Maratac AAA Stainless keychain light

DaveH

DaveH

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
12,249
No pix sorry.

I picked this up from country comm on impulse. I'm going to make it short and to the point.

Pros:

Power of the light is good, starts out on medium, then twist to low, then twist again to high.

Cons:

I didn't think I ordered the shiny stainless but it's shiny.
A little slippery as compared to a Fenix AAA light.
Pocket clip is not secure, should have another way to secure it.
The wire keychain loop is to small for a key chain, which means you need a transition loop to attach to a keychain.

Conclusion:

Not bad for $29 but has some design deficiencies. Fenix is a better light and worth the extra money.
 
DaveH, thanks for taking the time to tell us your impression of the light. Which AAA light from Fenix do you like better? I'm not seeing any Stainless AAA lights on their site.

Also have you tried the iTP A3 EOS? IMO A pretty sweet light especially for the money.

Heber
 
the iTP A3 EOS and the Maratac AAA are the same light, just slightly different cosmetics. IIRC they are made by Olight. The iTP version is better for keychain carry IMO as it has a better attachment system. Personally I prefer the knurling on the Maratac, but I do wish they offered it with the same keychain attachment as the iTP.
 
Sevorius said:
the iTP A3 EOS and the Maratac AAA are the same light, just slightly different cosmetics. IIRC they are made by Olight. The iTP version is better for keychain carry IMO as it has a better attachment system. Personally I prefer the knurling on the Maratac, but I do wish they offered it with the same keychain attachment as the iTP.
Click to expand...

Ahh, okay! thanks for that information. I had an iTP A1 for a few days before I gave it to my brother for Christmas. Pretty cool light though it did seem a little slick to me. Could have used more agresive curling. But the pocket clip worked great for me.

Heber
 
Just a follow up. I went to the store about some orings to put around the body and the head to make it easier to use. Also battery life seems way less then fenix, but I'd have to test more batterys to be sure.

given what I know now, I'd suggest saving ones money and buying something else.
 
I've got the ITP light , it really is great considering $ paid and the size of the thing.

Only downside is that its not electronically regulated , so the light will dim as the power of the batteries wane.
On the + side AAA alkaline batteries are cheap as chips these days.
 
DaveH said:
Just a follow up. I went to the store about some orings to put around the body and the head to make it easier to use. Also battery life seems way less then fenix, but I'd have to test more batterys to be sure.

given what I know now, I'd suggest saving ones money and buying something else.
Click to expand...

I've had mine ( aluminum model ) for two months or so , same battery and I use it near everyday not to mention playing with it while smoking on the patio , battery life on mine seems quite nice.

Yea , the ring was sorta small for keyrings but I have too much junk on my keys as it is , I carry mine in my watch pocket in my jeans.

Fenix makes some nice lights for sure but IMo the Maratac AAA should not be overlooked , the third and brightest mode is impressive bright for a lower priced light this size.

Tostig
 
I've had mine for a few months now. Great little light, even survived a trip through the washing machine with no issues. Only problem has been the pocket clip coming off (and disappearing) after a couple days.
 
Interesting, I have the AAA maratac and couldn't recommend a better light for the money. I also have the ITP A3 eos upgrade but prefer the Maratac due to the better knurling and the flat bottom so it will stand like a candle. I actually use a 3.6V rechargeable in it and doubt there's a brighter, cheaper light on the market in the same size. I would guess it's pushing at least 160 lumens. Not bad for a keychain light.
 
I have the maratac AAA light from countycomm.com and its a nice little light for the money and I can't be more satisfied with it.
 
hoopster said:
Interesting, I have the AAA maratac and couldn't recommend a better light for the money. I also have the ITP A3 eos upgrade but prefer the Maratac due to the better knurling and the flat bottom so it will stand like a candle. I actually use a 3.6V rechargeable in it and doubt there's a brighter, cheaper light on the market in the same size. I would guess it's pushing at least 160 lumens. Not bad for a keychain light.
Click to expand...

It's 80 lumens at highest mode , am I missing something ? I'm with you , for the money it beats Fenix's offerings hands down ( in same price range ).


Tostig
 
Tostig said:
It's 80 lumens at highest mode , am I missing something ? I'm with you , for the money it beats Fenix's offerings hands down ( in same price range ).


Tostig
Click to expand...
To get those extra lumens you use a 10440 rechargeable cell. Same size as an AAA but more than twice the volts. The drivers in those lights are usually rated 0.9 to 4.2 volts. With a light that small the heat build up is fast with those batteries. You'll most likely fry it if you run it at high too long. But for the occasional quick peek on high it's pretty impressive.
 
I think the issue of difference is "for the money". Yes for the money it ain't bad.

I think my expectations were too high,
 
DaveH said:
I think the issue of difference is "for the money". Yes for the money it ain't bad.

I think my expectations were too high,
Click to expand...

i am with you. i kept my fenix eo1 on my keychain and my wife's key chain. the maratac is cool but for the price (esp just for a keychain light) is not that great. the fenix is built better and its half the price.
 
I had the Fenix E01 and gave it away after purchasing the ITP and Maratac lights. The E01 was only 10 lumens and doesn't have the same type of reflector and lens that most flashlights have. The Maratac with three modes gives you a much longer run time on low and much brighter light on high. Not to mention the choice of lighting levels for different tasks. I know Fenix has a better AAA light than the E01 but it's twice as much money and slightly larger than the ITP or Maratac. Try the 10440 rechargeable if you want to be impressed. I have not noticed any heating issues but I don't leave it on high for more than a minute or two either.
 
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