I think I have officially tried most 14500’s worth trying. Here are my 3 finalists for the best:
D3AA 519a 5700k
Nitecore MT1A
Skilhunt EC150 SFT25R 6500k
Here are the ones I got rid of:
Acebeam Pokelit (UI and button horrible)
Lumintop Tool (can’t turn off button light)
Weltool T1pro V3 (bad UI)
Loop Gear SK03 (just meh and gimmicky)
Nothing special but kept it bc it’s decent and so cheap:
Convoy T7 519A 2700k
I am no expert and have no graphs to share. Just going purely off vibes.
D3AA needs no introduction. It’s definitely the best light of the three. BUT, it’s an enthusiast light. No charging port and anduril UI. I love that, but I would never recommend it to a friend.
MT1A is such a ridiculous fun thrower. The fit/finish is the best and the button quality is amazing. By far the most fun of the 3. UI is simple and perfect. No charging port built in but the battery it comes with has a charging port.
EC150 is the one I will permanently recommend to anyone making the daily “what EDC light should I get” post. Simple perfect UI, built in charging port, amazing quality, insane light output from the sft25r option (519a option is obviously better, but I have so many other lights with that emitter I just wanted to try the flamethrower sft25r, and I am so happy I did).
Tint looks green in the photos for the nitecore and skilhunt but it’s really just bright white in person.
by squirtwellington
2 Comments
I feel exactly the same about the MT1A Pro. Mine gets a ton of pocket time (outdoors, obviously). I also use my M150 v3 a lot – I don’t have an EC150, but sure wish I did.
Let me recommend you the Zebralight SC65.
It’s obviously 18650 instead of 14500, but it has the same size as many AA/14500 flashlights with triple the battery. In fact, it’s more comfortable in the pocket than a D3AA.