Questions (getting started) EDC - PD30r4 vs Quark18650

I'm new to CPF and I am planning to buy a new everyday carry light and trying to decide what is going to work best.

Are there any rechargeable batteries that work in the PD30 r4? This is the light I really want but I'm fearful of the battery costs.

I'm thinking of going with a Quark + 18650 body.

Here is my story (skip this paragraph to save time):
I'm a low voltage contractor. A couple months ago I purchased a LD20 at Fry's Electronics retail store(all they carry is the LD series). Shortly after I did some online research and found the PD series and the 4Sevens Quarks and learned a little more about what is now becoming my new flashlight obsession. The 265 lumen PD30 r4 was not available initailly, but now they are available again. I know they have a shorter throw but larger beam (than the r2 or r5) which works well for me, but I also recently found out about the 18650 batteries!! which to me seem like "the money". I am worried about the hassle to purchase and cost of the CR123s, using it for work/EDC I burn through the batteries fast, and having the slightly smaller and brighter light(PD30) probably wouldn't stop me from going back to the LD20 since AAs will be cheaper to run than CR123s. The 18650 looks like a great solution. I am guessing that the battery is physically to large for the PD30? The TK12 is nice, but too large for EDC and I am trying to get a brighter and smaller light than the LD20.


The Quark 18650 body says it attaches to any of the Quark lights. So I was thinking of buying the smaller Quark 123(single CR123cell) and the 18650 body. Has anyone done this? Is the light still fully functional? Anyone know what the output would be? Are all the quark heads the same regardless of the body it comes with or would I be better off using a different model to run the 18650 light? Anyone know the size of the quark body, does it still sit flush with the head/tail cap? Also the moonlight mode and reversible clip sound great and would make me sacrifice a few lumens vs Fenix.

I am also going to buy a Fenix TK30 because it is freaking super crazy bright!!**says in little kid voice then a mad scientist laugh** So I will soon have the 18650 batteries and chargers.

Anyone have other recommendations for an extremely small everyday carry 18650 light, or other rechargeable battery solutions?

Thank you so much for advice! All links are appreciated!

>>Naiter

I have bought three EDC lights in the past month.

They are:
1) Quark Tactical 123*2 XP-G R5
2) Fenix PD30 123*2 CREE XP-G R4
3) EagleTac P20C2 MkII 123*2

The Fenix PD30 is small, perfect for EDC. But the Quark is the same size, and noticeably brighter. IMHO, the Fenix lumen rating is vastly overstated, while the Quark lumen rating is understated. The light coming out of the Quark is definitely brighter than the Fenix to my eye. No way is the Fenix 265 lumens, IMHO - unless that's measured at the emitter.

I totally love the Quark's UI. The forward-clicky Quark is the only one (of these three) that allows me to have a hi-power tactical strobe available in the first press (which can be momentary). You can program ANY two options on the Quark, one of which will be available when head is tight, the other when head is loose. Very nice UI IMO.

The EagleTac and the Quark seem similar for brightness (I might give the edge to the EagleTac), but the EagleTac is a little bit bigger than the Quark. Plus, the EagleTac (like the Fenix) requires two presses to get a tactical strobe. In a high-stress self-defense situation, I do not want to have to remember two presses, I will be too busy worrying about surviving - I simply want to hit the switch and have tactical strobe immediately available.

So, my vote goes to the Quark Tactical 123*2 XP-G R5 as the best EDC light of the three. It's bright, lightweight, fits in pocket real easy and has a great UI, with tactical strobe immediately accessible.

My next choice would be the EagleTac P20C2 MkII.

My last choice would be the Fenix.

RE: batteries - I bought a 100-pack of CR123's for $125, so that's pretty much a lifetime supply, lol.

Seeing as you're worried about battery costs, an option might be the Quark Tactical AA2 XP-G R5. I am thinking about getting one of these. The only reason I went for the 123*2 version, is because I want something that slips into my pocket very easily.

Here's a nice YouTube review of the Quark Tactical AA2 by 'nutnfancy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czUxszAf-JU

Here's pics of my most recent lights:



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I would definitely go with rechargable batteries for your flashlight.

There are several main choices:

1) 1x18650 or a 2xRCR123 light. These can use the same charger. Make sure your light can support RCR123s, but that will give you more choices for lights.

2) You could use a 1xAA light and use a 14500 lithium battery with it. It will use a charger like (1) except at a lower charge rate. It will be bright, but 2xAA is kind of long. 1xAA is small, but probably not enough runtime.

3) Multiple AA light would use Eneloops. These are nice because you can always use AA batteries for other purposes. You can get a nice pack at amazon for 30 bucks which has 8AA, 2AAA and a charger.


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I gave my dad an itp A6 Polestar. It has 6xAA batteries, but really is NOT that big! Nor is it all that heavy. Since you use it at your job, this would be a great way to go. 6 eneloops gives good runtime, and the light has 3 brightness modes. It comes with a holster too. It is a nice floody light which I believe is what you want. You dont really want a light with massive 'throw'; you want to light up an area.



My best advice is to make sure your light is floody and has sufficient energy density of batteries to get you thru the day (or week), and has multiple modes.


I might be wrong, and if you only expect to occasionally use your light at work, then maybe more standard EDC advice applies.

Chevy-SS said:

Plus, the EagleTac (like the Fenix) requires two presses to get a tactical strobe. In a high-stress self-defense situation, I do not want to have to remember two presses, I will be too busy worrying about surviving - I simply want to hit the switch and have tactical strobe immediately available.

Click to expand...

Precisely, because the Low Voltage Contractor here, is going to be facing high-stress self defense situations on a nightly basis. :shakehead

Seriously though, These three lights seem so close, the wrong choice will be hard to make. I own the eagletac, and I can tell you that it is a very nice, bright, well made light. Like Chev said, it is bigger than the other two, but it is still very pocketable. The build quality is probably pretty equal between the three also, for all we know, they could be made in the same factory. So from here, maybe you could go with which one,

A. Has the User interface that YOU like
B. looks the best

If it were me, that would narrow it down to the Quark and the Eagletac even though the Eagletac wasn't one you were considering in the first place, so that narrows it down to the Quark with 18650 body.

To be honest though, unless you use your light for multiple hours per day, which you might, being a low voltage contractor, the 18650's probably wont pay off. A quality Li-ion set up will run about $50. Charger + 2 AW Li-ions. You can get about 40 CR123a's for that price (Battery Station Brand). 40 of those will last a LONG time. And plus, the 18650 body is probably bigger around than the original body, one 18650 might just be heavier than 2 CR123a's. Something to think about for an EDC.

my_O_my said:

Precisely, because the Low Voltage Contractor here, is going to be facing high-stress self defense situations on a nightly basis. :shakehead ...

Click to expand...

haha, yeah, I hear ya. Your point is well taken. But self-defense is the main reason I carry an EDC in my pocket ALL THE TIME. Of course, it is probably NOT the primary concern of the OP.


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joe1512 said:

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I gave my dad an itp A6 Polestar. It has 6xAA batteries, but really is NOT that big! Nor is it all that heavy. Since you use it at your job, this would be a great way to go. 6 eneloops gives good runtime, and the light has 3 brightness modes. It comes with a holster too. It is a nice floody light which I believe is what you want. You dont really want a light with massive 'throw'; you want to light up an area.......

Click to expand...

Hey, since Joe mentioned an A6, and since I just happen to have one, I thought I would provide you with a comparison shot of the EDC lights alongside the A6.

If you don't mind the extra size, then the A6 kicks butt, with very nice UI. But the A6 is definitely not a pocket light!



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Be aware that a Quark with an 18650 body is longer than many other 1x18650 lights. My 18650 EDC is a L-Mini II, which is significantly shorter. The Quark 18650 I use with a hand strap while running.

Your output will not change if you go to an 18650 as compared to an RCR123. They are both nominally rated at 3.7V, you simply have more reserve with an 18650.

You should have no problem with the lights performance if you start with a Quark designed for a single 123 battery. Don't get a AA quark as these are reporting problems running off rechargeables (mine will not even fire up with a AA sized Lithium Ion battery - 14500).

Chargers can be deceiving. Get the IBC charger, its not cheap (maybe $60?). Li ion batteries have exploded under different circumstances (overcharging by cheap chargers when people forget about them and leave the batteries in too long, or by mismatching cells in multiple cell lights). There are numerous threads discussing this in CPF. You would be well advised to do some research and read up to understand the risks of using rechargeables.

Here is a link to a popular compact 18650 light sporting an SST-50. Unfortunately Download has recently closed this run, but these sometimes come up for resale and you can also pm Download to see when his next run will be. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/266193

You should also consider the type of use you will put the flashlight to. Most flashlights shape the beam with a smallish, bright hotspot for throw. However, this hotspot can be annoying within say 30 yards (your eye tends to follow the bouncing ball). Uniform illumination is more useful and easier on the eyes at shorter distances. But an electrician friend of mine likes the hotspot because it puts the illumination only on the spot he is looking at. For evenness of illumination, probably nothing beats the SSC P4 though it lacks a bit in brightness compared to the latest offerings (but the SST 50 and 90 are decent, and the XP-G is not bad). Sorry for the lengthy post.

get the quark 123-2 and use 17670 li-ion. this way the size of the light stays the small, and you get better runtimes. there have been many discussions on this, and many prefer this setup.

if you still want to keep the light as small as possible and use 1x18650, you should check out the MG mini ll from shiningbeam.com
and jetbeam lll pro st.

Awesome info from everyone, thank you so much!
I didn't realize the Quark 18650 body was so much larger than the 123-2, so that's not the solution I was hoping for
The 17670 seems with Quark 123-2 is probably the way to go, but the MG mini ll now also has my attention. Downloads "Pocket Rocket" looks phenomenal. The more research I do is saying Quark > Fenix, even though Fenix stats are very impressive. The P20C2 MkII is just a bit too big.

Thanks again guys this was exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for! Now it is time to do some research on batteries/chargers and buy a Quark 123-2. Downloads SST-50 "Pocket Rocket" is a must have when it become available again.

PS: Also I found ThruNite Catapult > Fenix TK30, but that's a whole other story.

naiter said:

The P20C2 MkII is just a bit too big.

Click to expand...

It's really not that big, I was surprised to see how small the Quark 123-2 and Fenik PD30 were. I find that the Eagletac P20C2 is at the limit for me to where it's not TOO small, but not too big either.

I have the Quark 123*2 R5 Tactical and got the 18650 body for it so I could run the higher capacity cell vs. the 17670 that fits the original. The 18650 body adds 5/8" to the length of the light and it's slightly larger in diameter, but no larger than the diameter of the original head and tail switch. So what you end up with is a light with the same diameter for the entire light, rather than the original configuration that has a central body that is slightly smaller in diameter than the head and tail. Effectively, the only significant change going to the 18650 body is just the added length, so you'd need to decide if increasing your run time by a little over 50% is worth the added size (and cost).

Also, if you decide to eventually go with the Fenix TK30, keep an eye on Amazon. Their prices go up and down at seemingly random times, but they were offering it for $114 just a few weeks ago before it went back up. That's one of the lowest prices I've seen for it.

I finally ordered a new light. The 4sevens vs Fenix battle has ended. For now…

1 x Fenix Digital LD10+ Black Premium R4
1 x P2D 1x123 Black Spare Body and Tailcap
1 x AD401 "Headlight" Diffuser Lens

I also ordered 14500 and RCR123 batteries. I will be pushing this LD10r4 head at 3.7v with a rcr123, then take the ld10 base with a 14500 and my old LD20Q5 head. get two smaller brighter flashlights then what I had.

I still want the 4sevens Quark123x2 and two rcr123 batteries, but that will be next time...

My friend got a new LD10r4(135 rated lumen) and it is almost just as bright as my ld20, running half the voltage. The lumen ratings might be more accurate on this LD10 light. So I figured double the voltage and shrink the size. Perfect EDC. (the 4sevens moonlight settings would be nice though) I still have the option to run my old tube w/ 2AAs on the r4 head for 205lumen maybe?

What will the lumen output of the LD10r4 with 3.7v will be?