AAA flashlight help

turtle13

turtle13

Joined
Apr 23, 2012
Messages
435
So I have never been a flashlight guy, but since I started my new job working in a brewery it is becoming more and more obvious that I NEED to stop relying on the harbor freight specials that my boss buys.
After a long time thinking about it, I realized why I always stop using a light is that I have to take the battery out to charge. Battery goes in, I never put it back and the light sits in my edc drawer.
I need some help getting me pushed in the right direction.
My budget could be between 50 and 100 depending on how good of a deal I find on a secondary market ultratech
I want a AAA size light
Maybe shorter maybe pen sized, still in the air on this
I want a high and low lumen setting
NO STROBE
And last but not least I want to be able to charge it through micro USB or a dock of some sort.

If you can't tell I hate strobe functions, I'm looking inside tanks and empty bourbon barrels, not signaling a black hawk for extraction from behind enemy lines. I see no need for them in my line of work.
A narrow light is a huge plus for more maneuverability in small holes like a barrel bung.
Does any one have any recommendations?
Thanks in advance.
 
Not rechargeable but the Maratac AAA is the best I have had. Drop in a Lithium battery and you are good to go for a very long time before you will need another battery.
 
also not rechargeable, the Prometheus QRv2 is in my opinion one of the best AAA light out there now.



 
I would look at the cradle charging Olites, micro-usb will fill with dust and crud. looks like that i7r is a decent light

Other option is just eneloops. they stay charged so one goes in the charger, the spare goes in the light.
 
ThoreFire PF 01, three brightness modes ,moonlight-low-high, no flashing mode is great value
 
I've never seen a 1 x AAA USB rechargeable light, the Streamlight Stylus USB is the closest I've seen but that's nearer 2 x AAA i believe
 
Thanks for the recommendations. Looks like the Olight ones are the way to go, a little bigger, but still small enough to drop down to the bottom of my pocket.
The micro USB getting filled with crap is a very valid point, grain gets everywhere when you clean out a half ton of it from the mash tun twice a week...
 
Surefire titan (300 lumen twisty) aaa for highest true lumen output off of an actual aaa
Eagletac D25ti (rear click) with a Nicha 219 for excellent CRI or higher output LED
Lumintop TOOL (rear click) comes in anodized aluminum, copper, or titanium with either and XPG or Nicha 219 LED. Can also run on lithium cell but will only be able to use lithiums after doing so.
Fenix E05 or E99ti , twisty lights on the cheaper side.
Martac aaa
Or a modified Lumintop TOOL or Eagletac D25ti if you want a real pocket rocket, but will be a bit over your desired budget.
 
I love flashlights and am just getting into knives. I was in the same boat as you, always so frustrated by cruddy cheap flashlights breaking. My coworker had a surefire 6p and so it all began. No I am EDC flashlight, sometimes more than one, and a knife at all times. Hate not having either.
 
Not rechargeable but thrunite Ti3. Thrunite has some of the nicest stuff at reasonable prices.
Shane
 
Stream light makes 2 versions in AAA. Micro stream is 1 AAA and the streamlight stylus pro is 2 AAA, there is a USB charging one called Stylis USB. Might want to also consider a protac 1L. All are quality and I recommend all of them.
 
The Streamlight Pro Tac 1AAA is a nice compact light. With the Ten Tap programming you can take the strobe function out of the mode switching. I just got one recently and it is great. I set mine to do low (5 lumens) then high (75 lumens). It's not rechargeable, but I just keep a pack of AAA's in my lunchbox. It was about $35 at the local B&M store.
 
Always had good luck with everything I've ever bought from Fenix and 4-sevens. Affordable and long lasting!
 
I have had 4 different AAA flashlights in the past, 2 twisty ones and 2 clicky-tailed ones: Maratac AAA, Titanium Innovations IlluminaTi, Streamlight Microstream, and LumaPower LM21. All but the Streamlight offered similar lumen output, but the LumaPower had the button operation which made it slightly longer but easier to deploy with one hand. The Maratac and IlluminaTi are almost identical, with identical quality to them IMO. The Streamlight was the least bright of the bunch, and with only 1 setting it just feels a little less useful than the rest, but it has fantastic build quality. One note for the Streamlight, the push-button didn't need to be fully clicked for it to light up, so you can use it momentarily without needing to click the button twice to turn it off again.

Of the 4, I think my favorite is the LumaPower LM21, it can do everything the Maratac can do, with a tail button for easier one-handed use, and all you lose is a little bit of style.

That being said, my EDC light for the past year or so has been the Eagletac D25C Ti with the 1 CR123 battery, an absolute gem of a light with great output and ease of use, a quality pocket clip, and a smooth body for a nice pocket presence that doesn't attack your hand when you need something else out of your pocket. the Ti version weighs almost as little as the AAA lights, with just a bit larger diameter.
 
I'm not concerned with weight as I am size. With picking up kegs and climbing all over stuff, I want the light to be as unobtrusive as possible in the pocket. Let me tell you, it really sucks when a 160 lb keg makes your keys and your thigh become one...
But thanks for the recommendations everybody, now I just need to find a good ultratech on the secondary market so I can figure out what what my exact budget is.
 
KingMC said:
I have had 4 different AAA flashlights in the past, 2 twisty ones and 2 clicky-tailed ones: Maratac AAA, Titanium Innovations IlluminaTi, Streamlight Microstream, and LumaPower LM21. All but the Streamlight offered similar lumen output, but the LumaPower had the button operation which made it slightly longer but easier to deploy with one hand. The Maratac and IlluminaTi are almost identical, with identical quality to them IMO. The Streamlight was the least bright of the bunch, and with only 1 setting it just feels a little less useful than the rest, but it has fantastic build quality. One note for the Streamlight, the push-button didn't need to be fully clicked for it to light up, so you can use it momentarily without needing to click the button twice to turn it off again.

Of the 4, I think my favorite is the LumaPower LM21, it can do everything the Maratac can do, with a tail button for easier one-handed use, and all you lose is a little bit of style.

That being said, my EDC light for the past year or so has been the Eagletac D25C Ti with the 1 CR123 battery, an absolute gem of a light with great output and ease of use, a quality pocket clip, and a smooth body for a nice pocket presence that doesn't attack your hand when you need something else out of your pocket. the Ti version weighs almost as little as the AAA lights, with just a bit larger diameter.
Click to expand...

Great explanation... , been looking for a good light myself for edc...
 
I stumbled upon the Surefire AAA stuff looking at handgun lights. The 200 lumen XC-1 is a compact AAA handgun rail light that has a smooth wide beam rather than the usual intense hotspot. Perfect for in the home.

They make a couple of AAA pocket lights with the same tech apparently. 300 lumens on the big one.
About 100+ lumens on the cheaper one.

Surprising stuff from Surefire.
 
I also dislike strobe mode, as well as lights that turn on high mode first. I don't want to blast my dark-adjusted vision everytime I'm looking for a little bit of light to get around in the dark.

shunsui said:
They make a couple of AAA pocket lights with the same tech apparently. 300 lumens on the big one.
About 100+ lumens on the cheaper one.

Surprising stuff from Surefire.
Click to expand...

I've been EDCing the Titan-A since it came out, it's replaced my EB1 Backup and saved me a lot of pocket space. The AAA light is just as useful, I've yet to need more than 125 lumens and use the "low" mode anyways 99% of the time. The low mode is extremely floody with a very even beam.

Before the Titan-A, I occasionally used a Streamlight microstream. It is very simple, with only one mode, and is similar in size to the Surefire. It has a great beam as well. The Streamlights cost less than $20. Just to throw out there, since we're talking about AAA lights, I've also been using a AAA powered Princeton Tec FRED headlamp and I'm finding it a great companion to the Titan-A. The PT headlamps are made in the US and surprisingly inexpensive. It's very small and extremely light, easy to have around almost all of the time. The FRED comes on in low red mode first, to preserve your nightvision, but also has a high red, low white, and high white mode. All selected by one simple button, with impressive battery life all around. For $50, you can buy the Streamlight Microstream, Princeton Tec FRED, and a pack of lithium AAA batteries.
 
What kind of beam do you want? Do you want to be able to throw a bright spot across the room or to evenly light up an area at arms length without a blinding hot spot?

You might consider a headlamp... having your light strapped to your head sure beats putting it in your mouth when you need 2 hands + illumination. Especially when we are talking working lights that aren't always the cleanest.

50 bucks gets you both a trunite ti4 (neutral white tint) and a petzl tikka+
 
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