Flashlight using 3 AA batteries? (Not AAA)

RussR

RussR

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Russ
You can buy flashlights like this pretty much everywhere - Walmart, hardware stores, everywhere:

8e492ff1-8ecf-4887-9134-e260f93ce2e9.4bacc54f90e050404e26ab067a25ac94.jpeg


But they all use 3 or 4 AAA batteries. What I'm looking for is one of similar form factor that uses AA batteries instead. I realize the 3 AA batteries would be a little fatter than 3 AAA's, but I'd think it would still be a manageable size.

I can't seem to find any at the usual sources. Any ideas?

Notes:
I like the form factor (short and stubby) because it fits well in my hand and bag or on a lanyard, etc. I don't want a long flashlight.
I want it to use AA batteries because my headset uses AA's. Why carry around two types of spare battery?
I do not want a rechargeable flashlight. Because it would undoubtedly be discharged every time I wanted to use it.
I want it to be pretty bright, because I'll be using it for night preflights primarily.
I don't particularly care about red or green options. White is fine.

Thanks!
 
Sounds like you're looking for a mag lite.

Maglite SP2P01C: Mini Led 2 Cell Aa Pro Flashlights Black https://a.co/d/ht8pyGc

edit: I've never seen a 3 cell AA flashlight, only 2 cell. Nevertheless, your head set requires batteries in pairs, so it makes sense to use a flashlight that uses pairs of batteries too.
 
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The 3xAAA adapter is about the same size as a 18650 cell, hence the popularity of that size.

3xAA is about a D cell size, and these chinesium adapters are all over

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224543371566

Maybe you can find a light in "1D" size that can tolerate 4.5V? I assume that would wreck an LED light but I have no idea :)

All of the AA LED lights I see are "long", not "fat" like you're seeking. I'm sure someone makes one though.

The Flashlight database is helpful to find bizarre flashlights:

http://flashlights.parametrek.com/index.html
 
GaryM said:
I was just happy when I found a 3xAAA light with a simple on/off switch. I was getting sick of the multifunctional switch arms race that required one to cycle through off, on-low, on-medium, on-high, strobe, SOS, disco ball, laser light show and maybe a few others just to get back to off.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY.

what are the "designers" thinking?
 
+100. Also anything that has "short-press" and "long-press" distinctions on the button drives me instantly insane. In what world is that better than a second button?
 
Have you considered the USB-rechargeable LED flashlights?
They come in various forms/shapes/sizes and...no more battery issues (corrosion ruining the lamp, or just remembering to carry spare batteries)
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Have you considered the USB-rechargeable LED flashlights?
They come in various forms/shapes/sizes and...no more battery issues (corrosion ruining the lamp, or just remembering to carry spare batteries)
Click to expand...
RussR said:
I do not want a rechargeable flashlight. Because it would undoubtedly be discharged every time I wanted to use it.
Click to expand...
 
RussR said:
I like the form factor (short and stubby) because it fits well in my hand and bag or on a lanyard, etc. I don't want a long flashlight.
I want it to use AA batteries because my headset uses AA's. Why carry around two types of spare battery?
I do not want a rechargeable flashlight. Because it would undoubtedly be discharged every time I wanted to use it.
I want it to be pretty bright, because I'll be using it for night preflights primarily.
I don't particularly care about red or green options. White is fine.
Click to expand...
I have a 1AAA maglite that I like. Plenty of similar 1AA flashlights on alibabazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872FWP98/
 
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GaryM said:
I was just happy when I found a 3xAAA light with a simple on/off switch. I was getting sick of the multifunctional switch arms race that required one to cycle through off, on-low, on-medium, on-high, strobe, SOS, disco ball, laser light show and maybe a few others just to get back to off.
Click to expand...
I have a 3AA flashlight I paid maybe $8 for at Princess Auto (Canada) in their surplus section. But it has an even stupider switch: bright-off-dim-off-flash-off-bright etc. I'm tempted to open the end cap and see if the switching can be jerried to just on-off. Otherwise it'll be an electronic setup in the flashlight's head that shifts function sequentially. A pain.

upload_2023-3-15_17-50-2.jpeg

I like the AA batteries. Half the price of AAAs and last at least twice as long.
 
Here's a crazy thought. How often do you change batteries in headset or flashlights? Whatever number of AA's you carry now, carry three extra AAA's. They're not that big - no extra bag will be needed.
 
Salty said:
Let'sgoflying! said: ↑
Have you considered the USB-rechargeable LED flashlights?
They come in various forms/shapes/sizes and...no more battery issues (corrosion ruining the lamp, or just remembering to carry spare batteries)
RussR said: ↑
I do not want a rechargeable flashlight. Because it would undoubtedly be discharged every time I wanted to use it.
Click to expand...

Not to be contrary, but I have to wonder if the OP has tried any of these.
The tech involved in a USB-rechargeable LED is way ahead of any of the older AA/AAA flashlights.
I have both, and am about to toss all my batt'd flashlights.
The rechargables hardly ever need recharging, whereas I am constantly re-batting my old style flashlights - or throwing them because the batteries have leaked and corroded the contacts.
They have incredible lumens and duration.
Give it a try!
 
Thanks all for your input so far!

Brad Z said:
Sounds like you're looking for a mag lite.
Click to expand...

I've had Mag-Lites before. I don't care for the twist-on/off style.

WDD said:
GearLight S2500 LED Flashlight - Extremely Bright, Powerful Tactical Flashlights with High Lumens for Camping, Emergency & Everyday Use - - Amazon.com
Click to expand...

That uses 6 AA batteries and appears to be much larger than I'm looking for. But otherwise, is exactly what I'm looking for, if they just made it 2 inches shorter and only 3 batteries!

Let'sgoflying! said:
Have you considered the USB-rechargeable LED flashlights?
They come in various forms/shapes/sizes and...no more battery issues (corrosion ruining the lamp, or just remembering to carry spare batteries)
Click to expand...

I'd prefer something that I don't have to remove from my bag to charge, and keep charged. I get it that this is totally just a preference, and modern rechargeable batteries are typically excellent. But if I turn it on and the battery is dead, I can't just replace it. Also, my flight bag sits there between flights with every thing I need. so I just need to grab it and go - with one exception being my ipad. But the less I have to remember to put in it, the better. Also, regarding spare batteries, see below...

Nevertheless, your head set requires batteries in pairs, so it makes sense to use a flashlight that uses pairs of batteries too.
Click to expand...

WDD said:
Here's a crazy thought. How often do you change batteries in headset or flashlights? Whatever number of AA's you carry now, carry three extra AAA's. They're not that big - no extra bag will be needed.
Click to expand...

Headset batteries need to be changed about once a month. Having spare AA batteries is not even an issue (nor is having even multiples). I typically carry around 8 spare AA batteries on a trip. This is so if any of the 3-person crew needs batteries, we're set. And usually, they also all have spare AA batteries anyway. And there's probably some already in the plane. So there are LOTS of AA batteries floating around between us. But typically no AAA batteries unless I specifically bring them. That's why I'd really like to find a good AA flashlight - commonality of power sources.

My existing 3-AAA flashlight is used often enough that I'm not worried about batteries leaking or corrosion.

GeorgeC said:
I have a 1AAA maglite that I like. Plenty of similar 1AA flashlights on alibabazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872FWP98/
Click to expand...

I looked at some 1 AA flashlights, and may try them out. Are they bright enough? I'd like to use this for external preflight, including the T-tail of the King Air.

Dan Thomas said:
I have a 3AA flashlight I paid maybe $8 for at Princess Auto (Canada) in their surplus section. But it has an even stupider switch: bright-off-dim-off-flash-off-bright etc. I'm tempted to open the end cap and see if the switching can be jerried to just on-off. Otherwise it'll be an electronic setup in the flashlight's head that shifts function sequentially. A pain.

I like the AA batteries. Half the price of AAAs and last at least twice as long.
Click to expand...

Minus the ridiculous switch, that's pretty much exactly what I'm looking for!
 
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Let'sgoflying! said:
...The rechargables hardly ever need recharging, whereas I am constantly re-batting my old style flashlights - or throwing them because the batteries have leaked and corroded the contacts....
Click to expand...
I've had trouble with Duracell batteries leaking, so I'm giving Energizer a try. It's to soon to form any conclusions.
 
This is the place to go, to look for all sorts of flashlights: https://brightguy.com/

No affiliation, just have purchased stuff from them. Warning - they have a LOT of flashlights, might be addictive if you like that sort of thing.

My experience, there are lots of 3-AAA flashlights because they're cheap to design. 3x1.5v is 4.5V, which means you just need a simple resistor to directly power most leds. That's as cheap as it gets as far as electronics goes. The disadvantage is that there's no regulation at all. So to keep the leds from burning out, they're setup to supply safe current with full batteries, then they get dimmer as the battery goes down. They're not evenly bright, and battery life is short. But they're cheap.

The 2AA battery lights need a step up regulator to get enough voltage to light the LED, and any decent one provides current regulation as part of that. So they're overall brighter after the first few minutes, they're consistantly bright, and they last longer on a set of batteries. Some of the 4AA lights have a regulator, too.

My favorite light is a 4-AA underwater kinetics (UK) LED. I think it was about $20. Push button on-off switch, waterproof, explosion proof, and rugged. There's a reason a lot of fire departments use either UK or streamlight. I use disposable lithium batteries in it, they'll last on standby for years. Not cheap, but for me they expire before I use them up.

I believe this is the closest current model to what I have: https://brightguy.com/product/underwater-kinetics-4aa-eled-rfl-flashlight/
 
Bob Noel said:
EXACTLY.

what are the "designers" thinking?
Click to expand...

Bells and Whistles, and “because we can”.

Pet peeve of mine. Someone gave me a really great powerful flashlight to have up at our cabin. It’s rechargeable. This means I have to keep track of the exact charger (because it has a special plug/Jack) and also every damn time I really need it, it’s discharged. Basically they are loading the consumer down with the task fo always having to make sure they maintain it charged, when not using for a time.

Similar to, I wanted to buy an alarm clock, and most of the ones use LCD display. Lights up the whole bedroom with a blue light I could read by. all night. even at the lowest setting. They do have a setting where the display is simply off. At least one I had. But then you can’t see the time. Simple is better.
 
LongRoadBob said:
Bells and Whistles, and “because we can”.

...

Similar to, I wanted to buy an alarm clock, and most of the ones use LCD display. Lights up the whole bedroom with a blue light I could read by. all night. even at the lowest setting. They do have a setting where the display is simply off. At least one I had. But then you can’t see the time. Simple is better.
Click to expand...

I hate the bright lights, too. One solution is to get some rosco gel filters from b&h photo to bring the brightness down. I've done that for laptop screens and instrument displays. A small sheet is less than $10, less shipping. For laptops I think I used the color CTO. For the clock maybe a neutral density?
 
Surefire P6. It's small, very powerful & uses lithium batteries. It fits in your hand & I carried mine for years on my duty belt when i was a cop. It was brighter than the chargeable Maglights we had in our patrol cars. I fits in my flightbag & is excellent for night preflight. It's my ice detector for leading edges at night.

In the cockpit I wear a red headlamp around my neck.
 
Brad Z said:
Maglite SP2P01C: Mini Led 2 Cell Aa Pro Flashlights Black https://a.co/d/ht8pyGc
Click to expand...
Palmpilot said:
I've had trouble with Duracell batteries leaking, so I'm giving Energizer a try. It's to soon to form any conclusions.
Click to expand...
So I have a Mini Maglite with a pair of Duracell Quantums stuck inside. I've been trying to figure out how to open up the head end and push the stuck batteries out from there but no luck so far.

Any ideas?

The head end looks like this (picture from iFixit):
pAkGCCLp5VUBAKZM.medium
 
Palmpilot said:
I've had trouble with Duracell batteries leaking, so I'm giving Energizer a try. It's too soon to form any conclusions.
Click to expand...
I’ve leaned my lessons with ruined flashlights and nowadays I always only use Lithium primary cells (not rechargeables) in my standby flashlights or anything that is left in a car/plane: the temperature cycles cause regular Alkaline to leak or go dead too quickly.

can get a pack of Energizer E2 or whatever Lithiums at Costco/Sam’s.
 
asicer said:
So I have a Mini Maglite with a pair of Duracell Quantums stuck inside. I've been trying to figure out how to open up the head end and push the stuck batteries out from there but no luck so far.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I would try putting the head back on, wrapping some tape around it, and then putting that in a section of iron pipe with a pipe handle made from a T. So that you can bang it down on something hard, like a kinetic bullet puller. It's surprising how much force that can generate. If you can't picture it I can see if I can find a picture of one. The basic idea is that you get the open tube moving fast, then stop it instantly by hitting a large block of cement, rock, steel, etc, and any part not fastened down wants to keep flying out.

Of course, that might break the light inside, too...
 
Palmpilot said:
I've had trouble with Duracell batteries leaking, so I'm giving Energizer a try. It's to soon to form any conclusions.
Click to expand...
asicer said:
So I have a Mini Maglite with a pair of Duracell Quantums stuck inside. I've been trying to figure out how to open up the head end and push the stuck batteries out from there but no luck so far.
Click to expand...
Update: I "fixed" it by filing a claim with Duracell and getting a check for the replacement cost of my Maglite. I filled out their web form and they sent me an email the next day with some followup questions. I replied to the email but never heard back. After 2 weeks, I phoned them and they said they never got my reply but they happily took my verbal answers to their questions.

Update #2: Since it was paid for, I got out my 12pt thin wall socket set, hammer and a 2x4 and started whacking away. No luck, it was stuck hard. Then I scored the side of the flashlight where the 2 batteries meet and then whacked it laterally to split the tube in two. There was about a 2mm thick layer of leaked electrolyte in the space where the two batteries would have been. After a bit more whacking, I finally got the lower battery out. Turns out it was a Duracell Ultra rather than a Duracell Quantum. At least I filed the claim with the right company. :)

Side note: Even though the battery I managed to set free was technically dead, it turns out there's still a bit of energy still stored in it. Whacking the lower battery out deformed it, causing it to get quite warm. I put it in a jar and set it out in the yard so hopefully that energy will dissipate safely.
 
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asicer said:
Update: I "fixed" it by filing a claim with Duracell and getting a check for the replacement cost of my Maglite.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I didn't know that was a thing. I went to use my pulse oximeter on Sunday and found that it had been done in by a Duracell. Thankfully, I was able to clean off the terminal spring and get it working again. The same could not be said for my Fluke voltage tester :(

GeorgeC,
and the electrolytes PCBs crave
 
I've gotten quite a few checks from Duracell to replace damaged devices. What really annoys me is when the device their battery destroyed isn't made anymore. :mad:
 
Re: leaking batteries; this is why you really need to use Lithium primary batteries (eg. E2 lithium or energizer ultimate lithium; _Not_rechargeables_).

I’ve had just too many cases of Alkaline batteries leaking. It’s a combination of long-terms storage and the temperature swings that happen when stored in a car/airplane. Sitting in the hot Sun, and getting cool at night, etc.

Also I suspect pressure changes make alkalines leak: I had a brand new pack of Duracell AA’s, still new-in-package, on an airline flight, when we landed one battery had leaked that brown stuff all over the inside of the cardboard/blister pack (package was never opened, was clean before we tookoff)
 
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