# Red led recommendation?



## Buck91 (Dec 13, 2018)

Posting in budget lights as I don’t want something expensive or super duper high performing. Looking for a basic aa or aaa red led light, similar to a fenix e01 or the old infinity ultra... except in red. Any suggestions?


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## Thetasigma (Dec 13, 2018)

Cheapest thing I can think of with a red LED would be the Energizer 2xAAA Cap light under $10. Not water resistant but a fun little light, red-low-high. Then there is the Nitecore Tube, the Tip, and some other keychain stuff.
http://www.energizer.com/flashlights-lighting/night-vision-caplight

Stuff with a red LED under $50,
http://flashlights.parametrek.com/index.html?led_color=red&price=_+50

If modding is an option, you could take one of the cheap AAA lights and throw an XP-E2 in red in one.


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## Buck91 (Dec 16, 2018)

Wow, not a lot of interest. Thanks Thetasigma for the suggestions but its not really what I"m looking for. Guess I'll just have to keep my eyes open and see what I find. I have a UK 2AAA light with their red "eLED" drop in which is perfect, though I keep that tucked away in an emergency kit. Might just look into something like a minimag with the red filter or maybe a LRI photon...


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## xxo (Dec 17, 2018)

Mag makes some lights with red LEDs, part of their spectrum series:


http://www.maglite.com/shop/flashlights/specialty.html


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## bykfixer (Dec 19, 2018)

X2 on the red Mag's.

Z Battery has them for a lot less than the Maglite site.


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## MeMeMe (Dec 20, 2018)

May seem like a dumb question, but why do you want a red light?


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## Nev (Dec 21, 2018)

MeMeMe said:


> May seem like a dumb question, but why do you want a red light?



To preserve dark adaption


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## Buck91 (Dec 21, 2018)

Well at the moment I scooped up an inova microlight for a couple bucks but I do like the aaa form better. I’ll have to watch for sales on those solitaires.


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## flatline (Dec 21, 2018)

pull the bulb out of a 2aa (old maglight?) and put a red LED in it. Will run for days on 2 alkaleaks.

--flatline


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## nimdabew (Dec 22, 2018)

https://www.nitecorestore.com/Nitecore-Tube-RL-Keychain-Flashlight-p/fl-nite-tube-rl.htm


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## nimdabew (Dec 22, 2018)

If you want more, and are handy with a soldering iron, I can probably point you towards a parts list and you can build your own. Barring that, I would be happy to build one for you for the cost of parts, shipping, and enough money to keep me fed for the duration of the build.


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## Buck91 (Dec 23, 2018)

nimdabew said:


> If you want more, and are handy with a soldering iron, I can probably point you towards a parts list and you can build your own. Barring that, I would be happy to build one for you for the cost of parts, shipping, and enough money to keep me fed for the duration of the build.



Like the old 9v battery rig?


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## Lumenz (Dec 23, 2018)

Buck91 said:


> Posting in budget lights as I don’t want something expensive or super duper high performing. Looking for a basic aa or aaa red led light, similar to a fenix e01 or the old infinity ultra... except in red. Any suggestions?



If you are trying to preserve dark adapted vision, as stated in a previous post by Nev, have you considered a green or blue-green light instead of red? You can use a less intense light to give you the same visual acuity as a red light and therefore, the green (or blue-green) will be better for dark adapted vision. Don't take my word for it though. Here are some links on the subject:

https://preparednessadvice.com/survival/color-light-use-night-protect-night-vision/

http://stlplaces.com/night_vision_red_myth/


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## nimdabew (Dec 23, 2018)

Buck91 said:


> Like the old 9v battery rig?



No, a 18650 host, single red LED on a 16mm board, and run at 2A with multiple outputs. I built a green one for a friend of mine, and I am planning on building a blue one for blood trails soon.


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## nimdabew (Dec 23, 2018)

Here is a beamshot from about 2-3 feet on a bookshelf at work, and the pill itself. Forgive the solder, it was my very FIRST flashlight ever built by my hands, and I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Now I am about 7 flashlights in and now I have a lot more exp on building these things.


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## davemp (May 19, 2019)

I have a Led Lenser T2 Quad Color, 140 lumens and runs on 3 AAA batteries. Blue doesn't seem as bright as the red, green and white. You change color by turning the head. A very nice, well made little light available at Cabela's for $29.99.


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## Monocrom (Jul 11, 2019)

Bit late but I actually like the newer red LED only Maglite Solitaire model.


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## bykfixer (Jul 12, 2019)

^^^ this


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## Buck91 (Jul 14, 2019)

Monocrom said:


> Bit late but I actually like the newer red LED only Maglite Solitaire model.



How is the runtime? The factory rating of 35lm for 1hr does not seem that impressive. I'd actually like 10lm or less for many more hours...


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## Monocrom (Jul 14, 2019)

Buck91 said:


> How is the runtime? The factory rating of 35lm for 1hr does not seem that impressive. I'd actually like 10lm or less for many more hours...



The one I have is a battery vampire. Bought it awhile back. Still on the very same battery. Though being a red LED, I don't leave it on for several minutes at a time.


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## bykfixer (Jul 14, 2019)

Perhaps a Sofirm C01 with the lens colored by a red sharpie. 3 lumens lasts 25+ hours. 

I red sharpie'd my PKDL PL 2 about 2 years ago and it still shines red.


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## davemp (Mar 2, 2020)

_ I also have an Led Lenser T2 quad color. Excellent little flashlight. I highly recommend it. Reasonable price at $29.99 at Cabela's. davemp_


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## ampdude (Mar 6, 2020)

Monocrom said:


> The one I have is a battery vampire. Bought it awhile back. Still on the very same battery. Though being a red LED, I don't leave it on for several minutes at a time.



Is that because of heat/durability concerns? I've noticed that about red LED's as well.


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## ampdude (Mar 6, 2020)

davemp said:


> _ I also have an Led Lenser T2 quad color. Excellent little flashlight. I highly recommend it. Reasonable price at $29.99 at Cabela's. davemp_



I had one, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't find the white or blue useful, and the green was too bright. The red was okay.


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## LRJ88 (Mar 6, 2020)

Not exactly what's asked for, but i've found that a Minimag AA filter (the one with interchangeable lenses) fits perfectly on my SF Tactician, as long as the head diameter is the same that could be a viable option for any flashlight without too much heat build-up.


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## Poppy (Mar 7, 2020)

Not at all what you asked for, but the Manker LAD is a nice little keychain light, with multiple outputs in neutral white, and Two Red LEDs. It is micro USB rechargeable. It has memory so it can be set to come on with the Red first.


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## TimMc (Jul 5, 2020)

Sofirn released a small batch of C01S keychain AAA torches with a Photo Red emitter.


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## Monocrom (Jul 6, 2020)

ampdude said:


> Is that because of heat/durability concerns? I've noticed that about red LED's as well.



Sorry for the very late reply. Completely missed your post the first time around. No heat or durability issues. Just seems whenever I need to use a red LED light, it's always up close and gets the job done in about a minute at most. Then I switch it off.


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## Renegadethreads (Jul 7, 2020)

I can highly recommend the *Zebralight* *H502pr Photo Red AA Flood Headlamp. On sale for $54.*


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## Katherine Alicia (Jul 7, 2020)

I came across this the other day (and bought one, as well as the green and UV version) : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Red-Beam...var=671820074137&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
it`s cheap and cheerful and uses an AA or 14500.


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## Monocrom (Jul 8, 2020)

Another good red LED recommendation, Photon Freedom red LED *with *the covert nose. 

Very useful for up-close use without being a shining beacon to the world.


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## ZMZ67 (Jul 12, 2020)

The red light that comes to my mind in the budget range is the Pak-lite red. It meets the runtime and you can make it moisture resistant with a small zip-loc bag but it is 9V.

Promethius has the Beta QRv2 AAA in red. The $65 price is beyond what I would consider "budget" but it looks like a nice light,the green model interests me.


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## Monocrom (Jul 13, 2020)

Oh! Forgot to mention.... Photon Freedom is genuinely water-proof. Only light of its kind that I know of that can pull off that trick. Doesn't matter which color of LED is selected.


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## AstroTurf (Jul 13, 2020)

Renegadethreads said:


> I can highly recommend the *Zebralight* *H502pr Photo Red AA Flood Headlamp. On sale for $54.*



Quoted for truth!!!

Goes lower than anything else on the market, and for a aa light it lasts a long time.

Got one on my nightstand for nighttime trips...


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## TimMc (Jul 20, 2020)

Sofirn C01R arrived in the mail today! It's a nice little red light. Highly recommend.


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