ZebraLight SC30/50 Vs Quark XP-G Vs NC D10, which has the best throw/ouput?

[Lobo]

Time again for me to upgrade my AA general purpose light(NC DI Q5). I haven't been around here too much lately, but a bit surprised that it's still the usual suspects who suits me in this category and nothing new has really happened.
I have looked around for a while and these three light seems to fit my needs the best when it comes to functions, runtimes, size etc. Now it's basically down to which is the brightest and has most throw(I like a concentrated hotspot and throw even in my non dedicated throwers).
But I can't find any reviews with lux number etc for these lights. So had to start a thread. How does the throw compare between them on 14500?

Zebralight SC50
The reviews I found says it's on the floodier side, but how is the overall output compared to the other AA-lights and will it still out throw a Quark XP-G?

Quark AA(with XP-G)
The old Quark seemed to have the best throw of many AA-lights, but then they changed the emitter(and I can't find any of the old versions anywhere new). Heard that the XP-G isn't suited at all for throw. Does the Quark still have some throw left? Will it outthrow the others? How about total output?

Nitecore D10
Again, they've made a new version I'm not really that found of(SP) but thankfully I can still get the older ramping version from other sources, but with new emitter. Question is, will the new XP-E version throw less than my Nitecore DI Q5(basically the same light) and how does it compare to the others?

And feel free to come with suggestions for other single AA-lights with decent throw that you can run regulated on 14500 that I might have missed(I'm for ex completely out of touch with Jetbeam, but they can be tricky to get delivered to Sweden) in the 50-70 dollars range.
Thanks!

PS. Also need to know if there is a low battery indicator on these 3 lights. I have one on my DI that I hate when I run 14500s.

 

[jankj]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

Just to set the record straight: There are some quarks with those super-throwing XR-E diodes available at 4sevens website, labeled "R2". Under "accessories" you'll find some heads sold separately as well. New quarks are fitted with the "R5" emitter, also known as XP-G. This diode is larger (=less throw), but has more total light output.

The model you want (quark AA R2/xp-e) isn't available, though. You can mix and match, buying the AA body separately and putting any quark head you like on that. Price will be higher than buying a finished light, though. Most likely, you'll end up with some spare parts you have paid for, but don't need.

Oh, and the quarks don't have any battery indicator. That is kind of complicated considering the exact same light can run on 1*AA, 2*AA, 1*li-ion... basically anything in the indicated voltage range (.9 - 4.2 or 3-9 volts). But several others have posted nice experiences running the 3-9 volt head on one li-ion battery. This gives some "direct drive" characteristics, with diminishing output when the battery is close to drained - at least at the maximum setting.

 

[Lobo]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

You're a genius! Forgot about how highly modular the Quark-series is. It might even benefit me since I'll get two lights in one instead. I'm gonna mail 4sevens as well, but do you have any clue which emitters these heads has?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_304&products_id=1651
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_304&products_id=1842
They are the only remaining 4.2V heads.
I could also go the other route you mention and frankenstein one with the remaining XP-E R2-lights.
And thanks for the verification about the battery indicator. I hate them(what's the point if you're using protected anyway) and would rather decide myself when my light shall go out.

But I will still let my original question stand since I would like to know how the throw and output are on these three lights. So if anybody has some more input, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[ti-force]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

You're a genius! Forgot about how highly modular the Quark-series is. It might even benefit me since I'll get two lights in one instead. I'm gonna mail 4sevens as well, but do you have any clue which emitters these heads has?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_304&products_id=1651
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_304&products_id=1842
They are the only remaining 4.2V heads.
I could also go the other route you mention and frankenstein one with the remaining XR-E R2-lights.
And thanks for the verification about the battery indicator. I hate them(what's the point if you're using protected anyway) and would rather decide myself when my light shall go out.

But I will still let my original question stand since I would like to know how the throw and output are on these three lights. So if anybody has some more input, I would greatly appreciate it.

I know the last head you linked to (the second link in the above quote) has a neutral white (tint) emitter, which will probably have a lower output. I'm not sure about the first head you linked to. I've often wondered this myself. They specify that it's a regular UI head, i.e., non-tactical head, but they don't specify which emitter it has:thinking:. I've often wondered this; it really doesn't make sense to sell a head without specifying what emitter it has.

 

[chrisWELD]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

If you're after throw there is also the Dereelight Javelin with the 1x123 body + AA extender. I also happen to have then 2 x AA std Javelin body too, which Alan at Dereelight threw in too.

Then you'll have a throwy P60 head with XPG and option of using 123's or AA with the extender. I believe lux is about 8k with 14500, 5k with alkaline but I could be wrong. It certainly out-throws the Quark R2 123 I used to have, even if the hotspot is a tad wider.

I've been Edc-ing it alongside my Lummi RAW Al so far this year, although it'll be in my bag rather than pocket soon, now that I'm about to receive my D10 Tribute for my birthday.

I bought mine directly from Dereelight after emailing Alan with some detailed questions. Really helpful customer service. Received it less than a week after ordering it.

I also have the Zebralight sc50w on the way as I like the form factor compactness, one-piece head/body and the electronic clicky.

Best of luck whatever you decide. I like quarks too and am considering an AA XPG for the future since I have my AA throwy edc sorted for now.

 

[polkiuj]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

You're a genius! Forgot about how highly modular the Quark-series is. It might even benefit me since I'll get two lights in one instead. I'm gonna mail 4sevens as well, but do you have any clue which emitters these heads has?
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_304&products_id=1651
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_304&products_id=1842
They are the only remaining 4.2V heads.
I could also go the other route you mention and frankenstein one with the remaining XR-E R2-lights.
And thanks for the verification about the battery indicator. I hate them(what's the point if you're using protected anyway) and would rather decide myself when my light shall go out.

But I will still let my original question stand since I would like to know how the throw and output are on these three lights. So if anybody has some more input, I would greatly appreciate it.

The 1st head is an XP-E R2 which is the "throwier" version. It is meant for the Quark 123 with a built-in clip in the head (non-removable)

2nd is of course the neutral white XP-E (Q3 5A) head.

Max supported voltage of both heads is 4.2V (1 li-ion)

 

[ti-force]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

The 1st head is an XP-E R2 which is the "throwier" version. It is meant for the Quark 123 with a built-in clip in the head (non-removable)

2nd is of course the neutral white XP-E (Q3 5A) head.

Max supported voltage of both heads is 4.2V (1 li-ion)

4sevens should specify exactly which emitter is in every head, not just the neutral white heads. Did you ask 4sevens about which emitter is in the first linked head, or did you purchase one and then find out? It seems to me that they could save time, and therefore money if they would specify instead of having to reply to emails about it. Of course, some people might actually order the head without knowing:shrug:, not me :shakehead.

 

[deuces]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

The JetBeam 1xAA throw more than the other usual suspects, but they're also a bit larger.

This one is 1xAA only, with IBS (3 infintely programmable levels):

Jetbeam I pro v 3 http://bugoutgearusa.com/jetipro.html

This one takes 1xCR123A or 1xAA, with a ring to select preset levels:

Jetbeam RRT-0 http://bugoutgearusa.com/rrt0.html

I think they're similar in brightness and throw on 14500.

 

[jblackwood]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

4sevens should specify exactly which emitter is in every head, not just the neutral white heads. Did you ask 4sevens about which emitter is in the first linked head, or did you purchase one and then find out? It seems to me that they could save time, and therefore money if they would specify instead of having to reply to emails about it. Of course, some people might actually order the head without knowing:shrug:, not me :shakehead.

Dude, you need to look harder. On every Quark I clicked on, it's on the second line under Specifications: LED Emitter.

So here's a :shakehead for you and a :shrug: as to where the heck YOU were looking for your answer? I'm sure you already have an answer in your email about it and they probably won't give you a for your troubles but you can bet they're doing one of these :hairpull:, especially if they see what you wrote about posting the info instead of forcing people to write them to ask about it.

But I don't want to so I think I'll leave it at that. After all, lovecpf so let's all have a :grouphug:.

 

[ti-force]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

 

[Lobo]

Re: ZebraLight SC30/50 Vs Quark XP-G Vs NC D10, which has the best thrown on 14500?

lol
This thread seemed to have turned controversial.

@jblackwood
Chill. As ti-force said, check out the links. It's not mentioned if the LED is a XP-E or a XP-G. We are talking about the spareparts and not the light section.[smile]

@ti-force
Sorry mate, hadn't got my arse in gear yet. But I did mail them today and will post the result as extra confirmation(since Polkiuj already answered the question) here when I get it.
Don't mind if it's neutral white(might actually prefer it). Some output loss doesn't bother me(usually hard to tell the difference anyway) but the beam shape and color is usually more important to me.
But I saw that you had a bunch of Quarks. Do you have both XP-G and XP-E versions? If you do, could you tell me about the difference in the beam shape? Do you lose a lot of throw?

@chrisWELD
Thanks for the tip about Dereelight. Forgot them, but they were quite innovative(first with the super throwers) when I was around. Had missed that they went into the smaller light market as well. Checked out the Javelin but it seems a bit too large(the head) for my purpose. But you do have a great collection of lights there. And both the SC50 and D10 I'm looking at. Shame(for me) that you haven't received them yet though.

@Polkiuj
Thanks for the confirmation!. But you're sure that the second link with the neutral white is an XP-E? Is it cause there aren't any neutral white XP-Gs yet?

@deuces
Thanks for the Jetbeam links. They are a bit larger than what I had in mind and not sure what bugoutgear(still the only place that sells them?) takes for shipping to Sweden. But the RRT looks interesting...

And if anyone has a Zebralight SC30/50, Quark XP-G or a Nitecore D10 and have compared them, have beamshots or have lux at 1m numbers, feel free to chip in!

 

[ti-force]

Re: ZebraLight SC30/50 Vs Quark XP-G Vs NC D10, which has the best thrown on 14500?

@ti-force
Sorry mate, hadn't got my arse in gear yet. But I did mail them today and will post the result as extra confirmation(since Polkiuj already answered the question) here when I get it.
Don't mind if it's neutral white(might actually prefer it). Some output loss doesn't bother me(usually hard to tell the difference anyway) but the beam shape and color is usually more important to me.
But I saw that you had a bunch of Quarks. Do you have both XP-G and XP-E versions? If you do, could you tell me about the difference in the beam shape? Do you lose a lot of throw?

To answer you question, yes I do have both XP-E and XP-G versions. I have two Quark 123-2 Tactical's with an XP-E R2 emitter in both of those lights. I have one Quark 123-2 Regular, which has an XP-G R5 emitter, and I also have a Quark 123-2 Turbo which also has an XP-G R5 emitter. I'm not very good at taking beamshots, but I took some for you to compare. It's daytime here so indoor shots are a must and since I don't really have any good place to take beamshots indoors, I hung up a white sheet for a backdrop. Each light was 3.5 feet from the wall and the camera settings stayed the same for every light, but this is just for beam comparison; I've actually modded the Quark 123-2 XP-G R5 with a different driver, and it's brighter than it was, so the brightness wouldn't be consistent with a Quark XP-G light using the factory driver and I'm not experienced enough to really capture the different brightnesses anyway. Maybe these will help you, but like I said, I'm not the best at capturing beamshots so bear with me.


First and foremost, it would be rude of me not to introduce you to my Quark family. Nah, not really, I just want to show of my Quarks hehe... Sorry if it's a tad blurry, but seriously though, it does give you an idea of the Quark Turbo size compared next to the 123-2's.

From the top in descending order:

Quark 123-2 Regular XP-G R5
Quark 123-2 Tactical XP-E R2
Quark 123-2 Tactical XP-E R2
Quark 123-2 Turbo XP-G R5

Now for the beamshots. Note that I only took a beamshot of one of my R2 Quarks; I didn't think it would matter since they are basically the exact same light, other than a tint variation, which doesn't matter anyway because I can't seem to capture tint variations on camera either oh well, maybe one day.

 

[jankj]

Re: ZebraLight SC30/50 Vs Quark XP-G Vs NC D10, which has the best thrown on 14500?

lol

@Polkiuj
Thanks for the confirmation!. But you're sure that the second link with the neutral white is an XP-E? Is it cause there aren't any neutral white XP-Gs yet?

I'll chime in my 2 cents...

At least, there weren't any when 47 made these. The neutral whites were made with xp-e q3 5a emitters. One production run only. The lights are long gone, some heads remain.

I haven't got a clue about the other lights under consideration, but I love the throw, beam shape and tint of my neutral warm quarks. The 1*AA version doesn't quite power up the maximum (170 lumens) on a regular AA battery, you need li-ion 14500 or the 2*AA version to get that. Most of the time, any of the 4 lower modes are preferable anyway, so it's not a big loss. Out in the woods, 70 lumens is a quite substantial amount of light ...

 

[Lobo]

@ti-force
Damn. I couldn't dream of such an extensive answer when I asked. :bow:
And you sure seem to have a soft spot for Quark. Nice collection!
Very nice beamshots. And yes, there seems to be a difference between the XP-G and XP-E, and I can imagine that the spread will be more noticeable at a distance. Interesting though that the XP-G turbo doesn't seem to have that much tighter beam than the XP-E. Or am I missjudging the photos? Maybe the difference is bigger in real life and you notice more throw outside with the turbohead? Thanks again for the pics!

@jankj
I'm leaning to the nw-head as well. And I'm going to drive it with 14500s(rbut nice to know you can use regular AAs in emergency) so power wont be a problem. But I'm surprised that there aren't bigger demands for the old Quark version and more protests that they changed the emitter, since I heard so much praise for the beam in the original Quarks. And the new emitter isn't that much brighter in real life.

Wonder what's the next step is in for the Quark-line. Anybody heard anything about emitter upgrade or is 4seven content with how it is now and focusing on their other lights(maelstroem for ex)?

And if anybodies interested. Here's a page I found with different outdoor beamshots. Zebralight SC30 and Nitecore D10 is among them.
http://docs.torchworld.com.au/bsc2010/index.html
The Zebralight seems to be a lot more floody as well. The size, functions and price are still really tempting for me. Might get one anyway.

 

[ti-force]

@ti-force
Damn. I couldn't dream of such an extensive answer when I asked. :bow:
And you sure seem to have a soft spot for Quark. Nice collection!
Very nice beamshots. And yes, there seems to be a difference between the XP-G and XP-E, and I can imagine that the spread will be more noticeable at a distance. Interesting though that the XP-G turbo doesn't seem to have that much tighter beam than the XP-E. Or am I missjudging the photos? Maybe the difference is bigger in real life and you notice more throw outside with the turbohead? Thanks again for the pics!

I've definitely caught the Quark bug, I have a huge soft spot for Quarks. I EDC the 123-2's and I normally use 1-AW17670 to power them, although I do use 2-AW RCR123's sometimes just so they see some use. The beautiful thing about the Quark (as I'm sure you know) is the fact that once you have the light, you can pretty much buy any body you want for numerous combinations. Only problem for me is, I seem to have fallen in love with the 123-2 setup. I guess it's because it's the perfect size for my liking. Not too large in diameter and the length is just right for me.

Anyway, I'll quit rambling. When it gets dark here, I'll go out with the Turbo and R2 and really compare for you. Then I'll report back and let you know. I think the moon will be too bright to take any outdoor beamshots. We'll see. Like I said, this beamshot business is all new to me though. Also, I saw this thread right here and wondered if you might find any info. Click here

Wonder what's the next step is in for the Quark-line. Anybody heard anything about emitter upgrade or is 4seven content with how it is now and focusing on their other lights(maelstroem for ex)?

I don't really know what the next step is, but I hope it's Cree's new XM emitter. I've got my fingers crossed. 750 lumens at 2A! Woooooo Hooooooo!!!! haha... nah, I'm pretty sure 4sevens wouldn't push it that hard, but I would:devil: and the emitter would already be on a star and everything:thumbsup:

 

[ti-force]

Okay, I took the lights out tonight and here are the results. First off, my beamshots really aren't that great; they don't show the difference in brightness for some reason. I just need to spend some time until I get it right. Anyway, my beamshots do show the beam pattern accurately. The Turbo and R2 both have about the same size hotspot, but the turbo's hotspot is brighter with the spill being dimmer, and the R2's hotspot is a little dimmer with the spill being a little brighter. If you look at the beamshots again, you can see that the spill on the R2 is actually wider than the Turbo too, so that uses some lumens. Like I said, these beamshots really don't show the variation in brightness very well, but that's the difference. Because the Turbo has a brighter hotspot, it will out throw the R2.

I have a hedge of pine trees behind my house and I shined both lights at the tops of them, but I targeted two trees specifically. This really made it easier to see that the Turbo's hotspot was brighter. Both lights lit up the tree tops, and both hotspots still seemed to be about the same size, but the Turbo's hotspot was just visibly brighter. According to Google Earth, the distance from where I was standing to the tree tops is roughly 100 yards or 89 meters. Maybe this will help you.

 

[jankj]

According to 47, the r5 quark turbo (xp-g) has about 5% more throw than quark regular/tactical r2 (xp-e). I sort of figure the "throw increase" is lux/lightmeter reading in the strongest part of the beam or something; the relative difference should be apparent measured this way (although the numbers themselves won't be very accurate).

I don't remember the exact figure, but the turbo has somewhere around 30% more total light output compared to the r2.

@ti-force: Given the 5% throw increase figure, I am surprised you can tell the difference in real life. I am very curious if there is a real world difference in how far away you can identify objects. Do you have somewhere you could check this - a row of fence posts should do nicely, particular if you can hang a coat or something there for identification.

Oh, and I am finally taking the li-ion leap... I'm looking forward to give my quark AA the full power blast

 

[ky70]

According to 47, the r5 quark turbo (xp-g) has about 5% more throw than quark regular/tactical r2 (xp-e).

Generally speaking, I thought a XP-E R2 should out throw a XP-G R5 (though the R2 would have less overall output). Is this general statement incorrect?

 

[jblackwood]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

DUDE!? I think you need to learn how to look harder. Follow this link right here, which is the link I was referring to in my previous post, and tell me where it specifies what emitter is in this head. NOTICE I said HEAD and not just Quark lights in general. After you visit the link, you should look for the edit button for post #9, and when you find it, consider editing, of course, this would be after you insert foot into mouth Mmmmmm.... how does that taste??? .

Furthermore, I meant absolutely no harm whatsoever towards 4sevens. I love there lights and if you look at some of my posts, you will see that I recommend Quarks to people 98% of the time. In fact, I own one Quark Turbo 123x2 and three Quark 123x2's, so that should tell you something right there.

Sorry about that. I won't edit my original post because I don't believe you CAN totally erase your mistakes in real life so why should we try to do so on here? I guess I just got sick of people mucking up threads with questions that have readily available answers but that's still no excuse. I'll buy you a brew if you ever make it down this way, how about that? :drunk:Again, sorry about that.

I do agree with you that they should post that info on their product info.

 

[ti-force]

Re: Hows the throw/output on ZebraLight SC50 Vs Quark AA XP-G Vs Nitecore D10?

Sorry about that. I won't edit my original post because I don't believe you CAN totally erase your mistakes in real life so why should we try to do so on here? I guess I just got sick of people mucking up threads with questions that have readily available answers but that's still no excuse. I'll buy you a brew if you ever make it down this way, how about that? :drunk:Again, sorry about that.

I do agree with you that they should post that info on their product info.

No problem. Everyone makes mistakes:thumbsup: The editing is completely up to you, but if you'd like to edit, I'll re-quote you after the edit and paste that into my post, and I'll also make changes to my post:grouphug:.

I'll definitely take you up on the brew offer though if I'm ever down your way:thumbsup: