New to lights. Help me out

BBQ BOY

BBQ BOY

Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,821
God help me. I already have a gun, knife and watch problem. I probably need to walk away now while I have some dollars in my wallet.
Anyway I hit a local Gun/knife show yesterday and saw Olights and Fenix lights. I bought a Fenix LD10 and I must say I am really impressed!. MUCH MUCH better than my 2 Surefire G2's.
i would like some insight as to what should I get next. What I am looking for is something a little bigger than the LD10 and with a lot more horse power(lumens).
I have been looking at 4Sevens(Quark),JetStream-111M, Jetbeam RRT-0.

Usage will be in my BOB, Camping(which I am looking at a Fenix HP10 headlamp, what do you think?), walking around the yard at night, truck light, night stand light......well actually for just about every situation.
I also would like a nice slim light for my Multitool pouch and the Maxpedition pouch that will strapped onto my Kydex knife sheath.
 
Go to Candlepowerforums and set aside an afternoon to read. You will find out more about flashlights than you ever even new existed.
 
I have recommended 4Sevens to friends and family, mainly because my experience ith them was so appealing

1. The owner, David Chow developed the brand and improved finctionalities and designs with feedback of CPF forums.

2. 10 year warranty. I had to use that two times. Yes it wasn't my fault a light didn't come 100% functional but they are located in Georgia. Most if not all companies are in mainland china/Shenzhen. Nitecore,Fenix just as examples. Don't fount on getting a replacement, Even if you pay the ridiculous postage to ship around the world

3. Pricing. These lights are affordable! $60 for a Quark AA^2/123^2 that has the newest and brightest emitter on the market. Is this a good deal or what!?

I have owned Fenix, still have a Nitecore. I prefer 4sevens for the above reasons bEcause they just are that good. If you live near or can go to a gun knife show that has lights, go play with a couple in person


Cheers
 
Look at the Quark AA2 or for less $$, the Fenix E21. The neutral light E21 is fantastic.
 
I used to own Surefires and Streamlights.

Now, I have the following:
Nitecore EX10 and D10
Fenix PD20, PD30, LD10, LD01
Maratac AAA stainless
Quark Mini 123
Quark 123^2 R5
Nitecore EZ123

I'll have to say that I love them all. The latest one is the Quark 123^2 R5. This one:
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297&products_id=1599

Great light. It is similar to the Fenix PD30 that I have but has a much lower "low" called moonlight mode. That is a great mode if you have to move around a dark house early at night or late at night. Would be great in a camping situation too.

I have been carrying my PD30 for the last year on duty and it has been rock solid....never missing a beat. I just used it in combination with the Fenix traffic wand to direct traffic at my church side job. It has been dropped, rained on, cold, hot......took a beating and never once let me down.

I expect the Quark will be just as solid. I'll know for sure in a year. I'll carry both for a while till I am confident the Quark is as solid and all indications are that it is.

What type of cells are you running in your LD10? I run Energizer Lithiums and those are great cells. Others use Sanyo eneloop rechargeables. Something to consider.
 
lwt210 said:
I used to own Surefires and Streamlights.

Now, I have the following:
Nitecore EX10 and D10
Fenix PD20, PD30, LD10, LD01
Maratac AAA stainless
Quark Mini 123
Quark 123^2 R5
Nitecore EZ123

I'll have to say that I love them all. The latest one is the Quark 123^2 R5. This one:
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297&products_id=1599

Great light. It is similar to the Fenix PD30 that I have but has a much lower "low" called moonlight mode. That is a great mode if you have to move around a dark house early at night or late at night. Would be great in a camping situation too.

I have been carrying my PD30 for the last year on duty and it has been rock solid....never missing a beat. I just used it in combination with the Fenix traffic wand to direct traffic at my church side job. It has been dropped, rained on, cold, hot......took a beating and never once let me down.

I expect the Quark will be just as solid. I'll know for sure in a year. I'll carry both for a while till I am confident the Quark is as solid and all indications are that it is.

What type of cells are you running in your LD10? I run Energizer Lithiums and those are great cells. Others use Sanyo eneloop rechargeables. Something to consider.
Click to expand...
I am using a Utilitech AA Battery, which is an Alkaline battery. I can run lithium batteries in this light?
The only thing about 4Sevens lights that I don't like is that it has a blasting high output then the low is a .3 lumens. Why couldn't they have a medium mode of maybe 2o lumens? I just don't see how .3 could be very useful. Maybe in just one or two situations.

On another note should I be putting lube on the O rings? If so then what type of lube?
 
BBQ BOY said:
I am using a Utilitech AA Battery, which is an Alkaline battery. I can run lithium batteries in this light?
The only thing about 4Sevens lights that I don't like is that it has a blasting high output then the low is a .3 lumens. Why couldn't they have a medium mode of maybe 2o lumens? I just don't see how .3 could be very useful. Maybe in just one or two situations.

On another note should I be putting lube on the O rings? If so then what type of lube?
Click to expand...

I think you're confused. They have moonlight, low, medium, high in one setting and then super high, sos and strobe in the other IIRC. Way better than the Fenix.
 
Yes, the Quark line has the maximum out put 230 lumen mode on tightened bezel. Give the on button a slight bump and then you have a strobe feature.

Grab the bezel and give it a bit of a twist to loosen it and then you have these settings: super low moonlight mode, bump the button for low, bump again for medium, bump again for high.

Then, bump again if you want SOS, bump again for beacon mode, then bump again to return to moonlight.

So in essence, you have like six output settings.

And you are running alkalines in your Fenix, correct? Nothing wrong with that in a pinch but here are some considerations.

Alkalines leak. The last thing you want is a leaky cell in your high dollar light.

These lights drain alkalines fairly quickly. I don't get into the runtimes like CPF regulars do but a lithium cell is going to be better on runtimes.

Lithium cells don't leak, they have good shelf life, and the LD10 doesn't have any kind of parasitic drain like some lights do. That is, it doesn't "suck" battery power when switched off. My Nitecores do.

The downside to lithiums is cost.

What I gather is rechargable cells, namely Sanyo Eneloops, have the advantages of being leak resistant/proof, good runtimes and output, combined with the cost saving factor.

I don't have Eneloops yet but they are on my short list of things to get.

Go to Walmart and look in the register aisles and sometimes you can find two packs of Energizer Ultimate Lithiums AA. They are like five bucks. Load one in your light and compare the output. I think you will notice a difference and I am sure you will get longer runtimes and won't have to worry about leakage.

Regards.

ETA: As far as lubes are concerned, if the threads seem smooth and you aren't having a problem, I wouldn't worry about it. The lubes I see mentioned are Nyogel (sold at lighthound.com) and Superlube. You want to stay away from petroleum based lubes as they will damage the o rings. Silicone based is the way to go. I have also heard of folks going to Lowes and getting plumber's pipe lube that is silicone based.
 
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I should add that the Quark line has different UIs. The model that I linked and referenced as far as the settings go is the REGULAR Quark line.

They have a TACTICAL UI as well. I am not too familiar with it but do know that instead of a reverse clicky (meaning you click it on and it lights up as it comes back towards your thumb/finger as your LD10 should be doing), the tactical UI has a FORWARD clickie....in that it can be momentarily activated wtihout going the full click in. Thus, it "lights up" as your are pushing it in, not as you are coming back out.

Confused now? It gets better. The tactical UI has a protruding on/off button that prevents tail standing (putting the light beam up on a table). It also has programmable settings if I am not mistaken.

Again, most of this is from memory and I have no experience with the Quark tacticals. Youtube is littered with some reviews though and that may help you with your next purchase. CPF is also helpful.

If you would like, I can post some pics of the Quark along side the LD10 so that you can see the size comparisons. Just let me know and I will try to remember to click this thread in the next day or two.

Regards.
 
RedbeAR15 said:
Won't the M61 work in a G2 as well?
Click to expand...

Apparently, from what I gather on CPF, it will.

From Gene's website:

http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/m61-mod-to-fit-surefire-p-7.html

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but with a Malkoff device drop in, you are restricted to that one output, correct?

That is to say, if one chooses a low output model, you won't have a low and a high mode, correct?

If so, that lack of adjustability is what kept me away from modding my 6P and just buying a light with different settings. I will say though that if one just wants one setting and already has a Surefire model, Malkoff devices are known to be first rate.
 
lwt210 said:
I should add that the Quark line has different UIs. The model that I linked and referenced as far as the settings go is the REGULAR Quark line.

They have a TACTICAL UI as well. I am not too familiar with it but do know that instead of a reverse clicky (meaning you click it on and it lights up as it comes back towards your thumb/finger as your LD10 should be doing), the tactical UI has a FORWARD clickie....in that it can be momentarily activated wtihout going the full click in. Thus, it "lights up" as your are pushing it in, not as you are coming back out.

Confused now? It gets better. The tactical UI has a protruding on/off button that prevents tail standing (putting the light beam up on a table). It also has programmable settings if I am not mistaken.

Again, most of this is from memory and I have no experience with the Quark tacticals. Youtube is littered with some reviews though and that may help you with your next purchase. CPF is also helpful.

If you would like, I can post some pics of the Quark along side the LD10 so that you can see the size comparisons. Just let me know and I will try to remember to click this thread in the next day or two.

Regards.
Click to expand...
I'm hanging on so far. You do not have to go throughout the trouble of taking a picture and posting it but if you already have it then I would appreciate it.

Thanks for all of your input.
 
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