Z
z_solo-act
Guest
Hey gang. I perform music for a living and recently picked up some side work as a roadie (setting up lights, stage, PA) to cover payments on a new car.
The roadie work, my old, dim 2AA maglite in my own PA gear, and an upcoming vacation out of country had me thinking about lights and a multi-tool...OMG, isn't that how it starts
So after surfing the candlepower forums -- which is ironically like trying to escape a black hole time-wise -- I've picked up a few lights for the first time in 15 years.
I started with a titanium preon 2 for the roadie work: simple, versatile, portable, powerful, and no paint/anodizing to get scratched away. Speaking of scratches, I liked the one guy who used the 3m pad to take his to a satin finish.
Then I bought a leatherman charge TTI and picked up a preon 1 for its case: fits perfectly and makes for a great spare.
Then thinking about vacation, camping, and night mountain hikes we do with deer and other stuff to illuminate, I decided to put together what is, for my needs, an incredibly versatile compact flashlight kit. I've enjoyed the evolutionary milestone of the preons, but I'm excited about this third light.
It'll be a Quark 2AA S2, and I'm adding a turbo tailcap and the option of a 2AA head from a turbo. These were my criteria:
The quark is one of the only platforms that puts all of that into a single modular torch. True, I would need to stash the head and a few different batteries, but I like the idea that something so compact can be so versatile. I'm lusting after the new nitecore IFE and IFD2. They're beta lights, expensive, and don't meet my criteria, but oh man...the design, the stance, the clip, the constantly variable beam. Droolworthy indeed, and I thought I'd never drool over a light -- LOL
Historically, this is an amazing time to be shopping for a flashlight. No doubt about it.:thumbsup:
The roadie work, my old, dim 2AA maglite in my own PA gear, and an upcoming vacation out of country had me thinking about lights and a multi-tool...OMG, isn't that how it starts
So after surfing the candlepower forums -- which is ironically like trying to escape a black hole time-wise -- I've picked up a few lights for the first time in 15 years.
I started with a titanium preon 2 for the roadie work: simple, versatile, portable, powerful, and no paint/anodizing to get scratched away. Speaking of scratches, I liked the one guy who used the 3m pad to take his to a satin finish.
Then I bought a leatherman charge TTI and picked up a preon 1 for its case: fits perfectly and makes for a great spare.
Then thinking about vacation, camping, and night mountain hikes we do with deer and other stuff to illuminate, I decided to put together what is, for my needs, an incredibly versatile compact flashlight kit. I've enjoyed the evolutionary milestone of the preons, but I'm excited about this third light.
It'll be a Quark 2AA S2, and I'm adding a turbo tailcap and the option of a 2AA head from a turbo. These were my criteria:
- Battery availability in remote locations or overseas
- Compact size
- UI with quick/easy access to multiple light levels
- Long run-time on moon mode
- Forward clicky that's standable and momentary. I like the silent mode cycle w/ single click (full depression) when reaching desired mode. Very fast/intuitive
- General purpose beam and option to lego a long-throw head for distance viewing.
- Ability to run high power li-phosphate w/out damage (not doable in 2AA w/ low power head)
- Ability to scale up to 2AA, or even 123 with high power heads and batteries via lego style compatibility.
The quark is one of the only platforms that puts all of that into a single modular torch. True, I would need to stash the head and a few different batteries, but I like the idea that something so compact can be so versatile. I'm lusting after the new nitecore IFE and IFD2. They're beta lights, expensive, and don't meet my criteria, but oh man...the design, the stance, the clip, the constantly variable beam. Droolworthy indeed, and I thought I'd never drool over a light -- LOL
Historically, this is an amazing time to be shopping for a flashlight. No doubt about it.:thumbsup:
