Stress_Test
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2008
- Messages
- 1,334
I just received a Quark AA^2 tactical with the R5 emitter. I debated for a little while about whether I really needed another AA light at this moment, since I already have an L1D, L2D, TK20, and QuarkAA. But, I'm the paranoid type who likes having interchangeable parts (L1D and L2D for example), so now I can carry both Quarks and have that extra bit of redundancy against any failure that might occur. 
Also, I wanted to check out a 2xAA light with the latest R5 emitter to see how it stacks up against my TK11 R2, and see if 2xAA lights are finally able to start holding their own against some of the single Li-Ion lights out there.
Threads are well machined, pretty clean. There didn't seem to be any added lube, but maybe a slight film left over from machining. The threads weren't dry anyway; there was no squeaking when the head and tail were unscrewed. Note the changeover to white o-rings. Previous Quarks (at least my other AA neutral) had black o-rings. Not sure if these are silicon based or what. Thread quality seems to be improved over my last Quark, so if the 4Sevens company is tighting up their quality control, it seems to be working; well done. With good, consistant quality, these lights should kick the crap out of most everything else on the market when it comes to sales/popularity.
A shot of the TK11 R2 with the Quark AA^2 Tactical. Really, the length difference between the two is somewhat negligible. I'd say that if you don't mind lugging around a TK10/11/12, SureFire 6P, or similar sized light, you won't mind carrying the 2 AA light such as this Quark.
An "in the hand" shot of the Quark and TK11. For reference, I'm about 6'4", with somewhat large hands but not REALLY large, like that guy had on the German forum who made a full length TK30 look like a Mini-Mag!
Just by eye, the AA^2 comes darn close to matching the TK11. The spill looks to be roughly the same brightness, but the TK11 hotspot is more intense (no surprise there, given the larger smooth reflector).
The Quark is very floody. There's no really distinct hotspot, it just seems to blend smoothly into the spill area. It reminds me of the Quark Minis. This ought to be an excellent beam type for close to medium range tasks, and for walking/running at night if long throw isn't needed. I figure now I can carry the AA^2 and the TK11 both and have all ranges coverd, from closeup to far away!
Here I've got the TK11 and Quark setup on a box, adjusted so they're lighting up about the same sized surface area on the wall. The idea is to try and take the beam profile out of the equation and just look at how brightly each light can light up the same area. I think of it as an "integrating wall" instead of an integrating sphere
And in case you're wondering, I had the lanyard wrapped around the Quark to get it propped up and aimed the way I wanted. Photos are set on daylight color balance, and I was actually using the flash on low level to keep the lights from drowning out everything else in the photo.
Here's a closer shot
And a different angle
The Quark AA2 seems to come pretty close to the TK11! A difference between 205 and 230 (?) lumens is pretty small anyway, and the photos seem to bear this out. Note that the TK11 will run at roughly 2 hours at this level, whereas the Quark will run about 1 hour. (there are runtime tests floating around on the forum somewhere for the TK11... )
That's darn impressive for a light that's using 2 AA batteries!! The runtime may be shorter than a comparable Li-ion powered light, but reloads and refills are readily available, no worries about Li-ion fires when charging, etc etc.
For me, lights are rapidly reaching (or have already reached?) the point where the slight performance edge of Li-ion lights is outweighed by the convenience of the AA format. Now, for crazy bright MC-E 700 lumen blasters, Li-ion makes more sense, but for pocket lights I think I may not be buying anymore Li-ion based lights for this role.
I think it's good to take a step back and marvel at the fact that AA lights are this powerful now, whereas just a few short years ago it took a 2 CR123a light to get this level of performance, and maybe not even then! LEDs have come a long way, and they're still improving at a dramatic rate! Amazing stuff!
Also, I wanted to check out a 2xAA light with the latest R5 emitter to see how it stacks up against my TK11 R2, and see if 2xAA lights are finally able to start holding their own against some of the single Li-Ion lights out there.
Threads are well machined, pretty clean. There didn't seem to be any added lube, but maybe a slight film left over from machining. The threads weren't dry anyway; there was no squeaking when the head and tail were unscrewed. Note the changeover to white o-rings. Previous Quarks (at least my other AA neutral) had black o-rings. Not sure if these are silicon based or what. Thread quality seems to be improved over my last Quark, so if the 4Sevens company is tighting up their quality control, it seems to be working; well done. With good, consistant quality, these lights should kick the crap out of most everything else on the market when it comes to sales/popularity.
A shot of the TK11 R2 with the Quark AA^2 Tactical. Really, the length difference between the two is somewhat negligible. I'd say that if you don't mind lugging around a TK10/11/12, SureFire 6P, or similar sized light, you won't mind carrying the 2 AA light such as this Quark.
An "in the hand" shot of the Quark and TK11. For reference, I'm about 6'4", with somewhat large hands but not REALLY large, like that guy had on the German forum who made a full length TK30 look like a Mini-Mag!
Just by eye, the AA^2 comes darn close to matching the TK11. The spill looks to be roughly the same brightness, but the TK11 hotspot is more intense (no surprise there, given the larger smooth reflector).
The Quark is very floody. There's no really distinct hotspot, it just seems to blend smoothly into the spill area. It reminds me of the Quark Minis. This ought to be an excellent beam type for close to medium range tasks, and for walking/running at night if long throw isn't needed. I figure now I can carry the AA^2 and the TK11 both and have all ranges coverd, from closeup to far away!
Here I've got the TK11 and Quark setup on a box, adjusted so they're lighting up about the same sized surface area on the wall. The idea is to try and take the beam profile out of the equation and just look at how brightly each light can light up the same area. I think of it as an "integrating wall" instead of an integrating sphere
And in case you're wondering, I had the lanyard wrapped around the Quark to get it propped up and aimed the way I wanted. Photos are set on daylight color balance, and I was actually using the flash on low level to keep the lights from drowning out everything else in the photo.
Here's a closer shot
And a different angle
The Quark AA2 seems to come pretty close to the TK11! A difference between 205 and 230 (?) lumens is pretty small anyway, and the photos seem to bear this out. Note that the TK11 will run at roughly 2 hours at this level, whereas the Quark will run about 1 hour. (there are runtime tests floating around on the forum somewhere for the TK11... )
That's darn impressive for a light that's using 2 AA batteries!! The runtime may be shorter than a comparable Li-ion powered light, but reloads and refills are readily available, no worries about Li-ion fires when charging, etc etc.
For me, lights are rapidly reaching (or have already reached?) the point where the slight performance edge of Li-ion lights is outweighed by the convenience of the AA format. Now, for crazy bright MC-E 700 lumen blasters, Li-ion makes more sense, but for pocket lights I think I may not be buying anymore Li-ion based lights for this role.
I think it's good to take a step back and marvel at the fact that AA lights are this powerful now, whereas just a few short years ago it took a 2 CR123a light to get this level of performance, and maybe not even then! LEDs have come a long way, and they're still improving at a dramatic rate! Amazing stuff!
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