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 Hey Jay,

I'm learning a little about torches, as I'm planning on getting a few and came across your reviews on candlepower and jayki.

I was wondering if the k-106 (sku.16607) was the pick of the bunch, or if I should get a mix of this and other 6 star torches you've reviewed? I was also wondering what batteries and chargers should I get for your recommended torches (ie for DX, or pricier ones)?

I guess I'm looking for a small, rugged, portable torch that can be bright and dim. I wouldn't mind a second type of torch that is larger and hits the mark with power. I would prefer to spend less than more (ie from DX), but wouldn't mind spending more if the increase in price correlated proportionately  with an increase  in quality/performance.

K-106 is definitely a good buy if you want a good AA light with 3 customizable modes. It's not super cheap but still very good for only $20.

If you want a cheaper AA flashlight, RC-G2 is a very nice cheap buy. Also, I just received the TANK007 E07 and it so far is a 6 star cadidate.
It's much smaller than the K-106 and has a very reliable twist action. It's a Nicore EZAA clone. See here for more info - http://www.jayki.com/5446

Small and rugged. Well, get something with HAIII anodizing if possible. It's prone to less scratches.

For the price, Kaidomain.com's Buckle V6 is quite good also. (Available in 3 brightness versions)

Or if you want something that has a super long lifetime and still useably bright(~10 lumens), Fenix E01 is quite good. (Under $15 shipped)

Battery wise, if it's AA battery flashlight, just get some good pair of NiMhs. I found these Enitime batteries to be very good for the money.

About 5% less runtime than GP Recyko's but not as fat so it fits all flashlights easily. Or Eneloops are obviously good too.

For lithiums, always buy protected ones. Trustfire or Ultrafire all seem to be fine imo.

I personally use this nimh recharger. Well, it's cheap and does the job.

I use this for RCR and 14500 (using a bent clip) and this for 18650.

If I was rich, I would buy Nitecores personally. I do have the SmartPD D10 AA and it's my favourite AA light.

btw... Next time, please create a new post when asking instead. =)

You do need to sign up to do this. (at top right corner)

Ji Jovi - Okay. So it seems you need a fairly bright light to light up something p to 100ft away. As you said you would like to keep it cheap as possible and run on regulare AA/AAA batteries, here's some I would think it would be suitable.

Ultrafire WF-606A Q5 (~$19 shipped)

- http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909

- This uses 2AA batteries and is very bright. At least 160 lumens out the front.

- It has a turbo head so it actually is a thrower which is rare for lights using AA.

Romisen RC-W4 (~$18 shipped)

- http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10711

- This uses 3 x AAA batteries and is very bright also. At least 150 lumens.

- It also has a decent throw hotspot. Although, I doubt it's as good as WF-606A.

- Has two modes. High or Low. So it can be used when full brightness isn't required.

- I've reviewed it but haven't copied it to here yet. Link to CPF review is below:

- http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=199062

btw, next time, please create a new thread. It's easier to track and gets more visibility by others also. =)

 Thanks for all the input it has been very helpful I am most appreciative.

Hi Jovi

If you could work with a light that's 8 inches long (but only 0.75" in diameter) the multimode Aurora SH0030 with a couple of extension tubes would come to about $24. From my tests it'd adequately light up a tailplane at 100'. It'd be far brighter with NiMH rechargeable batteries than with alkaline AAs. Alkaline cells are not really intended for the sort of currents that bright small lights want to pull out of their cells. 

However, this light (review here) draws little enough current from the cells in this configuration that it is actually brighter on (brand new) alkaline cells than on good NiMH cells as the nominal voltage is higher. This came as a surprise to me as i just did the test to make the point above. Having checked, it draws about 900mA from the 3-cell configuration which should be fine for your intended use. Alkaline cells will need to rest for a while to recover after such loads are put on them.

The single mode version of this light is claimed to be considerably brighter but it sounds like you wouldn't necessarily want it at full brightness all the time. 

Not perhaps the most plausible option but you never know.

Something like this, the Fenix TK20 would certainly do the trick but is quite a bit dearer at $53

Or the Quark lights which tick all the boxes. http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297&products_id=1620 but cost $59

Or the light specifically designed for this task, the Surefire A2 Aviator at silly money $200. I may add that it puts out much less light than any of the options here but has a larger reflector that will be better designed. It is also rather less than cheap to run as its diet is non-rechargeable CR123 cells. Surefire claim 50 lumens from the bulb - which is about 80 Chinese lumens. However lots of people love their Surefires. I own at least thirty lights that in aggregate wouldn't buy an A2.

To be on the safe side, I'd say look at things claiming over 100 lumens with a decent sized reflector - but not so big that it won't go in your pocket or whatever. Look at this page, pick one that you like the look of and then go looking for reviews of it.

I have an older Ultrafire WF-606A with a much less efficient LED in it and have no trouble picking out details on a roof 100 feet away so the newer ones will easily do the job.

An AA cell holds about 3x as much energy as an AAA and most 3AAA lights have the cells in series to up the voltage so the 3 AAA lights tend to get through a lot of batteries.

 It seems like the more I read the more I dont know.  I never realized there was so much to a flashlight.  Ok so here is where I am at with this and need some final input.  I am looking at the uniquefire s10, the akoray k-106,  I like the idea of being able to put these in my shirt pocket and that they are AA lights and rated with a high lumen like 200,  I would prefer a clicky that has the half click on function and a high and low mode would be nice.  If you guys know of any other lights that may fit this bill let me know, like the tank but i dont like the twisty.  Thanks again.

Jovi

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