Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output...

[Cosmodragoon]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

So I finally got my Nichia 3-mode L10. The mode spacing is great. The low is good enough for most things. Medium is great and high is very bright. Poking around the forums for data, the low should last 30ish hours, medium 7ish hours, and high for a little over an hour. For an EDC flashlight, that's an excellent balance for the light it produces. Despite being a little bigger and heavier, this might replace the AAA light on my key chain.

I didn't get the 4-mode because I prefer simplicity for EDC. I've also been weighing the value of moonlight mode for EDC versus around the house, camping, etc. Moonlight can be awesome in very dark places or when I want to retain night vision, but that doesn't happen much when I'm out and about. The massive increase in run time is great but generally, it'll just mean I'm double-twisting to get a usable light.

If the tint was a little warmer, I'd be inclined to get the 4-mode for camping or around the house.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

So I finally got my Nichia 3-mode L10. The mode spacing is great. The low is good enough for most things. Medium is great and high is very bright. Poking around the forums for data, the low should last 30ish hours, medium 7ish hours, and high for a little over an hour. For an EDC flashlight, that's an excellent balance for the light it produces. Despite being a little bigger and heavier, this might replace the AAA light on my key chain.

I didn't get the 4-mode because I prefer simplicity for EDC. I've also been weighing the value of moonlight mode for EDC versus around the house, camping, etc. Moonlight can be awesome in very dark places or when I want to retain night vision, but that doesn't happen much when I'm out and about. The massive increase in run time is great but generally, it'll just mean I'm double-twisting to get a usable light.

If the tint was a little warmer, I'd be inclined to get the 4-mode for camping or around the house.

You were smart getting the 3-mode. I have a 4-mode, and I've only used it perhaps a half-dozen times. The double or triple twist, to get to a mode I want, made me pick an easier light to use. I also find the moonlight mode too dim to use unless it's really really dark. I like moonlights around 0.1 lumens. It is much dimmer. (Perhaps there is variation in the moonlight level, and I just got a dim sample.)

But other than the fact I'm really lazy, it's a very nice light, and very compact for EDC.

 

[reppans]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

The L10 low should be good for ~50 hrs on a 2000ma Eneloop, mine uses <40ma of current. 150 lumen-hrs on a regular Eneloop is pretty typical/good for 3lms. I also found its 'firefly' too dim to be useful and much prefer the 3-mode version. FWIW, this pix (from 2013 btw) incl. the L10, gives a good relative sense of the range of sub-lumen outputs... from 'bright' moonlights to 'dim' fireflies.

For me, maximizing runtime is mostly about good low mode spacing - I personally use 0.4 and 3 lumen pretty evenly ~90% of the time and a single Eneloop is probably good for about 100hrs for me.

 

[gurdygurds]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

Dang this makes me miss my first MDC AA that I bought used here on the forum from mk2rocco. Shouldn't have sold that one. Had great mode spacing and as excited as I was for the newer clip design that allows tail standing, the old style clip has character. The more recent ones I have tried were waaaaaaayyyyy too bright on low low. Almost 2 lumens or so instead of .5. Lately I've been enjoying the super low levels on my Zebralight H53c but the MDC still calls to me on occasion. Again good to have you posting more and touting the low output drum Reppans.

 

[reppans]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

Thanks Gurdy... haven't bought a new light for a few years, just got excited with a new Grail light I recently lego'd from old stuff.

We've had this conversation before, but these two MDCs pictured above represent the actual transition point when Gene switched to the brighter moonlight and '0.3' spec... including the actual 0.3 light he used for a model. Agree the later MDC's output did shift up to 1.something lumens, but for a 3 mode w/ 9lm medium, I actually prefer it when the spacing is ~10x.

 

[etc]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

I think my first good LED light was a red light CMG Infinity, it would provide useful light for about a week on an alkaline AA, sometimes it would pop a bit opening the light because the AA had ruptured. (I kept the little plastic driver body and led, it lives).
That's the baseline to me.

The key word in OP's request is "Current".

CMG Infinity is heading towards its 20 year anniversary, I got a bunch circa 2001 time frame.
It's like comparing modern cars to Ford model T, kind of.

They *were* nice but the output was what, 1 lumen? Or something close to it.

 

[etc]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

For some reason, I am aggravated by multi-mode lights.
They never get used in the low mode and just end up draining the battery in high.

I can't really answer OP's question.

2xAA is such a neat format. You don't just get more mileage but also more efficiency, ie. the runtime off 2xAA is not twice that of 1xAA.

When it comes to AAs, I use them in a 3xAA configuration, a C-body by FiveMega and a Malkoff M61LLL module, which is an incredibly efficient light and a battery vampire.

I know, I know, this is precisely what you don't want.
I "get" the compactness and the ability of a 1xAA device.

 

[gurdygurds]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

PICTURES PLEASE!!!

For some reason, I am aggravated by multi-mode lights.
They never get used in the low mode and just end up draining the battery in high.

I can't really answer OP's question.

2xAA is such a neat format. You don't just get more mileage but also more efficiency, ie. the runtime off 2xAA is not twice that of 1xAA.

When it comes to AAs, I use them in a 3xAA configuration, a C-body by FiveMega and a Malkoff M61LLL module, which is an incredibly efficient light and a battery vampire.

I know, I know, this is precisely what you don't want.
I "get" the compactness and the ability of a 1xAA device.

 

[Cosmodragoon]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

I just did a midnight tour with smaller flashlights including the L3 L10 (Nichia), Astrolux A01,Sofirn C01S, Klarus P20, and some all-steel warm-tint 1xAAA from Convoy. I tried a few different rooms indoors, a field, some woods, and a stream. The L3 L10 was the only 1xAA but it compared very favorably.

LOW MODES

The L10's low was very good indoors. Most of the lights did well indoors, including some other ones like the 3200K C01 that couldn't otherwise compare. The L10 was generally a little brighter but still pleasant. With a supposed run time of around thirty hours in this mode, it was a winner on battery life. The C01 and C01S were more pleasant and definitely win the color retention prize. The C01 lasts a ridiculously long time but is noticeably less bright. This test reinforced the idea that moonlight mode isn't a good fit for my EDC needs.

MEDIUM MODES

The L10's medium mode was on par with the single-mode Convoy. Both were very useful outdoors. At that level, both represent a sweet spot in the balance between battery life and highly usable light. The difference is that the 1xAAA Convoy should do it for over two hours while the 1xAA L10 should get more than six! That's really wonderful for a keychain light.

HIGH MODES

These were all fun but mostly short-lived. Some of the 1xAA lights have listed run times of 30-40 minutes at maximum. The Sofirn C01S was easily the most pleasant. The C01S stood up surprisingly well against the L10 and 2xAAA P20 at distance but only has a stated run time of 42 minutes. The P20 has a diffuser but still reaches out with raw brightness. The L10 actually had the best reach and should keep it going over an hour. IRL, I don't use high all that often and when I do, it is usually for just a minute.

So in conclusion, the L10 is simple and amazing. The tint is decent and colors render reasonably well, but I'd love to get something like this in a richer, warmer tint.

 

[jimmy1970]

Re: Current "Best" single AA light, favoring KISS and long runtimes over high output

My Jetbeam JET-1 MK I bought years ago is by far my most used light. It's been through the washing machine at least a dozen times, been dropped etc and it still works great. It just loves chewing through my eneloops with the odd 14500 fun run. Best bang for buck flashlight purchase I've ever made.