Specific flashlight for my needs.

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
Messages
8,250
So I have a fenix eo1 I edc and I really like it for just about everything I do however it doesn't have enough throw. What I like doing is having a small keychain led like the eo1 that can provide a good amount of flood for general utility and basic urban lighting teamed up with a more powerful light for "spotlighting" or being able to see farther out on a hiking trail or identifying critters while camping. So what I want is this:

An output of 120 lumens(more is better) with a runtime of 1+ hours
Good throw of at least 100m(further is much better)
Must be pocketable. I want to use it for urban edc/self defense if needed. So no 4 d-cell jobbies :D
Must run on either AA or AAA and no more then 2 batteries in the light
Simple function. Ideally I only want 2 modes, a high 120+ and a medium/low 10+ lumen output. I'm open to adjustable functionality if I can lock it to a normal level like 10-40 lumens and have access to high output quickly
I'd like it to have white light

I was looking at the Nitcore d11.2 but have heard mixed reviews on the quility of production. Any others to look at?
 
The Quark Tactical lights have multiple modes available, and you program the light to use two of them. I have my AA^2 programmed for medium (18 lumens IIRC) and max (180 lumens IIRC). A quarter turn of the head selects which of the modes is used when the tailcap clicky switch is pressed. The downside is you can't readily cycle through the other modes, you have to reprogram the light to use them. The regular Quark series starts with Moonlight on the first click and steps up a notch with each additional press of the button until you reach the mode you want. It sounds like the Tactical user interface might suit you better. The quality is good, run times are well within your specs even with the newer, brighter emitters (mine is over a year old) and throw is decent but probably not 100m even in the new XM-L series. I have a Quark "X" 123^2 on the way, so I'll see what kind of throw it has when it gets here.
 
I'm not sure about recent quality but my nitecore D10 is obviously tougher built than any of the fenix or Quarks I've owned. When I drop it it's like a solid rod of steel hitting the floor. That's not to say better in every way because they all have pros and cons.
I think you'd be super impressed with a maratac AAA. Always on your keychain and 10 times better light than the Fenix EO1. I gave my fenix away after picking up the maratac AAA.
Nitecore and Quark AA lights would also suit your needs I'd imagine. I really like the Fenix AA lights also but my biggest complaint with the one my wife has is the low is way to bright which also limits run time.
Quark moonlight mode is awesome,
Nitecore piston drive user interface is the best.
Sorry for rambling.
 
Quark 2AA (280 lumen on 2xAA), ITP A3 EOS upgraded if you want a 1xAAA with 100 lumens, Zebralight for a 200 lumen 1xAA.
 
terralux lightstar either 220 or 300...check em out...my friend uses his 220 for night fishing all the time
 
yablanowitz said:
The Quark Tactical lights have multiple modes available, and you program the light to use two of them. I have my AA^2 programmed for medium (18 lumens IIRC) and max (180 lumens IIRC). A quarter turn of the head selects which of the modes is used when the tailcap clicky switch is pressed. The downside is you can't readily cycle through the other modes, you have to reprogram the light to use them. The regular Quark series starts with Moonlight on the first click and steps up a notch with each additional press of the button until you reach the mode you want. It sounds like the Tactical user interface might suit you better. The quality is good, run times are well within your specs even with the newer, brighter emitters (mine is over a year old) and throw is decent but probably not 100m even in the new XM-L series. I have a Quark "X" 123^2 on the way, so I'll see what kind of throw it has when it gets here.
Click to expand...
I noticed on going gear that they have the military AA^2's with a turbo head for further throw. I think that's at the top of the list right now. It would sacrifice a little of the pocketability but might be worth it. What's the difference between the AA^2 R5 and the AA^2 S2?
hoopster said:
I'm not sure about recent quality but my nitecore D10 is obviously tougher built than any of the fenix or Quarks I've owned. When I drop it it's like a solid rod of steel hitting the floor. That's not to say better in every way because they all have pros and cons.
I think you'd be super impressed with a maratac AAA. Always on your keychain and 10 times better light than the Fenix EO1. I gave my fenix away after picking up the maratac AAA.
Nitecore and Quark AA lights would also suit your needs I'd imagine. I really like the Fenix AA lights also but my biggest complaint with the one my wife has is the low is way to bright which also limits run time.
Quark moonlight mode is awesome,
Nitecore piston drive user interface is the best.
Sorry for rambling.
Click to expand...
The D10 is the light that I lost. I loved that thing. It went through the wash twice and the second time when I went to get my laundry out of the dryer I opened the door to a blinding light. I've just heard on another forum that users were having issues with the new D11.2's.
 
Shotgun said:
I noticed on going gear that they have the military AA^2's with a turbo head for further throw. I think that's at the top of the list right now. It would sacrifice a little of the pocketability but might be worth it. What's the difference between the AA^2 R5 and the AA^2 S2?
Click to expand...
S2 is a higher quality bin of LED. "Bin" refers to the grading of the LED...when they're manufactured they're not all manufactured the same (chalk it up to randomness), kinda like processors. An LED gets tested and sorted into "bins" depending on its performance. The S2 bin will be better than an R5, meaning it'll be brighter for the same runtime, or have longer runtime for the same brightness, depending on how the circuitry of the flashlight is set up (usually brighter for the same runtime).

I don't have any experience with the turbo Quarks, but 100m throw might be expecting (way) too much from a 2xAA, except maybe in the darkest of places. If I may make a suggestion, check out the 2x123A, but run it on 17670 lithium ion rechargeables. It'll be more compact, brighter, and still save you money on batteries. Lithium batteries, be it lithium primaries or li-ion rechargeables, have a significantly higher engergy/size ratio than other batteries (at least those that you can use in flashlights).
 
Planterz said:
If I may make a suggestion, check out the 2x123A, but run it on 17670 lithium ion rechargeables. It'll be more compact, brighter, and still save you money on batteries. Lithium batteries, be it lithium primaries or li-ion rechargeables, have a significantly higher engergy/size ratio than other batteries (at least those that you can use in flashlights).
Click to expand...
The reason I don't like the 123 lights is because I don't like dealing with rechargeables and 123's while plentiful and cheap over the interwebs, are expensive and hard to find in a mom and pop store while camping/travelling. Thanks for the info on the led's though. I was able to figure out the s2's were a little brighter but had no idea about the bin system.
 
My question on the desired throw stems from ignorance/forgetfulness, so please don't take it the wrong way, but do you really need 100m throw? I live out here on the treeless prairie where sightlines are often broken only by the curvature of the Earth, but are 100m sightlines common in wooded areas?
 
yablanowitz said:
My question on the desired throw stems from ignorance/forgetfulness, so please don't take it the wrong way, but do you really need 100m throw? I live out here on the treeless prairie where sightlines are often broken only by the curvature of the Earth, but are 100m sightlines common in wooded areas?
Click to expand...
To be honest it just seemed like a nice round number. To your question 100m would be pushing it in the forest but I would say 50-75 yard stretches is possible. The place my girl and I camp a bear came stumbling through after we had cooked dinner and he was about 50 yards off into the trees and all I could see with my E01 was his eyes. So maybe it was a bear, maybe it was an elk. I'd like the flashlight to be able to ID the critter in the future. Also, I'm not always in the forest.

The pic below is taken from fenix's wqebsite on the LD20 which is also one I'm considering.

2011719173050335.jpg
 
Fair enough. With my old eyes, I probably couldn't tell a black bear from sasquatch at a hundred yards in broad daylight, much less by flashlight.

That LD20 looks to be the successor to my old Fenix L2D. Maybe it's because there is nothing out here for the beam to hit, but I find most throw claims to be grossly exaggerated.
 
if you want adjustable throw then get an led lenser, although pricey and lumen ratings are a little low compared to the newest led offerings.

i would recommend the new AA 4sevens X series. xm-l doesnt have the farthest throw but its a bright wall of light that can reach the distances you want with the right sized head. i have a miniquark123x and a fenix tk35 both running xm-l but the extra volts and the deeper wider reflector help my tk35 go more than far enough for my needs. unless im doing security or search and rescue i cant find too many purposes for a light with that much throw over flood.
 
+1 on the Fenix LD20. They also make a few other 2 AA models
 
I went out to a cornfield tonight, stalks on both sides of the two-track tall enough to block the lights on the horizon so it got dark pretty fast. Paced off 100 yards and tried a bunch of lights. I probably should have taken a target to try to distinguish, because I really just learned I can't see that far. The Quark AA^2 Tactical on the highest setting threw a decent amount of light at that range, but not enough for me to make out much. Like I said, I should have taken a target. My old L2D did as well on turbo, with a slightly tighter beam. The Quark X 123^2 on turbo threw plenty of light that far, but the glare off the nearby stalks was pretty distracting. I'm pretty sure I could lay the light down, walk 100 yards and read a newspaper by the light it throws that far. The Quark X AA^2 is rated quite a bit lower on turbo than the 123 model, but it should be adequate to the task if the trees aren't too dense. The Maglite LED AA actually put in a pretty decent showing as well, with the larger head and smooth reflector focusing the light for good throw in spite of the lower lumen output.
 
I would jump on the Quark Tactical bandwagon. They are great lights and the programming feature is very nice too.
 
michaelm466 said:
Quark 2AA (280 lumen on 2xAA), ITP A3 EOS upgraded if you want a 1xAAA with 100 lumens, Zebralight for a 200 lumen 1xAA.
Click to expand...

I just got my ITP A3 EOS normal version in the mail , for $20 it is a bargain ! Easily lights up my backyard , I'm pretty impressed to say the least. I still love my Maratac and my little Fenix ( I even still love my old Gerber Sonic , they all have a use. My EDC during the day will still be either the Maratac or the Fenix , for night I will carry the ITP. I love how they fit into the little watch pocket just perfect.


Tostig
 
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