Quark AA, Right Light For Me?

I don't own a quality light, my best light is a 3D M@g, I posted a long time ago asking for the best 2xAA light, but I never ended up buying one, my money web elsewhere. I'm thinking of asking for a Quark AA for Christmas. I've been lurking here for awhile and have decided that it's probably my bet bet for a relatively simple EDC light. I want to stick to AA, CR123 are too expensive, I'd rather buy some eneloops and save money in the long run. I've heard of the "LED Lottery" frequently when refering to the R2 bulbs in the D10, do the Quarks also have the "LED Lottery" or do they have a more predictable tint bin? I would like white or leaning towards neutral (I'd like a full neutral light but they are no longer available AFAIK), I don't want a purple or green light. I like the idea of the max/moonlight being available on start up depending on whether the bezel is tightened/loosened respectively. My uses will mostly be indoor work and I've heard the Quark is semi-floody which is what I'd like, I don't want Zebralight flood though. I want to be able to throw enough to light up a good 50 feet or so but have enough flood to aptly work indoors.
I have no knowledge about flashlights but after lurking I've decided that the Quark AA might be for me. Any comments, opinions, other recommendation would be appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving.
ABA

I doubt you'll be disappointed by the Quark. The Quarks I've handled have all tended towards pure white, maybe a little blue, but no green or purple. If the tint is that important to you, there are other lights that offer warm white emitter options. From your description of preferred beam attributes, the new Quarks with XP-G emitters would probably meet your needs very well.

If you're OK with the extra length of a 2xAA light, I'd recommend the Quark AA^2 over the AA for the extra output and runtime.

Hi ABA,

First of all; I see you are new here, :welcome:!

Then I want to say that you already own a quality light. Maglite is quality, which has been proved because it's nowadays the favourite host (I really think) for flashoholics to modify to a better light. Maglite just isn't the leader of flashlight evolution anymore. Get a Malkoff dropin LINK to your Mag 3D and then a Quark AA. In the Quark AA you will have a great EDC-light portable wherever you go, and with batteries available in the most stores in the world. In the Maglite/Malkoff you will have a good thrower with a good combination of high brightness and long runtime.

Regards, Patric

You can still get most of the neutral Quarks brand new from 4Sevens' European distributor, http://www.4sevens.pl/index.php?cPath=301_323. IMO the neutral tint Quarks are simply outstanding. I think the AA is in stock.

I also think the AA Quark is perhaps the most versatile light in the Quark lineup. You can always add a 2xAA body down the line if you want to get extra brightness and runtime on NiMH's or Alkalines. And provided you are well read and versed on the risks, a Li-Ion 14500 will really make the AA Quark sing. AW's protected 14500's are highly recommended if you go that route.

You will also need to decide between regular and tactical UI. I couldn't decide, so in typical CPF fashion, I got both. :thumbsup:

IMO, for general purpose, around-the-house use, the regular UI is probably the better of the two. Its ability to tailstand is a plus here. But if your primary use is outdoors, or for law enforcement, self defense, etc., then the tactical is the way to go. Truthfully, though, IMO neither of the UI's are perfect.

Is the AA2 EDCable? For camping and whatnot? I wouldn't EDC it regularly on a daily basis, too many things already. (Phone, keys, knife wallet)
But if I needed to EDC it in a pinch would it be manageable? I'm digging the extra output.
Can somebody tell me the effective throw range for each one? Just for curiosity.

You can run a 3.6V lithium-ion size 14500 in the Quark AA so it will run at a much higher level if you want to keep it small. Another option is to "lego" the Quark Turbo head, single AA body and protected tailcap to run 14500 batteries. The Turbo is a much larger head but it keeps the LED and body very cool.

My Turbo AA2 with get the single AA body and protected tail cap when treated to the 14500 option.

pobox1475 said:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=203520

Click to expand...

ablade, just keep in mind that the Quark MiNi's are not lego-able with the regular Quark line. But they seem to be *awesome* lights in their own right. In fact, I pre-ordered one of the special run neutral MiNi AA's.

I guess I'm a "Quarkaholic." :candle:

Hey ablade. I'm new here, but I have done EXHAUSTIVE reading and research from the posts of the other very knowledgeable people on this forum. I just ordered my Quark AA2 R2, and I can't wait for it to get here. The R2s are on sale right now @ 7777, plus a discount code cpf8. The newer non-discounted R5 versions are a bit floodier I'm told, but I like throw and the beamshots I've seen are exquisite. I'd also like to 2nd the post about MagLite's being a quality light. My love of lights was rekindled by the MiniMag Multi Mode LED. IMHO, it's hard to beat that functionality and reliability at that price. Just food for thought.:welcome:

P.S. Can't wait try My Quark AA2 with an 18650 body and battery. Search this forum for info if you don't know about these batteries, or just call 7777 when they open and ask them. From what I gather, this battery will have something like 3 to 4 times the runtime of primaries.

Ok, AA2 is my choice. I think Santa will be delivering it to me this year.

I hope you like it!

I guess that you want to stick to the Eneloops and not go li-ion.

The AA-2 is EDCable, but only with the holster. The 2 x AA lights are the longest you find and they are thin as well. I have an AA-2 neutral white in my backpack, great light, but I wouldn't even consider taking it with me in a pocket.

Best for you would be the new version with XPG. Floody beam, could lack of throw, I haven't used one of my Tis outside yet, so I don't really know. The R2 has longer throw, for sure, but not that homogenous beam of the XPG, it is already more homogenous than other lights however.

My advice for a complete package : Take an AA-2 with XPG and an AA with an R2. So, you can have both lengths with either more flood or more throw. The R2 are on sale currently and you get 8% discount on everything. Best would be an AA XPG with an AA-2 body and a neutral white head. Unfortunately, you would have to take both lights tactical for lego, the only neutral white head available is tactical. Another possibility is 4Sevens.pl as you already were told.

The neutral white is a real advantage in nature, because of the better color rendering, the throw may be better in moist weather. Used inside, the neutral white may seem more pleasant to you, if you like warmer light, but won't have a real advantage, i preffer cool white in the house, while I just love neutral white outside...

I just got a Quark Regular AA R2, I was expecting the worst purple beam after a bad experience with a cheap R2 drop-in, I was wrong. There's not even a hint of purple in it, maybe I got lucky with the lottery or maybe that's what they all look like, but this is WHITE output. Absolutely beautiful.
Moonlight mode is the bomb, it's brighter than I thought it would be, but it's a great level for getting around the house at night.
Great light. The button is a little hard for me to get at with my fat fingers, so I might get a tactical tailcap, maybe grab a 123 body while I'm at it. The cool thing is: I CAN get a different tailcap and body for my flashlight! Cheaply with no shipping charges!!! It's probably not unheard of, but not the norm.
Did I mention that the output was beautiful?
Some heatshrink tubing on the clip tamed the scratching.
Cut the excess of the lanyard.
It's right for me, may be right for you.
However.... my opinion may change when I get my Quark MiNi AA!

Also of note, 4sevens significantly underrates their lights; for example, I just read the Quark 123^2 Tactical review on light-reviews.com, and they measured219 lumens OTF on Turbo, vs. the advertised 190 lumens OTF. For reference, the other levels were more or less spot on. In addition, the runtime on medium for the AA is underrated by about half (6hrs. vs. 10+ hrs.), and the same with high on the 123^2 (5hrs. vs. 10.5hrs).

I personally own a AA^2 reg. in neutral white. It is an awesome light, carry it w/me everywhere. Very versatile. I also have the AA reg. in cool white, carry it as a backup.

Holster EDC is fine with me. I would only EDC it camping or doing work where the extra size isn't a problem.
Any throw shots here? Like a fixed object at 100 feet or something? I've seen beamshots for other lights but not the Quark AA2 model yet. If anyone has links to beamshots I would appreciate a link.

Here you go for a beamshot :

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showpost.php?p=2394681&postcount=15

The threads are long, very long, but you may read a little bit about them. Nobody has the new XPG version yet, but the titaniums should be exactly the same.

The AA-2 should bring slightly over 200 OTF (real) Lumens, which are probably 240, 260 or more Lumen as other brands advertise... :naughty:

The buttons are stiff, that's true. Not a big deal for me though. The head, especially on the AA-2 may be hard to turn as well, mine on the neutral white is. Lubing doesn't really help, it's a tough light!

ABA...I just received my first Qurk this past Monday (AA^2 Tactical in XPE R2, plus I ordered a 1AA body to use for EDC with a 14500 LIon cell). In a nutshell, this light is fantastic! The tint is VERY white with no hint of purple or blue or any other objectionable color. Before ordering the Quark, I was kinda torn...I really liked the look of the new LumaPower Vantage 2AA light. Aesthetically, I think it's one of the sharpest LOOKING 2AA lights I've ever seen. The deal breaker for me on the Vantage was that it uses an XRE R2, and I HATE Cree rings (beam shots of the Vantage showed that it DOES have Cree rings). Also, with all the options and accessories that you can order for the Quark line, my final decision to buy the Quark was really a "no-brainer". I know, I know...in true CPF fashion I should "buy both", but that really wasn't financially feasible at this time. Well, after deciding on the Quark, I was faced with ANOTHER dilemna: 4-7's had just announced that the new Quarks would be using XPG's instead of XPE's......AAAAHHHHHHH! What to do, what to do!? Actually, the decision wasn't that tough. The XPE gives a little more flood than the XRE, but a little more throw than the XPG. IMHO, a perfect mix! Add to that the 15% off that 4-7's is offering on the XPE line, and the deal was sealed!

Long story short: I've been a CPFer for almost eight years now, and in that time I've bought literally HUNDREDS of lights (...at one point I had over 220 lights in my collection, not counting the others I'd bought and sold or traded), and I think the Quark is probably the most versatile light I've owned to date. I can use virtually any battery configuration I want simply by buying another battery tube. If I want MORE output, I can buy the the 123^2 head for my AA^2 body and run it off of 2X14500 LIon cells! The possibilities are MANY!

You had mentioned that you'd like to see some outdoor beamshots at a distance of about 100 feet. I don't own a digicam to help you in that regard, but I'll offer this: I live in the country and there is a tree line approximately 250 feet from my front door. The Quark lights the tree line up VERY easily! I think (...and this is just MY opinion) that the "optimum" lighting distance for the Quark is in the 100 to 150 foot range. It WILL light things up considerably farther than that, but to me, the "lit area" in relation to beam width is PERFECT at this distance with the light set on the turbo mode. Oh, one more thing: the beam is nothing short of flawless! Beautiful, smooth transition from hotspot to spill light, and NO CREE RINGS in the beam (...did I mention that I hate Cree rings!?) Anyway, IMHO, if you do get a Quark you WON'T be disappointed! I opted to go with the tactical model mainly because for me, momentary-on is a MUST...YMMV!

PJD

...incidentally, the accessories that accompany your Quark are all of VERY good quality (I'm talking primarily about the holster and the lanyard), FYI!