Thinking of downgrading my EDC light, am I making a mistake?

Cereal_killer

Cereal_killer

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Apr 4, 2013
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Currently I EDC 2 lights, my mirror polished zebralight SC52 in my pocket and my Foursevens Quark pro burst mode QP2L-X. I run the SC52 on a 750mAh eagletac 14500 and the quark on a 1600mAh eagletac 17650.

I'm thinking, for various reasons, that I want to stop carrying 2 lights and go to on smaller CR123/16340 light. My top two choices are getting a single cell body for my quark or an eagletac D25C clicky XM-L. I would just spend the $20 on the quark body but the light wouldn't run at full prose off a 3v CR123 so I'd be limited to Li-ions.

My main concern is the lack of runtime and slight lumen downgrade going to the D25C, on Li-ion's it wouldn't be much of a downgrade (quark = 900, D25C on 16340 = 750) but on CR123's which is what I plan on using most of the time it's only ~400. Other than that the two lights are actually very similar.

Would you change to ether one of those two lights from the pair I currently carry? I have owned a D25C clicky before so I know I like it and obviously I like the two I'm carrying now but will the decreased output or run time be an issue? I wouldn't mind carrying one spare battery.
 
I usually carry a mini x 123 but "downgraded" to a preon 1 a couple of weeks ago. I really prefer the smaller, slimmer design of the preon and for the most part, the output was still more than adequate for my edc needs.

However, last week I went down to my building's underground parkade and the power was out so I couldn't see sh*t. I pulled out the preon and was ok until my wife pulled my mini x from her purse and lit up a huge section of the parkade on the max setting.

So I guess, 90 to 95% of the time , the output of the preon 1 would be more than adequate for me but I just like having that extra juice if need be. Ymmv.
 
I usually keep a smaller light (sc52) on my person and a larger one in my coat, car or bag depending on where I am or what I'm doing.

Also I'd love to see pictures of your mirror polished zebra!
 
I guess it all depends on your comfort range. my little E05 does most of what I need most of the time, but often its for close work. A few hundred lumens in a close space is not all that fun. I keep an E11 on my bag for when I need more throw. I find that runtime is more important to me than total output. Even though I rarely get to the end of a battery, its not always predictable. I would pick the option with the longer run-time, even if you have to sacrifice some output. 400 seems like plenty to me, but I'm still excited that flashlights no longer weight two pounds and have dim yellow beams.
 
I carry mostly surefire lights but was very happy with a AAA maratac on my keychain for a while. I think the AA model would be even better. I don't really favor 1x123 lights because the runtime is usually not very good, I don't mind 2x123 though and often carry a E2DL.
 
I would have no problem downgrading from what you're carrying now, but then my edc light is a little IlluminaTi. Is there any valid reason you need a 900 lumen light on you? Do you feel like 400 wouldn't get the job done or do you just subscribe to the more is better frame of mind?
 
More is always better!

But really I'm often in boarded up houses in the pitch black, I really use turbo on my Quark quite a bit and even with a Li-ion in my SC52 making 500 I still need the extra output of the quark. I think as an experiment ill carry the SC52 only this coming week. I wish I had a single cell CR123 light to carry but I sold them all awhile back.

As for the picture of my polished ZL I'll get one in the next few days, its purdy.
 
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