Another vote for the Fenix LD40. It's a really nice 4AA light. I know you're not really interested in 3AA lights, but I have to mention that the Cyclone significantly outperforms the Fenix, nice light though the Fenix is: http://www.intl-outdoor.com/cyclone-c88-xml-u2-910lm-flashlight-p-349.html
Given the Cyclone's performance I'm not sure why you want to use more batteries for a light that has less throw & spill.
They weight about the same once the batteries are in. The Cyclone lacks the moonlight mode, however. Good luck deciding.
There is an LD41 coming soon that will be 4 x AA with an XM-L emitter
If you haven't tried a 2 x AA Caveman, I bet you would like that one a lot.
For 17 or 18 bucks you can also get the yellow Dorcy at sears or Walmart that is 4 x AA, and is s great thrower, but a rather narrow beam (XR-E emitter)
I'm looking for a light that my co-workers can get significant light output (as much as possible) on a medium setting for at least 4 hours usage. I don't think the Cyclone can do that (am I wrong?) on AA's. Also has to be compact to be carried in a holster on their side.
I've looked at that Cyclone a few times. It looks like it offers a lot for a very reasonable price, I just can't help feeling that a tail switch on a fatty is even more of a bad idea than usual..
Ok, I may have been wrong. According to _the_'s review, on Eneloops the Cyclone draws 0.53A on medium which I calculate 4.3hrs runtime on 2300mAh NiMh's. The Cyclone won't reach max output on NiMh cells (I'm estimating 600 lumens based on _the_'s mAh's) and the level it will put out won't last long. The 4AA's can reach max output and last longer. I estimate the Cyclone at 200 lumens at it's 0.53A tailcap current, while the Jetbeam PA40 is rated 468 lumens on Hi (yes less lumens) for 2.5hrs and 220 lumens for 6 hours.
@zeljko9r, its too close to the PA40 apart from a older emitter and a mode button instead of battery indicator. I bought the PA40 over that when I was considering them both.
@trooplewis, I bought the Dorcy CyberLight for my brother. It cost $27 with postage to Australia. Its pretty good for him but not for me.
The LD41 I don't really like, I am sure it will cost a fortune and it still has a lower ANSI lumen rating than the PA40 (also it looks ugly as hell)
I will try to say something from my point of view. Why would anyone take the 4xAA instead of some today's most popular 1x18650 flashlight.
This would definetly be the main flashlight i would carry if i would go on long trip to unknown. Let's say hypothetically that you decided to pack your stuff on motorcycle and drive across Asia, through Mongolia, Siberia and so on, etc, etc. Possibility that you could find fancy batteries out there is equal to zero, and maybe less. But you must admit, there is possibility that some new panasonic protected batteris can die, catch fire and so on.. Why 4AA and not maybe 6AA or 3AA etc etc. In most cases AA can be bought only in pack of four, and also it's possible situation that some guy in Ulaanbaatar have only one last pack in the store :)
Because in an emergency where there is no power, you will not be able to recharge your 18650 batteries, but you can easily stockpile several hundred AA batteries that have a shelf life of 7 or 8 years.
Now if I could find a decent solar charger that would recharge my eneloops in a day, that might be an even more ideal solution.
All depends how much cash are you willing to spend. Don't know if they are any good but foldable solar panel seems nice. Check for Brunton foldable solar panel (cheaper solutions exist also, just try ebay). They come in various sizes and output currents. Combining that with some small quality stabilizer with 5 or 12v output would be serious stuff for carry around.
The problem with that is that you have to have a solar panel, a 12v battery, and an inverter to make it all work, not to mention some sort of voltage regulator. Rather stockpile AA’s from Costco.
4AA vs 3AA? I don't really see why, as far as power (longevity yes, but power no). The only way 4AA would produce more lumens, was if the driver was optimized for 4AA. If the driver was like an 8x7135, the 4th AA would just create more heat. Direct Drive 4AA would cook an XM-L. It works great on some of the higher vf leds like a P7, but not on XM-L. AA eneloops have been proven to take 10 amps and will regularly do 5 amps. If the led is not seeing (let's say 3 amps) off 3AA NiMHs, then it's the driver or some other bottleneck in the light.
Yes? or No?
As far as the square 4AA style, I like it, it has a certain appeal. I would like to see a 4AA round body flashlight (budget), that has a driver optimized for 4AA.
Yeah, I wouldn't want a 4Aa if the driver was just wasting the 4th AA as heat instead of more runtime. The driver would need to be optimized to get more runtime out of the 4th cell. But I do believe the 4th AA would help a lot with trying to run on alkalines, am I right? Isn't this really why the Fenix & Jetbeam & other's with 4AA use them?
The Sunwayman M40A XM-L is the brightest (600 lumens) and likely of highest quality 4xAA light available now
The only other light that could beat it is the (planned) Zebralight Q50 which is not released yet.
About the shape personally I don't see anything awkward about it at all - a very common flashlight design. I would say awkward to plenty of toilet plungers around with almost half a meter long battery tube and a clicky at the end!
