So my friend who knows I’m into flashlights calls me tonight and ask about the G700 Tactical Flashlight, sure you guys know the one I’m talking about. He says it’s normally $200 but he can get one on special for $50. I say it’s a piece of junk but if he really wants one I can probably get him one for around $10 or less. Talked him out of the G700 and he says he wants the brightest flashlight he can get that runs on AA. I’m not into AA lights but do have a Nitecore EA4 and a few AA tube lights. So the question is, what’s the brightest AA light available?
The amazing thing is this guy is an Anesthesiologist and I was pretty surprised that someone with that much education would fall for their fraudulent advertising. There is no telling how many millions of dollars these G700 guys have made off of uninformed consumers.
The Nitecore EA81 will be hard to beat. Didn’t realize they made a AA light with an XPH50. Tried to talk him into a lithium ion light but he wanted to stick with AA.
If price matters I recommend Thrunite TN4A. The newest version with XP-L HI throws 457 m, similar to to the mentioned nitecore. But half price and half count of batteries.
Thrunite TN4A looks good. Probably going to recommend the the Nitecore EA81 for a big light and one of the 4x AA XM-L2 lights made by Olight, Jetbeam, Lumintop, or Thrunite. Have one recommendation for the Thrunite, any thoughts on how the others compare to the TN4A.
Read the shootout, looks like the TN4A is the winner for what he wants. So I’m going to tell him to get the EA81, TN4A, and at least two dozen Eneloops and a charger. Thanks for the help men and welcome Flashy Mike and firedome.
My neutral white TN4A with XM-L2 runs perfectly with Eneloop Pro.
Ask him if he likes flooder or thrower more. There are TN4A with orange peel reflectors (floody) and a new one with smooth reflector and better throw.
I too have the TN4A (NW) and it is superb. Rock solid construction. Works beautifully with Eneloops. It has an excellent moonlight mode which I use loads.
The brightest 1xAA light is the Zebralight SC5. I have the SC5w (neutral white version), and it’s a solid 500 lumens from an Eneloop. Probably my favourite light. Really eats through an Eneloop quickly on high, though. Decent run-times on lower modes. Great interface and programability.
For 2xAA, I like my Armytek Prime A2 in warm white. Close to 500 lumens. Maybe not the brightest 2xAA light (though probably close), but the run-times (efficiency) is very good. Built like a rock, too. Also like that’s it’s thermally regulated, though I haven’t found it gets hot enough to kick in during normal usage.
For 4xAA, I like my Sunwayman D40A in neutral white. Close to 1000 lumens. Feels very solid and well-built for a beer-can style light. Great run-times, due to the larger number of batteries. The Thrunite 4xAA light is a bit cheaper, and has a bit higher output, but I prefer the reliability of Sunwayman. I’m not a big fan of the Sunwayman interface, but it’s acceptable.
All the above lights are also available in cool white, for about 7% more output. But I’m a neutral/warm tint fan.
When I had read about disposable lithium batteries, it was said that lithiums AA will last up to 8 times as long as standard alkalines in digital cameras and other devices. What are the differences in lumen/run-time performance with alkaline vs lithium vs ni-mh vs carbon-zinc?
I have the Thrunite TN4A XP-L HI and it’s just a great light, especially for the price point. The throw is genuinely impressive too. A great light that I recommend to people that don’t want to worry about unconventional batteries.
I wish there was one easy answer but there isn’t. Each application will have a best selection and certain types of equipment require one type and no other will work well if at all. You just have to do the research and decide what’s best for you. Go to Battery U. to learn about the different cells and their characteristics. Some of the info is a bit dated but is still generally true. One ‘miss’ there is the relatively new “LSD” NiMh (low self discharge) which stores a lot longer than the older types they speak of there.
There’s not really a direct comparison for cell types in every application. Alkaline does great with low loads over long times but they’re not good at high loads. NiMh has a slightly lower voltage but does well with higher loads and generally has good run-time with anything. You’ll want a good charger so it’s not initially as cheap as some other choices but pays off in the long-term. Lithium primary’s do good with most things but are expensive and are not always necessary. LiIon rechargables have high voltage and high energy density but require special care, are initially expensive with the needed good charger added in. Also pays off well in the long-term but isn’t compatible with many things even if the cell fits the holder. These may also have shipping restrictions to deal with if you travel or order them online.
Most flashaholics prefer LiIon rechargables and/or NiMh LSD rechargables as these generally do very well in lights and are economical and versatile in our usage. Other equipment will vary!
