MiniX 123 vs PD 10

The mail man was good to me today.
I couldn't decide which to get for EDC, so I got both.
So, without further ado, here's my initial impressions:

MiniX 123
PROS
- unbelievably small
- perfect low mode, just right for poking around in small spaces
- wall of light in high
- jewel like construction; all knurling, anodizing, are perfect
- perfectly flat tail for candle mode; very stable when stood up
- I love the low-med-high interface

CONS
- throw could be better
- center of beam could be brighter
- threads are very good, but there's still a tiny wobble


PD 10
PROS
- beautiful bright center hot spot with decent side spill
- better throw than the MiniX 123
- longer length makes it very easy to hold
- very smooth threads with no wobble
- jewel like construction; all knurling, anodizing, are perfect
- love the even diameter form

CONS
- too long for EDC
- low mode is too bright
- not a big fan of the med-low-high interface
- head is noticeably harder to turn than the MiniX
- not a perfectly flat tail; more wobbly when stood up

Neither here nor there:
The MiniX has a much warmer tint than the PD 10.

I'm leaning toward the MiniX as my EDC.
The only thing I wish was that it had a little more throw and punch in the center of the beam.

Lemme know what you all think.
Lenny

That's what I like about the XM-L, a big, broad beam that achieves throw through pure gross lumen output. Far more useful for everyday use than a narrow throw beam in my experience.

lenny said:

I'm leaning toward the MiniX as my EDC.
The only thing I wish was that it had a little more throw and punch in the center of the beam.

Click to expand...

Put a 16340 in it, and problem is solved.:devil:
The drawback is that you loose warranty and it can overheat if you use it too long in high mode. The lo and med mode also gets brighter, but they run nice and cool. I only use rcr in my mini-x, just love the added output. And imo, the tint gets slightly better. A single cr123 costs ~17$ here, if you can find one. Im not going to feed my mini-x with 17$ cells.. Ever.
Have modded mine with a neutral xm-l. Perfect little workhorse.

Uh, I'm not up on all the batteries available for these lights.
What's a 16340 and rcr?

jorn said:

Put a 16340 in it, and problem is solved.:devil:
The drawback is that you loose warranty and it can overheat if you use it too long in high mode. The lo and med mode also gets brighter, but they run nice and cool. I only use rcr in my mini-x, just love the added output. And imo, the tint gets slightly better. A single cr123 costs ~17$ here, if you can find one. Im not going to feed my mini-x with 17$ cells.. Ever.
Have modded mine with a neutral xm-l. Perfect little workhorse.

Click to expand...

lenny said:

Uh, I'm not up on all the batteries available for these lights.
What's a 16340 and rcr?

Click to expand...

They are rechargeable Li-ion batteries with a higher voltage. Normal CR123A = 3.0v RCR123 = 3.7v

I just got a Quark Mini R5 and am running it on a Aw RCR123. As mentioned above you loose your warranty and there is a risk of it overheating, so you need to just use high for short bursts only. For me it's worth the risk because the amount of light it puts out is awesome.

I'm not sure if your Minix will out throw the PD10 even on a rcr though.

Thanks for your mini review

Thanks Sarlix.
I just did a little research on them myself.
They're 1mm longer than a regular 123.
I assume the spring in the light will accommodate the extra length?
Lenny

Yeah the AW RCR123's fit fine in the Quark Mini's - I can't comment on the PD10 though.

Different brands, or even different variants of the same brand can have different lengths and thicknesses of the batteries.

The ones I use and am talking about are the black label AW's




You also need a charger that supports Li-ion batteries -

I really like the size of the MiniX as well as the low low. I may have to pick up one of these for use at work. I usually Make A kydex neck holster and wear it outside my shirt for quick access in the warehouse. I prefer the med-low-high because I almost never use the high mode.

Well, I 've been playing with the 2 lights for a week or so now.
Gotta say, I like the beam of the Fenix better.
It just has so much more throw.
Outside, it's a blast to illuminate my neighbor's trees.
True, the Quark lights up a greater area of the tree, but the Fenix allows you to see
so much more detail where the beam is pointed.
Even though it has a lower lumen rating, it just looks so much brighter than the Quark.
I'll have to get over the slightly longer length, too high low beam, and the med/low/high interface.
I do love that tiny, jewel like appearance of the Quark, though.
Lenny

So did you get any RCR123's for your Minix?

No, still debating it.
Don't really want to damage the light.
If I did buy them, which brand battery and charging system would you recommend?
Lenny

Yeah I can understand that. I run mine mostly in Med and Low when using RCR's and just use high for short bursts - a minuet at the most. Doesn't get very warm doing it like that. However the Minix might get warmer because it will be putting out more light - 300 - 400 lumens?

As for batteries; I use the AW brand as pictured above^ they seem to be a favorite on CPF and are good quality with built-in protection. I use a Uniross universal charger for mine, but Ultrafire chargers are supposed to be OK.

TBH if you're happy with the light I'm not sure if it's worth spending the extra ££$$ just so you can run it on RCR, particularly if that's the only light you will be using the them with. The only reason I do it is because I already had the charger and battery's laying around.

Woah!
Will the MiniX really put out 3-400 lumens?
Lenny

lenny said:

Will the MiniX really put out 3-400 lumens?

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It should in theory nudge the 500 lumen mark, which you'll be able to use for maybe 30 seconds before burning your hand.

That's why the Xeno E03 is so popular; you can get the 500 lumens of output for a lot longer in a thicker-bodied light.

I normally use my neutral modded mini-x for up to 2-3 min on max with rcr. It gets hot pretty quick, but as log as I hold it in a firm grip, I can use it for a pretty long time witout it feeling to hot.. Loosen the grip, and you got a "hot potato" in your hand after no time. I have tested it for 15 min on max, and that diden't feel too good. But it dident die on me, and it dident get "dangerously hot" as long as I had it in a "killer iron grip". I would guess its in the +- 500 lumen range. Dimmer than my triple xp-g, but brighter than my old lights running the ssc p7 led's.