Quark AA2 flashlight review and Pass Around

Looks like a great little torch. Am I reading correctly that the warranty is 10 years?:eek:
 
BBT, I read your email and NICE! I'll let you break the news to everyone who's interested.
 
I received the 1xAA version from BBT yesterday and I'll be giving this and the 2xAA version a run for their money in the next day or 2 and then I'll get them sent off.

I just wanted to bump this back to the top in case anyone else wants to get in on this.
 
Sent the lights off to RedbeAR15 today with new Energizer batteries.

Things are insane with my workload, teaching on weekends, church and a teething baby keeping me up at night, but I'll post a review in the next day or two.

Thanks again Brian for allowing me to test a really great light.

Stay tuned...
 
kage said:
Sent the lights off to RedbeAR15 today with new Energizer batteries.

Things are insane with my workload, teaching on weekends, church and a teething baby keeping me up at night, but I'll post a review in the next day or two.

Thanks again Brian for allowing me to test a really great light.

Stay tuned...
Click to expand...


Thanks Kage - Looking forward to testing this one out :thumbup:
 
Here is the Pass Around list. Standard BF Pass Around rules apply. You will be receiving both the Quark AA2 and Quark AA lights to play with. If you could, can you post what you think of the lights (mini review). Please ship with delivery confirmation.

Thanks,
BBT

kage
redbeAR15 * lights are here
Rockywolf
Garrett Schmidt
crm3137
 
kage said:
Sent the lights off to RedbeAR15 today with new Energizer batteries.

Things are insane with my workload, teaching on weekends, church and a teething baby keeping me up at night, but I'll post a review in the next day or two.

Thanks again Brian for allowing me to test a really great light.

Stay tuned...
Click to expand...


Thanks for reloading the batteries.:thumbup: I'm curious what you thought. Looking forward to your review.:thumbup:
 
Rockywolf, redbeAR15 PMed me and the lights are on their way to you. He said he was going to order one and his only issue was the thumb clickie was hard to activate with large thumbs.

Thanks Bruce.:thumbup:
 
First I want to thank the generous BushcraftBrainTrust for the opportunity to test these flashlights and for entrusting these to perfect strangers. I apologize for taking so long to post this but I’m just getting back into town and I wrote up the reviews on my phone and then my phone crashed, so I had to start over. I also seem to have a hernia that the doctors are trying to get sorted, so that has slowed me down more than I would like.

As far as flashlight experience goes, I have worked jobs where light can mean the difference between life and death, whether in the military, doing search and rescue work, mountain guiding or law enforcement. I own a ton of flashlights, most of which are old incandescent SureFires from when I was in the military. I have a variety of LED lights, most of which are inexpensive. They range from Photon Freedom keychain lights to my beloved Task Force 2C with a Cree XR-E rated to around a blinding 180 lumens.

Lately, I have been searching for a couple of new flashlights for EDC with the following requirements: AA power source (for their low cost compared to CR123s and their ready availability); LED driven light source; durable, metal body; pocket clip; multiple brightness settings from blinding bright to very low lumen for reading, looking for keyholes, etc. and a strobe feature for self-defense purposes. The Quarks meet all of these requirements so I was eager to give them a try.

Both lights came in nice, attractive packaging: flat black cardboard boxes with “4Sevens: Redefining the Flashlight” and the name of the light written on it. They came in a great fitted plastic clamshell that can be easily opened and closed without cutting it open, which allow them to be used as a storage case, if you so choose. They both also came with simple, easy to understand instructions and a 120 month warranty…amazing! They both came with good-quality AA batteries (Duracell for the AA and Energizer for the AA2, probably whichever is cheapest at the time), high quality nylon belt sheath, 2 spare o-rings, lanyard and a silicone (or similar substance) retention device: finger ring for the AA and bikini-style hand strap for the AA2.

The belt sheaths were narrow and efficient and well-finished with no loose strings, even stitching, and all edges are cleanly tape-bound. They are made of some sort of ballistic nylon that feels durable enough. The sheath is made from one narrow strip of nylon that makes up the front, back and lid, which has a Velcro closure and a subtle “47” printed on embossed leather-like material. The sides are made of elastic, which will be less durable and will eventually stretch out but I still prefer this style because it allows for a snug fit while still being easy to get the light in and out of. On the back of the sheath is a plastic D-ring which allows it to be dummy-corded or attached to a neck lanyard, and there is a grosgrain belt loop (I would have preferred the belt loop to be made out of the same ballistic nylon for durability as the belt loop is a high wear area) that fit my 1.5” belt well and should accommodate a 2” belt. They’re nice looking sheaths and wouldn’t look out of place with most attire.

The lanyards are made of an attractive silver tubular nylon (similar to 550 cord in thickness) with 2 low-profile cord locks (which allow you to customize it for neck carry or as a wrist lanyard) and a swiveling wire-gate carabiner-style clip with a small split-ring attached. I don’t use lanyards much, but when I do I prefer this style for its versatility, although I think I would prefer the lanyard to be in a more subdued color.

Common features between the lights: they have top-of-the-line Cree XRE-R2 LEDs, are completely waterproof (meeting the stringent IPX-8 standards) and have 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum bodies. I don’t know how shock resistant they are and if they are appropriate for weapons-light use and military use. They come in flat black with a very smooth even coating, including in the knurling. “4Sevens” and the name of the flashlight are printed in white on the body and “47” is in white on the clip. They have strong, non-removable pocket clips that also serve as anti-roll devices. They have flat tail clickies which allow tail standing so that the lights can be used as lamps (here’s a tip for you: tent a white plastic grocery bag around the tail standing light to serve as a light defuser and you have a very usable tent lantern that weighs little and has multiple purposes). The tail has 2 sets of 2 lanyard holes: one is a small hole for the included split-ring and the other is a slot about one-third of an inch long (I’m not sure why they chose to put 2 sets of these lanyard holes, but I suppose that it at least shaves off a gram or 2). The reflectors are of the orange peel variety (they are textured instead of smooth), which I prefer as it allows more even lighting without the visible rings that are standard with most smooth reflectors (like what you experience with Mag lights). There are bands of knurling on the center of the body, near the tail and near the bezel. The knurling is very well done, cleanly and evenly finished and deep enough to add good grip without being too deep or too sharp as to wear away your pocket or eat into your hands. The threads were a little dirty, but well-finished.

User interface (UI): the UI is simple and I was able to figure it out from the description I heard of the light and playing with it before I even opened the instructions. The tail clicky turns it on and off with a full depression, while light depressions cycle though the different levels. Turning the bezel (tightening or loosening) switches back and forth between the 2 modes: the tightened bezel cycles between max output and strobe with a light depression of the clicky tailcap; the loosened bezel cycles between moonlight, low, medium, high, SOS and beacon (in that order). My only complaint about the UI is that there is no memory, so whenever you turn the light on it starts either in moonlight or max, depending on if the bezel is tightened or loosened. I would prefer to leave the light on strobe mode for self-defense purposes (when the bezel is tightened) and low for every day activities (when the bezel is loosened).

Individual Reviews To Follow
 
Last edited:
Kage, thank you very much for the review. I'm sorry to hear about your hernia and I hope your 100% soon.:thumbup:

The lights come with Duracell batteries, but I put in the Energizers so you would have fresh batteries.

The pocket clip is removable/reversible for bezel up or down carry.

Kage, I know what you mean about the memory setting. They also have tactical versions of these lights with 2 memory settings (one for loose bezel and one for tightened bezel). With the tactical version, you could have the strobe and low as you default settings.


I'm looking forward to see the individual reviews. Thanks again.:thumbup:
 
I would like to start out by thanking Brian for the generous opportunity he has provided on this pass around.

Kage has provided a great review, and the only thing I might add is that I allowed my wife to also test the lights - She loved them, but preferred the 2xAA version. She did however have a problem with activating the recessed switch, and like Kage mentioned she also asked how to select the strobe mode when she wanted it to come on first.

When I mentioned the price point, her only comment was - well why haven't you ordered me one yet? :D

The only other LED light that I have to compare the Quarks to, is the Surefire 6PL - I do like access and function of the switch on the 6PL better than the Quark, as well as the momentary on function, which was lacking on the Quark models. It does however appears that Quark offers a tactical version of both that does address the accessability of the switch, as well as the programmable function. http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_305&products_id=1656#operation

The 6PL however is heavier than the Quarks, produces less max. illumination, has only two modes of operation, and is more expensive.

I did drop both of the Quark lights from waist level onto a tiled floor, with no visible, or functional damage to either. I did not get a chance to test either of these as a weapon light, to see how they would fair, but I am ordering one to do just that, but will probably wait on the tactical models to hit the streets.

In summary, I think these two Quark lights are a good value, and would make an excellent light for general all around light duty usage.

Hopefully someone else will have a Fenix to compare these to - :thumbup:

I look forward to hearing more reviews from the rest of the test pilots :D

Thanks Again Big Man - Much Appreciation ;)
 
Last edited:
Quark AA

Specs: single AA battery (0.9 -4.2 volts, so should be good with lithiums, but I didn’t test it), 3.8” long, 0.86” in diameter, 1.8 oz. heavy.

Stated run times:
Moonlight: 0.2 lumens, 10 days
Low: 3.5 lumens, 2 days
Medium: 18 lumens, 6 hours
High: 70 lumens, 1.5 hours
Max: 90 lumens, 1.2 hours
Strobe: ?, 2.5 hours
Beacon: ?, 18 hours

This is a great little light! I used it daily for everything from reading to walking my dog at night to looking for keyholes in the dark. I used the Moonlight mode when looking for something up close in the dark, such as keyholes. At 0.2 lumens it was dim enough to be useable without robbing you completely of your night vision, although I wished that it was about twice as bright for when I was in low light but not completely dark conditions, to make it more useable. I used the Low level for reading at night, although the hot spot is a little bright for this so I found that I needed to keep the light about 12” from the book to keep the light from washing out the words. I like flashing beacon lights and used them a lot in the military and when doing SAR and find them to be useful in survival situations as strobe mode extends the life of the batteries while still allowing a super-bright light to show others where you are. This particular beacon is interesting because it doesn’t just come on to full blast, but instead it ramps up from a lower level to super-bright and back down. I’m not sure why this is, but perhaps it extends the battery life or helps to protect the circuitry. I’m not convinced the SOS mode is all that useful and I see it as more of a gimmick on lights these days, but at least it should extend the battery life past the length allowed by the Beacon mode. The Strobe feature is excellent with a fast hitting strobe that everyone I used it on becoming quickly disoriented and concerned. We have a bat colony under a bridge by my house and when I lit them up with Max they chattered at my angrily, but when I hit them with the strobe they started pouring out by the dozens, forcing me to retreat while screaming like a little girl in unholy terror...metaphorically speaking, of course. Alright, I didn't really run screaming but my wife did and told me not to ever do that again and threatened me in interesting and frightening ways. The strobe didn’t faze my Rottweiler, but I got the feeling he would like to have eaten my face off. But then again I think he’s just waiting for me to be in a weakened state so that he can take me down and be the Alpha again (cough, cough…oh no, do I feel a cold coming on!).

It comes with an excellent pocket clip and didn’t deform at all when clipped into my pocket or directly onto my belt. I used to be a mountain guide and so I still have a lot of climbing clothing and some "tactical" pants that have extra wide pockets like the 5.11 pants. Due to the body being so short it often would turn side ways in the pocket and pop out when clipped into these wide pockets, something the AA2 had an advantage over with its longer body. Transversely, because this light is short it stayed in place easily when clipped directly onto my belt, whereas when I tried this with the AA2 the longer body pushed the light off of my belt when I sat down and I ended up dropping the light and dinging it up (sorry Brian!). On the plus side, the light survived the fall of about 4 feet without any damage to the circuitry, although it roughened up the corner where it hit a rock in the asphalt.

If you use MOLLE/PALS this light fits very well into the attachment loops using up 2 vertical loops. Who doesn’t have 2 empty loops on their chest rigs or packs? This light would have been a great back up light to my Surefires when I was in the military and I may get one just for my SAR chest rig as a back up to my headlamp.

My biggest complaint about these lights is that I really wish that the clips were on the other end so that the light is carried bezel down instead of bezel up. This would put the light into the ready position, but instead you have to turn it in your hand to use your thumb on the clicky. This is just my personal preference and to make this relate somewhat to knives, as this is Bladeforums, it’s probably akin to tip up vs. tip down for clipping pocket knives. I prefer tip up by the way, and anybody who says otherwise is wrong! ;)
EDIT: I read BushcraftBrainTrust's comment that the clip is reversable. Doh! I didn't even try it. This makes these lights that much better in my mind and may have sold me on getting one.

This light fits neatly in the palm of your hand and I was able to easily reach the recessed clicky without any problems (I sometimes had trouble hitting the clicky on the AA2) and whereas it’s too short, and a little narrow for me, for use as a kubotan/fighting stick (if that’s your thing) it certainly is more versatile than using a roll of quarters to punch someone with. It comes with a great little silicone-esque ring grip that has “4Sevens” and “Finger Grip” molded into it. This ring grip is in a figure-8 style with the loops 90-degrees to each other. One loop goes over the body of the flashlight and the pocket clip prevents it from slipping off. The other ring slips over one of your fingers. It’s simple and effective giving you a good secure grip and stays firmly locked into your hand. It would probably be great for jogging, if you don’t mind the non-breathable material making your finger sweaty. I do wish that one ring was smaller to fit onto the light better and the other ring were bigger to fit your finger better, but at least the material is durable and stretchy.

Overall, a phenomenal light that I wouldn't hesistate to recommend to others, although I may like the "tactical" version better with the memory that Brian stated above.

Review Of The Quark AA2 To Follow
 
Last edited:
Hey BBT, thanks for the kind words and concern, and thanks again for allowing me to try these out.

I'm thoroughly impressed and they both exceeded my expectations. I'm glad to see that they have already resolved the two issues I had with them: memory and reversible clip. I had pretty much settled on getting a NiteCore D10, but now you have me leaning towards the Quark AA as my single AA light. The feature I like best about the D10 is the infinite adjustability and the fact that it has such a great reputation. I think that 4Sevens will be quickly building up an equal reputation with these lights.

Unfortunately, I dropped the AA2 and the body was damaged despite my promises to baby it. I dinged up a corner but the light works without any problems. If this is an issue I'll be happy to compensate for the damage or can buy the light outright from you.

Thanks again!
 
kage said:
We have a bat colony under a bridge by my house and when I lit them up with Max they chattered at my angrily, but when I hit them with the strobe they started pouring out by the dozens, forcing me to retreat while screaming like a little girl in unholy terror...metaphorically speaking, of course.
Click to expand...

Or course, metaphorically.:D LOL



kage said:
Transversely, because this light is short it stayed in place easily when clipped directly onto my belt, whereas when I tried this with the AA2 the longer body pushed the light off of my belt when I sat down and I ended up dropping the light and dinging it up (sorry Brian!). On the plus side, the light survived the fall of about 4 feet without any damage to the circuitry, although it roughened up the corner where it hit a rock in the asphalt.
Click to expand...

kage said:
Unfortunately, I dropped the AA2 and the body was damaged despite my promises to baby it. I dinged up a corner but the light works without any problems. If this is an issue I'll be happy to compensate for the damage or can buy the light outright from you.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

No worries, I wanted you to test it the way you would use it.:thumbup: It is good to here it survived the drop.:thumbup:


Thanks again for such a thorough review.
 
You can reverse the clip. I forget how, as I don't have one in front of me currently but it may be as simple as swapping the head and the tail, or maybe unscrewing the clip retaining ring.
 
carrot said:
You can reverse the clip. I forget how, as I don't have one in front of me currently but it may be as simple as swapping the head and the tail, or maybe unscrewing the clip retaining ring.
Click to expand...

Thanks Carrot, yes, all you do is unscrew the head or tail cap, remove or switch the clip.
 
Is it too late to join the passaround? Was into flashlights before knives, would love to check out and review the Quark. Let me know. Thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top