Car flashlight - AA, usb, magnet

Beckler

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Apr 29, 2003
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Something like Olight S10R but with AA. I'm thinking for a flashlight to keep in car, I want:

-1xAA so it's small and has low self-discharge, as well as easy cell availability if needed at random location
-Magnetic tail - sticking it to car is very useful, even if you keep headlamp in car too
-USB port - can charge directly from car and usb port actually better than needing a separate dock like Olight
-Diffuser - if available would be nice for various car tasks

Anything have all these?
 

Poppy

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Dec 20, 2012
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Northern New Jersey
I don't know of any that will check off all your boxes.

I think the nebo "little larry" and the "big larry" each have a magnet, but they take 2 or 3 cells; and the little larry takes AAA cells. The walmart "workforce" is magnetic and takes 3 AA cells, and is a bit bigger than either of the others. They are all cob lights, and throw a floody beam that seems to see around corners. They all have mechanical switches, so there is NO self discharge.

A one or two cell usb NiMH, or LiIon charger like the LilloKala can be had for less than $10, and kept in the car.

IMO one of the most important features for a car flashlight is that it should have a traffic wand diffuser. In my car, I keep a pair of rayovac indestructible 2AA lights each with a red diffuser. They are stoked with duracel NiMH and I have a 4 pack of energizer lithiums as backups. I have a couple of cheap headlamps, (one in the glove box) and a DQG mini 18650 in the glove box. I charge everything up every now and then, especially after they were used. The energizers have never been opened, and they are about 4 years old now.

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ZMZ67

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Maybe take a look at the Olight S1A. The S1A doesn't have a built in charging option but does offer the features you require. A separate charger and the AA battery shouldn't be that much of an issue since you would be keeping it in the car anyway. The S1A can use all AA battery types incuding 14500 li-ions if you want high output and you could still use LSD NiMH and lithiums as well.
 

iamlucky13

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Oct 11, 2016
Messages
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If you can find an AA light you like with USB charging, you can always add your own magnet. I've seen some coat them in plasti-dip or heat shrink tube and glue them to the tail, or fasten them directly to the pocket clip using heat shrink tubing.

Parametrek says there's a few AA-options with USB-charging. I think they all charge only with a 14500 battery, but can use NiMH or AA with reduced output (but still typical output for those cells) as needed.
http://flashlights.parametrek.com/index.html?battery=1xAA+1x14500&features=integrated charger

Be aware that leaving the light plugged in all the time may reduce battery life somewhat. It's hard to say how much exactly, and it depends on how frequently the built-in charge controller tops up the cell.
 

Beckler

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Thanks for the suggestions so far. I actually do keep a Klarus single cell charger (usb powered) in car but still wanted usb on light too for redundancy, etc.
 
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