Streamlight Nano Light vs 4Sevens Quark Mini 123

JerryIsAlive

JerryIsAlive

Joined
Jun 13, 2012
Messages
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I am looking for a small(er) light for my keychain. My keys are usually in my front pocket so I want something small. After doing some research, the two leading candidates are the Streamlight Nano Light and the 4Sevens Quark Mini 123. The Quark mini has 3 light settings, strobe light, and can get much brighter, but it is an inch longer, definitely wider, and 3 times the price of the Nano Light. The nano light "only" has 10 lumens, but is that enough for a keychain light? Also, the Quark seems to have better run time even on the medium light. Is it worth it to get a bigger light to have more lumens? Is it necessary? I dont have any immediate needs for the light, but figure its a good idea to have one. Any of you have any experience with these two? Any and all insight is appreciated.

I was also looking at the Fenix E15 but it looks very similar to the quark. Thanks

The Fenix E05 seems perfect, but it only has 3 hours of run time which seems real short.
 
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I have a MiniX123 and it's probably the perfect EDC imo. It's extremely compact, but also very powerful. The Nano, while very small, uses some funky batteries that I just don't want to mess with.
 
After spending all night "researching", I ended up with the eGear Pico and the aluminum Illuminati. I really like the Mini 123, but i think it may be a little chunky for a keychain. I will definitely keep my eye on the Mini if I am not please with the Illuminati.
 
I would say the Mini 123 is too big for keys, but thats just me. I do carry one in a little belt holster sometimes. Consider for your keys the Fenix EO1, or the Photon light of your choosing. The EO1 runs 8-10 hours with flat output, then many hours of diminishing light. Feeds on a single AAA, which is easy to find or steal anywhere. The Photon is teeny weeny, and the downside is the coin cell batteries (though they can be bought cheap off of ebay). Each light is around $13-$15.

tremor.jpg

Fenix EO1.

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Photon micro light. I prefer the "freedom" flavor.
 
My main debate was between the Fenix E01 and the Illuminati. I went for the Illuminati mostly because it seemed like one of the better options in this size that has multiple modes. I still have the E01 saved in my Amazon cart in case I dont like the illum. I was gonna say eff it, and get both, but thats what happened to me with knives............ lol

That Fenix does look quite good on your keys though... Ill probably pick one up later in the summer.
 
I wasn't familiar with the Illuminati, but it looks like a good one with its multiple outputs.
 
The Illuminati is supposed to be very similar to the Maratac AAA, which is supposed to be very similar to the itp a3 and Olight i3. lol I liked the style on the Illuminati a bit more than the others. Thanks for the pictures though. It seems this is not the only forum which those pictures are floating around lol
 
I'm the last flashlight expert here, but I'll throw in my two cents as well.
Can't say I've had, and used, every flashlight in the market, but, for a keyring, I guess most people don't need to go over a single AAA light; just like Powernoodle, I have a Fenix E01 on my work keys and I'm satisfied with it.
But, when I'm not at work, I carry a small ring with a couple of items (a Vic Classic, a small prybar/bottle opener, and a USB memory), along with a Quark Mini 123. It's probably more powerful than I will ever need, and small enough for my pockets. If your keyring isn't stashed with too many keys, I guess you would love it.

Sidenote: we're splitting hairs here. The size difference between, let's say, a Fenix E01 and a Quark Mini 123 would probably pass unnoticed to a great majority of people :)

:cool:
 
JerryIsAlive said:
The Illuminati is supposed to be very similar to the Maratac AAA, which is supposed to be very similar to the itp a3 and Olight i3. lol I liked the style on the Illuminati a bit more than the others. Thanks for the pictures though. It seems this is not the only forum which those pictures are floating around lol
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They are all made by Olight and based on the same light. There are some minor differences between them, but not much.
 
I see a keychain light as something to see your keyholes with or a little light that serves the purpose of illuminating your way to a better one. In that sense, a maglite Solitaire works perfectly, as they're tough, reliable, lightweight, easy to find and cheap. It's very much not my main EDC light but if my Surefire gets left at home or gets lost I can find my way to a better light with it.
 
the Illuminati is working out for my keychain so far. good size and happy with the light output. Just wish the keychain part was sturdier or could fit a stronger/nicer o-ring.

edc1.jpg
 
storl said:
They are all made by Olight and based on the same light. There are some minor differences between them, but not much.
Click to expand...

FYI, olight has been dropped by maratac. i believe balder may be making the latest revisions ;)

i know its a bit late, but check out the preon 0 v2
 
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