# The best 1*AAA light?



## The Chief (Jul 24, 2010)

Now I use Black Cat HM-01 from DX. Feels good - solidly built, bright (100lm) & compact. But! Can anyone suggest something even brighter in same form-factor (not bigger) and near same price ($10-15)?


----------



## mcnair55 (Jul 24, 2010)

Yes but not if you are dealing with people like DX.


----------



## The Chief (Jul 24, 2010)

mcnair55 said:


> Yes but not if you are dealing with people like DX.


Well, that's what I'm asking for, exactly. A flashlite model & dealer. Any recommendations?


----------



## EZO (Jul 24, 2010)

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have a Black Cat as well and I love it. You just can't beat it for the price and no matter what kind of abuse I put it through I never worry about it like I might with a more expensive light (and it seems to take it, too). DX has the TANK007 TK-703 - SKU # 26988. (or SKU 26990) (Tank manufactures the Black Cat, by the way) They're in your price range and can accept a 10440 Ii-ion and will be brighter with that power source than the Black Cat running an alkaline AAA or NiMH. Hey, a AAA HAIII tail clicky light with good knurling for 11 bucks that takes a 10440, what's not to like? It's hard to go wrong for the price even if you eventually spring for a higher end light. [/FONT] 

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As far as a flashlight model & dealer I'm not sure what's available in the 10-15 dollar price range outside of places likes DX. I guess the next step up would be the ITP A3 EOS's, Maratacs and so forth. As you probably know there are some really excellent threads here on CPF comparing the various AAA offerings. Just try a simple search on CPF for “AAA” and you will find more links than you know what to with.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Personally, I've placed numerous orders with DX and have never had a single problem. Even had to contact customer service one time to cancel a too long back-order item and got a very prompt, friendly reply and efficient refund. So far I've never received a defective or broken item. (knock wood) As long as you know what to expect from DX and the level of products they sell, they're a great resource. The Black Cat was a good example of my experience with them. For what I spent I got something that exceeded my expectations for quality and functionality even if it lacks the refinement of a higher end product.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As far as the “Best AAA light” goes, not sure how to answer that one. You'll probably get lots of opinions, I'm sure.[/FONT]


----------



## The Chief (Jul 24, 2010)

EZO said:


> I guess the next step up would be the ITP A3 EOS's, Maratacs and so forth


Thank you, bro. I'll google for these.

Speakin of budget torches, what can you say about TrustFire XP-EF23? I've found a review here on CPF, seems to be an interesting model: stainless steel body, 3-mode, 150lm max. in "High" mode, takes 1*10440 as well as 1*AAA, costs only $13.23.


----------



## randomlugia (Jul 24, 2010)

I know it's not AAA, but the TrustFire R5-A3 is only a tiny bit bigger and should have much better output.


----------



## mcnair55 (Jul 24, 2010)

randomlugia said:


> I know it's not AAA, but the TrustFire R5-A3 is only a tiny bit bigger and should have much better output.



But AAA is the subject why hijack the op,s posting?


----------



## jacktheclipper (Jul 24, 2010)

iTP A3 EOS


----------



## boomhauer (Jul 24, 2010)

Search for "rmsen" on dx, it's a little AAA that supposedly puts out an honest 110 lumens for $9.00. I'm thinking about buying it.

I have the Black Cat too, and it's a dandy.


----------



## mcnair55 (Jul 24, 2010)

jacktheclipper said:


> iTP A3 EOS




Will go over his budget of 10 to 15 US,that is why I did not respond with that,as it is my edc.The op has set DX as his standard and in all honesty I think he has no more options coming if he prefers to buy there.If he expanded his budget to cover other options it is all been asked and replied to hundreds of times before.


----------



## Trancersteve (Jul 24, 2010)

mcnair55 I don't think he is limiting himself to DX only, as you imply. 

I think that he misread what you posted.

His reply was: 



The Chief said:


> Well, that's what I'm asking for, exactly. A flashlite model & *dealer*. Any recommendations?


----------



## mcnair55 (Jul 24, 2010)

Trancersteve said:


> mcnair55 I don't think he is limiting himself to DX only, as you imply.
> 
> I think that he misread what you posted.
> 
> His reply was:




And look at his budget from his post.

Now I use Black Cat HM-01 from DX. Feels good - solidly built, bright (100lm) & compact. But! Can anyone suggest something even brighter in same form-factor (not bigger) and near same price ($10-15)?

Near same price he states 10 to 15 US $. The Itp comes over that no matter where you buy it including HK.If he ups the anti to say 20 0r 25 $ we can have a far wider lot to choose from and then we can deal and suggest many.


----------



## Zatoichi (Jul 25, 2010)

The TrustFire XP-EF23 is one of the best light's I've had from DX. Very nice looking and quite bright on high with a lithium primary. I imagine brighter still with a 10440, but I don't use those.


----------



## EZO (Jul 25, 2010)

I was poking around over at the CPF marketplace and stumbled on the Lightake.com offerings. Has anybody dealt with them before? I'm not familiar with the site, but I notice they sell some higher end brands like the ITP A3 EOS. The site has a some stylistic and functional similarities to the DX site so I wonder if there might be a relationship, or if it's a knock-off.

Anyway, they have an interesting looking light that seems to fit your requirements and in particular, your budget. The AAA [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*TrustFire S-A7 Cree R5 230-Lumen. *[/FONT](well they claim 230 lms, which seems unlikely) but it still might be worth the $9.99 - SKU: 30917. They don't mention voltage ranges so this leaves some obvious questions. Maybe they're implying that it can take a 10440 by saying that it will output "up to 230 lumens" or perhaps that's why they named it a Lions. DX has the same light - SKU 42670 but with a XP-E Q4 emitter. 

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]- TrustFire S-A7 Cree R5 230-Lumen LED Flashlight 
- Powered by 1xAAA (not included)
- Maxium Lumens: Output up to 230 Lumens (manufacture rated)
- Durable Aluminum Alloy housing
- Glass lens and aluminum smooth reflector cup
- One mode reverse clicky[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Emitter Brand : Cree
Emitter BIN: R5
Lumen: 230 lumens (max)
Reflector: Aluminum Smooth/SMO Reflector
Color: Black
Lens diameter: 14.0mm
Length: 82.5mm
Weight (including the packing): 22.0g[/FONT]

I know that there are some folks at CPF who look down their noses at lights like this, but they have their place. Me; I have high end lights, mid range lights and cheapies and I love them all. I think of the ones like this as "Cheap Thrills". Gee, that title might make for its own thread.


----------



## march.brown (Jul 25, 2010)

mcnair55 said:


> And look at his budget from his post.
> 
> Now I use Black Cat HM-01 from DX. Feels good - solidly built, bright (100lm) & compact. But! Can anyone suggest something even brighter in same form-factor (not bigger) and near same price ($10-15)?
> 
> Near same price he states 10 to 15 US $. The Itp comes over that no matter where you buy it including HK.If he ups the anti to say 20 0r 25 $ we can have a far wider lot to choose from and then we can deal and suggest many.


 I would be inclined to save up a bit more money and go for an iTP A3 ... $22-96 (£14-87) without a clip or $23-49 (£15-25) with a clip (postage included) on Ebay ... I realise that these are up to 8 or 9 dollars more , but I love my two that are mounted on my two sets of keys.

For $15 it is possible to get several of the MXDL 3W AAA torches from Ebay and they are great value ... I bought five and I don't really want to give them away to the family at the moment ... They are not the same quality as the iTP A3 , but for the price they are great.
.


----------



## kaptain_zero (Jul 25, 2010)

My suggestion would be the TrustFire XP-EF23. It's a bit heavier/longer than the black cat (which I also have) but its made from polished stainless steel, seems very sturdy, has low, high and a strobe setting (strobes I have no use for but it's only one setting and easy to skip past). I use it mostly on low. High with a 10440 is almost as bright as my Preon 1 with a 10440 but the TrustFire can use protected cells and doesn't heat up quite as much.... the Preon cannot use protected cells. My only complaint besides the strobe setting is that it's a bit slick... Polished stainless steel, if you have dry hands, can be a bit slippery. Mine survives in the bottom of my pocket with 2 sets of keys, a pocket knife and a cell phone. Beam is smoother than the Black Cat which in my case is quite ringy but I still like the Black Cat a lot too.

Regards

Christian


----------



## brted (Jul 25, 2010)

EZO said:


> Anyway, they have an interesting looking light that seems to fit your requirements and in particular, your budget. The AAA [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*TrustFire S-A7 Cree R5 230-Lumen. *[/FONT](well they claim 230 lms, which seems unlikely) but it still might be worth the $9.99 - SKU: 30917.



I don't believe it. In the pictures, the LED looks more like an XP-C (looks like it only has one bonding wire) which is a much smaller die LED than the XP-G or XP-E. It is probably Q2 or Q3 at best. I bought a "Solarforce" host from lightake.com recently. I even asked Daniel from there to confirm whether it was a real Solarforce before buying it and he said it was. However it is a fake. And he has not changed the description on the site now that he knows the truth. But the item did arrive fairly quickly, so they are a real store.

There are a lot of these Chinese discounters that all use the same suppliers and sell basically the same stuff.

I have a Trustfire XP-E F23 and like it. It is reasonably bright on an AA, but is pretty impressive on a li-ion. It has a good low too.


----------



## EZO (Jul 26, 2010)

brted said:


> I bought a "Solarforce" host from lightake.com recently. I even asked Daniel from there to confirm whether it was a real Solarforce before buying it and he said it was. However it is a fake. And he has *not* changed the description on the site now that he knows the truth. But the item did arrive fairly quickly, so they are a real store.



Thanks for the feedback about Lightake.com. If Daniel is actually refusing to change the description now that he knows the truth it doesn't sound like a place to do business with. I've noticed that DX will at least sometimes admit that an item turned out to be a fake or not the stated specs when a customer points it out and makes a stab at correcting it. Other times they go out of their way to make clear that something is genuine, like when there was a minor broohaha over whether their Eneloops offerings were real.


----------



## The Chief (Jul 26, 2010)

EZO said:


> The AAA [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*TrustFire S-A7 Cree R5 230-Lumen. *[/FONT](well they claim 230 lms, which seems unlikely) but it still might be worth the $9.99 - SKU: 30917


I'll give it a try and see if it's real R5 or not. I've also ordered TrustFire R5-A3 from DX.

2 All: thank you all, guys. Information provided was very helpful.


----------



## EZO (Jul 26, 2010)

Hey Chief, 

Let us know what happens. I would love to know if the [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]*TrustFire S-A7* from lighttake.com is the real deal as far as the emitter is concerned, or even if it just turns out to be substantially.....or perhaps only sort of, or then again, maybe, not brighter than a Black Cat with its Osram emitter. I would probably order one considering the size, price and form factor if its output is in fact much greater than a Black Cat. Would also very much like to know your experience with Lightake.com*. 

*You know, it's a funny thing, I have more friends and acquaintances ask me where I got my little Black Cat and how to get one than my Surefires and other similar lights. On the other hand, my friends who ask me about the "serious" flashlights sooner or later end up becoming flashaholics themselves, or at least buy a better light than they now own.

Last night I helped a young couple in their mid twenties move some furniture with my pick-up truck. I used the little Black Cat many times during the evening and at first the guy, and then his girlfriend got very curious about this light. Lisa, the girlfriend had a little blue LED light she got at the local dollar store. It was surprisingly bright, but relatively useless. I gave them both two 22,000 mcd fauxtons I keep on hand from DX and they loved them and they both immediately checked out DX on their iPhones. 

I think I may have created two new flashaholics!
[/FONT]


----------



## The Chief (Jul 27, 2010)

EZO said:


> maybe, not brighter than a Black Cat with its Osram emitter.


It'll be brighter than Black Cat even with Q4 emitter, I guess.


----------



## EZO (Jul 27, 2010)

I'll bet you're right. Wonder if it will be anywhere even close to the claimed 230 lumens. Even half that wouldn't be all that bad though and it might better that.....maybe.


----------



## jk037 (Aug 2, 2010)

EZO said:


> ...[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I gave them both two 22,000 mcd fauxtons I keep on hand from DX and they loved them and they both immediately checked out DX on their iPhones. [/FONT]
> 
> [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I think I may have created two new flashaholics![/FONT]


 
:twothumbs

Despite the general scorn that DX et al come in for here on CPF, they do serve a useful purpose in providing an affordable means for potential flashaholics to dabble in the world of LED lights without spending a lot - and I'll bet that many who start this way soon "graduate" to the higher end of the market! 

(certainly this is how my interest got started - I started with Akorays, Black Cats, Trustfires etc from DX, now have an iTP, Quark on the way and Nitecore on my xmas pressie list :naughty: )

Anyway, getting back to topic (sorry!)... I'll throw in another recomendation for the Trustfire F23, it's a lovely looking and nicely made little light with 2 useful modes (hi/lo, also a strobe but that's hardly "useful" IMO!) and although a bit larger and heavier it's a neat step onward from the Black Cat.

I can't think of any budget-priced light that manages to pack a multi-mode driver into a body the size of the Black Cat, though. That really is a nicely sized little light! If only the manufacturer would pack an XP-E (or even XP-G) emitter plus a 2 or 3 mode driver into the same body... 

Just browsing DX, there's a light on there that I haven't heard mentioned here but which has an interesting spec: "Brinyte PD03A HA-III Cree Q5-WC 5-Mode 150-Lumen Memory LED Flashlight - Black (1*AAA/1*10440)", SKU32946, which comes in just under $17 and has a Q5 emitter with hi/med/lo plus 2 strobe modes. Could be worth a look for the OP?

That Trustfire SA-7 looks very interesting, but at that price I very much doubt you'll find an actual R5 emitter - The Chief, let us know what you find when yours arrives, will keep my fingers crossed that it really is an R5, and then go and buy several! :twothumbs


----------



## joe1512 (Aug 4, 2010)

You are not going to find a light that is appreciably brighter with an AAA battery.

The only way to do so is to get one with an XP-G emitter which is more efficient than the XP-E and earlier. Here is one suggestion:
http://www.batteryjunction.com/ti-illuminati-ca1.html


Another suggestion is an itp A1 EOS. it uses a CR123 battery which is shorter than an AAA but twice as fat. It works fine on my keychain. The thing to note is that an RCR123 battery has 4.2 Volts peak vs 1.5 of an alkaline AAA. This means the light is capable of 200+ lumens even on an XP-E emitter! If you really want raw power, this is the most compact way of going about it. For AA, you have the option of a 14500 lithium battery which is similar output to the RCR123 and will overdrive many existing AA lights and more than double their output.


----------



## EZO (Aug 5, 2010)

Interestingly, over at Lightake.com, the specs on the TrustFire S-A7 light that we've been discussing have suddenly dropped from 230 lumens to 50 lumens and the emitter is now listed as a Q3 rather than an R5. The SKU: 30917 is still the same though.

Perhaps the folks over at Lightake have been reading our thread.

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]- TrustFire S-A7 Cree Q3 50-Lumen LED Flashlight 
- Powered by 1xAAA (not included)
- Maxium Lumens: Output up to 50 Lumens (manufacture rated)
- Durable Aluminum Alloy housing
- Glass lens and aluminum smooth reflector cup
- One mode reverse clicky


*TrustFire S-A7 Cree Q3 50-Lumen LED Flashlight Specifications*
Brand/Model: TrustFire S-A7
Emitter Brand : Cree
Emitter BIN: Q3
Lumen: 50 lumens (max)
Reflector: Aluminum Smooth/SMO Reflector
Color: Black
Lens diameter: 14.0mm
Length: 82.5mm
Weight (including the packing): 22.0g
[/FONT]


----------



## reneki (Aug 10, 2010)

i want to get a keychain light, something around the size of ITP A3, but with an XP-G and 10440 compatible. any such light exist thats budget? $<25 

is the ITP A3 LED swappable?


----------



## how2 (Aug 10, 2010)

boomhauer said:


> Search for "rmsen" on dx, it's a little AAA that supposedly puts out an honest 110 lumens for $9.00. I'm thinking about buying it.
> 
> I have the Black Cat too, and it's a dandy.



+1 this is the light to go for look at the review and pics

It's measured at 110lm using aaa battery not 3.7v battery


----------



## boomhauer (Aug 10, 2010)

how2 said:


> +1 this is the light to go for look at the review and pics
> 
> It's measured at 110lm using aaa battery not 3.7v battery


I've heard some reports of the tint being very slightly green against a white wall, but that's the worst I've heard about it. Supposedly it's essentially the same as a Romisen RC-F7, but less expensive and just as good quality. Very bright. I'll probably order one in the next couple weeks, I have some other stuff I need to get.


----------



## The Chief (Aug 11, 2010)

EZO said:


> Interestingly, over at Lightake.com, the specs on the TrustFire S-A7 light that we've been discussing have suddenly dropped from 230 lumens to 50 lumens and the emitter is now listed as a Q3 rather than an R5.


Got mine at local post office just 15 minutes ago.

1. A "BlackCat" step brother.  *All* O-rings are GITD, as well as switch cap. Knurling was *much* better in BlackCat. Threads quality is nothing to complain, not greased.

2. *None near 230lm*, but *not as low as 50lm*, either. Definitely brighter than 100lm BlackCat, supposedly near 150lm. Same beam, but tint is Cold White (BlackCat is Warm White with yellowish tint).

3. Sucks 2000mA from mint fresh lithium primary (1.5V) = ~ 600mA emitter current, keeping in mind that step-up driver efficiency is near 75%. 600mA giving us near 150lm output, voila!

4. XP-C Q3 emitter with EXTREMELY SHITTY soldering.


----------



## EZO (Aug 11, 2010)

Hey, The Chief, thanks for the update. Sounds like a keeper and I may have to order one. I guess we have to take the posted specs for these kind of budget lights with a grain of salt and a bit of faith.

There is something to be said about a small, bright, single mode AAA flashlight with a tail clicky. I own several nice small lights including a recently acquired Quark CR2 mini that I love but somehow I keep reaching for the Black Cat and swapping it back to my key chain instead of the Quark. Something about the way it fits in my hand and the efficacy of hitting the tail clicky with my thumb.

By the way, I noticed that Kaidomain.com is offering several unusual Black Cat models including ones with red, blue, green and yellow emitters. Personally, I have no use for any of those but they are selling one with a 5000K emitter that looks intriguing. Of course, 5000K isn't all that warm really but the beam shots they are showing look very neutral/warm compared to the beam shots for the original white LED Black Cat they sell. I'm curious enough to order one considering the price.


----------



## The Chief (Aug 14, 2010)

EZO said:


> Hey, The Chief, thanks for the update. Sounds like a keeper and I may have to order one.


More upd:
Can be used with Li-ion rechargeable - draws ~700mA from full charged Ultrafire 10440.

Conclusion: I like it more than a Black Cat with two 'cons': 1) Beam tint can be less blueish; 2) Body knurling can be more expressed.


----------

