4Sevens Quark AA-2 X and 123-2 X Review (XM-L): RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS and more!

[Mr. Shawn]

Shawn.

I just got my 2AA X today. Just in time for "Frankenstorm". Nice flashlight with centered LED and no chips off the anodizing etc. Yup the center of the beam does have a hint of green but the rest is white. Almost like the hot spot and spill are from two different lights. The net effect is I didn't win the tint lottery but not unhappy either. I liked the sub one lumen low and the brightness compared to my older L2D-Q5 is a big increase.

Woods Walker, thank you for the update. For my EDC purposes (walking around home with all lights off, taking the trash out, lighting up houses across the street , etc.), the green tint is not an issue since I only notice it when hunting those ever-elusive white walls. Enjoy your new tool/toy!

 

[Jason96]

I just ordered a quark x aa2 based on this review!
Thanks.

 

[SuLyMaN]

You will not regret it my friend. Great purchase.
Sent from my GT-S5660 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ponkan]

[/IMG]


Foursevens quark "X" 123-2 is quite a beauty. Here is a comparison with my other edc (ish for the fenix e-50) flashlights


Your images are too large and have been replaced with links Please resize and repost.
See Rule #3 If you post an image in your post, please downsize the image to no larger than 800 x 800 pixels. - Thanks Norm

 

[trailblazer295]

I bought a Quark X AA-2 Regular last year for use at work and have been looking for a slightly smaller EDC light I can put in my pocket. I've been looking at the x 123-2 regular and reading your reviews is very informative. If 47s made a smaller keychain light I'd be ordering both but so far the Fenix LD01 seems to fit the bill. I didn't notice a full review on your site. Do you have any experience with the LD01?

 

[selfbuilt]

If 47s made a smaller keychain light I'd be ordering both but so far the Fenix LD01 seems to fit the bill. I didn't notice a full review on your site. Do you have any experience with the LD01?

Foursevens has made a number of keychain lights - the Preon P1, Preon ReVo and Preon P0 (see my main flashlight list in my signature for links to reviews of each model). Only the Preon P1 and Preon P0 are still available for sale.

 

[trailblazer295]

Do they have a place for a split key ring? The site doesn't mention it nor does the picture indicate. I've looked at them several times but couldn't determine if they could be attached to keychains. Appeared to be a small shirt pocket light.

 

[selfbuilt]

Do they have a place for a split key ring? The site doesn't mention it nor does the picture indicate. I've looked at them several times but couldn't determine if they could be attached to keychains. Appeared to be a small shirt pocket light.

Yes, the P0 has a split ring included, and the P1 comes with both a pocket clip and a split-ring attachment (you can swap between them).

 

[Force 10]

Thanks Selfbuilt for a great review. From you review I ended picking up a Quark Pro QP2A, I think that this the successor to the AA2. I love my light. It really meets my needs and fits into my home standardization with AA batteries.

 

[texasPI]

Thanks Selfbuilt for a great review. From you review I ended picking up a Quark Pro QP2A, I think that this the successor to the AA2. I love my light. It really meets my needs and fits into my home standardization with AA batteries.

I'm looking to buy my first light and I'm considering a Quark. What are the differences between the QP2A-X and QT2A-X? Just the tail cap switch?

 

[selfbuilt]

I'm looking to buy my first light and I'm considering a Quark. What are the differences between the QP2A-X and QT2A-X? Just the tail cap switch?

Note, the interface is different too. The QPA2 uses the regular ("pro") interface of having all modes available in each head state (starting at the lowest, without memory), while the QTA2 has the tactical interface, where you program the light to one mode for each state (from all the options available). The Foursevens website should explain it in some detail somewhere.

 

[reppans]

I've been eager to try out the moonlight mode after hearing all its awesome feedback here. However, moonlight mode is not as low as I was expecting. My lowest-level light is a NiteCore EX10 GDP, rated at ~ 3 lumens, and the Quark's moonlight mode at .3 lumens is only slightly dimmer. I'm not sure if the only-slight difference is due to the logarithmic scale of how our eyes process light, or that my Quark's moonlight is as low as it should be, or something else.

.....My Quark AA-2-X estimate is just under 0.1 lumens. Taking into account the normal variability from one sample to the next...

I just came across these posts.

I too find the Quark X's 0.3 moonlight mode to be one of the brightest sub-lumen modes out there (and I'm a sub-lumen collector), however, in my case, it's actually become my all time favorite mode level. With the floody XML beam and night-adapted eyes, for me, it strikes just the right balance between crazy long runtimes (~200hrs/AA?), and enough illumination for comfortable reading and close task work so I don't need to kick it up a level. Saves my night vision and batteries for off-grid camping.

So my question is this... Selfbuilt, you have also estimated the ZL SC52's brightest moonlight level at 0.10 lumens (spec'd at 0.34, about the same as the QAA2-X), do you consider these two moonlight levels to be equal with your samples?

 

[selfbuilt]

So my question is this... Selfbuilt, you have also estimated the ZL SC52's brightest moonlight level at 0.10 lumens (spec'd at 0.34, about the same as the QAA2-X), do you consider these two moonlight levels to be equal with your samples?

They are close - subjectively, I find my QAA2-X moonlight to be slightly brighter thant my SC52's 0.1 lumen mode (although tint differences may be playing a role there). Either one is a certainly a good choice for dark-adapted eyes.

 

[reppans]

They are close - subjectively, I find my QAA2-X moonlight to be slightly brighter thant my SC52's 0.1 lumen mode (although tint differences may be playing a role there). Either one is a certainly a good choice for dark-adapted eyes.

Hmmm, interesting - there's big difference to my eyes, but I guess it just must be sample variation, or perhaps my SC52 is defective.

Here's a pix of some of my 1xAA sub-lumen lights, top half on moonlight (bottom is something around 100-120 lms):

From left to right, I've measured them to be:

0.33 - QAAX
0.17 - QAA S2
0.11 - TN T10
<0.10? - SC52 (0.10 is as low as I can meter)
0.33 - QAAX NW
0.33 - ET D25A X-NW
0.25 - H51w

My meter, a DSLR, was calibrated from the D25 at 122 lms, and measurements taken from ambient bounced light. All of the hotspots, except the SC52, are overexposed, so just focus on the spill which is straight emitter illumination. If I stop it down further to better expose the other hotspots, the spill on the SC52 disappears.

 

[selfbuilt]

Hmmm, interesting - there's big difference to my eyes, but I guess it just must be sample variation, or perhaps my SC52 is defective.

Thanks for the pics - I agree there a big difference there. But it is likely just sample-to-sample variation (both ways, potentially) in comparison to mine. When I've had multiple samples of the same light in the past, I've noticed considerable difference between individual moonlights levels.

 

[texasPI]

Thanks. I finally found the info. in their FAQs.

Note, the interface is different too. The QPA2 uses the regular ("pro") interface of having all modes available in each head state (starting at the lowest, without memory), while the QTA2 has the tactical interface, where you program the light to one mode for each state (from all the options available). The Foursevens website should explain it in some detail somewhere.

 

[vianocka]

Well, this is test and pics are surprisingly kicking the ***. I only read few reviews in my coutry websites, but they did not come out as well as this one. Anyway, thanks for the review. And ofc the pics!!

 

[Spypro]

I finally received my QP2A-X XML2 today. I played with it a little tonight and here is what I like and dislike:
BRIGHT, on turbo it is the brightest 2xAA I own, not too long for edc (my opinion), it feels solid, emitter centred, there is a tiny pre-flash when turning the flashlight on moon mode, switch is a little stiff but I can live with that, the tint is perfect, creamy white.. I was afraid of getting something greenish, tail standing is perfect, I don't like disco modes standing in the way but I had a Fenix P3D for some years so I can make compromises. That's all for the moment !

 

[LuxClark]

Selfbuilt.. first.. Great reviews! They are enormously informative.

I am curious about your reference to this light in you Recommendations page on your site. You have this under 18650 operating flashlights but this doesn't really take them (Though I thought I read somewhere they've had limited release of ones using 18650's). Is that reference and error or am I misunderstanding something? :duh2:

 

[selfbuilt]

You have this under 18650 operating flashlights but this doesn't really take them (Though I thought I read somewhere they've had limited release of ones using 18650's). Is that reference and error or am I misunderstanding something? :duh2:

Yes, that's true - the Q123-2-X (now QPL2-X) does not take 18650. I included it in that general category (which I think of more as 1x18650 and 2xCR123A/RCR), but you are indeed limited to 17670 in the 1x Li-ion form.