4Sevens Lights...

[Ualnosaj]

Spent about 10 minutes with my new lights...



I'm going to give my 2 cents.

Received: QMini 123 R5 Ti, QMini AA R5 Ti, Preon 2 Black/Ti High CRI

Packaging. Brilliant. Love it. Love the rubbery texture and gives me an idea for our own packaging.

Contents. Includes Duracell and 4Seven's batteries, great! Lanyard is silver which kind of matches the Ti finish style. Excellent.

Manual. Pretty lean and not up to par with the rest of the packaging. At the very least it's written in proper English!

Light output and UI. Good. Love the two cycle to strobe/SOS modes. Output is ok, haven't compared yet... using NiMH and RCR123A.

Fit and finish. This is my biggest beef. I expected much better quality being a Ti light or Ti finish. The light looked more like Alu with some Titanium spray paint. The walls also feel very thin, whether by design or not. Both 47 logo on the bottom of the Quarks were dirty and couldn't really be cleaned. Emitter on Q123 had a black spec of visible debris out of the box. The threads are pretty thin. I think these are the only other flashlights that ever squeaked when screwing them on other than a few UltraFire types. Felt like rubbish. Will have to do some serious lubing.

O-rings are loose but not so much that they'll cut with screwing/unscrewing though time will tell.

The body is literally just a spring to the base. While simplistic, it makes you think... "what did I pay for"?

Engraving. The logo and text engraved on the bodies is fuzzy.

Overall, they felt overpriced for what they are... and I have a LOT of lights to compare to. Granted the light before these that came last week were the V10R Ti and V10R XML so that's a pretty high bar to meet (and retail price)p.

The redeeming grace?

The Preon 2 is High CRI. This is the first time I've ever played with a High CRI light and absolutely LOVE it. On that basis alone, I'll be shopping 4Sevens for some High CRI... with low quality expectations (choosing small lights only).

Thanks for reading!


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[shelm]

Fit and finish. This is my biggest beef. I expected much better quality being a Ti light or Ti finish. The light looked more like Alu with some Titanium spray paint. The walls also feel very thin, whether by design or not. Both 47 logo on the bottom of the Quarks were dirty and couldn't really be cleaned. Emitter on Q123 had a black spec of visible debris out of the box. The threads are pretty thin. I think these are the only other flashlights that ever squeaked when screwing them on other than a few UltraFire types. Felt like rubbish.

thanks! please could you remove the o-ring and give an honest evaluation of the wobbliness (play) within the threads? how loose/wobbly is the head (without the o-ring) shortly before its fully tightened down onto the head?

[Ualnosaj]

Sure, will do later. Enjoying the High CRI. Can't remember when I had an actual penlight form factor ... light. The clip and clicky design make it look like a cheesy magician's gimmick -- perhaps like an invisible thread reel. It does feel good to hold though.




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[reppans]

Yeah, the loose threads/head on my Quark AA Regular got a little annoying, particularly as I never run it in turbo/tight bezel mode (on the 1xAA, it's only 5-10% brighter). So I just disabled the Turbo/Strobe functions and now run in regular modes with a tightened bezel now.... feels real solid now.

[DavidMB]

How was the fit and finish of the Preon 2? I've been thinking about getting the two tone black & Ti like the one you got. Any other impressions are welcomed.

[duro]

You hit the nail on the head about the quality. I had the same thoughts when I received a 4sevens product.

[craigshipp]

I have several 4Sevens lights including Preon 1 in Ti, Preon 2, Quark Mini 123 and a few others and I must say I'm happy with all of them.

[SuLyMaN]

You hit the nail on the head about the quality. I had the same thoughts when I received a 4sevens product.

+1
I'll second that.

[ragweed]

I think David should go with another manufacturer for the bodies. At this price point I would consider this unacceptable. My Preon is A-1 all the way!

[Ualnosaj]

After more time with the lights, I still feel the two Ti's are pretty "low quality" for the money (especially against other Ti's and the upcoming V10R Ti+). The Preon 2 High CRI is still wonderful as long as I don't have to unscrew it to change the battery. The tail button is "sticky" to which the remedy from the forums is to remove the gasket or loosen it (!). I've ordered the Mini 123, Preon 2, Preon 1 all in High CRI... with the High CRI being the redeeming factor. If Sunwayman or Fenix had High CRI I definitely wouldn't bother with 4Sevens.

[shelm]

Sure, will do later.

please!!

[shane45_1911]

+1
I'll second that.

Third here.

I can honestly say that I will never buy another 4sevens light. I am still amazed they still have a following at all - especially with all the choices out there now.

[reppans]

Third here.

I can honestly say that I will never buy another 4sevens light. I am still amazed they still have a following at all - especially with all the choices out there now.

Anyone know of another light, other than Zebralight, that has a 300+ hrs moonlight mode on 1xAA?

(still searching for my dream EDC)

[shane45_1911]

Anyone know of another light, other than Zebralight, that has a 300+ hrs moonlight mode on 1xAA?

(still searching for my dream EDC)

That has nothing to do with quality. I would rather have 100 hrs of moonlight mode in a good quality light, than triple that in an inferior one.

You are confusing features with quality.

[wheel]

Have to agree, been several years since I have purchased the brand and was llucky enough to sell the ones that I had at a garage sale. Now I feel better

Third here.

I can honestly say that I will never buy another 4sevens light. I am still amazed they still have a following at all - especially with all the choices out there now.

[AnAppleSnail]

That has nothing to do with quality. I would rather have 100 hrs of moonlight mode in a good quality light, than triple that in an inferior one.

You are confusing features with quality.

My 4sevens products have all been high quality, surviving use and abuse and feeling solid.

[reppans]

That has nothing to do with quality. I would rather have 100 hrs of moonlight mode in a good quality light, than triple that in an inferior one.

You are confusing features with quality.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, everything boils down to compromises and personal preference, but you said you were amazed 4/7s still has a following.

I love high quality too, and I'm willing pay up to $200 for my next 1xAA EDC light, but I'd really, really like it to have a usable low with runtimes measured in weeks, not days. For me who loves a long-lasting moonlight, there really is zero competition to 4/7s and Zebralight.

In any case, I've no problems with any of my lights and if I did, I'm pretty comfortable the 4/7s would fix it with the best warranty in this price range. I've done a few things to button my QAA down super tight and solid... I love it.

[rdrfronty]

I've had nothing but great luck with my 4sevens lights. I own 5 currently in a wide variety and couldn't be happier with their quality. All work perfectly every time anytime, no mode slipping, no issues. Nice threads, good anodizing, solid feeling, & good output. And I have another on the way--a Preon 2 titanium.

[Ualnosaj]

I've had nothing but great luck with my 4sevens lights. I own 5 currently in a wide variety and couldn't be happier with their quality. All work perfectly every time anytime, no mode slipping, no issues. Nice threads, good anodizing, solid feeling, & good output. And I have another on the way--a Preon 2 titanium.

I'm sure they work well. I have a Preon 2 Ti as well. For the 3 47 I have so far the threading is pretty bad when compared. They feel like early circa 2006 Fenix... But not as bad as some xxxxxFire types. Also have a Preon 1 and Q123 in high CRI coming. We'll see if it's also as "not nice".


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[SuLyMaN]

Ok guys. Ill elaborate. I absolutely LOVE the 4sevens moonlight mode and other features. What bugs me is that it feels cheap, real cheap. Holding an E21 in your hands and comparing it to the quark aa body makes you feel that the quark is $30 and the fenix $70. HOWEVER, the HUGE features you get from the quark and moonlight is awesome.

Having experienced the moonlight mode/low lumen mode, I can safely say that I wont ever consider an EDC that does not have such a mode now. BUT the lack of quality feel you get from the quark is something I have definetely experienced. I might be wrong but its just how I feel holding the light.

[GarageBoy]

I want the 4Sevens guts mounted in a nicer body
The regular quarks are okay, but the minis feed a tad chintzy

[af112566]

i agree 4 sevens lights tend to look/feel cheap.but i have never had a problem with them and i love the moonlight mode and the tactical models.

[jorn]

What? are we messuring quality by the thickness of the tube now? Would I like a thicker quark? Prob not. I sold my fenix tk20 (build like a hammer and prob got the thickest tube in the universe) when i got my warm quark turbo (lightweight, but still quality). I love the mini series because it's smaller than most other lights. My thick walled bulky, heavy duty light's get used less than my lightweight stuff.

[Ualnosaj]

What? are we messuring quality by the thickness of the tube now? Would I like a thicker quark? Prob not. I sold my fenix tk20 (build like a hammer and prob got the thickest tube in the universe) when i got my warm quark turbo (lightweight, but still quality). I love the mini series because it's smaller than most other lights. My thick walled bulky, heavy duty light's get used less than my lightweight stuff.

No. The threads, fit, finish. Example, the Fenix E15 feels and goes together nicer than the Quark Mini 123. If you talk modes, the Quark has the edge but otherwise...

This is all subjective but many would agree you're paying for packaging and low modes in 4sevens, losing out on build quality. Heck my crappy 1W AAA MDXL threads together better, smoother than the Preon 1 but the latter doesn't have dust in the reflector

Think of it like a car. You can have a Cobalt SS with kickass engine but the relatively crappy interior. Super zippy. Then you have a BMW 128. Slower, 1/3rd more price (just saying), but when you sit in it and drive, it's a much tighter package... Soft touch interior and all.

Might not be the best analogy so don't poke too much at it. Maybe equate them to early Hyundai or Kia. Look at them now. 4sevens may get there but they have a ways to go.

BTW I can't believe how easy it is to accidentally cross thread the Quark Mini 123 Ti I have. The threads are horrible, squeaks... Etc.

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[shane45_1911]

What? are we messuring quality by the thickness of the tube now?

Of course we are. It is an important aspect of a light's durability and longevity.

Maybe you don't use your lights often or hard, but when I pick up a light that I feel I could crush between my thumb and forefinger, it sure doesn't inspire much confidence about how it is going to perform in the field or hard-use scenario.

I am not going to get into specifics of why I don't like/use/purchase 4sevens products (the reasons are MANY), but their thin aluminum bodies (and resulting poor threads without much "meat") are certainly a couple of the reasons.

[Ualnosaj]

The "poor threads without meat" is my number one gripe. I really dislike having to change the battery... but to their credit the lower modes allow more extended runtime between changes.


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[jorn]

Complaint all you want about a ti twisty. They all got crappy threads in one way or antother. It sound like you should lube yours, and just use it more. The threads will get better after alot of use. I cross thread my univex aaa all the time, and the machining on this little gem is nothing but amazing
All my malkoff stuff got more play in the threads than my most sloppy quark mini-x. The difference is that one is a multimode twisty, so you notice it when canginge modes. I agree about the threads can feel sloppy on the cr123 versions, but that wont kill me in normal use. It just makes it easy to push/pull the modes faster.
I have been using my minis everyday at work for a long time. A modded mini-x (neutral) and the first version of the neutral mini aa. Dropped them to clumsy coworkers 3 meters below, trown from one boat to another (same clumsy coworker trying to catch it, and still 3 meters above the concrete floor). Genellaly banged them around. I just dunk them in aceton when it gets messed up with sicaflex or polyester etc. They live a hard life. The biggest weakness is that it's thin walled (lightweight), so it feels cheap and that makes pepole worried. I was also worried when i got my first mini, but i dont worry now. They are not perfect, but they are defently not crap. Mine won't die, and I use them hard. I wont throw my v10r ti with a electronic kuku trit switch around. Does it feel like super quality, hell yeah, but i will sadly never "challenge its quality" the same way I challenge the cheaper mini's.

[AnAppleSnail]

I feel I could crush between my thumb and forefinger, it sure doesn't inspire much confidence about how it is going to perform in the field or hard-use scenario.

I'd love to see this on youtube

Maybe there was a change in manufacturing. The Quark I got in 2009 is quite sturdy, as are the MiNis I got in 2010 and 2011. These are all aluminum, by the way. My Quark 2xAA is my EDC and has had all sorts of adventures from encountering curbs at about 30 mph to falling 30 feet down a steel ladder. I know it hit the bottom rung because a bit of anodizing stayed on the round rung, leaving a small dent in the bezel. The glass was fine.

We can bicker anecdotal evidence, 'Mine did xxx,' nuh uh mine did yyy, all day. I'm sorry you haven't had as good an experience with their lights as I have. How thick do you think aluminum should be before something else is the failure point? Design is all tradeoffs. A heavier body bounces harder and requires reinforcing other things. That is a bottomless money pit - buy HDS!

[reppans]

^^ Nice testimonials you guys!

I agree about the threads can feel sloppy on the cr123 versions, but that wont kill me in normal use. It just makes it easy to push/pull the modes faster.

Now this is a "glass is half full" type of guy . I never looked at it that way, but I can see how it could be considered a "feature."

You make your choices, learn to live and work with it.

[Ualnosaj]

Just ignoring the mode aspect for a moment, do you think the Fenix E15 or the Quark Mini 123 has better "build quality"? That's a basis for comparison.

I do agree that they have spectacular modes, and I wouldn't hesitate to run over it with a car but cringe if I did that to any of my V10x lights but it's only because I want to keep the latter in presentable condition.

Because the 4Sevens (lights talked about in this thread only) feel cheap out of the box, there is no hesitation to toss them around. Now, if they were DESIGNED to be cheap I would have no qualms. But with the price and fancy packaging, it's like opening up a fancy Samsung Ultrabook or MacBook box only to find a Packard Bell laptop. You see where I'm going at? Look at their new website. I believe they are trying to sell their brand far beyond the actual presented quality (not durability) of the product.

I hope that makes sense. This isn't a fanboy battle or anything like that so I hope I make my point clear. Note that my view is likely different that so
me others up there who just don't like 4Sevens at all.


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