Sunwayman D40A Cree XM-L2 980 Lumens LED compact AA Flashlight/searchlight with 4 X EdisonBright AA Alkaline batteries

I spent quite a bit of time researching 4xAA flashlights, and this is the one I chose. It feels great in the hand, just the right size and fit. The build quality if excellent, and the beam is a great combination of throw with a nice, bright spill beam. It's perfect as a general purpose, walking the dog kind of light.It's got 4 well spaced and useful brightness levels (Turbo, High, Medium, and Low), with a hidden "moonlight" mode that is VERY useful. The Turbo mode will step down to High after 3 minutes to keep from getting to hot, which is typical for a small light like this because it doesn't have enough mass to get rid of all the heat the LEDs generate at that level, however, High is plenty bright for most applications, and actually, Medium is probably what most folks will find to give the best ratio of brightness/runtime.I like the fact that it has mode memory, so when you turn it off, it will remember the last brightness level you used and come back on in that level when you turn on it again.VERY IMPORTANT, it tail stands, and is very solid when doing so. I use this feature with all my lights, standing them on end on a table, pointing at the ceiling. This allows it to bounce the light off the ceiling and illuminate the entire room. Great for when there's a blackout.It has a strobe, beacon, and SOS mode, but I've never used those features, and thank goodness they are hidden away so you won't see them unless you want too.So, why isn't it perfect? The UI (user interface) cycles the brightness levels from High to Low. It's a personal preference (some folks like it High to Low), but I prefer to have it cycle from Low to High. Not a huge deal.Also, rather than have the SOS and Beacon modes, which I never use, I'd MUCH rather have it able to instantly access the turbo mode from any level with a push and hold of either the power or mode button, returning to the previous level when you let off the button. That way, if your out walking the dog and have the light on medium level, if you hear something and want to see what it is, you would simply hold down the mode button momentarily for it to got to TURBO, see what it was, then let off to go back to medium. However, the way the UI is set up, you have to click the mode button twice to go Turbo from Medium, and twice more to get back to Medium. Again, not a big deal, but believe me, it's a nice feature to have.There are other 4xAA lights that do have that feature, but they lack other features I wanted, so it's always a trade off to get what you want.Finally this light uses a battery carrier which must be removed from the light, then insert the batteries into the carrier, then put the carrier back in the light. Even though it's an extremely well made battery carrier, it's kind of a pain to use. Other lights let you take off the tail cap, drop the 4xAA batteries in, then put the cap back on.Oh well, nothing is perfect....... but for me this light hit's the mark with it's build quality, beam shape, and well space light levels.I can't comment on the batteries, I only use Sanyo Eneloops rechargeable batteries in my AA lights.

Excellent flashlight, quality and performance are top notch. The 'average' person used to Maglights and Coasts, like me will be blown away by the d40a's brightness and range. Build quality couldnt be better, it flawless as far i can tell...o-rings at the glass and battery carrier, water proof to 6 feet, i didnt test it but other have and i believe them, smooth square anodized threads for the battery carrier, glass lens, stainless steel bezel for protection, flawless anodizing and logos, enough ridges and knurling to get a solid grip, and the buttons have a nice feel. The buttons give a nice soft tactile click, theyre the same type as those found on washing machines and ovens...they should be good for a long time. The battery carrier is SOLID, metal top and bottom w five metal posts holding it together. And it can be installed up or down, both ends have positive and negative contacts...neat! Comes in a tough cardboard box surrounded by padding w an extra o-ring, lanyard, and a nice holster w a few ways to attach it.I use mostly for walking the dog at night. Turbo will light up a house more than 2 block away and light up our 1.5 acres like it was daytime, the super dim moon mode is great for checking what the dog is chewing on without destroying his eyes or for power outages/pitch black basement searches, but i use mid or low is used 90% of the time. I hit a rabbit w the strobe from about 75 yards away and he panicked, popped maybe 5ft in the air, flipped, and ran off at the speed of light. I laughed and felt bad at the same time.However any battery carrier, no matter how nice, is a point of failure, more prone to breakage than if it was built in. And this lil monster goes threw batteries fairly quick, use rechargables if its used frequently or lithiums if its going to be stored for a while. DONT USE ALKALINES, eventually one will leak and kill the light. Also the buttons are small and close together, working w thick gloves on would very difficult.None of these are major flaws in any way.....just do research to find the best light for you. Dont get overwheled like i did...there is sooo many. The important factors will likely be battery type, performance, user interface, and/or the light's shape. For me battery and performance were first, this light has pretty good range/throw....didnt take long at all to beocome familiar w the toilet paper roll shape and user interface. Seriously....it fits nice and snug in a toilet paper roll and is a half an inch taller.FYI, not a to be a hater but i read that Nitecore has questionable quailty control and spotty customer service.....then they released the EA4 w its embarassing ballooning button....yea no thanks im good. Thats so ugly ill pass on the EA41 too.The D40a just seemed better anyway. Strange name Sunwayman, but its grown on me in a quirky corny kinda way.

The low power warning light is in the switch plate, making it difficult to see it when it starts. But at least it does work with rechargeable batteries and even flashed when it is about to shut down to the next lower setting. Actually this is an amazing torch. Too bad they did not put the warning LED in front of the switches. about it on the candle power forum (cut n paste): 'Sunwayman D40A (XM-L2, 4xAA) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO + more'Unfortunately they are making it hard for me to register for the warranty.D40A utilizes Sunwayman's newest dual-button side switch system. Lower button controls on and off, the upper one for different output modes, two buttons perfectly deliver 9 modes output, brand-new experience. Slightly depress the on and off button, the light enters Turbo mode; at this time, slightly press the upper M button each time for one output mode; it cycles through Turbo, High, Mid and Low, release to choose certain mode desired. When the light is turned on, press and hold the upper M button to enter Police Strobe; press and hold the lower on/off button for SOS. When the light is turned off, press and hold the upper M button to enter Aviation Signal; press and hold the on/off button for Moon Mode. Double-click the upper M button under any mode (except lock-out) will activate Strobe. When the light is turned on or off, press and hold both buttons for more than 2 seconds to lock out the light, perform the same operation will unlock it. Users can choose any mode desired under different circumstance when needed, very convenient and practical. Read more