small, twisty, single cell AA/AAA lights: Quark Mini AA, Fenix LD01, IlluminaTi

I have a lot of interest in these single cell lights because simply put, they're what I use the most. They're the ones that I always have attached to my car keys and always expect to have work. They also eat readily available & cheap alkaline AA or AAA batteries although I prefer to run them on Eneloops as I don't much care for using any kind of primary battery where I don't have to, and Eneloops obviously aren't going to drain if left unused in my pocket (admittedly not that likely, but still).

I've been carrying the Fenix LD01 on my keys for a while now and it has served me very well. Run time is good considering it runs on a single AAA. I don't run it on high a lot but the amount of light coming out of it on high is more than adequate for a great many things. The build quality of the LD01 is fantastic, with smooth but snug threads that have never once led me to worry that the head might plop off in my pocket. The anodizing is a nice semi-flat finish which i prefer to the glossier finishes of lights like the Quarks.

That said, I've had two main complaints about it: it starts on medium (M>L>H) and the low isn't that low.

This is basically a quick comparison of the three, I haven't had the Quark or IlluminaTi that long so these are mostly based off first impressions.


IlluminaTi, Mini AA, LD01 with my 16gb Cruzer on my trusty old Stinkpad (the faint ring on the laptop lid behind the lights is a bonus left behind by a cold beverage)

I recently have been trying two lights to replace it with. The Titanium Innovations IlluminaTi (left) and the 4Sevens Quark Mini AA (middle). The IlluminaTi runs a cool white XP-G R5 (1B tint bin) while the Quark runs neutral white XP-G R4 (4C0 or 4D0 tint bin).

In terms of size it's obvious that the IlluminaTi is the smallest. It's about the same as the LD01 in diameter but is quite a bit shorter (just over 7mm shorter). The Mini is 2mm taller than the LD01. Considering the size of the batteries the IlluminaTi is the one that stands out the most. The Fenix adds the most in length to its battery and the IlluminaTi the least. The Fenix does have a deeper looking reflector than the IlluminaTi but I haven't taken it all apart to measure the differences.

One thing I knew would be different between these lights is the beams they throw. The Fenix LD01 uses a Cree XP-E and the other two use XP-Gs. Thanks to the larger reflector the Quark has a similar spot size to the Fenix whereas the IlluminaTi is quite a bit larger. The IlluminaTi and Fenix have a similar amount of spill whereas the Quark spills over a larger area. I had initially expected the Quark to fall between them on spot size, rather than lining up so closely to the Fenix.


IlluminaTi, Quark, Fenix on top of a mildly scratched but now much cleaner Thinkpad

Tint wise if you compare the three the Quark looks warmer, the Fenix looks a bit blurpleish and the IlluminaTi looks like a fairly neutral white. On its own the Quark is notably warmer or even less-white looking than you are used to LED lights usually looking but in use it's very nice. The IlluminaTi's tint is good too though, for a cool-white LED.

The IlluminaTi feels the warmest the fastest around the head. Compared to the aluminum bodies of the other two, the heat gets trapped in the titanium and it doesn't get a chance to spread as easily. Something I'd possibly be concerned about if I had to run it on high for long, aluminum is a better material for drawing heat away from the LED.

In terms of operation the one thing about the Fenix that has always been a pain is using it one handed. It just doesn't have aggressive enough knurling to make that easy to do. The IlluminaTi is better but the Quark wins by far. The Fenix does seem to be the least likely to flicker on and off due to sideways pressure on the head as you try to tighten or loosen it though but I'm not 100% certain there's that much difference.

I haven't yet switched them around to see which I prefer carrying with me. While the Fenix has the most confidence inspiring attachment point for a keyring, the Quark seems to provide plenty and I've never heard of any issues. I've seen people talk about the attachment point on the IlluminaTi being weak but I won't know until I try it, it looks fairly similar to the Quark to me on my sample. My main curiosity is whether the Quark will wind up seeming like too much going on in my pocket most of the time or if the slightly bulkier light will go unnoticed. I'm not expecting it to be an issue, which in conjunction with the longer runtime and better power settings (a low low, and starting on low vs the Fenix) means it will probably become my preferred pocket light.

Thanks for the comparison. I've been thinking of picking up a Quark Neutral for a bit now. I was going to go for the Mini AA, but the low OTF lumens number discouraged me a little bit. Any thoughts on it's brightness level?

ninemm said:

Thanks for the comparison. I've been thinking of picking up a Quark Neutral for a bit now. I was going to go for the Mini AA, but the low OTF lumens number discouraged me a little bit. Any thoughts on it's brightness level?

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90 lumens OTF is plenty for most things, 25 is a nice general level, and 2.7 is a good navigation level. It's not tactical dark, but then the MiNi is meant to be tiny, and moon-mode electronics are expensive (imagine PWM at that level!). I think that for a keychain light you are either happy with 90ish lumens, or you secretly want a pocket rocket. If you want that, you'll need Li-Ion. If the illuminaTi lumens are OTF, that's impressive, but it costs about $20 more than the MiNi.

I have to say that I'm a fan of the MiNi AA - I've had a neutral white one for a few months now, and anytime I'm wearing pants I have it, or someone's using it. The battery life is pretty good, and it's about as small as a AA flashlight can be. It's larger than a AAA light, but not by much. Without going to Li-Ion it's the most light (lumens and runtime) in the smallest size.

The twisty is pretty easy to work, and I've added a magnet to mine under the spring. But I hear that the MiNi123 threads are less gravy, as larger threading is harder to get right at a given price point. The XP-G in the current MiNi is floodier, something I would like.

AnAppleSnail said:

90 lumens OTF is plenty for most things, 25 is a nice general level, and 2.7 is a good navigation level. It's not tactical dark, but then the MiNi is meant to be tiny, and moon-mode electronics are expensive (imagine PWM at that level!). I think that for a keychain light you are either happy with 90ish lumens, or you secretly want a pocket rocket. If you want that, you'll need Li-Ion. If the illuminaTi lumens are OTF, that's impressive, but it costs about $20 more than the MiNi.

I have to say that I'm a fan of the MiNi AA - I've had a neutral white one for a few months now, and anytime I'm wearing pants I have it, or someone's using it. The battery life is pretty good, and it's about as small as a AA flashlight can be. It's larger than a AAA light, but not by much. Without going to Li-Ion it's the most light (lumens and runtime) in the smallest size.

The twisty is pretty easy to work, and I've added a magnet to mine under the spring. But I hear that the MiNi123 threads are less gravy, as larger threading is harder to get right at a given price point. The XP-G in the current MiNi is floodier, something I would like.

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Thanks for writing up your thoughts on the MiniAA AnAppleSnail! I pocket my T1A Titan with me everywhere so size of the AA shouldn't be a problem. I've got a Ti Mini123 and was not impressed with the threads. But of course Ti threads are a totally different beast. I was planning on using eneloops for a MiniAA and an RCR2 for the MiniCR2.

AnAppleSnail said:

If the illuminaTi lumens are OTF, that's impressive, but it costs about $20 more than the MiNi.

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I think the IlluminaTi and Mini AA are about on par as far as output (visually they look similar enough). I don't have an integrating sphere nor have I done extensive testing to verify how good the readings are but I did some very basic ceiling bounce measurements with my old light meter and got roughly the same reading for the IlluminaTi and Mini AA.

The spill on the IlluminaTi looks like it might be slightly brighter, but it's also smaller in radius than that of the Mini AA. Would have to measure it to really know for certain. Regardless, I kind of doubt the IlluminaTi is really cranking out that much more light but I couldn't tell you and I don't know if that's OTF rated (kind of doubt it) or emitter.

I have all three lights you posted above, but mine are Ti and WW AA Minis. I really like the IlluminaTi for it's size and output, but have a real dislike for the XPG green. My IlluminaTi hardly gets used, and my Ti cr123 Mini stays in one of the cars because of the green tint. Luckily, my Ti AA Mini's tint is not as noticeable as the other two, and it had been my EDC (loose in pocket) for a while.
Now that I have a WW AA Mini, it's one of my main EDCs. The size is great, I love the tint and I hardly ever feel it in my pocket. I like it's ergonomics better than the IlluminaTi sized lights ( I also have the ITP, Maratac, and LD01 AAAs). I run Li-Ions in all mine except for the IlluminaTi.
I'm debating on whether or not to pick up a Nuetral AA Mini also, I'm gravitating away from the cool tints now and trying to stay towards nuetral and warm. Either way though, I think the size, beam shape, output levels, and UI of the AA Mini is about perfect for loose pocket EDC.

I took a picture of ccshih white wall hunting with a standard, WW, and NW MiNi at the same time. I can't recall if it was the 123 or the AA model. I'll post it when I can find it.