# Best 2xAA with Multiple Modes



## Trancersteve (Jun 24, 2010)

I own a Romisen MXDL RC-G2 that I bought from DX a couple of months ago. I am quite happy with it but wouldn't mind a 2 AA cell unit with multiple dimming modes and which has very bright decent throw for walking on a forest trail (I will have accompanied a floody headlamp).

Any suggestions? There are a couple on DX that are 2 Cell + multiple modes but reviews are quite mixed!

Many thanks


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## dealgrabber2002 (Jun 24, 2010)

Try Shiningbeam new XPG-R4 Romisen RC-N3. 2 mode. Great runtime. Can use 2AA or 1 cr123.

Depending on price, 
4sevens Quark series
FENIX series is excellent.
Solarforce (L2r is the 2AA) is good too

I only get Romisen from shiningbeam because he uses a much better driver and better LED. Not to mention great services. And you don' t have to wait weeks for a light.


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## sol-leks (Jun 24, 2010)

I love my romisens, but if modes are what you are really interested in, I would get something else. The multimode versions from shiningbeam have modes which are way too close together.


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## ky70 (Jun 24, 2010)

I am also on this quest and have not yet found a suitable budget light with a decent low mode that runs on 2xAA. If the romisen lights had decent low modes, they would have a lot of my money coming they're way.


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## rekd0514 (Jun 24, 2010)

> Try Shiningbeam new XPG-R5 Romisen RC-N3. 2 mode. Great runtime. Can use 2AA or 1 cr123.


I believe it is an R4. 

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-213/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-II/Detail

I have had mine for a week or so and love it so far. I use the 2xAA mode with some duraloops.


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## march.brown (Jun 24, 2010)

Solarforce gets my vote too ... Single mode , three mode or five mode dropins all readily available for just over £8-00 ... I have three Solarforces but my choice is the 18650 format ... 2AA is available and gets good reviews ... Top value for money.
.


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## Jash (Jun 24, 2010)

Quark 2AA Tactical.

Certainly not the cheapest light in the 2AA format, but probably the best thought out one. 

It's versatility is great and the lego options make it a winner.

Of the half dozen 2AA lights I have, it is by far the most used, and most loved.


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## SirJohn (Jun 24, 2010)

The solarforce is a good cheap option. You can get the 3 mode version for $23 shipped by buying items 280428612537 and 280428612614 on e-bay.

For a bit more, don't forget about the ITP SA2. Variable brightness can give you whatever level you want. (there is a 10% off coupon for goinggear floating around)

I personally love my fenix ld20 but like the Quark 2AA, I generally don't consider it a budget light. (Although I got an exceptional deal on mine.)


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## joe1512 (Jun 25, 2010)

You might look at the itp SA2. It is around 40 bucks with multiple modes that you can persistently program to any brightness level desired. It uses an older emitter, but can hit 190 lumens.
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-186/ITP-SA2-Eluma-Cree/Detail

They have an older C-series that you might be able to find cheap that is very similar and bullet-shaped. That one didn't last long though.
Closest I can find is the 1xAA version:
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-85/ITP-C7T-Tactical-Cree/Detail


I am afraid the romisen's don't really have very good modes. It is typically high, medium, and strobe.


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## dealgrabber2002 (Jun 25, 2010)

rekd0514 said:


> I believe it is an R4.
> 
> http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-213/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-II/Detail
> 
> I have had mine for a week or so and love it so far. I use the 2xAA mode with some duraloops.


 
Thanks... changed my post.


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## sol-leks (Jun 25, 2010)

I was thinking the kingpower k2 might be a good choice but shiningbeam doesnt seem to have it anymore, guess they are sold out. They still have the k1 though which might still interest you.


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## dealgrabber2002 (Jun 25, 2010)

sol-leks said:


> I was thinking the kingpower k2 might be a good choice but shiningbeam doesnt seem to have it anymore, guess they are sold out. They still have the k1 though which might still interest you.


 
I had the Kingpower K2... solid as a rock! great throw, bright, and good beam pattern.


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## sol-leks (Jun 25, 2010)

I never owned one but it always seemed like a great and under appreciated light. You would be hard pressed to find another multi-mode light with a current gen led for under 30 bucks. Too bad it is nowhere to be found....


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## alejo71 (Jun 25, 2010)

rekd0514 said:


> I believe it is an R4.
> 
> http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-213/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-N3-II/Detail
> 
> I have had mine for a week or so and love it so far. I use the 2xAA mode with some duraloops.


 
I have the RC-N3 II Q5 "old" model by Shininbeam, and I think is a great budget flahslight, nice hot spot, good build quality, and Bryan after-sales service (it's a plus)...:twothumbs


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## Trancersteve (Jun 30, 2010)

Thanks for all the input!

Well I keep looking at the 4sevens Quark AAx2.. Ideally I would want to go for that. £48 delivered though and I can't quite justify that kind of money!

The ITP SA2 looks wonderful with a 5 lumen lowest mode and light level selection it also seems to have an extremely efficient regulation circuit... Can get it for £32 delivered.

Quick few questions after reading selfbuilt's ITP thread the ITP SA2 has a much better run time than the Quark AAx2 (R2). How much has that gap been closed now the Quark AAx2 has a R5 emitter?


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## Surnia (Jul 1, 2010)

shouldn't have changed at all, the Quarks are designed such that they give light consistently at the same time frames (moonlight mode is an exception), so the quarks took advantage of that aspect of the new emitters rather than extended runtime. 

Another great thing I discovered a few weeks ago, a water bottle cap works PERFECTLY as a diffuser. The inside lip works great on the D10, while the outside edge (with the cap threads) fits VERY snug on the SA2. Ensures it won't come off, and after some usage it becomes second nature snapping it on and off when you want a flood beam vs. throw capability.


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## kramer5150 (Jul 2, 2010)

You posted this in the budget light forum, so my recommendations are geared towards that. Two 2xAA lights that I have found to be good for the $$ are the fore-mentioned RC-N3 and minimag rebel. The MM can be modded to single mode by using the Rebel-2D pill, that will get you ~100L OTF.


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## Ian2381 (Jul 2, 2010)

I'll also recommend the Solarforce L2r,

Buy a L2r body in Ebay and a separate drop in so that you can choose between 5 and 3 modes (0.8-4.2v). My solarforce lights has been superb so far.:twothumbs

There's a sale of L2r Body in ebay. I'm buying it now.:twothumbs


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## odd (Jul 4, 2010)

+1 for solarforce
great quality and thanks to the lego system you can always switch to antoher host ( eg 18659 battery) or another dropin. 
itc shop on the bay has sale on the host....


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## sol-leks (Jul 4, 2010)

wow I had to jump on that solarforce too at that price, I am getting the SS flat bezel as well.
Any recommendations on drop-ins for it?

EDIT: Looks like the solarforce lc-1 3 mode drop-in is the closest to what I'm looking for, recommendations for where to buy it?(Cheapest preferred as long as its fairly reliable)


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## skyfire (Jul 4, 2010)

Trancersteve said:


> Thanks for all the input!
> 
> Well I keep looking at the 4sevens Quark AAx2.. Ideally I would want to go for that. £48 delivered though and I can't quite justify that kind of money!
> 
> ...


 

the quark AA turbo with warm tint, would do nicely in the forest. good throw, dereelight javelin is another good 2xAA thrower, and has drop in options!


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## Ian2381 (Jul 4, 2010)

sol-leks said:


> wow I had to jump on that solarforce too at that price, I am getting the SS flat bezel as well.
> Any recommendations on drop-ins for it?
> 
> EDIT: Looks like the solarforce lc-1 3 mode drop-in is the closest to what I'm looking for, recommendations for where to buy it?(Cheapest preferred as long as its fairly reliable)



Get the 3 mode drip in and make sure to get the .08-4.2v. Got mine from ebay.
I have many drop ins from solarforce and non has failed me.:thumbsup:


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## SirJohn (Jul 4, 2010)

Ian2381 said:


> Get the 3 mode drip in and make sure to get the .08-4.2v. Got mine from ebay.
> I have many drop ins from solarforce and non has failed me.:thumbsup:


 
This is e-bay item 280428612614 for those that can't find it easily.


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## fyrstormer (Jul 4, 2010)

McGizmo Haiku 2xAA. Can't beat it.


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## sol-leks (Jul 4, 2010)

SirJohn said:


> This is e-bay item 280428612614 for those that can't find it easily.



thanks I was having trouble tracking it down.


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## Trancersteve (Jul 5, 2010)

Hmm the solarforce does look attractive as it would work out around £15 total for the L2r body and a drop in.

I have read though that the PWM on these solarforce drop ins are quite bad.. and visible flicker is noticeable on the medium and low modes.


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## Colorblinded (Jul 5, 2010)

fyrstormer said:


> McGizmo Haiku 2xAA. Can't beat it.


Some people just have a different definition of "budget" 

I run in to this in photography although I do my best to be realistic about what most people are looking for. Just make sure you never ask someone who doesn't treat their equipment as a tool, because they don't usually even understand the concept that budget varies from person to person :laughing:


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## Trancersteve (Jul 6, 2010)

I decided to buy the Solarforce L2r and the 3 mode R2 drop in mentioned above, thanks for the suggestions.

I will report back my findings.. I got a feeling that I have been bitten by the flashlight bug so doubt this will be my only purchase


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## Deadshot11 (Jul 6, 2010)

Trancersteve said:


> I decided to buy the Solarforce L2r and the 3 mode R2 drop in mentioned above, thanks for the suggestions.
> 
> I will report back my findings.. I got a feeling that I have been bitten by the flashlight bug so doubt this will be my only purchase



I just bought the same based on this thread. Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The host at that price is hard to pass up.


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## flatline (Jul 6, 2010)

Out of curiosity, why did no one recommend the the multi-mode 2xAA maglite? I don't have one, but from what I've read, it should be competitive with other 2xAA LED lights in the $20 price tier.

Am I missing something?

--flatline


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## SirJohn (Jul 6, 2010)

The mini-mag is an excellent choice when the price is on sale for around $10-14. I am not sure what kind of availablity it would have in the UK. The biggest problem with the led mini-mag is that it is still too dim compared to the other lights being suggested. If they came out with a Cree version that put out a solid 100+ lumens for around $25, it would no doubt get much more attention. The LED emitter is one of the few parts that mag goes overseas for, why not just pony up for the Cree? an XR-E Q5 would be an improvement and that is still getting to be an old emitter. How about an XP-E R2 or go all out and match Fenix with an XP-G R4? heck, an R2 mini-mag with about 120 lumens on high for $25 would put Mag right back in the thick of things.

Edit: i should add that if it takes them another 2-3 years to develop such a thing, by then it better be putting out a good 180 lumens with reasonable battery life.


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## jrtf83 (Jul 7, 2010)

This thread has me looking at this SF L2R as well...

Would item number 270490323261 work with 2xAA? The important thing is the voltage range right? Is that about as much power as possible from this battery configuration?


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## SirJohn (Jul 7, 2010)

Ebay item 270490323261 is just the single mode version of the same drop in already mentioned. You should know that that drop in will not put out anywhere near 300 lumens on 2XAA. From the tests I've seen, i think the output is around 120-130 lumens for it which is the same as what the 3-mode drop-in already referenced will put out on high and about as good as you will see in this price range (the Romisen tests about the same and the DX lights of this type would be exceptionally lucky to do this despite what the specs may say). Unless you really want single mode, you might as well as just get the 3-mode. As far as voltage goes, the highest voltage you would ever see from 2Xaa would be 3.6 volts combined from 2 fresh L91s so the voltage is actually ideal for AA's. 2Xaa alkalines would put you at 3.0 volts combined fresh and then drain down to as low of a voltage as the light can sustain.


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## Deadshot11 (Jul 14, 2010)

Deadshot11 said:


> I just bought the same based on this thread. Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The host at that price is hard to pass up.



Ordered on the day I posted and both parts arrived today. Pretty fast for HK.

I popped in two nimh AA's at 1.33 volts each, and I'm a little underwhelmed. It's supposed to be a R2, as it says on the side, the it's not all that bright at all. Maybe it'll look better at night. But just by comparison, my 2 AA Romisen RC-N3 from DX (not the upgraded version) which has old cells in it is noticeably brighter. And the Romisen has a P4 in it I think. I don't know if it's just the driver, or the emitter, but the Romisen is definitely brighter, and about the same price, even with the Solarforce body on sale for $9. The only thing better about the Solarforce module is that the 3-mode doesn't have a strobe, like the Romisen.


EDIT: Ok, just kidding. So the cells I tried at first were freshly charged, but I realized they were like 7 year old nimh's, so I decided to try some newer rayovac hybrids, and it was like night and day. This R2 unit is definitely brighter than my Romisen. It has a brighter hotspot and a little more flood. Those old nimh's must just have a really high resistance and not put out much current.


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## Trancersteve (Jul 15, 2010)

My solar force L2r also arrived today.

First impressions:

Is very well made and solid! Fantastic value for money it looks and feels like a flashlight costing 3x the price paid. 

The head is great to use if you have an itch somewhere on your body :laughing:

Switch feels solid with good click feedback

The thing is bright! It stomps on my Romisen RC-G2 by a massive margin!

Looking forward to having a play in darkness, thank you for recommending this flashlight to me CPF!


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## Trancersteve (Jul 15, 2010)

In darkness the thing is so impressive it is much brighter than anything my newbie eyes have seen before from such a small emitter and reflector, the leaps and bounds that LED technology has gone through really has amazed me.

Am very impressed with the LR2 so much so that I think I may order another as a backup. The PWM is noticeable in medium and low but it isn't much of a problem to me.

The bad news is I seem to be addicted and now want even more power! Can see myself heading towards a different battery chemistry sooner or later. :devil:


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## Zatoichi (Jul 16, 2010)

The L2 is the only light I've bought several of. It's great quality and value, great looking, and you can do alsorts with them. How about a 18650 body or the little RCR123 body?


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## Trancersteve (Jul 18, 2010)

I must say after a couple days of owning the Solarforce L2R the PWM does bother me in medium and low. 

When in a small-medium room the tall standing is great, however the high is too bright for such a small space. In med and low the PWM is extremely visible making motion look unnatural. 

The high output is great though and throws massively with very useful spill, build quality again is superb. But the PWM of the other modes isn't very nice on my eyes, I find that it is very obvious.

I am thinking I should of saved the £15 I spent on the L2 and went for a ITP SA2. Which is twice the price of the Solarforce...


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## flatline (Jul 19, 2010)

Wasn't one of the advantages of the Solarforce L2R the fact that if you didn't like the drop-in, you could replace it with another without having to purchase a whole new flashlight?

Unless all multi-mode drop-ins use the same PWM frequency, it seems likely that you could find one that you like. Even better, find a drop-in that uses current to change modes rather than PWM. Surely, they must exist since that feature is so common in high end lights (quarks, zebralights, etc).

--flatline


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## Trancersteve (Jul 19, 2010)

flatline said:


> Wasn't one of the advantages of the Solarforce L2R the fact that if you didn't like the drop-in, you could replace it with another without having to purchase a whole new flashlight?
> 
> Unless all multi-mode drop-ins use the same PWM frequency, it seems likely that you could find one that you like. Even better, find a drop-in that uses current to change modes rather than PWM. Surely, they must exist since that feature is so common in high end lights (quarks, zebralights, etc).
> 
> --flatline



True that . I am finding the drop in world a tad confusing... A dereelight drop in has been recommended to me, but at $35 it is quite a steep price! Factor in the cost of the LR2 body and the solarforce drop in that I have already purchased and I won't be too far from the price of a Quark 2AA.


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## somename (Jul 19, 2010)

skyfire said:


> the quark AA turbo with warm tint, would do nicely in the forest. good throw, dereelight javelin is another good 2xAA thrower, and has drop in options!


 
+1 on the quark AA turbo in Warm tint. I have one and its great outside and makes the colors appear much better than cool white LEDs.


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