Single AA LED flashlights

[y_p_w]

When working, those cheap single AA LED lights work well, without the excessive and sometimes foolishly high price tag.

Toss a lithium battery in it, and you can just about forget about it in the glovebox or with the spare tire. It'll work when you need it.

I am no fan of alkaline batteries leaking all over everything. Rechargeables aren't for everyone.

My only worry is a phantom load. Had a popular brand flashlight that would eat batteries when not in use. You had to make an effort to unscrew the cap to avoid constant dead batteries. Just gotta remember to tighten it up before using again. Test for phantom loads, usually caused by the onboard controller/regulator sucking standby power even when the light is off... an issue with any light without a mechanical switch.

I'm thinking maybe car storage with a LSD NiMH plus a backup. Obviously heat is the enemy of any battery in storage, whether it's the shelf life of disposables or the amount of time a rechargeable stays fresh. Of course rotating in charged batteries often would help.

I've never had one of the Sanyo/FDK LSD batteries leak and affect a device - ever. I had a few that stopped working (especially in a cordless phone) and had a tiny amount of powder coming out of the positive terminal. But I've just seen way too many alkalines leak. I have a traditional MagLite AA that leaked and I can't even remove the batteries because they're pretty much fused to the barrel.

 

[john_pifer]

For an AA sized light, it’s tough to beat a Sofirn SP10v3.

For $15, you get an extremely compact flashlight that is also extremely bright, with one of the best LEDs available in terms of color rendering (the venerable 5000K color temp, 90 CRI Samsung LH351D, @ 1000 lumen output on the turbo setting).

At that price, it comes with a 14500-size LiOn battery (and charger!) as well. And it can also use NiCad and standard disposable alkaline batteries (Though the brightness is lower with those).

There’s also a magnetic tail cap available so you can conveniently hang it from anything ferrous.

Something else that’s convenient is the ability to use the pocket clip to put it on the bill of your ball cap to use as a headlamp.

There‘s also the new “Pro” variant, which uses the enthusiast “Anduril” user interface if that’s your cup of tea. But I see that version is rated a bit lower (900 lm vs. 1000 lm for the v3). It’s a few $ more.

Since I’ve become a high powered flashlight enthusiast, I’ve bought several Sofirn lights (SP35, SP10v3, SC21, IF25A, HS40, and a Wurkkos FC12, which is the same company).

You can’t beat Sofirn/Wurkkos for “bang for the buck”.

 

[JHZR2]

The UltraTac K1 is my favorite.