Stress_Test
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2008
- Messages
- 1,334
Yes, it's a no holds barred slugfest between two great lights! An older CPF favorite (Fenix L1D Q5) and a new light which is rapidly gaining fans (Quark Mini AA R5).
Given that the Mini is equipped with a state-of-the-art R5 emitter, it would seem that the Mini would easily slay the Q5 L1D. But, Fenix lights are known for their great efficiency. Can the Mini out-power and/or outrun the L1D?
Let's find out!!
Both lights are loaded with Duracell "Pre-charged" AA, sometimes known as "Dura-loops" around CPF for those who don't know. These are the white-topped made-in-Japan versions. The cells read 1353 and 1354 milivolts. Both lights are set to maximum possible brightness. No cooling is used, but the room temperature is about 59 deg F, so overheating shouldn't be a factor. The lights are placed so that the circle of light is rougly the same diameter for each light, in order to make differences in brightness a bit easier to see (think of it as an integrating wall instead of an integrating sphere
) Note that my L1D actually has the P2D Q5 head, but given that these parts are interchangeable/identical to a complete L1D Q5, this is of no consequence.
Photos were taken at the start, and then every 30 minutes (roughly). Photos are set to black and white to remove the tint/color variable, ISO is locked at 100, and the "Daylight" setting is used, but I don't think it matters in a B&W shot. Unfortunately, my camera doesn't allow locked shutter speed or aperture, but with the lights side by side in the same photo, it should be a fair comparison regardless.
All this is somewhat jerry-rigged, so keep that in mind that this isn't strictly scientific, but rather a quick 'n dirty result while we wait for the experts such as SelfBuilt and UnknownVT to handle the scientific aspects of light testing.
To me, this amatuer-ish test drives home the point regarding how much WORK goes into the reviews that those guys do! Thank you to all you hardcore reviewers/testers out there! :thumbsup:
And now the photos: Mini (left), and L1D (right)
(please pardon the boxes used as tripods
)
What's this?? At the start of the run, the L1D appears to be matching the Mini!
Both still going strong at 30 min.
1 hour
At roughly 1 hour, 7 minutes, the L1D finally begins to falter. A minute or two after this photo was taken, I tapped the switch on the L1D to see if it still had enough juice to change modes (a way of checking if the battery is really tapped out or not). The light went out and couldn't be re-lit! I removed the Duracell Nimh and measured it at about 9 volts.
Mini at 1.5 hours
Mini at 2 hours. I stopped the run; medium and max modes were the same brightness. The battery measured in the 0.8 volt range. So be sure to shut your Mini off as soon as you notice it fall out of regulation, because it looks like it'll definitely drain the battery to the last drop.
So there you have it!! A very impressive showing by the Fenix L1D Q5, but the Quark Mini AA clearly has the upper hand.
Now a few questions: On "Light-Reviews" they show that an L1D Q5 runs about 1:35 to 50% on an Eneloop 2000mAH battery, whereas mine was falling out of regulation after about 1 hour. It could be minor variations between lights. Perhaps my L1D is driven a bit harder than some others. Also, they were probably testing with batteries that were hot off the charger at 1400+ milivolts, whereas the batteries I used had been sitting for at least a week or two(?), and were at about 1350 mV. However, I feel that represented a more real-world test of what someone would encounter with his or her EDC light which might have had the same cell (unused) in it for a week or more, or perhaps had been loaded with a cell that had sat for a while.
In summary:
In any contest, by definition the contenders are separated into winners and losers, but in reality these are both great lights! The Fenix is just as bright, but doesn't run as long as the Mini. It's also more expensive. However, some people would rather have a click-switch than a twist-switch, and more throw, so the Fenix may be right for them. For people who need maximum efficiency and minimum size in an EDC, the Mini is the better choice for them. These lights are both so good that it comes down to personal preference.
As for me, I think I'm going to put the Mini on EDC duty for a while and see how it goes! Thanks for reading!
Given that the Mini is equipped with a state-of-the-art R5 emitter, it would seem that the Mini would easily slay the Q5 L1D. But, Fenix lights are known for their great efficiency. Can the Mini out-power and/or outrun the L1D?
Let's find out!!
Both lights are loaded with Duracell "Pre-charged" AA, sometimes known as "Dura-loops" around CPF for those who don't know. These are the white-topped made-in-Japan versions. The cells read 1353 and 1354 milivolts. Both lights are set to maximum possible brightness. No cooling is used, but the room temperature is about 59 deg F, so overheating shouldn't be a factor. The lights are placed so that the circle of light is rougly the same diameter for each light, in order to make differences in brightness a bit easier to see (think of it as an integrating wall instead of an integrating sphere
) Note that my L1D actually has the P2D Q5 head, but given that these parts are interchangeable/identical to a complete L1D Q5, this is of no consequence. Photos were taken at the start, and then every 30 minutes (roughly). Photos are set to black and white to remove the tint/color variable, ISO is locked at 100, and the "Daylight" setting is used, but I don't think it matters in a B&W shot. Unfortunately, my camera doesn't allow locked shutter speed or aperture, but with the lights side by side in the same photo, it should be a fair comparison regardless.
All this is somewhat jerry-rigged, so keep that in mind that this isn't strictly scientific, but rather a quick 'n dirty result while we wait for the experts such as SelfBuilt and UnknownVT to handle the scientific aspects of light testing.
To me, this amatuer-ish test drives home the point regarding how much WORK goes into the reviews that those guys do! Thank you to all you hardcore reviewers/testers out there! :thumbsup:
And now the photos: Mini (left), and L1D (right)
(please pardon the boxes used as tripods
)
What's this?? At the start of the run, the L1D appears to be matching the Mini!
Both still going strong at 30 min.
1 hour
At roughly 1 hour, 7 minutes, the L1D finally begins to falter. A minute or two after this photo was taken, I tapped the switch on the L1D to see if it still had enough juice to change modes (a way of checking if the battery is really tapped out or not). The light went out and couldn't be re-lit! I removed the Duracell Nimh and measured it at about 9 volts.
Mini at 1.5 hours
Mini at 2 hours. I stopped the run; medium and max modes were the same brightness. The battery measured in the 0.8 volt range. So be sure to shut your Mini off as soon as you notice it fall out of regulation, because it looks like it'll definitely drain the battery to the last drop.
So there you have it!! A very impressive showing by the Fenix L1D Q5, but the Quark Mini AA clearly has the upper hand.
Now a few questions: On "Light-Reviews" they show that an L1D Q5 runs about 1:35 to 50% on an Eneloop 2000mAH battery, whereas mine was falling out of regulation after about 1 hour. It could be minor variations between lights. Perhaps my L1D is driven a bit harder than some others. Also, they were probably testing with batteries that were hot off the charger at 1400+ milivolts, whereas the batteries I used had been sitting for at least a week or two(?), and were at about 1350 mV. However, I feel that represented a more real-world test of what someone would encounter with his or her EDC light which might have had the same cell (unused) in it for a week or more, or perhaps had been loaded with a cell that had sat for a while.
In summary:
In any contest, by definition the contenders are separated into winners and losers, but in reality these are both great lights! The Fenix is just as bright, but doesn't run as long as the Mini. It's also more expensive. However, some people would rather have a click-switch than a twist-switch, and more throw, so the Fenix may be right for them. For people who need maximum efficiency and minimum size in an EDC, the Mini is the better choice for them. These lights are both so good that it comes down to personal preference.
As for me, I think I'm going to put the Mini on EDC duty for a while and see how it goes! Thanks for reading!
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