i need a 1 cell aa light!
- Thread starter raggie33
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Now you know what they say bout assuming…
I would say keep your eyes on LED efficiency as until there is considerably more efficient LEDs from what I've heard Zebralights already likely won't see more than a 10% jump over their current circuit designs you likely will have to have 2-3 generations of LEDs to see 25% more efficient.
Quark QK2A MKIII and a 1AA body.
Better CRI LEDs. The current LEDs are alright, but I'd love to see them with a nice tinted high CRI SST-20.
Stress_Test
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Funny timing on asking this. Just the past few days I've been looking at my Quark AA XP-G2 (tac) light and wondering "If I had to replace this light right now, is there anything out there that is similar?"
Seems like all the pocket-size AA lights out there now are all flood beam and often have crazy interface instructions that look like an IRS tax booklet. I really miss the old Fenix lights with the simple head-tight/loose 2-mode interface.
Anyway, the closest thing I've run across so far is the Nitecore MT1A. Selfbuilt has an old review out there of the first gen XP-G version and it seems pretty decent. Never owned a Nitecore light though.
Seems like all the pocket-size AA lights out there now are all flood beam and often have crazy interface instructions that look like an IRS tax booklet. I really miss the old Fenix lights with the simple head-tight/loose 2-mode interface.
Anyway, the closest thing I've run across so far is the Nitecore MT1A. Selfbuilt has an old review out there of the first gen XP-G version and it seems pretty decent. Never owned a Nitecore light though.
Olight's i5T might be worth looking into, it's just 2 modes, 15 lumens and 300 lumens. It uses a TIR optic, but I don't know what kind of beam it has.
As far as the beam profile, the i5T is nearly all flood. I am an unabashed Olight fan, but the i5T's beam profile (similar to that of my Olight H1R) lacks much in the way of useful throw.
Stress_Test
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I actually looked at those Olights, but that brings up another thing I balk at (I'm a picky dude I know! 😄)
The choice of outputs for the two modes seems strange; a very low and a very high. I've got a Sofirn AAA that's like this; I think it's 5 / 100 lumens. Even some Streamlights are like this. It just doesn't work for me, it's always either too high or too low.
For me the sweet spot is something in the 40 to 60 lumen range for general use, and whatever maximum output that allows about an hour of runtime. Having longer running low modes in a reasonable UI is good, but for a 2-mode only light, that's what I'd pick. Pretty much what we saw with the early Fenix TK models. (TK10, TK20, TK11, etc).
I'm starting to appreciate just how good the 4-Sevens "tactical" interface was/is on the Quark series. Easy two-mode operation via head twist, and you determine which two you want with a relatively simple setup process.
Not exactly what you're looking for, but I've transitioned to a Streamlight Macrostream USB. I thought I'd hate it, but I end up grabbing it most of the time.
It has more throw than my ET D3A, and has a 50 lumen low that has decent run time. Unfortunatetly, it has a proprietary 14500. It will work with a generic 14500 but without the charge function, and it won't run on AA's.
If I didn't already have my MDC I might try out a VME head with M31W on a 1AA body and run that on a fixed 1,5V 14500 Li-Ion. That could be a cool combi, but probably a bit too bright (although it wouldn't run on full brightness), and very short runtime. I actually bought a Zebra SC5c Mk II in high CRI since I found out NKON sold them in Europe. Never actually tried a Zebra before.
how do you like it?
Hasn't arrived yet. Probably will tomorrow.
It arrived today actually. It's very nice. I very much like the tint. My previous exp. with 4000k was Malkoff and the Zebra is a noticeable upgrade from that (95 vs. 80CRI). Balanced beam. The feel of the side switch is pleasant and quite ergonomic, I'm used to tail switches. The UI takes some getting used to for me, but it's much much better than I expected and the 3 modes are very well spaced. The 80Lm medium is perfect for me since that's what I'm used to from the M61WLL. The light gets ridiculously bright (for an AA) at almost 500lm, but luckily that can be programmed down to 350 for better runtime. What I don't like is the "short click it starts in Hi, slightly longer for low", that's a little fiddly (and eliminates it as a bedside light for me). Overall, probably the best AA light I've tried, but I haven't tried that many compared to other folks here.
