Hey guys,could you plz tell me the brightest flashlight in AA/14500? Unlimited bugdet?
is there anything brighter than 1000 lm for 14500 or brighter than 500 (zebra lights) for normal AA ?

I’m thinking about this light only thing is I understand that the head and body are one piece so you can’t take it apart ? I wouldn’t think that they would make a light like that but I do see where you can’t replace the lens should you need to because you can’t get to it ? Can someone please fill me in on this light ? I wanted the older model but can’t find one. Thanks

I was just curious i wanted to know how many lumens i needed to walk thru the woods at night. so i tried to walk thru are woods with a lumitop aa tool on low..it did great only part that was rough is i forgot the lake was way over its normal depth do to all are rain. but a course still want a double aa light with 1500 lumens if they ever make it.and ps lumitop rocks

i am dreaming a owning a aa light less then 3 inches but the martac is over my budget

Some years ago when I found this site and got interested in flashlights I bought a couple of 4 7s Quark lights: a single C123 and a single AA. It was suggested that I get some 3V AA batteries to make the AA light brighter. I have several, but know nothing about them. I have no idea where I got them, but they are wrapped in a blue wrapper.

I assume if a AA light will handle a 14500 battery the 3Vbatteries will be OK. Is this true? I woud hate to ruin my AA Tool.
Thanks, Jerry

AA/14500-flashlights Review Guide

(single and multiple battery)

330 reviews by BLFers (2014-2019)

See also:

18650-flashlights Review Guide (2016-2019) 

26650-flashlights Review Guide (2015-2019) 

Hey,I’m traveling to Europe for a few months soon and just gathering the last few things.
I’m not wanting to take anything with lithium, already taking enough between camera, power bank and phone. Also want AA for simplicity of batteries, although I’m taking eneloops.

So, I’d like a light with maybe 3 modes, moonlight, low/mid and high.
One that’ll start of moonlight or able to save it so.
Probably on the floodier side.
No real preference on switch’s.
Not too expensive

I’ve been kind of looking at
Thrunight t10
Klarus mi7
Femix E12
Olight s1a

Any others I should look at?
Thanks.

Hi All,

My EDC05 that I’ve had under a month has had the lens smash already. Dropped from a height of under 1m and onto wood – surely not toughened glass then? Can anyone recommend the right size lens replacement?

Thanks

I need to set up a handful of 72hrs emergency kits for situations such as earthquakes and disasters, and wanted to solicit your advice on what types and models of flashlights to put in them.

Because the users range from kids to non-hobbyists, I want to keep things very simple, reliable, and foolproof for the user. We won’t be spelunking or anything (at least I hope not), and so pure performance in terms of lumens isn’t important. I think the key factors to consider are: 1) Reliability: it must work after long term storage, can take repeated drops and survives, etc. 2) Simplicity: anyone can operate it without instruction. 3) Runtime: Good runtime at low to medium lumens. 4) Battery availability: No rechargeable batteries or hard to find battery such as CR123, etc. Probably limits the choices to AA/AAA. 5) Reasonable price, as I have to equip a good number of kit.s

I’m leaning towards 1xAA or 1xAAA units, as batteries are easily available and they are small enough to put in a kid’s backpack without too much weight, even with a spare battery in tow. 3xAAA would be nice too but they are bulkier and require more batteries as backup, though correspondingly runtimes are better as a tradeoff.

What are the most robust units at a reasonable price that you’d recommend? I’ve always been partial to playing with the brightest and cheapest, modding, etc., but this is a very different scenario so I’m not sure where to start.

The EDC05C is a new light from Lumintop. It was first announced by Lumintop on their Facebook page back in July of 2018, discussed, then no news til now. The original announcement said it was an XP-L HD and 4 219C's, but that was changed. It now has:

• XHP35 HI (CW)
• 4 Nichia NCSLE17 (NW)

Additional specs:

• 14500 cell only - cannot use primaries or NiMH cells
• compact size, overall quality finish and details
• SS front bezel and switch ring tinted in matching blue
• OP reflector
• nice deep pocket SS clip
• screw driver head slot to remove battery
• built-in micro USB charging
• SS tail assembly
• strong tail magnet - will come in handy with the side LED panel
• lo/med/hi toggling, moon, and 3 blinkies - all 7 modes available on the front and side, but no support for both active

Dimension Measurements:

• length: 90.25 mm
• width: 20.45 mm at the narrowest, 22.3 mm at the widest with the side LED panel
• weight: 52.6 g w/no batt, 72.4 g w/batt
• reflector opening: 14.4 mm inner bezel (about the same as reflector I.D.)

I was interested in this light from the FB posts, might have discussed or mentioned it, but was very surprised to find one in a package received from Neal that should have only been just a GT Micro. These dual output lights I've found intriguing, There's a lot of dual out, side panel junk out there but with Lumintop, you know you are getting quality. Their choice of LED's is quite unique, somewhat controversial. Using a 12V thrower LED in a little AA size light with an OP reflector is probably a first, but it seems to work well. I'm sure their idea was to have some throw out the front, flood out the side - I like this combo, but I would probably prefer a 18650/21700 size light just for the extra runtime. They limit the potential output I'm sure because of the 14500.

Output Measurements:

I ran two separate tests for the main front LED to see how different cells work.

• On a Vapcell 1000 at 4.11V, tail amps w/clamp meter, lo/med/hi: 0.09/0.31/1.00 amps, lumens: 23/140/422-418 lumens (Tom E), throw: 4.2 kcd (130 meters)
• On a EFEST 650 @4.19V, tail amps w/clamp meter, lo/med/hi: 0.07/0.28/0.95 amps, lumens: 23/140/423-418 lumens (Tom E), moon mode: 2.5 lumens (Tom E)

I also ran similar tests on a comparable 14500 light, the Sofirn SP10B (XP-G2 based):

• On a EFEST 650 @4.18V, tail amps w/clamp meter, lo/med/hi/turbo: ---/0.30/0.91/2.15 amps, lumens: 0.1/99/285-274/592-507 lumens, Turbo:  (Tom E), throw, hi: 2.65 kcd, turbo: 5.5 kcd

So even though the EFEST is the higher performance cell and about at full charge, the EFEST and Vapcell resulted in the same output. This makes sense for a regulated boost driver, which this light requires.

Output is higher on the EDC05C at comparable amp levels, but the SP10B has the advantage of a high amp turbo mode, lacking in the EDC05C but probably because of the compact boost driver, and keeping the cost down.

This is the Nichia's in moon mode:

Glamour shots:

With the pocket clip. It's a nice deep pocket clip - SS, pretty stiff, little too stiff and tight for my tastes but I just worked on it a bit and got it open further:

With a few other AA/14500 lights for size comparison, accept for the 18650S on the right.

I opened up the SDMini's clip but the EDC05C is still shown tight here:

More 14500 lights for size comparison Utorch UT01 on the right:

Here's a good pic of the XPL35 HI. 

I poked a little at the side LED cover and it was coming off pretty easy, so went with it. 

You can get a good view at these special Nichia LED's. Not much info on them, but sold here at FutureElectronics, and Nicha datasheet here. They appear to be in series, which makes sense considering the 12V main XHP35 HI LED.

Looks like they glued the cover but it holds in place pretty well without the glue. I was able to re-assemble it easily.

On low without the cover

Nice size spring in the tailcap

Not a good pic, but there's a brass button on the driver side and some flat tops don't work, so button top would be the safe way to go in this light. Hope they will include a good 1000 mAh 14500 with this - would be a good idea no avoid frustrations.

Micro US charging, not USB-C. Might be a tight fit - haven't tried it yet.

Flattened top threads:

The 4 cells to the right worked, but the AWT did not - flat top was a bit too flat for contact. Hard to tell in the picture, but the EFEST flat top actually protrudes more than the AWT's.

User Interface

The Banggood listing here describes it quite well. I'll include it here with my notes in italics:

Operation Instruction

General modes: High-Med-Low, with mode memory

Order is lo-med-hi

Hidden modes: Moonlight, Strobe, SOS and Beacon

Not in the normal 1-click rotation of lo-med-hi

ON/OFF: One click the switch for ON, another click to cycle through Low-Med-High, press and hold the switch for 1 second for OFF.

This is common now, either this method or: click ON, click OFF, when ON press&hold cycles thru modes

Moonlight: When OFF, press and hold the switch for 1 second to enter moonlight in main light, click twice quickly to enter side moonlight, another click will go to general modes.

You can turn the light off from Moon, but it acts a little strange - you press&hold but it won't turn OFF the light til you release.

Flashing modes: Under Moonlight mode, press and hold the switch for 5 seconds to enter Strobe, another click will cycle through Strobe-SOS-Beacon. Press and hold the switch for 3 seconds will turn it off. Another click will enter into Moonlight again.

Little awkward and complicated to get to blinkies - not recommended if you need it quickly

Side light: Click the switch twice quickly under unlocking status to turn on the side light, another click will change outputs; to return to the main light, just click the switch twice quickly again.

So dbl click is the method to switch between the from and side, but both can't be on simultaneously.

Lock-out: When OFF, press and hold the switch for 5 seconds, the flashlight will lock when the main light blinks. The light will only be turned on momentary when clicking the switch again. Press and hold the switch for 5 seconds again will unlock and turn on the light.
This is a strange way to do lockout - it's actually a tactical mode but only on about low - weird... When you exit lock-out, wait for the light to go OFF and then ON again -- little tricky.

Conclusion

I'm impressed how this light works with an XPL35 HI in there, and really like the side panel/flood configuration combined with the small size, strong magnet, and quality build. For me the deep pocket clip is also a big advantage - it's something I use daily and much prefer the deep pocket designs.

Of course, there just isn't much power though, and it tested even with my higher "Tom E" lumens as being under spec: 500 claimed, 418 as tested. The throw did a little better than claimed however. A 14500 cell will limit it's capability. Again I'd strongly recommend a 1000 Mah 14500 button top cell - seems made for this light.

They positioned the switch just above the side panel. I can see why - to take advantage of the flat surface, but in a normal hand position, that side panel will be pointing right at you, but I can get used to it.

The UI has some klunkiness to it, but it does work.

I didn't formally test the lumens output of the side panel, but it does well for it's size - on high it can light up a room, not brightly but fair enough. I also didn't test the USB charging or have time for beamshots. For a CW, I don't mind this CW tint so much - it's very uniform thru the hot spot, corona and spill.

I'd still like to have a NW main LED and see a 2 amp turbo mode added. The NW LED is easy for them, but adding the 2A turbo mode might get complicated because the driver probably is amp limited.

For modding, the key is to get the bezel open, and I believe from there, all the guts can be accessed. I tried a little using friction assuming the bezel isn't tightly glued, but had no luck so far. I'll probably try a couple techniques soon. It's a uni-body light so no typical break between the tube and head.

 The dual output lights have not gotten much attention in general. I'm hoping this one gets some traction though - it's another quality Lumintop, a brand I prefer, and glad they work so close with our community. This is a handy small light, and for me the easier a light is to carry, the more likely I'll be using it. You can clip it on your collar or front pocket and have light right where you need it, and it's small and lightweight enough to not drag you down.

So I have a raylight brass pineapple. I love the tint and size, just not the weight. Plus my switch is a little sensitive.
Any recommendations of a good edc 14500 light with 4000k and high cri?

Eagletac D3A Ti??

Anybody use these?

http://www.unbatteries.com/

A couple of nights ago I was messing with some old NimH AAs, and picked up a (non-eneloop) 2650 mAh Duracell that had been lying around. It tested 1.39 v., and I spontaneously put it in a UT-01 that is (was) afflicted with ‘tail cap disease’. The light had been set aside for future cannibalizing.

Those of you with UT-01s are familiar with it – many need to have the tail cap loosened and retightened after being shut off or they refuse to work.

I put this cell in and was rewarded with a very feeble light and no mode changes, so I stuck it on the charger – which refused it, and flashed a “HIGH” message, indicating high internal resistance….so I chucked the cell.

Then I went back and put a partially discharged Energizer Ultimate in the UT-01 and discovered that it now worked perfectly. The ‘tail cap’ disease that it’s had since almost new, is gone. I’ve used it mercilessly for the past couple of days, cycling it a lot and running it for lengthy periods on all levels, and it behaves flawlessly.

Now admittedly, the light still refuses to start on a absolutely fresh lithium primary (I suspect that at 1.8v it sees it as a depleted 14500) but it works on alkies and Eneloops as well as lithium primaries that are very slightly discharged.

Go figure! But somehow, that messed up Duracell with its high internal resistance fixed something.

Looking to get this torch which led is best for Eagletac D3A Titanium out of

Nichia 219C Neutral White/ XM-L2 Neutral White/ XM-L2 U4 Cool White/ XP-L HI Cool White/ XP-L HI Neutral White/

Thanks

Are there any options for running a P60 with a 1xAA power source? First though it Solarforce but not sure if any of the body configs will work? I have a couple of different M31 modules and I’d like to try one out on a single AA.

So im in the market for a new single AA/14500 EDC light and looking for recommendations. My budget is approx USD $30 and so far the most expensive on my list so far is the Lumintop EDC05. I also have the Sofirn SP10A, Thorfire TK05, ThruNite T10 II, Utorch UT01, and the Klarus Mi7. Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated. The must have for the light is a side eswitch, and the preferences if possible are, warm tint option, tail magnet and reversible pocket clip for hat use.

Hi everyone,

Barry suggested a great idea of launching a special "BLF version" of the new SP10S (AA/14500 EDC light with e-switch, Samsung LH351D 5.000K 90CRI). For comparison, that's the SP10 V2.0 that will be the host for SP10S: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Sofirn-New-SP10-V2-0-LED-Flashlight-AA-14500-Flashlight-EDC-Pocket-Light-Cree-XPG2-550lm/2933049_32841154512.html

Instead of a proprietary UI this one might come with Andúril and maybe some more nice features. I could also imagine Sofirn to offer this one with a clear anodization or just without any anodization, see also C01S "BLF edition". I really like that idea as such a small EDC with Andúril would have a nice unique selling proposition and might be just the beginning of small EDC lights with the most flexible UI ever made.

1. First of all we need to find out if Andúril can be adapted to work on the SP10 V2.0 driver. Selene, I'm sure that many of us BLFers here will be more than grateful if you were able to have a look onto this topic and offer an adapted version of Andúril or RampingIOS V3 for the SP10S, if possible.
2. Barry mentioned that we need an interest list to gather the actual demand for such a flashlight. So, here it is...the interest list. Please feel free to show your interest as well as any suggestions that you deem worthwhile for a "BLF version" of the SP10S.

I have sent a PM to Toykeeper and Barry.

Cheers

Thomas

I’m looking for something small to use on a bike during daytime to improve visibility – something with easily accessible and fairly slow strobe (say no more than 2 Hz), ideally single AA format. Can you guys recommend something? The cheaper the better.

I already have an S2+ that I use at night, but the strobe on it is too fast, so I have it disabled altogether.

All my other lights seem to have fast strobes.

Hi all! I lost my Jetbeam Jet-1 MK. This has been my EDC for day time activities. It fits neatly in my slacks and has all the power I need for daytime usage. I am looking to replace it. I’ve invested a bit in 14500 and think i’d like to stay in this category of 14500/AA, i’m open to other suggestions though.

I like the Jetbeam cause of its size and brightness. I was skeptical about the twist on function, but have found that in six months of carry i’ve never once had a false start in my pants. Do I love the Jetbeam interface of twist to on, followed by twist to other power settings, no; but I don’t hate it. I find this flashlight idea for dress slacks, unlike my collection of 18650 or 18350 lights, where the bulge is too much, the Jetbeam is barely noticeable.

I use a flashlight in the day time cause i’ve found that a bright flashlight helps me find things, even in a well lit room. I also supervise the construction of homes, so during the course of client interviews, or site visits, I commonly find myself in attics, crawlspace and dark places. I am also always the guy with the flashlight.

I don’t use the Jetbeam at night, I have other torches that I prefer in the evening, like the Olight S30r ii for dog walking, working on the car, or travel, or Astrolux S1 for around the house, cause it starts on moon beam.

So mostly i’m checking in to see what other slender flashlights people carry. If I had a wishlist, I’d be really interested in a 14500 that was slender, 350 to 500 lumen, and had a shortcut to its high and low settings.

Thanks!

Which one is better?