I am looking for an upgrade for the Mini Maglight I have been using for ~15 years. I use it for work and on Boy Scout camping trips. I am looking for a flashlight that will fit in a Boy Scout leather belt clip that hold my Leatherman and has a sleeve sized for a Mini Maglight. I would appreciate any thoughts on the relative merits between the Quark AA^2 and the Fenix LD20+ as well as the prospects for one of these fitting in my belt clip.
Quark AA^2 vs Fenix LD20+
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ninjaboigt
Enlightened
- Joined
- May 8, 2008
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:welcome: welcome!
i dont have a LD20+ but i do have a quark AA^2 tactical neutral white.
i choose the quark series because it has alot more knurling for grip. and a better pocket clip.
the quark has a moon mode which is pretty low, but plenty bright for night adapted eyes. so i might say that would be a plus for you.
and when comparing the lumens, quark uses Out The Front ( OTF ) lumens. which means the light is measured after it hits the window and reflector.
Fenix uses Bulb lumens which is measured at the LED it self.
( the quark is using a more updated LED compared to the fenix )
also quark has the neutral tint series which has better colors when out doors. the only ones left at 4seven.com are tactical verions of 123^2 or the single 123 cliped and clipless but no 2AA. so you'd have to buy a single 123 model and take off the body and buy a 2AA body seperately and you'd have a quark AA^2 neutral white tactical light.
hope that helps. also if u purchase from 4sevens.com dont forget to use CPF8 as the coupon code when checking out to get 8% off!
i dont have a LD20+ but i do have a quark AA^2 tactical neutral white.
i choose the quark series because it has alot more knurling for grip. and a better pocket clip.
the quark has a moon mode which is pretty low, but plenty bright for night adapted eyes. so i might say that would be a plus for you.
and when comparing the lumens, quark uses Out The Front ( OTF ) lumens. which means the light is measured after it hits the window and reflector.
Fenix uses Bulb lumens which is measured at the LED it self.
( the quark is using a more updated LED compared to the fenix )
also quark has the neutral tint series which has better colors when out doors. the only ones left at 4seven.com are tactical verions of 123^2 or the single 123 cliped and clipless but no 2AA. so you'd have to buy a single 123 model and take off the body and buy a 2AA body seperately and you'd have a quark AA^2 neutral white tactical light.
hope that helps. also if u purchase from 4sevens.com dont forget to use CPF8 as the coupon code when checking out to get 8% off!
Federal LG
Flashlight Enthusiast
What ninjaboigt said...
My vote goes for Quark 2xAA!
My vote goes for Quark 2xAA!
vali
Enlightened
A couple of days ago I did some sort of "comparison" between them in another thread. Since cross-posting is not allowed I'll copy & paste it here:
mooman
Newly Enlightened
One thing I would be concerned with is if either of these lights will even fit in the holster you described. If the holster has a leather sleeve form fit for the body of a mini mag with the bezel up then neither of these lights may fit. For a third option that will definitely fit you could look at the newer multi level mini mag lights. If most of your uses are outdoors or color rendering is important then I agree with the above posters who stress the importance of a warm or at the very least neutral led. A Fenix TK20 might be another 2 AA option you can look at if you want a neutral tint in a Fenix light but it will also probably not fit in the holster you described.
I have some disagreeing points qith VALI here;
My L2D screws in perfectly and the feel of the threads is just perfect.
On the other hand I have a little difficulty getting both the tailcap AND the head to start screwing on my Quark (I too have the updated version) and the O-rings are a little too big, making it very hard to screw-unscrew the head. This is a major issue with the tactical version, as I often end up unscrewing the tailcap rather than the head.
The beam patterns are perfect on both my lights.
I have the Quark neutral, so the intensity seems pretty much the same, but the Quark does throw a little farther.
I can easily lock-out my Quark with a quarter-turn of the tailcap, but again, the O-ring makes a little friction here.
All my Fenixes (aside the TK40) came with a belt holster that does a great job, but the 4 sevens holster IS better.
As for battery rattle, I get it in my L2D (very very little) but not in my Quark... but I don't care and don't see why a small battery rattle should be an issue... it's not like the batteries will jump out or start crumbling into bits. By experience, I know batteries are not created equal and some brands are slightly bigger or smaller in diameter and even in length, which means that you might find a brand that fits tight enough not to hear any rattle. Also, a perfect fit might mean your batteries could get stuck if a piece of whatever fell into the tube when you put the batteries in, or the battery label was scratched. I prefer to have a little room for comfort when it comes to tube inner diameter.
All in all, if Fenix came out with a neutral LED light and a low low, I would go for the Fenix with my eyes closed.
My L2D screws in perfectly and the feel of the threads is just perfect.
On the other hand I have a little difficulty getting both the tailcap AND the head to start screwing on my Quark (I too have the updated version) and the O-rings are a little too big, making it very hard to screw-unscrew the head. This is a major issue with the tactical version, as I often end up unscrewing the tailcap rather than the head.
The beam patterns are perfect on both my lights.
I have the Quark neutral, so the intensity seems pretty much the same, but the Quark does throw a little farther.
I can easily lock-out my Quark with a quarter-turn of the tailcap, but again, the O-ring makes a little friction here.
All my Fenixes (aside the TK40) came with a belt holster that does a great job, but the 4 sevens holster IS better.
As for battery rattle, I get it in my L2D (very very little) but not in my Quark... but I don't care and don't see why a small battery rattle should be an issue... it's not like the batteries will jump out or start crumbling into bits. By experience, I know batteries are not created equal and some brands are slightly bigger or smaller in diameter and even in length, which means that you might find a brand that fits tight enough not to hear any rattle. Also, a perfect fit might mean your batteries could get stuck if a piece of whatever fell into the tube when you put the batteries in, or the battery label was scratched. I prefer to have a little room for comfort when it comes to tube inner diameter.
All in all, if Fenix came out with a neutral LED light and a low low, I would go for the Fenix with my eyes closed.
Boy, are you in for a surprise if you have not used a LED light yet! Below is the Quark next to a 2AA light. It uses the same bi-pin mini bulb the mini mag uses. Here, I'm using the brighter Krypton version. Its beam is nearly lost in the Quark's spill light.
I chose the Quark AA^2 tactical so I don't have to flip through the modes. I still have a menu of 8 modes to choose from, but I preprogram the mode I want. It has head tight and head loosened mode, So I can have two reprogrammed modes available. It has the forward clicky switch that can provide temporary light silently.
Fenix lights are great lights as well. I had some older versions of them and they held up great.
Don't forget the discount code for CPF members when shopping at 4sevens
I chose the Quark AA^2 tactical so I don't have to flip through the modes. I still have a menu of 8 modes to choose from, but I preprogram the mode I want. It has head tight and head loosened mode, So I can have two reprogrammed modes available. It has the forward clicky switch that can provide temporary light silently.
Fenix lights are great lights as well. I had some older versions of them and they held up great.
Don't forget the discount code for CPF members when shopping at 4sevens
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vali
Enlightened
The feel of screwing-unscrewing is good in both lights I have, but sometimes I have to fiddle around a bit to actually start screwing the LD20. Is not a big deal unless you want to do it fast for wathever reason.
About the rattle, could it be Fenix changed the inner body diameter a bit from L2D to LD20?. Using the same batteries (eneloops almost always) they fit almost perfectly to the LD20 but they rattle a bit in the Quark. Could it be some kind of tolerance in the machining?. I am not the first who found that rattling (not a big deal either).
About the rattle, could it be Fenix changed the inner body diameter a bit from L2D to LD20?. Using the same batteries (eneloops almost always) they fit almost perfectly to the LD20 but they rattle a bit in the Quark. Could it be some kind of tolerance in the machining?. I am not the first who found that rattling (not a big deal either).
[edit, I made a small attention mistake when first posting this reply]
It could be both a diference in machining and difference in the tooling process or the manufacturing tolerance. I also have noticed that from one batch to the next (this applies to everything including flashlights) there is always little differences. We tend to think that every single object coming off one production line is exactly the same, but it's not. I see many different customers with production lines, and I can tell you even they agree with that. Also, production machines do tend to wear out too. Of course, the manufacturer won't tell you that...
Anyway, I might have come across as totally biased on Fenix earlier, but Quark are great lights too. To make my point shorter I'd say the machining on Fenix seems superior to me, while Quark offers more modes and LED types.
It could be both a diference in machining and difference in the tooling process or the manufacturing tolerance. I also have noticed that from one batch to the next (this applies to everything including flashlights) there is always little differences. We tend to think that every single object coming off one production line is exactly the same, but it's not. I see many different customers with production lines, and I can tell you even they agree with that. Also, production machines do tend to wear out too. Of course, the manufacturer won't tell you that...
Anyway, I might have come across as totally biased on Fenix earlier, but Quark are great lights too. To make my point shorter I'd say the machining on Fenix seems superior to me, while Quark offers more modes and LED types.
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One word of caution for you, man scout,
you'll find that both Fenix and Quark have very good ratings here, and for a good reason. If you start off with one of these, hang on to you wallet. If you get one of these and for some readon the second flashlight you buy is cheaper, rest assured that the next one will be more expensive...
you'll find that both Fenix and Quark have very good ratings here, and for a good reason. If you start off with one of these, hang on to you wallet. If you get one of these and for some readon the second flashlight you buy is cheaper, rest assured that the next one will be more expensive...
