alternative to quark mini AA

[steinstern]

i´ve got the qmAA and i like it, but i´m a bit dissapointed with its performance on nimh. it´s VERY bright on 14500, but you just can´t use it for a long time on max. when someone uses your light you have to explain he/she has to be carefull when running it on max.

so i´m looking for a single aa light, that is not much bigger than the mini, drives the xp-g harder with an nimh (should be possible, right?).

-should be brighter on nimh than the qmini
-should be able to run continously on max (nimh)
-should be able to use 14500
-clicky would be nice (but only if "keychain-carry-safe")
-min 3 modes
-aluminium (because of heat/size)

 

[Flying Turtle]

I think the Maratac AA might come close. It seems to be the closest competitor to the Qmini AA, considering size, performance, and price. For more money and larger size there's quite a few other AA lights that will meet your specs.

Geoff

 

[Brasso]

I like the EZAA just a bit better for the reasons you mentioned. It can handle the 14500 a lot better and is brighter using a Nimh. At least it appears that way to me. It has a tighter hotspot and good spill, where the Mini is more flood.

Only drawback is that it doesn't have as low of a low, and it's a tad longer.

 

[carrot]

I believe the regular Quark AA meets those requirements... it will even run 100% safely on 14500's.

 

[Zendude]

No love for the MiNi...:mecry:

The xp-g is still too new yet to be found in existing models. The EZAA should appear brighter with its deeper reflector and xp-e emitter, but it has only two modes. The Maratac/iTP A2 looks the about same to my eyes with dimmer spill and smaller hot spot(again xp-e). You'll have the same problem with 14500s in either one. There is simply not enough mass to run these lights for extended periods of time at that level.

That's the price you pay to have such a small AA light.

If you don't plan on having it on your keychain then step up in size a little and get a D10 SP or LiteFlux LF5XT.

 

[wapkil]

Hi steinstern,

You may want to take a look at the new Zebralight SC50 (up for preorder now). I don't know when the page I linked to appeared but it must be pretty recent - there are even no runtimes posted there there yet.

The SC50 is a touch larger than the QAA (80mm/22mm vs. 76mm/18mm). It is also priced higher than QAA ($59 vs. $39) but IMO ZLs are another league than the Quarks - there in no contest when comparing the lights' overall functionality and quality.

 

[carrot]

How do you compare quality on a light not even released yet?

The ZL does look nice, and ZL's headlamps are nice, but how can you compare quality when ZL has just started making flashlights?

 

[steinstern]

wow, the new zebralight looks great! thanks!

even if i would prefere it without a clip...

i think i´m going to wait for the first reviews..
​

 

[wapkil]

How do you compare quality on a light not even released yet?

The ZL does look nice, and ZL's headlamps are nice, but how can you compare quality when ZL has just started making flashlights?

The RCR versions (SC30) are available for some time and ZL's headlamps are built like flashlights so saying that ZL has just started making flashlights is rather misleading. It definitely has longer history that 4sevens. You are right though that I cannot directly compare these lights. Obviously I don't have an SC50 nor did I bought an SC30 (still waiting for a warm tint AA). I'm also not planing to buy a Quark.

I won't go into a detailed explanation why I believe the existing Zebras are built better that Quarks and the reasons to expect this one to be manufactured the same way. It seems that it can be a touchy subject and I'm afraid it could soon turn into a kind of a flamewar.

Of course Zebralight is not perfect. In the past they also had quality problems in some of their lights (with the switch boot waterproofness), although I think they were correctly addressed. Everyone can have his or her own preferences and I believe there is enough information in the CPF threads for everyone to decide. I believe it would be best to leave this subject with this tautology

 

[wapkil]

wow, the new zebralight looks great! thanks!

even if i would prefere it without a clip...

You can unscrew the clip (e.g. see a picture in this review) although IMO it looks a bit awkward this way.

 

[Zendude]

The SC50 does compare nicely and is very attractive. :kiss:

Looks like they put some thought into managing the heat issues.The same rules apply though, you should only run 14500s on high for a short period of time.

Considering this is a new line I'm surprised they didn't use the xp-g.:thinking:

 

[wapkil]

The SC50 does compare nicely and is very attractive. :kiss:

Looks like they put some thought into managing the heat issues.The same rules apply though, you should only run 14500s on high for a short period of time.

Considering this is a new line I'm surprised they didn't use the xp-g.:thinking:

They are advertising their "proprietary heat sinking design" but I don't know if someone already checked how well it really works.

It's possible that XP-E throws a bit better but I think I would also prefer an XP-G. On the other hand, I'm waiting for a warm tint AA version so it's good for me that they stayed with XP-E (AFAIR there are no warm XP-Gs yet).

Other lights that are in the works - the H31 and the prototype S5200 are using XP-Gs but I think it's better to discuss them in the ZL thread.

 

[Warp]

Considering this is a new line I'm surprised they didn't use the xp-g.:thinking:

Yeah....I'd still rather have a Quark at this point. I'll keep an eye out for the reviews, though, I havn't committed to a 1xAA yet.

 

[Flying Turtle]

I think the Zeeb looks interesting, too, but it might be better to wait for the new LiteFlux LF5XT to emerge. It should be even more interesting, and probably about the same price.

Geoff