Purse light for wife- Fenix or Nuwai Q3

I'm finally turning her to the darkside. My wife is requesting a flashlight for her purse.

I'm trying to narrow it down a bit.....now if it was me, I'd be carrying a Lioncub....but she can't appreciate a beautiful light like that, and really has no need for it. Also, she'd probably lose it at some point- so replacement cost and availability is a factor.

I've pretty much narrowed it down to the Q3 or Fenix for the following reasons:

1. Small size.
2. Great output for a small light.
3. Ready availability.
4. Low price (under $50 if possible).
5. No learning curve- click or twist and it works.
6. I won't cry when she loses it.

I don't own either light so I'm open to some informed opinions and suggestions.

I'm leaning towards the QIII because it's closer in function to the nitrolon surefire that she uses at home. I have a ready standby of 123 cells. Also, she'll never change the batteries or monitor their usage, so having a lithium cell in the light will ensure longevity while she lets it sit in her purse for the next year without changing a battery.

I've also considered the Son of Raw....I own a U-bin Raw myself, but I think the light is too small for her- it would get lost, and it can be hard to hold for a mom who's juggling kids and keys trying to get into the car.

Arc AAA-P

Fenix over Q-III for runtime alone ( flame suit: ON )

hogx1 said:

Arc AAA-P

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Not bright enough IMHO.

I don't actually own one, basing this on my reading of reviews. I do own a Peak LED N-cell light which I am making the assumption (based on no facts) is in the same league as the ARC AAA- the light output is useful for finding keyholes and navigating with dark adjusted eyes....but has no throw and is not useful for identifying potential badguys in a partially-lit parking lot.

I'd go for the Fenix over the Q3. It looks nicer and it's slimmer--fits in a purse better. Plus if she needs a fresh battery for it while out and about, she can get an alkaline AA instead of being tempted to pay $8.95 for a CR123A from a photo store. You can of course supply her with lithium AA's for the Fenix at home.

I got a QIII for my wife. Admittedly before the Fenix came out. But she loves the QIII. I dont think the size difference is a factor in most purses. The QIII is plenty small enough. I use rechargeables in my QIII but for her's just a Duracell. She has a Freedom Micro for a backup.

Just a thought.

I was in the same situation as you almost exactly.
What worked for me was a Pal light.

Their problem was finding it in the purse in the night.

The pal light was the only one that worked long time and the price is cheap from Bright Guy....$15

PS..
My wife lost an arc and I cried. She is also anti-geek, anti-light
and she has no idea what I paid for my HDS. She would
committ me to an institution if she knew.

http://www.brightguy.com/detail.php?Sku=LIGSOBBW ( And it is a "pretty" color)

Good Luck!

LeDfLaShEr said:

Not bright enough IMHO.

I don't actually own one, basing this on my reading of reviews. I do own a Peak LED N-cell light which I am making the assumption (based on no facts) is in the same league as the ARC AAA- the light output is useful for finding keyholes and navigating with dark adjusted eyes....but has no throw and is not useful for identifying potential badguys in a partially-lit parking lot.

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I was assuming she was just gonna use it for minor things. I live in canada and we never look over our shoulders here, kinda forgot about crime haha.

In her case I would go Fenix, 45 lumes

I was actually going to buy a couple of Pal Lites while they had the 50% off CPF special going...then I just plain forgot and the sale expired. I was going to try to get my wife to use one as a bedside/nightlight so I could get my lioncub back....instead I had to buy myself a lionheart so I had an adjustable light again.

I own the Q3 and can say without a doubt that you won't go wrong by deciding on it. But I also have a Fenix L1P on order. Why? I'm a flashaholic. To flashaholics, the "either, or" question has no meaning.

I might suggest the L1P as more appropriate for your wife, however. It's a little less bulky than the Q3 (fits a smaller hand better), has a smoother, less masculine look and feel, has a Type III finish (will better survive being banged around in purse), runs on an easily replaced (in an emergency) AA battery, and comes with a nice lanyard.

If you're a stand-up flashalholic (you must be if you visit this forum), you'll buy both, let your wife decide which she wants, and you add the other one to your collection. Great way to get a new light.

Cheers.

hogx1 said:

I was assuming she was just gonna use it for minor things. I live in canada and we never look over our shoulders here, kinda forgot about crime haha.

In her case I would go Fenix, 45 lumes

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I feel sorry for the poor bastidge that would try to sneak up on my wife. The last guy who tried to pursesnatch her got knocked off his bike with a nokia cellphone and beat senseless....and all this from a 100 pound woman....she frightens me.

I could never get my girlfriend to carry the Q3 I boguht for her, she hated how it looks and I hated pretty much everything else about it. As soon as I had my Fenix L1P she saw it and asked me to give it to her for her purse. What can I say, I love her, so she got it. I even got her to carry an an extra lithium aa. Now she often comes home and tells me how she got strange looks from her friends when pulling the light out of her purse. :huh:
She'll never be a flashaholic, but now she knows it's good to have a light in her EDC.

Chrisse

I agree that the Fenix is much more sexy for a woman. The Q3 is pretty militaristic in nature, a wannabee tactical light. I love my Q3 but keep reaching for the Fenix now. . .

ledflasher lol sounds like my mom.

ArcAAA is very handy on the keys and is perfect when you don't want to pull out a light and you already have your keys in your hand/pocket. The new Rev 4 Premium has the new CS led and is really a ton brighter than old arcs. I think it'd get used a lot.

Not saying you don't need another light, so I vote for the Fenix. You can do lithiumAA for shelf or "purse" life, it's smaller, sexier, and takes AA's so if she does need a replacement away from home, no big deal.

Aside from slightly brighter output and cheaper price for the QIII, I find the Fenix trumps everything else about it, hands down. Fit, finish and switch are far superior, the and the light is smaller in every dimension. The slightly higher cost of lithuim AAs over online CR123s ($1.60 for energizer brand vs $1) is negated by the extra hour of runtime in the Fenix.

Onthebeam is right in saying that most women will be turned off by the QIII's looks, whereas the Fenix has a sleek, elegant design that everyone I've shown it to appreciates.

The Fenix L1P displaced the QIII from my wife's purse.

The differences in size/weight between the Fenix and Q3 are irrelevant for purse carry. The finish (HA2 vs HA3) might not matter much either. The Fenix's HA3 is not milspec, so it might get nicked if jostled around with keys and so forth. My wife keeps the Fenix in a little pouch on the side of the purse with lipsticks and so forth so that it's easier to find, and also keeps it from getting banged up.

If you go with the Fenix, check the switch assembly in the tail. Some of them have been reported to be loose. Just to make sure, tighten it down by screwing it in with some snap-ring pliers. I would not want my wife to carry an unreliable light and have something bad happen because the light wouldn't work.

If she will use the light frequently, the Fenix does well on NiMHs. Otherwise, load it up with an Energizer L91 lithium AA for improved runtime and cold-weather reliability.

I like the fact that the Fenix takes common AAs, so if she were in a situation that required very extended runtime she would be able to find a replacement battery easily. That was the main factor for me, since the lights were so similar in most other aspects.

My wife carried a QIII for about a year. I recently got a couple of L1P's and told her to try one out for a couple of days to see which see liked more. The QIII now resides in a drawer.

I'll also chime in here and suggest the Fenix over the QIII for the intended purpose.
I have both lights and while I like my QIII's as others have said the Fenix is more refind.
I once asked my girlfriend if she would like to have one of my QIII's and she said "no it looks like a hand-grenade."
She has said however in passing conversation that she really likes my Fenix.
Hmmm… come to think of it where the hell is my Fenix?

I would say the QIII will remain in my wife's purse...because the lithium batteries are an advantage. She seldom uses the light. And when she does it's for brief periods of time -- to look at a menu in a dark restaurant, for instance. She will never change the battery. So what is most important is that the light *always* works when she needs it to. That makes a lithium battery necessary.

She could just use the L1P with a lithium AA battery of course. But what's the point?

If I were buying a light today for her, though, I'd opt for the L1P.

Just to add another vote to the Fenix. Sleek, slimmer, more 'ladylike', bright, tough and using regular batts. QIII is no slouch, but the Fenix edges it out (maybe also because the Fenix came out later).