If your life depended on your EDC - what small 1xCR123 would you pick?

[hnq]

Looking to get a new, very small and solid EDC. Hoping to power it using a single 123 as I already have another light that runs on 123's. But I would be open to other battery sizes (that aren't coin / watch battery sizes) I used to EDC an HDS U65 and found it a bit big for my tastes.

I've read that the ITP A1's and quark minis are small - but would you stake your life on them?

My requirements are:
- SMALL
- LED
- waterproof
- at least 2 modes - dim and bright
- decent run times (over 20 hours on dim)

Any recommendations?

By the way, i've already read the other excellent thread about tiny LED lights

 

[angelofwar]

Surefire L1, E1L, or E1B (E1B's are going for about $80 on the MP now-a-days)

 

[Testor]

I'm really enjoying my latest - the JetBeam TC-R2. Fits the criteria and is damn sexy also.

 

[pjandyho]

Surefire L1, E1L, or E1B (E1B's are going for about $80 on the MP now-a-days)

If the OP finds the HDS big, he is not going to appreciate any of the Surefire you've mentioned.

 

[pjandyho]

I think the Quark MiNiX 123 with XM-L emitter is quite a nice light. I have dropped mine a few times and it survived the drops. I am not saying that this light is impact proof. I definitely don't think it is, but it is not that weak either. Easily pocketable and plenty bright. Others may tell you that you can run RCR123 in it but if your life is going to depend on it then I advice you not to since the MiNi might run too hot due to it's smaller body mass which then resulted in poor heat sinking of the light. The LED gets cooked inside.

 

[Chrontius]

I'd pick an HDS for that. I don't know of anything else similarly solid but smaller. Maybe a Peak, but those don't generally have modes.

Maybe an E1E with a Veleno dropin? The host is bulletproof, and the dropin is at least solid.

 

[Z-Tab]

If the HDS and E1B are too big for you, you've basically ruled out the two lights that are the best for your needs. Malkoff M31 in a VME head on a Valiant Concepts 1x123 Twisty would be very small and sturdy, only one mode though.

Quark Minis are fine for keychain lights, but they are not of the build quality that I would trust my life to.

A Zebralight SC31 would be okay, but they have issues with activation in your pocket.

 

[gcbryan]

If your life depends on your flashlight you're doing something wrong 🙂

If that really is the case however I'd take any two flashlights over any one special flashlight.

 

[jorn]

If your life depends on your flashlight you're doing something wrong 🙂

If that really is the case however I'd take any two flashlights over any one special flashlight.

Well he could be caving, or diving at night 🙂 or maby cavediving at night haha 🙂 The only light i would depend my life on, is a lighter. It has a nice floody beam, decent runtime, and the ability to start a fire. Might come in handy up in the arctic.

 

[andiem]

I woud say either Surfire E1b or 4Sevens Quark MiniX 123 🙂

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[herosemblem]

I place my E1B in the highest regard and place my safety in its hands on a nightly basis for many reasons. Sticker shock is tough, but you will learn to live with it after one month.
Considering the other quality lights available for less money, I suspect you'll choose something different, but that doesn't change anything regarding my experience with the E1B.
Which is small, by the way.

 

[italico]

Surefire E1L !

 

[Derek Dean]

Surefire or HDS, no doubt about it. Those two brands are in another league from most of the manufacturers, and honestly I don't mean any disrespect to the many fine producers of lights you'll find around CPF..... but Surefire and HDS make it a primary goal to produce lights that will absolutely withstand the roughest abuse and keep working.

Of those two..... I'd probably have to go with Surefire because of the simplicity of their design. Simple two level operation with nothing else to get in the way.

E1B or E1L..... pick your flavor 🙂.

 

[jrk]

So many great lights, so many trade-offs . . . I'll line up with Z-tab. My EDC is a VME / Little Twisty 1-123 with a Malkoff M61WLL. Seventy OTF lumens may not sound impressive these days, but for seeing at a reasonable distance (as opposed to blinding something at a great distance) it's plenty of light. It's not too bright to use up close, but it's certainly no moon-mode
However, if your no-compromise requirement is that the light work every time . . .

 

[twl]

Well, I have an HDS U60 here in my hand, and it is only 3.25" long, but it's about an inch in diameter.
The newest HDS models are longer.

Since 3.25" is not very long length, as most lights go, I suspect that it was the diameter of the light which you might have found to be bulky-feeling.
All CR123 lights are going to be at least 3/4" diameter, with most being larger diameter than that.

So, I think you need to decide if thickness or length is more sensitive to your carrying.
If you can stand more length, but less thickness, you might consider a AA or AAA battery format instead.
If you can't stand more length, then you are already at nearly the shortest battery length available with decent capacity.

Regarding my opinion on the light that you could "depend on for your life", I think it comes down to HDS or Surefire, if it indeed needs to survive rugged encounters.
However, if "life depends on it" only means that it needs to turn on when you want it to, and doesn't need to survive rough treatment, then it opens things up alot more.

If you want an extremely short light, with just a little narrower diameter than a CR123 light, and it doesn't need to be able to survive a military battle, you might try a 4sevens Quark Mini CR2.
This light is only 2" long and 3/4" diameter.
This is a twisty switch light, not a clicky. But it's very small.
Quark Mini lights do sometimes have loose threads on the head, but they have great customer service, so if you get a loose one you can return it for a replacement.
I don't think you'll find anything smaller and brighter than this, unless you get a custom light.
It has 3 brightness levels with 3 lumens low, 40 lumens medium, and 180 lumens high. Very bright on high.
The low level mode will give you 1.2 days of light at 3 lumens on one battery.
I realize that this is a less common battery, but it helps with the size issue you are sensitive to.

If you could stand just a tad longer at 2.3", and very slightly thicker at .8", then the Quark Mini CR123 is a candidate, and has been mentioned by others on this thread.
These Mini lights are about the smallest you are going to find in production lights.
They might not be as rugged as the HDS or SureFire, but if size is the most important factor, then they are about the smallest. And they are reasonably durable if you don't abuse them.
The biggest complaint heard on these Quark Mini lights is loose threads on the head. It's not loose in all of them, so you can get a tight one.
Also, they are not very expensive, and the 4sevens customer service is good.

I'd still recommend the HDS for ruggedness, but for size, the Q-Mini are about the smallest.

 

[Search4light]

If my life depends on the light then i would avoid CR123 batteries and choose AA that you can find/recharge easily anywhere (talking about both primary/nimh type)

If you want a bright and small AA you can choose a quark mini AA or there are plenty of similar lights, but again, if my life depends on it I'd choose a more robust light adding little weight anf go for a Fenix LD10 for example, even in this category there are plenty o similar products, just ask or reasearch this forum for more.

Nothing wrong with buying/trying more than one product and see yourself what suits best your need.

good luck ;-)

 

[thedukeoftank]

I have had my Nitecore Extreme Infinity for a few months now and I am impressed. This little guy is built like a tank! Plus, you can switch heads with the Surefire E series. Looks like every thing you are looking for.

Now, as far as reliability, I have only owned this light for a few months so far, so I can't say too much about its long term performance. I can say this though, out of all my lights, this one seems the most solid/reliable.

 

[Chrisdm]

I have a bunch of great 1xcr123s, and was going to tell youu that the jetbeam tcr2 is the one i would stake my life on, it certainly is the best one... but then i saw you emphasized small.. in that case its the zebralight..im a search & rescue team leader and its my zebralight that goes with me in the field: tiny, rock solid, best ui out there, bright bright bright...

 

[Shon]

I would pick the 4sevens Quark mini 123. The Quark Mini is a great every-day-carry (EDC) pocket flashlight. It is ultra compact and has a simple, easy-to-use interface (the same great interface used in the Preon 1 flashlight). Like the regular Quarks, the Mini uses the latest in LED technology, has ample knurling for a sure grip, and is at a price point affordable for everyone.

Low: 8 lumens, 150 hours
Medium: 43 lumens, 6.2 hours
High: 135 lumens, 2 hours

Plus it is very small and weighs nothing.

Length: 2.3 inches
Diameter: 0.80 inches
Weight: 0.62 ounces (w/o battery)

I saw Nutnfancy do a review of it where he did a drop test. So I know it can take a hit and keep on going.

​

 

[pjandyho]

NutN was just lucky. I saw the video too. My friend does not have such luck though. His MiNi 123 took a dive when he fell off the skate board and it failed to work after that. No luck also after changing battery. For myself, as stated above, I had dropped mine a few times (guess about 3 feet) and it still work flawlessly. I guess it has to do with the angle where impact takes place.