Anyone using CR123A's or as backup for 18650's can get 10 Panasonic branded ones for £11.50 which seems reasonable compared to street prices.
Does anybody have an opinion on the Fenix LD41? I've been pining after it for a while now, but couldn't justify it because I so seldom use torches. I know AA are scoffed at in the CPF circles, but the thing is, I already have a Maha 808 and a big stack of Eneloop Extremes (so about £110 invested in AA batteries, all told) and it'd be madness to switch to another battery technology now. So the question is, is this the best medium-sized AA torch I could get?
Good spot, I ordered a couple of packs because I'm running low at the moment. You won't find them much cheaper than that in the UK. My Surefire T1A Titan is about the only light I run on primary cell CR123's, but I do use it a lot so I burn through them quite quickly! I wouldn't say that AA's are scoffed at, it's just that they're not the cell of choice for manufacturers because of the low voltage, driver current and capacity. Manufacturers designing lights to run on AA's usually hasve to make its driver compatible with both 1.5v alkalines and 1.2v NiMh cells, so the emitter can't be driven anywhere near as hard as with a lithium cell, where you get 3.7v nominal and 4.2v peak. In short, 3.7v lithium-ion cells pretty much blow them away in every respect, and if you use rechargeable ones like 18650's or RCR123A's, you can save a lot of money in the long run compared to using lithium primaries. That's the main reason manufacturers build more lights to run on lithium chemistry cells than alkalines. That being said though, you already have some awesome AA's with the Eneloops and there are plenty of great lights that you can run with them. I'm currently EDCing my trusty first gen "infinite ramping version" Nitecore D10 R2. Admittedly, I'm running it on a 14500 lithium ion cell, but I do often run it on alkalines and Eneloops, with my daily spares for it being 1900mAh Eneloops. The D10's (I have two ) and my D20 R2 are the only AA lights that I currently own other than a couple of modded AA maglites which stay in various locations around the house, but I have been looking seriously at the LD22 as an updated light to better make use of my Eneloops. Is the LD41 what you'd call medium or are you looking for something more like the LD22?
Not exactly high powered but if you live close to a Millets then £3 for a decent 30 lumens torch can't be bad. It's a solid anodised aluminium shell too.
Fenix have just brought out a special edition of the PD35 which has a few more lumens output on each setting and slightly longer battery life. However the older version has had the price dropped by £20 so at £40 with a couple of CR123 batteries or an extra £10 to include a good quality 18650 Lithium rechargeable seems good value to me Fenix PD35.
The LD22 seems quite small. I guiltily admit that a large part of the appeal of the LD41-size torches is that they double as a reasonable amount of self-defence - I'm not a violent or bloodthirsty person at all, but everyone feels safer with one of those old nightwatchman D-cell torches in their hand, and this is a similar size/weight. It'd also be a total beast to strap onto the front of my bicycle with one of these fabric mounts or something similar, as I long ago gave up on those stupid little cycling LED lights. Always break, run out too fast or use AAA cells, which my charger won't take.
