Veleno Quantum D2 or DD questions

The only lights I've found that fit my keychain form-factor requirements are:

Veleno Quantum D2/DD
Preon P0
Klarus MiX5
(and MBI Torpedo if it gets produced! I'd be willing to increase my dimension limits on a keychain light slightly if it had a 500lm turbo, wow)

Each one seems to have pros and cons.

Preon P0: tiny and just ~$20, uses common battery with decent capacity, but bad runtime for a AAA (1.5 hrs on 25 lumens while the slightly larger AAA klarus x6 gets 6 hrs on 26 lumens?) and no high setting

Klarus x5: Cool form factor, bit long but super-thin, and has a good high. But has the drawback of being impossible to locate except in Gold, and I need black or silver color.

Quantum D2: love the form-factor plus it's in stock unlike the Klarus, but I have the following questions and I don't have enough posts on CPF to PM Steve Ku, so:

1) 90 mAh capacity on the 10180 battery seems miniscule compared to AAA or AAAA. Using the DD or D2 on a usable medium, say ~30 lumems, what runtimes are you getting?

2) With say 15 min of medium and one or two brief turbo's, will the battery last all day or do I need to carry a spare? Edit actually I'm getting a portable USB battery pack, the mophie juicepack, for my tablet so this should work, still would be a pain to recharge more than once a day tho.

3) Someone said they needed to replace the 10180 battery after a month, someone else said they didn't even need to recharge it for a month. With avg keychain light use, how often do you D2 or DD users recharge? How often do you buy a new 10180 altogether?

4) How often does the QTC thing and o-rings need to be replaced?

5) Can I (trit newb) do my own tritium inserts with the Quantum D2 or DD, or should I order them pre-installed?

6) Where do the trit inserts fit exactly, in the fin-things by the tail? How many can fit at one time?

Thx in advance for any responses!

joelbnyc said:

The only lights I've found that fit my keychain form-factor requirements are:

My responses are in red

1) 90 mAh capacity on the 10180 battery seems miniscule compared to AAA or AAAA. Using the DD or D2 on a usable medium, say ~30 lumems, what runtimes are you getting?
My battery is not freshly charged and has been used a few times to see the locks on my door to enter. I don't know if I set the light on 30 lumens, but I turned the light on to where I could use it to see if a dark cabinet or behind a piece of furniture. I started by doing to brief turbo's then set the light to a useful level, I got about 60 minutes of runtime. I should have checked the battery voltage to begin with, but at 30 minutes my voltage was 3.69. At 60 minutes the output dropped noticeably, but the light was still on. The voltage was 2.9 volts which I think is low for a protected cell so I stopped the test there.

2) With say 15 min of medium and one or two brief turbo's, will the battery last all day or do I need to carry a spare? Edit actually I'm getting a portable USB battery pack, the mophie juicepack, for my tablet so this should work, still would be a pain to recharge more than once a day tho.
I don't charge my battery often and usually only use the light to find my locks, check the mail, or navigate around kids toys. Each of those event lasts 2 minutes max.

3) Someone said they needed to replace the 10180 battery after a month, someone else said they didn't eveb need to recharge it for a month. With avg keychain light use, how often do you D2 or DD users recharge? How often do you buy a new 10180 altogether?
I have had my light since December 2012 and have not replaced a battery. I recharge about once a month, but my usage seems shorter than yours.

4) How often does the QTC thing and o-rings need to be replaced?
I have not replaced either yet.

5) Can I (trit newb) do my own tritium inserts with the Quantum D2 or DD, or should I order them pre-installed?
I too was very worried about this since it was my first installation. I ordered two trits from Steve Ku and used simple silicone sealant like I used in my bathroom. The installation was pretty easy, I used a tooth pick to apply two small drops at the ends. The sealant dried clear and my trits have not moved since.

6) Where do the trit inserts fit exactly, in the fin-things by the tail? How many can fit at one time?
They fit in the fins by the tail, see picture. The trit is the little green line running horizontally near the tail. If I throw my keys on the counter, I can easily locate them when the lights are off.

Thx in advance for any responses!

Click to expand...

For my day to day life this could be the only light I had with me and I would be fine, but since I am a member here we all know I have more than that.

Hope this helps, let us know which light you choose.

1. Hard to say. I can gamble for you at best, a bit under an hour or so? I used mine as my primary light for a week or two when I first got it, but some days I could barely get by on a single charge. If you plan on using it a lot I would definitely get a spare battery & that cute little case they sell for it.

2. You should be able to get by just fine with your mentioned use.

3. Mine is still to new to know this.

4. Idk, I've done my research before I got it but this is the first I've heard someone mention that. I only know one user who damaged his QTC after twisting it to hard but that's it.

5. Anyone can do this. Just slide them in & drop some adhesive on top of them. I used a plain old clear epoxy myself since it was easy available oppose to the Norland.

6. Yes, in the fins through a hole in the top, two per light.

Thx, very helpful. I'm leaning towards the D2, the design is just so cool and unique. I might get some Preon P0's to give as gifts coupled with sak classics and Tec S3 fobs, but as long as I don't have to recharge more than 1x at night when I charge my other electronics, I think the D2 is going on my keychain.

Yes I finally found a pic on a blog that clearly displays the trit holes, awesome design.

With a tec accessories gitd fob on my keychain already I might not need trits, still a couple Ice Blues = tempting. As safe as they say it is tho, I do wonder abt keeping radioactive hydrogen in my pocket 24/7, directly next to sensitive areas. All it takes is one unlucky hit to knock some DNA around and cause a mutation :/

My experience is similar to Dingle1911. I have the DD, installed the trits myself (with clear silicone sealant and a toothpick), generally don't run the light on high, experience reasonable run times and haven't had any problems with the 10180 Li-ion cells. I don't even have a problem getting the cells out of the body tube - a good tap works.

I like the TIR optic. Still floody. The tint isn't great and if you are a tint snob, you should think twice.

The new model upgrades to the XP-G2 and this should provide higher light levels or efficiency. Perhaps better tint?

I also have some Peak Eigers with 10180 bodies. A little bigger, not quite as slick (no trits), but built like tanks. The Nichia 219 mule is my favorite. Oveready is now making the mule head with the XP-G2.

I only found out about the D2 the day after I ordered my DD, otherwise I would have gotten the D2 as well. I'm really tempted by the titanium ones too, but I've already spend so much on little lights lately..

I'm in Europe & it took a while for my DD to get to me, so my trits arrived before the DD. I had ordered some ice-blue ones initially, but I was a little dissapointed with their brightness so I ended up ordering the green ones as well. The green ones give about 40% more light & I eventually ended up installing those, so you may want to reconsider.

I agree with yoyoman on the tint though, the regular DDs light is very white imo (but I am a neutral white lover by nature). You might want to opt for a Nichia 219 or something (not sure what options they offer atm) if you decide to get the D2.

Do a search on copper mini worm. It first appears in a thread on the copper Maratacs - I think the 123 version. This mod is for a short body that uses a 1/3 AAA NiMH. I believe this cell has more capacity than a Li-ion. Also a mod for the led. Looks very nice..

joelbnyc said:

Thx, very helpful. I'm leaning towards the D2, the design is just so cool and unique. I might get some Preon P0's to give as gifts coupled with sak classics and Tec S3 fobs, but as long as I don't have to recharge more than 1x at night when I charge my other electronics, I think the D2 is going on my keychain.

Yes I finally found a pic on a blog that clearly displays the trit holes, awesome design.

With a tec accessories gitd fob on my keychain already I might not need trits, still a couple Ice Blues = tempting. As safe as they say it is tho, I do wonder abt keeping radioactive hydrogen in my pocket 24/7, directly next to sensitive areas. All it takes is one unlucky hit to knock some DNA around and cause a mutation :/

Click to expand...

I'm by no means an expert on this, but I was told the low amount of radioactivity could only be dangerous to our health when ingested or directly injected to the bloodstream.

Dingle1911 said:

F
My battery is not freshly charged and has been used a few times to see the locks on my door to enter. I don't know if I set the light on 30 lumens, but I turned the light on to where I could use it to see if a dark cabinet or behind a piece of furniture. I started by doing to brief turbo's then set the light to a useful level, I got about 60 minutes of runtime. I should have checked the battery voltage to begin with, but at 30 minutes my voltage was 3.69. At 60 minutes the output dropped noticeably, but the light was still on. The voltage was 2.9 volts which I think is low for a protected cell so I stopped the test there.

Click to expand...

Wow, sounds brave. I thought the minimum voltage to take these batteries to was more around 3,5V, & that they may not charge again when taken below that voltage?

I need to do some more research on this.

HerecomestheBoom said:

I only found out about the D2 the day after I ordered my DD, otherwise I would have gotten the D2 as well. I'm really tempted by the titanium ones too, but I've already spend so much on little lights lately..

Click to expand...

you can buy the little board that the emitter is mounted to separately and, if you ask nicely, Craig could reflow an XP-G2 onto it before sending it to you. In the end you would have spent more to get essentially a D2, but, it'll be cheaper than sending it back for a D2.

HerecomestheBoom said:

IYou might want to opt for a Nichia 219 or something (not sure what options they offer atm) if you decide to get the D2.

Click to expand...

Keep in mind the 219 has a higher Vf and this will result in shorter run times due to the battery dropping below the Vf sooner, causing output to drop.

The QTC material is rated for something like 10,000 cycles, IIRC. So long as you don't crush it excessively it should be good for that.

Thanks PCC!

I better send the man an email soon then & see what's possible :thumbsup:

Dingle1911 said:

Hope this helps, let us know which light you choose.

Click to expand...

I ordered a P0, I'll try to demagnetize the magnet with heat so it doesn't mess up my cards or clump to keys.

But the D2/DD is still on my list, I'll prob order it next month. Actually kinda leaning toward DD bec I prefer the non-coated stainless steel, and it's $20 cheaper. We'll see...

And i'll get a ss mix5 if I find one. Prob will just rotate the 3 and see which I prefer. Maybe add the peak 10180 or 10280 li ion to the list... And the mbi HF... Arg what have I started??

Just ordered a D2, woot

How's that D2 holding up? I'm thinking of getting one but I drop my keys fairly often (falls out of empty pants, off the couch, etc) and I'm a little concerned with durability. In that same vein, I'm a little worried about putting tritium vials in it and having them get smashed, I know it's not like a toxic catastrophe but still...

Do you have to take any special care with the battery or just don't try and run it when it gets low? I rarely venture outside of Eneloops...

My DD is holding up well. The SS is tough and the design is robust. The trits are protected.

The key to safe use of li-ions is not to over charge or over discharge. The included charger works fine. It isn't CC/CV, but it is fine, IMO, for a small cell like the 10180. And, IMO, the included charger is better than using a full size charger with spacers which might send too much current to the little cell. I have a simple volt meter from cottonpickers on the CPF market place and use this to check the voltage of the cell. Since the capacity of the cell isn't much, in practice I charge or top up the charge on a regular basis. Li-ions don't have memory and topping them off is not a problem.

Hmm, how often does it need to be topped off to remain usable? On another thread someone made a comment along the lines of "be ready to recharge it weekly, even if you haven't used it" which kinda scared me off the D2 entirely... If that's really the case it'd just turn into a hassle, for me personally... I thought those Li Ion cells were supposed to be LSD tho so I'm kinda confused now.

I could handle charging it monthly as long as I can still get 30-60 min use out of it at low output (10-20lm) in between (something an AAA light could easily manage, even my humble CR2016 keychain light goes months between swaps). I realize if I blast it on max I'd run it down fast, which is understandable, but I'd be conscious of that and would recharge it shortly after such use.

Having to recharge frequently with little to no use is something I'd rather avoid tho... Sorry, total noob to this kinda thing.

I have two D2s and the finish is holding up well on both of them. On my silver light one of the tritium vials broke. I am not sure how or when it happened, but I noticed that it no longer glowed one night and upon closer examination I saw the crack. I am not sure if anything can be done.

I still think the D2 is a great light to have. It is so small, I usually forget I have it until I need it. It was the only light my wife used during our month long stay in the jungle with limited access to electricity. It was very convenient to just have a light around your neck.

I charge my battery quite often, maybe weekly or more. But charging is very easy, I keep the charger by my work computer and just plug it in to USB.

Impulses said:

I could handle charging it monthly as long as I can still get 30-60 min use out of it at low output (10-20lm) in between (something an AAA light could easily manage, even my humble CR2016 keychain light goes months between swaps). I realize if I blast it on max I'd run it down fast, which is understandable, but I'd be conscious of that and would recharge it shortly after such use.

Having to recharge frequently with little to no use is something I'd rather avoid tho... Sorry, total noob to this kinda thing.

Click to expand...

Your estimates are pretty good.
I did a runtime in which I set the Quantum D2 to ~15 lumens.
I used another light with a 15 lumen level and set the Quantum to same brightness with a ceiling bounce test.
Quantum ran for 45 min until I visually noticed drop in output.
Starting voltage of the 10180 was 4.20V off the charger and ending voltage was 3.31V (initial) and 3.37V after 10 min. rest.

If you don't use the light often you probably won't need to charge it every week but it would be a good idea to check the voltage of the 10180 to get an idea on how it's doing.

EDIT: I forgot to mention my Quantum has a Nichia 119. I would assume that the stock Cree XPG2 might be a tad more efficient.

I just got the D2 which replaced a Fenix E01 on my keychain. I haven't used my keychain light much in the past because I usually edc another light.

Anyone know how long the battery lasts when not being used? I really don't want to have to think about recharging it all the time. Hopefully it will go for months on a charge when not used except for maybe a minute or so.

Also, should I go ahead and purchase an extra battery and QTC pills? Will they be available for the next few years?

^ The li-ion will hold a charge a long time. No parasitic drain on this light. Runtime on high is not very long, so if you use it on for a minute or two, you'll still need to charge the cell. Topping off the charge is not a problem because li-ion cells don't have memory. One more thing to watch out for - if you have the light on high and twist to off, the QTC pill can expand and the light will turn on (usually very dim and not a big deal). Concerning your last question about extra cells and QTC pill, who knows how long they will be available? If you like the light, it is always safer to have spares and redundancy.

When I got mine last year I charged battery only once and still work like it was first time, like all of you I carry primary flashlight and quantum is back up which turn on only desparated time. However the extra battery that I purchased the same time totally dead. It sits in the battery case in the drawer.
Steve suggested that I should charge battery every 2 weeks or so but if use all the time then charge all tiphe time