I see your point but again more people looking for AA… In a bad situation people are not going to run into the store and only take one pack and leave some for you and me… Unless there is a pandemic of people wanting to use their old 35mm cameras the 123s may still be around…
One good thing about the 123 is the shelf life (Already been said) so you can always have them on hand and not worrie aobut them sitting out on you right away…
End of the day its up to you if you like the AA go for it more 123s for me.
I thought the point of preparedness was to have your crap beforehand and not run out like everyone else in case of disaster? In a “bad situation”, people are known to LOOT, and they take everything and anything because they ain’t paying for any of it. You probably aren’t going to find the battery shelf devoid of everything except virgin packs of CR123’s. One can purchase lithium AA batteries as well. They also have a 10-year shelf life.
If buying 3-4 12-packs of CR123s today for a rainy day tomorrow won’t get you through an imagined dry spell, then buy yourself rechargeable batteries and a solar charger.
Exactly. Alkalines will puke in your electronics. Found one that puked in an Aimpoint M4s. I much prefer Lithiums.
I agree with the lithiums. I buy 20 packs of the energizer 8x lithium AA’s as often as I can when I go to SAM’s club. They are only $19 there
I went ahead and bought the Insight AA weapon light. I’d say the 150 lumen rating is pretty friggin close! It’s just as bright, if not brighter than some of my older TLR-1’s (w/ CREE emitter). My TLR-1S does look a tad bit brighter.
I ordered it from Botach when they were doing a 10% off deal, so it was only $135 shipped. I received it in about 4-5 days after I placed the order. I really like the light on my Sig Scorpion Carry. It fits nicely and isn’t much longer than a TLR. The strobe function is nice too, and the rocker switches are not super touchy like the TLR’s but are still very easily activated with the trigger finger or thumb.
My only complaint is the quick-throw lever… The more pressure there is from the lights mount grabbing the rail, the harder it is to throw the lever up. The recess that’s cut into the polymer frame is not lined up right with the bottom of the throw lever which makes it near impossible to get anything underneath the lever to lift it back up (not even a thumbnail). I have a small chisel that I put electrical tape over that can slide under it enough to pry it up. But the only time I do that is to change batteries (haven’t even NEEDED to do that yet, just wanted to test my Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables). Luckily this light has been dedicated to my Scorpion, so I don’t need to take it off very often.
Since I have tons of Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables I think this light will be well worth the money. I may eventually buy another one to use on my XDm… I’m definitely using less CR123’s now that I have this AA light!
Sanyo Eneloops are the cat’s ass. Those and lithiums are exclusively what I use in AAA and AA’s.
I’m running the Insight WL1 laser/ light combo. In my quest to go all AA I found a great tac light that takes AA or CR123, can’t recall the name right now.
I won’t be raiding for batteries. I have a stash of AAA/AA enloops and a Goal Zero Guide 10. “Problem solved, problem staying solved”.
Cheers
Vince
^ this
[u]After a little bit research, I am willing to buy this ThruNite Archer AA flashlight. Anyone have any idea about this best AA flashlight? It’s price is 30 bucks but provide 200 lumens beam.
Update: I have bought that ThruNite Archer AA flashlight.[/u]
I fall into the buy all the CR123 you need. They’re not that much in bulk. 10 year shelf life AND I’ve never had one leak. AAs… I’ve had over 200 leak on me from multiple brands and I usually only run brand names.
AA lithium which are much more expensive would be what I would advise if you feel you must run AA batt.
I want reliability over cost. I have both types of lights and I trust the CR123 to work when I need it to.
i do not consider long term SHTF as I’ll be dead within 3 months personally.
(Who wants to live life without access to cold beer?)
Based on your question - I take it you want a flashlight that “can be” weapons mounted vs “dedicated”.
But if you are ok with dedicated: Streamlight Rail Mount 1 is dual fuel with CR123 or AA (Alki or Lithium) with 350 lum or 150 lum, respectively.
Not wading into the the “either…or” 
I’m a fan of AA WML’s but will use CR123’s if a particular light suits my particular needs better.
I’m also a fan of vfg’s so finding a light setup I like has been problematic (don’t like tape switches).
Recently I discovered this ‘Colt’ (made in PRC) 400 lumen AA weapons light: http://grabagun.com/coltlt-cltsepms4002aa-microtac-400-lgt.html
It’s modular/reversible so it’s easily mounted in a variety of positions, and by removing the center section will run on 1xAA w/a 200 lumen output.
The more I use it, the more I like it. Switch takes definite pressure to activate and constant-on takes deliberate effort so little risk of AD.
Mounted on the right side of my rifle, the switch is easily accessed w/my support-side thumb w/o shifting my grip on the vfg.
This light isn’t for everyone, but it certainly offers some features not found on other offerings.
Tomac
Personally, rechargeable lithiums would be the way to go. Alkalines have a short shelf life. I like 18650’s. Laptop and lithium power tool battery packs are just 18650’s bundled together. Take the pack apart and you have a good supply of batteries that are rechargeable, and have a long runtime.
I’ve been experimenting w/Eneloop rechargeables since I already have many of them and so far they’ve been gtg. Thx for the 18650 tip!
Tomac
Yes, Eneloops are great! I have a bunch too. All the powerbanks you see out there for recharging phones and other USB items are all made up with 18650’s also.