Fenix LD20 or Quark AA2?

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chewbacca

Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
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I am looking for something beyond my Maglites, but I am not ready to go for the big dollar SureFire just yet. I have narrowed it down to these two lights.

I would prefer to pocket carry, as opposed to a belt pouch, so this may be a deciding factor.

Anyway, which one do you guys think is the better light?
 
I don't have any experience with the Quark but I recently replaced my
Fenix LT2 with a LD20. I carry the Fenix and a small BRKT in a Sharpshooter
Adirondac pocket sheath. It fits comfortably in my front pocket. By itself, the Fenix would perfectly fine to me. YMMV:)
 
chewbacca said:
I am looking for something beyond my Maglites, but I am not ready to go for the big dollar SureFire just yet. I have narrowed it down to these two lights.

I would prefer to pocket carry, as opposed to a belt pouch, so this may be a deciding factor.

Anyway, which one do you guys think is the better light?
Click to expand...

i have been wanting to ask the same bc i cannot make my mind up. i am leaing towards the quark due to the great reviews it rec'd and the fact that it has multiple settings from "moonlight" to pretty damn bright.


after further investigation the LD20 does most of what the Quark does.. except the moonlight i think
 
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I don't have either, but I am going to get the Quark AA2 because of the moonlight mode.
 
well i just broke down and bought the Quark. with the moonlight mode, hard to beat. i also bought the Dosun H1 Headlamp which is half off on 4Sevens.

Anyone have any issues with Dosun?
 
The Quark AA looks pretty good and I've read plenty of good reviews on the Fenix LD20. Having said that, I recommend that you check out the iTP C7, C8 and C9 series lights. You can interchange bodies between all three and can set the brightness from 6 to 190 lumens. The C7T (Tactical: No SOS or Strobe) and C7R (Regulare, strobe and SOS modes) are around $40. Does go as dim as the Quark AA But it sure goes a lot brighter.

Heber
 
wildmanh said:
The Quark AA looks pretty good and I've read plenty of good reviews on the Fenix LD20. Having said that, I recommend that you check out the iTP C7, C8 and C9 series lights. You can interchange bodies between all three and can set the brightness from 6 to 190 lumens. The C7T (Tactical: No SOS or Strobe) and C7R (Regulare, strobe and SOS modes) are around $40. Does go as dim as the Quark AA But it sure goes a lot brighter.

Heber
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X2 i totally forgot about that light. the body changes are only $10 too.. great deal imo.. crap!! lol. oh well i cannot complain about the quark though.. this ITP light might be my next light purchase
 
Gatlight..there is no substitute...(well, actually there are dozens but none that are close to 'as bitchin' as a Gatlight)!
 
Gatlight..there is no substitute...(well, actually there are dozens but none that are close to 'as bitchin' as a Gatlight)! But the Fenix for me is just about everything I need. Never a problem with it!
 
I have both of the lights and the Quark is the better light, IMO. :thumbup:
 
I don't have the Quark, but I received the iTP C7T with a C8 extra body from GoingGear.com yesterday and I have been very pleased and impressed with it. From 6 to 190 Lumens using a very intuitive interface and easily swappable from 1 AA to 2 AA for longer light duration. The only thing it is missing is a pocket clip which I do miss, but not to badly as the C7T slides down into my pocket very comfortably. I will probably miss the pocket clip more with the C8 barrel attached. I bought this for a convenient pocket light for checking out equipment and looking at indicators and for leaks in a sporadically well lit to dim to pitch black industrial environment and it appears that it will fullfill this role very well.
:)
 
My quark AA2 came in yesterday. Man 4Sevens has some FAST shipping. They will continue to have my businesss..


as for the AA2, i love that light! in a short amount of time i memorized all of the settings. i know thats not hard but its really that easy to switch modes and etc. the light is wonderful. the moonlight option is wonderful. i highly recommend this flashlight.
 
chewbacca said:
I am looking for something beyond my Maglites, but I am not ready to go for the big dollar SureFire just yet.....
Click to expand...

Dunno why Surefire is thought of as the holy grail of flashlights. Over priced, under powered lights that are blown away by Jetbeam, Fenix, and many others.

Get a regulated, high output LED light with multiple settings, and you'll be a very happy camper. Gone are the days of Mini-Maglights that go dim after 15 minutes of use, and need a new bulb every other week.
 
:thumbup:
Mountainman38 said:
Dunno why Surefire is thought of as the holy grail of flashlights. Over priced, under powered lights that are blown away by Jetbeam, Fenix, and many others.

Get a regulated, high output LED light with multiple settings, and you'll be a very happy camper. Gone are the days of Mini-Maglights that go dim after 15 minutes of use, and need a new bulb every other week.
Click to expand...

nothin' but truth in this man's post :thumbup:
 
There is just perceptible difference in brightness on max between the two - Fenix being very slightly brighter - but IMHO not enough to make any practical difference.

For me the major difference is in the brightness levels.

The Fenix LD20 lowest level is about 9 lumens which is not bad...
but the Quark AA2 starts at their "moonlight mode" of 0.2 lumens - which may be laughably low - until you are genuinely in the dark and do not wish to disturb whatever dark adaption your eyes have acquired. Even the next step up their low is 3.5 lumens which actually is very good for indoors at night when you are walking around and do not wish to have too bright a light.

Both brands have the very desirable "Lego" philosophy which use the same head for single AA, single CR123 and 2x AA configurations.

The 4Sevens Quark uses a Buck/Boost circuit which is slightly less efficient than the Fenix boost only circuit.

BUT with a Buck/Boost circuit if a single 3.7V rechargeable Li-Ion battery is used (like 1x 14500 or RCR123) the voltage is dropped to safe operating levels and the current is still regulated - so that the lower modes are still available - whereas the Fenix lower modes all go to high - and there is a real possiblity of long term damage from using Li-Ion batteries.

I have not reviewed either the Fenix LD20 or Quark AA2 (cool white) directly - but here are some reviews that may be relevant.

Neutral White (Warm Tinted) - Quark AA2 Neutral White Comparison Review

4Sevens Quark AA Comparison Review (this is the regular cool white version - remember the heads on the AA2 and AA are the same)

Hope that helps,

--
Vincent

http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent?showall=true
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http://UnknownVT.multiply.com/photos
 
The advantage I see in lights like the iTP C7T over the Fenix or the Quark is the complete variability of the beam. Low is 6 lumens but there is not a next "step". You can vary the beam upto the 190 lumens and any where in between. At work I generally have the beam adjusted to about 3/4 brightness unless I need the additional throw. I have also dimmed the beam way down to cut down on glare when reading ID tags up close. This light has generated a great deal of interest among my coworkers, including one member of the Surefire crowd.
 
Axylleus said:
Gatlight..there is no substitute...(well, actually there are dozens but none that are close to 'as bitchin' as a Gatlight)! But the Fenix for me is just about everything I need. Never a problem with it!
Click to expand...

they're pretty pricey aren't they?? more than a surefire I believe

Mountainman38 said:
Dunno why Surefire is thought of as the holy grail of flashlights. Over priced, under powered lights that are blown away by Jetbeam, Fenix, and many others.

Get a regulated, high output LED light with multiple settings, and you'll be a very happy camper. Gone are the days of Mini-Maglights that go dim after 15 minutes of use, and need a new bulb every other week.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:
 
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