left hand.
3. Hold the light in your right hand and press the bezel into the pad firmly.
4. Unscrew
Same technique also works with indoor stairway grip tape from Office Depot (the grey rubber stuff … not the outdoor stairway grip tape which is like black sandpaper).
- Cut off a piece of indoor stair way grip tape.
- Stick the glued portion onto the bezel.
- Hold light in right hand and press bezel into palm of left hand.
- Unscrew
- Peel off the used grip tape.
I use this technique to remove the bezel on my Olight S10. Works great.
My favourite is Crelant V11A which is very similar to my EDC Crelant V31A (which uses CR123). I could swap the EDC to V11 any day with no regrets but V31A is a tiny bit more compact. Either one should be around $30.
V11A is not the smallest one but it is of good quality and has three modes. Should work with AA cells as well, never actually tried it out that way. I’d like to see lower modes though, I’m really fond of some low-low like 25mA that is more usefull generally than fireflys at 2-5mA.
Clip of V11A/V31A is not perfect, I’ve had the lamp drop from belt a few times. I’ve added a couple drops of glue and keep them secured with a clip on a lanyard in order not to lose those by dropping from the belt.
Sipik SK68 is great for a cheapie. You can get some clones with modes like low/high/strobe as well.
Recently I’ve bought this “UltraFire Q5”: http://www.ebay.de/itm/131224343634?\_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Functions similar to the SK-68 clones, but I like the design better. The clip is almost Convoy-like. Hollow pill, 3 modes with next mode memory (fixed that with resistor mod). Heavier/more solid than the ultra-cheap zoomies (like Aleto N8 or “508” as in post #18). And a very nice colour (dark purple)! There is a black version too (it could be from another manufacturer):
http://www.ebay.de/itm/191496638706?\_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
The only cons: some sharp edges had to be taken care of and there where no O-rings as pictured on eBay, they must have been forgotten or left off.
AA and 14500 works.
And definitively more “budget” as some of the other mentioned above.
I like those really tiny zoomies like the one in Post #18. Why carry around a big zoomie that puts virtually exactly the same light and beam pattern as a smaller zoomie running the same cell? Smaller takes less space in the pocket and is more comfortable to carry.
My latest mod is of a light similar to the on post #18.
So far I’ve done the following to it:
- Replaced thin aluminum star with copper Noctigon (filed down to fit 14mm)
- Replaced stock cool-white XPE emitter with XPL neutral 3d tint. I decided to leave the dome on to keep superior tint at the expense of throw.
- Used checkering file to convert the grooves on the head into square-cut knurling.
- Replaced tailcap switch and switch spring with one from an early model Sipik 68. Solder-braided the tailcap spring.
- Replaced switch boot with a spare 12mm Fenix boot. Filed down back of tailcap so that it is flush with the new shorter boot.
- Painted the exposed aluminum. Original light was black, but applying the knurling and filing down the tailcap exposed bare metal. Painted it with what I had on hand (acrylic hobby paint primer then black acrylic hobby paint, then a layer of brushed on super-glue gel to make it durable).
- Filed down fluted portion of the body tube, then placed a rubber grip taken from a cheap AAA light onto that portion.
- Replaced driver with 3-mode 15mm 3-amp driver from Mountain Electronics.
I’m pretty pleased with how it came out. Great tint, high output, fairly wide flood for an un-dedomed zoomie, small cylindrical size (87mm long x 21mm wide), and much grippier than the original.
I’m debating whether I want to remove the rubber grip and add knurling to match the knurling on the head. If I do so I’d have to mold the knurling out of epoxy putty. I should probably practice my technique first before trying it on the light.
Eventually I’d like to mod one of these to use an electronic switch in the tailcap and DrJones Mokkadrv. The biggest problem is my last 2 attempts at filing down a 17mm Nanjg 105c to fit the 14mm driver space both failed and destroyed the drivers. Rather than trying to file down a 17mm driver I might be better off reflowing the ATiny off one of my DrJones’ drivers and installing it onto one of these 15mm drivers. I don’t have a heat gun so would have to buy one.
Installing an electronic switch in the tailcap would require an extra electrical connection to the tailcap. My plan is to run a thin wire or strip of metal outside the battery tube but below the rubber grip (or molded knurling). This would solve a lot of the problems I had making the extra electrical connection when I tried it inside the battery tube on my SK58.
I like this one
from DX better than the type shown in post 18 (sometimes called #3 zoomy). Of my examples at least, they are brighter and have a warmer tint. More important, though they have only vestigial knurling, they don’t suffer from the cheap mass produced look of the post 18 #3.
That looks nice, how is the pill/shelf design?
It is hollow. I don’t think there is even a shim or plate behind the star. Also there are no notches to help unscrew the pill.
Ouch that is too bad 
that makes it more complicated.
I don’t see any mention here of the TrustFire Z8.
That one from DX has a hollow pill and supports a 16mm star.
I like it’s external looks better than the one in post #18. I’ve modded both lights.
sipik sk68