JetBeam BA20 vs Klarus P2A vs Quark AA2 Tactical

Chidwack

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Aug 14, 2011
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After finding how much I enjoy my Quark AA2 Tactical and experiencing the usefulness of this little gem, my friend and I decided to buy a couple of lights in this category for our wives to carry in their purses. After doing some research and realizing that neither of the women would use or need all the modes of the Quark, we decided to give the less expensive JetBeam and Klarus a try. I called Goinggear up to order three of the Jetbeam BA20 lights but after talking to the salesman and asking if they carried any lights in the same category and price range, he suggested that I take a look at the Klarus P2A as well. Very similar in size, weight, performance and UI. I ordered two of the Jetbeams and one Klarus. Very good service from Goinggear as the lights arrived in only 2 days from Georga to Utah. Shipping was free as the minimum was reached with this order and was shipped by Priority Mail.

Both lights have similar feel with the Jetbeam having a little more aggressive knarling. The rear clicky switches feel exactly the same. I decided to do some testing against these two lights using the Quark as a comparison.

First off, the Quark is about 1/3 inch shorter than either of the other two. Both the Jetbeam and Klarus have the ability to tailstand but both are very wobbly. The surface has to be smooth and level. The Quark being a tactical model will not tailstand. The advantage goes to the Jetbeam and Klarus here.

An advantage goes to the Quark in the areas of knarling and pocket clip. The Quark also comes with a holster as the other two don't. The Quark has a slightly more solid feel to me but not by a big margin.

The clicky switch takes much more pressure to click on the Quark than the other two which both have a very soft feel to the clicky button and switch. Although I'm not sure, I imagine the switch would last longer and be a little more durable in the Quark but I really don't know.

The beam tint of the Quark is warmer than either the Jetbeam or Klarus with the Jetbeam being a little warmer than the Klarus. In the daylight the Klarus at it's listed 245 lumens looks to be a little brighter than the second place Jetbeam with it's 270 lumens or the Quark with it's listed 205 lumens. There is not a lot of difference between the three. At night I tested all three shining on an old shed that is a measured 65 yards from my front porch. The Klarus had a slight advantage in throw at that distance. The Quark has the most spill and a smoother beam at closer distances but all three are very similar. As far as the total light output of the three, I would give the Klarus a slight advantage because I personally like throw lights. I was able to see a building 113 yards away with all three lights with the Klarus having a slight advantage here also. In my opinion, this is very good performance from all three of these lights and better than I expected when I bought them.

On low mode the Klarus is listed at 20 lumens with a burn time of 33 hours.
The Jetbeam is listed at 30 lumens for 35 hours.
As a comparison, the Quark was set on the medium setting and is listed at 22 lumens for 24+ hours. In reality, I could tell almost no difference in any of these three with the exception of a slight difference in tint. The only advantage here would go to the Quark as it has the ability to be programmed into other modes in its secondary spot.

Where I really got a surprise was in the burn time comparison and the heat generated by these three lights each set on high mode.
I loaded each light with two freshly charged Eneloop 2000 NiMh batteries.
I was very surprised that the Quark got much hotter than the Jetbeam or Klarus. Not just a little bit hotter but much hotter. The Jetbeam and the Klarus never did get much more than warm and both were about the same.

The Quark shut down to low mode after 1 hour and 10 minutes. Both the Jetbeam and the Klarus were still going strong.
The Klarus started to get noticeably dimmer at about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
The Jetbeam started to get noticeably dimmer at 1 hour and 43 minutes. Both were far superior to the Quark in burn time.
I didn't do a test on low mode as all three have very long burn time in this mode.

Conclusion

If I could only own one, it would probably be the Quark simply because of the extra modes available. However, the High and Low modes on the Jetbeam and the Klarus are about perfect in my opinion and would fill about 90% of my needs. Anyone who needs a moonlight mode will want the Quark.
Also to be taken into account is that both the Jetbeam and the Klarus cost $40 and the Quark cost 1/3 more at $60.
My wife will never need or use the extra modes that the Quark has so for her and I'm sure for many others, either the Jetbeam BA20 or the Klarus P2A would be the best choice.

If I had to choose between the Jetbeam and the Klarus, I would give a slight nod to the Klarus. For those who like a little warmer beam, the Jetbeam might be for you. In my opinion, there is hardly a speck of difference between these two lights.
Heck, after a little time with all of these lights, I might even find that I prefer the Klarus over the Quark. The longer burn time, slightly longer throw, tailstand ability and the much cooler body temp. not to mention the lower price of this light just may give it the nod over the Quark. All three look to be excellent lights,
 

tbenedict

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Dec 10, 2008
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Which emitter does your Quark have? I think the Quark has slightly less efficient circuit buck/boost for legoability.
 

RedForest UK

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Nov 28, 2009
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I'm almost certain the BA20 and P2A use exactly the same circuitry and are probably assembled in the same factory. The output and tint differences could well come down just to slight emitter variations and could differ between individual samples.

Thanks for doing this test though, it was a good read and informative.
 

Chidwack

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Aug 14, 2011
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233
Quark now has the AA2 in XM-L as I am sure you are aware. Another option. ;)

I saw that. From what I have read, the new XM-L lights have lots of light but are not as good generally in the throw area. I'm finding that I like lights with lots of throw.
 

LEDAdd1ct

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I'm almost certain the BA20 and P2A use exactly the same circuitry and are probably assembled in the same factory. The output and tint differences could well come down just to slight emitter variations and could differ between individual samples.

Thanks for doing this test though, it was a good read and informative.

Does either the P2A or BA20 leap out, one more than the other, in terms of build quality?
 

dc38

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On the east coast of the yoosah. In the place wher

reppans

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That's a good review but I think it's often tough to compare lights in different categories since it seems easier to optimize a light covering fewer lumen ranges. A comparison to Jetbeam's PA or Klarus ST/XT might have been a better match up, but even still, I think it would just show that the Quark is better optimized for the lower-end, while still being able to provide the higher-end.

I've been looking real hard for another AA light like my Quark with really good low-end modes (as in efficient and well-spaced) since 90% of my usage tends to be <30 lumens and usually with night-adapted eyes. However, the only other brand that seems to compete in this space is Zebralight, which I have and love too.
 

jggonzalez

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Jul 18, 2006
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How would you compare the Klarus and JetBeam in terms of durability? I'm looking for a rugged, single AA, two-mode light.
 

jdhermit

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Jan 3, 2012
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FWIW- (I'm not OP),
Regarding JetBeam...I bought Quark XAA2, and my son bought Jetbeam BA20.
On fresh batteries, the BA20 is almost as bright. XPG, so more throw.
I'll just say, I'll not buy another 4Sevens, but would buy JetBeam in a heartbeat. I'd think about trading my son even, but he'd likely say no.
There's a video link somewhere on here about JetBeam Military lights where they freeze, burn, run it over, put in a paint shaker...still works. Likely *not* the same for the BA20, but I'd sure intrinsically trust it more than my Quark for durability...

My $.000000002

jd
 

vickers214

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Dec 18, 2009
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Sorry to be a geek,but the klarus and jetbeam would cost a third less, but the quark costs fifty percent more, or half as much again
 

ChrisGarrett

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Feb 2, 2012
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I can't speak to the Quark, but I bought both a Klarus P2A and a JetBeam BA20 about three weeks ago. They almost seem to have been made by the same factory, they're that similar in construction. I'd agree with the OP, that the 270LM JB output is very close, to my eyes, to the 245LM Klarus, so that's a wash. On low, they're both good enough for small to medium rooms, or just walking out on a path.

I bought these two lights due to cost and due to the fact that I wanted something that runs on AAs, since I bought a couple of nice chargers (C9000/BC-700) and a bunch of LSD and HSD NiMH batteries. AAs are also ubiquitious and everpresent.

Along with the two above, I bought a Fenix PD32 and just yesterday, I received my ZL SC600, but I'm waiting on my ET 3100s, so I can't comment on that light at this time.

The Fenix PD32 is a pretty nifty and compact light that is brighter than either of the two 2xAA lights, but it was $60 shipped, compared to the JB's $40 delivered and $35 delivered for the Klarus.

All in all, I'm happy with the AA lights and it's nice to know that I can go out and run them for 2 hours and not have to pony up $4-$5 for a set of batteries. To be fair, one of the two ET 18650s will be dedicated to the Fenix, so the price to screw around with that light, will drop a bit over time.

Chris
 
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shelm

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Dec 8, 2011
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Sorry to be a geek,but the klarus and jetbeam would cost a third less, but the quark costs fifty percent more, or half as much again
quark is ~40bucks at goinggear and other stores because it's marked down ~30% and add the cpf discount (-10% with goinggear).

4sevens is rebranding

if all lights cost 40US$, i would buy the Quark X.
 

josean

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Aug 1, 2006
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I have just received a JetBeam BA20 this week. Although I haven had occasion to test it deeply, so far I am very satisfied with this excellent light.
My only complain is about the price: Getting this light in Spain will cost you no less that $60.
 

shelm

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Dec 8, 2011
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Chidwack, does the head of the BA20 screw onto the body of the P2A and vice versa?
This would be interesting to know ;)

Thanks for your great review!!
 
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