Re: Nuwai QIII or Longbow Micra?
[ QUOTE ]
Unregulated said:
The Micra is available on the Battery Stations CPF member specials page for $65. It is smaller than the Q III, and doesn't have a pocket cutting/snagging bezel, thus much easier to carry. It also has a VERY durable HA III finish, the Q III doesn't. The machine work and fit of the Micra is impecable, perhaps the best in the industry. Regards curent regulation.... no problem, just change battery when depleted. Also the Micra boasts a plethora of available accesories, the Q III doesn't. Regard brightness, the Q III is brighter, but not much. Run time....about the same. Buy a Longbow Micra and be happy!
[/ QUOTE ]
I'd still worry about the module and regulation - in that case, you've paid $65 for the Micra itself... and then if you get a comparable module via the McCapsule, you're paying another $90 if you intend to keep the head as is... and then the new UCL lens and a SO17XA reflector'll cost you another $10, so you've shelled out $165 for the Longbow to get something that'll probably be the type of mod that'd beat the Quantum III or make it a truly good light. If you're wanting just the PR-T kit, that's still another $45 dollars, not counting the guts of it.
At the very minimum, you're spending $75 for just a Longbow with a good reflector and lens, and we've not even counted other modules to change that LED itself - it's a 1W Luxeon Star, and reputed to be so-so in tint in at least a few situations. You can fix that, but it'll still cost you a few extra dollars to do so with something like a McCapsule. In that situation, I'd just save up another $30 dollars and get myself an Aleph, which has HA Type III finish, better construction and a better LED and regulator circuit. And a better switch, to boot. As I've noted earlier, people have talked about the bad regulation on this light, which means you're not making the most of your expensive batteries so you're using more batteries and leaving them only half-discharged. If you switch to an ECO Tube, isn't that another $20 on top of everything else? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
If you want a nice, simple light, go Quantum-III. If you want to mod it a bit (change LED modules to change colors), then pick the Micra. It's a completely different beast from the Quantum-III, if only because it's supposed to be moddable while the Quantum is not. IMO, if you want a truly moddable light with superior performance, then you need to throw business either at Wayne of the Sandwich Shoppe, or else give your money to Don.
But if you do get the Micra, try going to the Battery Station, Bug Out Gear, or any of our other fine, CPF-supporting retailers.
