EZAA vs quark miniAA

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum and was wondering if anybody has both the Nitecore EZAA and the Quark MiniAA (and maybe even the Liteflux LF2XT) and which one do you prefer and why? I prefer AA or AAA batteries as I can get them free at work. I love the D10 and prefer clickies, but am willing to try a twisty since these two lights seem very bright and are also very small and light.

I currently carry a Nitecore D10 but I'm trying to slim down or lighten my EDC gear so everything will fit in one pocket in a cell phone pouch. I tried carrying around a leatherman s2 and a Avenger GX, but they were both pretty weak in ouput. (I've heard the LF2XT has a pretty high output so might pick up one of those as well, but I think the natural finish colors are all sold out?)

Anyways, I was hoping somebody out there could help me decide between those two main choices. I have no use for the SOS/beacon modes, but would like a low low and a very high high small light.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

:welcome:

I own 3 of them and I edc LF2XT daily simply for its size and excellent UI (which in CUI is identical to D10's). It has a clicky button and mine came with the latest R5 installed for a slightly floody beam. EZ AA is 2-mode and benefits from instant accessibility to hi or low but it's longer than MiNi AA. MiNi AA uses R5 with 3-level modes (with hidden strobe/SOS settings) starting on low and is probably the smallest AA light in the world.

I think both LF2XT and MiNi AA have low low and high high, but then again, depends how low and high you need. Both also comes with titanium options.

AAROSOL said:

I prefer AA or AAA batteries as I can get them free at work.

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"free" alkalines? there is no such thing!! do you still think they are "free" after they inevitably leak inside your light and ruin it?

get some quality cells. they'll perform better too.

Ragiska said:

"free" alkalines? there is no such thing!! do you still think they are "free" after they inevitably leak inside your light and ruin it?

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Where do you guys come up with this stuff? Only time I've ever had alkalines leak is when they sit in an unused remote control for several years, and even then it's rare.

the.Mtn.Man said:

Where do you guys come up with this stuff? Only time I've ever had alkalines leak is when they sit in an unused remote control for several years, and even then it's rare.

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because the vast majority of us have at one point in time or another had a visit from the leaky alkaline fairy, often ruining very expensive electronics

but even aside from leaks, their performance is abysmal compared to almost ANYTHING else

Hey AAROSOL. Welcome to CPF. I have both the LF2XT and the EZAA. Have played a bit with the QMiniAA. For EDC I prefer the LF2XT for its operation and size. While it's not really much smaller than the others it's lighter in the pocket and the UI is superb. The EZAA throws better than the Q by a wee bit and is a little skinnier. But twisting is stiff and the low is still maybe 10-15 lumens. The QMiniAA has a lower low and operates smoother. Even the blinkie modes are fun to have. For a AA light I'd go with the Quark.

Geoff

I would agree with the others and say that alkalines are pretty bad chemistry for running high powered lights.

Buy a rechargable setup and have "free" lumens in the same way!

I'm very interested in trying an EZAA if I can find one in neutral white, but I've got to say I love my Mini AA in neutral. If I can get my hands on an EZAA to compare the two I'll let you know.

I've owned all 3, here are my opinions.

EZAA - Would be nice if it was a $20 light. Interesting 1/4-20 hole in the end for mounting on tripods and such. Beam on warm version was umimpressive, battery grinder. Does not come with a clip.

LF2XT - Great light for running 10440 lithiums, beautiful beam, amazingly customizable, a little slippery for my hands. Beautifully made and well thought-out. Runs on and is limited to AAA Alkaline, NiMH or 10440 and there are signal path issues to deal with occasionally. Expensive, but you get a lot for your money. Comes with a clip.

MiNi AA - Of the 3 this is my favorite general purpose EDC. Runs on AA, 14500s on Low and Med (High for short bursts), NiMH, and could probably run on AAA sized batteries with a spacer if the stuff really hit the fan. With your CPF discount and free shipping you won't be out a lot of cash. Does not come with a clip!

I am a recent twisty activation convert as I had a switch fail me when I needed it so I favor twistys now. Currently EDCing the Liteflux LF2X twisty. If you're not overwhelmed by taking things apart and cleaning the occasional contact the LF2XT is definitely one to have in your stable. And, since you didn't ask, Liteflux is reworking the LF5XT, might be worth waiting for.

edit: oh yeah, why even take the chance with alkalines? I've had alkies fail in items that weren't just sitting around and fortunately was able to clean them up. Not worth the risk considering the state of the art of rechargeables.

bansuri said:

EZAA - ....Does not come with a clip.

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Moddoo is customising some now. :naughty:

First off, the OP only asked about the lights and while sharing some thoughts on the batteries may be helpful it's more likely to turn into an OT war and needs to be left out of here.

Now back to the question. I like all three of the lights mentioned and always have the EZAAw and LF2XT on me. I have more MiNi AA's, in titanium, aluminum and with both neutral tint xp-e's and the cooler xp-g, but still have never wanted to carry one as a main light.

The MiNi, especially the xp-g, have a very nice beam pattern, nice high and low, great UI.
The LF2XT exhibits a very nice beam too though, is slimmer, has a lower low, and has the button control.
EZAAw is still in my back pocket due to it's slightly better throw, beautiful tint and being the slimmest AA light made.

To choose a single light based on your original post I'd say to go for the LF2XT first and foremost. It has a very nice beam pattern, is programmable as you want, but as simple as you like in the CUI, has a very nice low and serviceable high.

If you were to carry two then the EZAA would be a nice companion with it's higher high and better throw.

The MiNi is a great standalone, albeit in a larger package than the LF2XT and without a real low setting.

Wow. Thanks for all the replies. I was kind of leaning toward getting the liteflux, but cant find it in the neutral gray color which I prefer. I also didnt want to invest in lithium ion batteries and charger as like I said, I already have free AAA and AA's from work, and actually have quite a handful of Eneloops too.

Any of you guys know the lumens (max and min) for the LF2XT on Eneloops? I dont know how to read all those graphs and stuff. Is it far from the supposed 130 of the EZAA (my probable 2nd choice since a custom clip is being made I guess?) I would prefer to have a clip.

I just might have to get both the EZAA and a LF2XT....

To get an approximation of how bright the LF2XT is, check out the graphs in one of HKJ's threads such as this one:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/255710

According to the light output graph, the high of the LF2XT is very close to the high of the iTP A3 E0S


Also, in your consideration of the LF2XT, Quark MiNi AA, and the NiteCore EZAA, how long of a distance do you want your light to illuminate ? To help answer that question, check out these three pics from csshih:

LF2XT (link):
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/csshih/_MG_7384-400.jpg

Quark MiNi AA (link):
http://www.lumensreview.com/upload/files/546_n8zhn/IMG_1117_processed.JPG

EZAA (link):
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/csshih/EZ AA/_MG_6121-400.jpg

Based on factors which include price and size of the flashlight, I've narrowed my choices to four. Since three of my four choices are the lights you named, I wanted to share my fourth choice: Fenix LD01 XP-E

HKJ posted beamshots of this updated version of the LD01 in his AAA beamshot roundup:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/255710


- very low low
despite the fact that Fenix's website says that the low is 9 lumens, HKJ's measurements determined that the low is much lower than that. One person said (link): "My example is even lower than the ITP AAA I've got"

- very nice [to my eyes] beam pattern
On med and high, to my tastes the beam pattern of the LD01 XP-E on med and high appears more useful and eye-pleasing (compared to the med and high of several of the other AAA lights in that thread)

- in the LD01 photos in that thread, the med of the LD01 XP-E appears to be (a little) brighter than the med of several of the other AAA lights

- according to one of the graphs in that thread, the brightness at 1 meter gives an idea about the throw. The measurement of the LD01 XP-E in that graph was greater than that for several of the other AAA lights

My brief experience with the MiNi123 leads me to give a thumbs up to the MiNi AA (the "Must Have" thread gives real credence to this).

The LF2XT is an amazing light (and well described above). I like the LD01 and Preon I as well, though they fall far short of the champ, the LF2XT in sophistication, versatility, UI, etc.

I have all three of these AAA lights and as great as they are, I would still lean toward the AA size lights for their greater capacity, with the AAA size lights filling in more as limited-use "convenience" lights. And I would run them all with li-ions as this powering source yields amazing output. The LF2XT is a light I think every flashlight-person should have.. even though I see it as more of a convenience light than as a working light, it's the jewel-in-the-crown of AAA lights.

Gotta give a huge thumbs up to the MiNi123, if you haven't considered that. Really amazing small size and huge output! A home run light in my view. Two of these lights are among my "must have" lights... the LF2XT and the MiNi123.

bansuri said:

And, since you didn't ask, Liteflux is reworking the LF5XT, might be worth waiting for.

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First I am hearing of this...any information to link?

I've never had a liteflux. I do have an EZAA and did have a Quark mini AA. I prefer the EZAA to the mini. The EZ can be operated one handed easier. For my needs, the two stage ouptut is perfect. The biggest reason I prefer the EZ is the beam. The mini was pretty much pure flood. On a 10440 the output was good, but it got really hot really fast. On a Nimh the output was dissapointing. The EZ on the other hand, had a much more useable beam, more throw, on a Nimh. Neither have a clip so that point is moot. I've never been attracted to the Liteflux due to it's size.

The EZ is now relegated to car / backup duty. There are now smaller and brighter lights out there.

I think you should look at Zebralight.

Brasso said:

I think you should look at Zebralight.

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+1...the SC30 and SC50 are my favorite lights just now.

I prefer ~30 lumens (Fenix L1P, Civictor V1, most other 1 watt LEDs) for indoor general use.
I find the 15 lumens of the Mini AA medium adequate, the 10 lumens of the EZAA dim.
The Mini's levels are well thought out: low for close in, medium for general indoor, high for outdoor or when I need more light. The EZAA low is a compromise between the low and medium levels of the Mini.

To get to EZAA high have to twist a lot against the resistance of the rubber ring in the head.
To get to my most used level Mini medium have to get past low first. (The Fenix LD01 got around this by going medium-low-high but it can be annoying when low is needed)

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Re: alkaline batteries.
I tend to lose track of the age of alkaline batteries and have lost illuminated magnifiers, electric pencil sharpeners and a 1AAA Nuwai torch from leaky batteries. I was able to clean out the battery compartment of my calculator. Luckily the leak in my minimag was between the batteries - there is now a corrosion dent halfway down the tube.
I never lost a walkman through leaky alkaline batteries. I use it 2 hours a day going to/from work and always have to replace the batteries before they leaked.

bltkmt said:

First I am hearing of this...any information to link?

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In conversation with Steve Ku as recently as yesterday, Steve tells me Liteflux is nearing completion on the new LF5XT. Steve is a flashlight engineer/supplier in Taiwan and works closely with the folks at Liteflux. No official word yet, but you can take Steve's word on this... it is coming! And if it's anything like the LF2XT, it will be a true gem of a AA light. Liteflux builds amazingly well designed lights with great operational flexibility, gorgeous beams and full li-ion compatibility.