Feel free to skip this paragraph. Long story short, my trusty 2AA Maglite LED and 2AA Fenix L2D have pretty extensive corrosion from--you guessed it--alkaline batteries. My Ultrafire C3 has been acting up with the trademark flickering issues. The Mag is trashed (I accidentally destroyed the emitter), and I plan on sanding/polishing/spraying the Fenix battery tube before using it again. I've redone the soldering on the head of the Ultrafire, cleaned the threads and contacts, and tightened the tailcap retaining ring, but it still flickers. I don't really want to fiddle with it anymore, especially when I hate the purple tint.
Here are some AA flashlights I've looked at already:
Uinfire B68 XP-E R2 3-Mode (Sipik SK-68 clone): http://www.fasttech.com/products/1601/10003898/1278401 (the "next mode" memory is a huge deal breaker)
I'm looking for recommendations on a budget 1AA or 2AA flashlight to replenish my collection. I'm looking to spend $20 or less, require a clicky, prefer something with a low mode, and prefer neutral white or close to it. I don't need crazy lumens. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
The best deal I found is a Fenix E21 flashlight on clearance at E2Field Gear for $25.00. Out of your price range. Shining Beam.Com has some good deals also but not sure they are right for you.
Just be aware that the SC01 has low frequency PWM, so you may not like this model if you are susceptible to it. But everything else about it is spot on. Mine has a Trustfire Flame 14500 in it now.
Crelant V21A.
Slightly above your budget, but i like it very much! 3 modes with memory, no blinkies, no PWM. If you can catch the V21AN, it has a neutral white XM-L2 T6 emitter.
The 6 mode light link doesnt work. I just would be cautious buying a 6 mode light. IF you have to use it alot and IF you have to cycle through all them modes every time, it can get old fast. There are some mods that help sometimes. Depends on the driver. But if it is going to be a task light, 2 modes is something I look for.
Thanks for posting that, just ordered another. Gave my last one away for Xmas and then the price jumped up so I had to grab one of these. I’ve got an XP-E2 to swap in just like I did with my mini 123 E21
But in the mean time I just received a SolarForce Z2, what a nice little light. Might not be what you’re looking for, NiMH or Alkys only (in other words NiMH only) and only a single cell.
But the build quality and beam are real nice, good size too. The tint is a little cool for me but that gives me a cheap mod to look forward to down the road.
I appreciate the heads up. I don't think I'm susceptible to low frequency PWM, so it should be fine for me. I haven't used too many lights with it, so I'll keep that in mind if I start to feel funny.
The Crelant looks pretty interesting; however, it's above my budget for this specific light, and I think I'd be pretty annoyed with the minor issues listed in reviews.
Hmm I think I fixed the link. For some reason, the "Insert Link" button is always greyed out for me in advanced mode. In simple mode, I enter the URL and link text, but it doesn't show up as a link, just plain text. I wonder how everybody is inserting links with short text (e.g., "Linky")?
6 modes is definitely excessive, and something I considered a con for that one.
That looks like a good one. I may consider this later on.
Yet another good one. I may pick one up in the future if they offer a neutral tint without an audible whine on lower modes.
Some really great suggestions in this thread. I've been looking at AA lights on and off for a few weeks, yet some of these are still new to me. :)
I have seen Rayovac rubber protected flashlights in stores. They look like the thing to use if you expect to drop it on a hard surface. Rayovac has never made flashlights itself, it has made batteries since the beginnings and marketed practical flashlights.
And love it. Nice warm tint, Forward clicky, nice low and it can be run on a 14500 with a dummy cell which picks up quite a few more lumens and still retains the low.
Bought a couple in the Camo color, if you are in the USA, I can probably hook you up with one cheap. I have them new in box, but it would be cheaper to ship unboxed without the cheapy batteries that they come with.
These things have the thickest battery tube that I think you will ever see. It looks like the old cast iron water pipes from back in the day.
