What's the latest on inexpensive 2xAAA penlights; need a few for gifts

Kestrel

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Willamette Valley, OR
Looking for a half-dozen penlights as gifts for non-flashaholics.

My first thought was the latest generation Streamlight Stylus Pro, as I have used one for years.
That light has consistently been a good entry-level 2xAAA light IMO.

I know that there is the very-comparable Pelican 2xAAA; but am wondering if there are any others out there I'm less familiar with?

The recipients are non-flashaholics, so single-mode is probably the most appropriate.
Batteries to be used are 2xAAA alkalines.
Price point is ~$20-$25, via Amazon/eBay/etc.

** Forward-clicky ** switches (i.e. w/ momentary) are virtual requirements IMO.


As an aside, is anybody doing 'flashlight engraving' these days?
That sort of thing used to be more popular for gift lights, but haven't seen much discussion on that lately.

Thanks in advance,
 

staticx57

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I know it is not a forward click, but have you looked at the Lumintop IYP365? It starts on Medium and has no mode memory so they will always receive a very useful anount of light on turn on. You can also order it with the Nichia for light quality they will like to use rather than the harsh blue typical of cool white Cree emitters.
 

samgab

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I know it is not a forward click, but have you looked at the Lumintop IYP365? It starts on Medium and has no mode memory so they will always receive a very useful anount of light on turn on. You can also order it with the Nichia for light quality they will like to use rather than the harsh blue typical of cool white Cree emitters.

I noticed that Massdrop has this one at the moment for $18. Also available with the Nichia 219B. Reverse clicky though.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/lumintop-iyp365-pen-light

PS: TIL: IYP365 = "In Your Pocket ErrDay (365)"
PPS: If you're a Banggood VIP2 or higher, they have an even better price on this than the Massdrop mentioned above, FYI.
 
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samgab

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+10 on the IYP365. It is a really nice light, and very classy style as well. Back in the days when I was wearing a suit to work, I would have had no problems having this light as my EDC.


Yep, after posting what I posted above, I went and ordered one from Banggood, with that excellent price they're running at the moment for VIP2+ customers.
I've currently only got one EDC 2xAAA light, which is a 4Sevens Preon 2 that I'm very happy with. I've carried it since 2010 and it's still in fantastic condition. It has a Cree XP-G, which is a "cool white" tint, but it's the nicest cool white tint I've ever seen, totally pure white with no discernable trace of any colour or tint, I really hit the tint jackpot with that one. Anyway, despite having that excellent light, I couldn't resist getting an IYP365 for the price, with the Nichia 219BT emitter. It will be good to have a backup. Actually, I should have bought another couple for gifts...
 

Timothybil

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I know it's only a single AAA, but the BLF 348 at GearBest is also a very nice giveaway light. Nichea 219BT emitter, single mode rear clicky in stainless steel with a nice clip. I think they are going for $8.99 right now, with another dollar for a nice gift box. Really a nice light. They were part of a special buy for BLF, so I don't know how long they will have them available. If you really would rather have a CREE instead, the Slingfire 348 is the same light with an XP-G emitter for a couple of dollars less.
 

bykfixer

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Don't know what style you are looking for Kestrel, but Icon Solos can still be found at Amazon.
Not the most modern but you'll get style points.

But the Streamlights and LED AAA minimags are what I give away. No complaints from the receivers.
 

khaleeq

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Dec 10, 2015
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My first ever 2xAAA is the new Klarus P20. I simply love it. The only complaint I have is it can't tailstand. It is 90+ CRI, with mode memory and 5000k neutral while tint. It surely is slightly higher priced than the IYP. The loveliest thing I find about this light is its floody beam and mode spacing.
 

Keitho

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As an aside, is anybody doing 'flashlight engraving' these days?
That sort of thing used to be more popular for gift lights, but haven't seen much discussion on that lately.

I got ten astrolux A01 (1xAA, but nice Nichia light, simple) as holiday gifts for my team this year, $88 total from banggood. I haven't brought them to the engraver yet, but a local trophy/sign/engraving shop quoted me a $20 setup fee, and less than $10 per light to put initials on each one. For my non-flashaholic team, I figured the personalization and the flashy blue anodize would be more meaningful than the light itself, even though the high CRI will make me smile to myself if I ever catch them using the lights!
 
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