Upgrading from a Preon2 to a Quark AA2

Hi all,

I purchased a Preon2 a year ago and I love it. I've been thinking about upgrading to something with a little more kick. I've been eyeing the Quark series. I initially thought about a Quark X 123^2, but the prices of the CR123 batteries scared me away. They are $6 each at Target. I know they can probably be found for less money online, but I don't want finding batteries to be a hassle. Is there a "secret" spot where the CR123's can be found cheap? Apologies if asking this is against forum rules.

The Quark AA^2 R5 currently has my attention, but I'm a little concerned with the length (no jokes here please :duh2. As an edc, how is your experience carrying around a 6 inch flashlight in your jeans pocket? It will be sharing the pocket with my Paramilitary 2 and keys.

Just curious about your impressions on the edc ride of the AA^2. Thanks!

Here's my take on that:

If you wanna go Quark series 123's get rechargeable 123's, but you might as well get unprotected ones because some protected 123s stand a bit taller and will be a tight fit inside your light, you might end up either ruining the protection circuit or the light itself.

Also, a word of caution, should the circuits of the 123's be the same as the turbo X, do not wait for your light to die before you recharge your batteries, you might be faced with a zero voltage RCR123 and this spells the end of your rechargable 123.

I learned this the hard way, one of my 123's died (zero voltage) the other survived, but forever easily runs out of charge.

You might want to move past the Quarks and get a maelstrom, at least these babies take 18650's, which equate to better run times.

Thank you both for your replies. Hmmm you have me thinking about the Quark 123-2 again. It seems perfect for me and the rechargables seem to be the best bet. The maelstrom might be a little overboard for me but I will check them out.

If you wouldn't mind, a PM with your recharging set up on the rcr123's would be great. I'm admittedly a noob but I'd live to hear what works for you for rechargables. I'm on the net looking around now trying to figure out the lights. Last thing I'd want to do is destroy a light with bad batteries.

Thanks again.

You can buy 4Sevens brand CR123A from the 4Sevens web site. As long as you buy them at least 10 at a time, they come out to a little under $2 apiece. And, if I recall correctly, shipping is free. http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=53

The prices run something like this:

2 CR123A's: $7.00 ($3.50 each)
10 CR123A's: $19.00 ($1.90 each)
50 CR123A's: $79.00 ($1.58 each)

A little bit off topic, I'd recommend paying careful attention to the differences between the "X" and R5 edition lights. "X" lights have more output, but having the large X-ML emitter inside the small quark head makes for a very floody beam.

My EDC light is the Quark "X" 123^2. It puts out a ton of light, but a useful concentration of light does not travel much farther than, say, the house next door.

I think a lot of people would prefer the more standard beam pattern of the Quark 123^2, R5 edition.

+1 for the RCR's. I would recommend protected AW's(the brand of battery). They can be purchased straight from 4sevens. It is much easier to enjoy your lights when you are not worried about the cost of batteries. They will pay for themselves. Guilt free lumens! Also lithium ions charge up to 4.2v so you really do get the added punch as far as brightness goes(particularly in the quark single cell lights). Just make sure you read up on the proper use as they can be dangerous if the proper care is not taken, especially in multi-cell applications. You just need the batteries, a good charger, digital multimeter and some time to read the do's and don'ts of lithium ion batteries. Good luck!

someguy4747 said:

+1 for the RCR's. I would recommend protected AW's(the brand of battery).

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Aren't they a tight fit in your Quark?

I own a Turbo X and the fit is really tight when using protected CR123's so i switched to unprotected ones.

I have no problem carrying the Quark AAx2 in my pocket but the 123x2 is a little more compact and will get better runtime than the AAx2 model when ran on a 17670 Li-ion rechargeable batt. You should consider the convenience of AA batteries though . My advice is to get the AA light now and get the 123 light later because you will probably want a second light later anyway.

I initially bought a QAA^2 for front pants pocket EDC - works OK if you run the light diagonally in the crease between your leg and torso, when seated. It got old however, and I went with another single cell light for EDC. Later got the 1xAA tube and now have the Quark back in EDC duty. I mostly use the lower lumen levels so didn't miss the higher max level. Also love the 2xAA tube as a spare batt. container so no wasted parts.

Either way, I'd recommend getting both the single and double cell tubes for versatility (but not sure how CR123s with 1x/2x as they use different voltage heads between the two).

If I were you, I'd actually go THIS ROUTE as it seems to give the most options form the least amount of parts.

roadkill1109 said:

Aren't they a tight fit in your Quark?

I own a Turbo X and the fit is really tight when using protected CR123's so i switched to unprotected ones.

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I also have a Turbo X and I have no problem whatsoever fitting my AW protected RCR123's. I do have some 17670's that are a bit of a tight fit. The RCR123's have plenty of room though.

Don't be afraid of a mid-size light,:naughty: I have been carrying a Quark Turbo X for almost 6 Months every day and I love it. Its worth the size when someone says " do you have a light"? 450 lumens almost always get the job done! I carry it in my left front pocket and I don't notice it most of the time, I also carry a Quark AA R5 for lower light modes, because my turbo X is programed tight= max loose=strobe :devil: at least for now.

Thank you everyone for the info. I'm now leaning toward the Quark 123-2 R5. Just need to pull the trigger and order. Thanks again.

Rossta76 said:

Thank you everyone for the info. I'm now leaning toward the Quark 123-2 R5. Just need to pull the trigger and order. Thanks again.

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Good for you!!!! If you order from Goinggear.com don't forget to use your CPF discount code. (GGCPF10) You're gonna love this light! I've got 6 or 7 123² Quarks. I just ordered one earlier today, the XM-L..... Enjoy, & let us know your first impressions....