I spent days on candlepower forums looking for a new flashlight. My last major purchase was a Surefire 6P a few years back and a Fenix E01 for my EDC.
My E01 is my "low output / long runtime" light that uses common batteries (AAA) and is fine for navigating the house at night and other close up tasks, and I was planning on finding something that could compliment the E01 by giving me more throw and power even at the expense of shorter runtime, yet small enough I could always carry it.
I finally settled on the Quark mini 123 -- I was willing to go with CR123 batteries because I already use them in my surefire and for their size they'll give me a longer runtime on high. Once I got it in the mail I was blown away though... this thing on high is as bright as my surefire 6P with P61 incandescant bulb, with very similar sized hotspot and throw (and larger spill). I basically had a pocket sized 6P that lasted way longer (1.2 hours on high versus ~25 minutes).
It has 3 main modes (low, which is lower than my Fenix E01, medium and high) and various fun strobe modes that you can access yet they don't get in the way.
It's a keychain light and so it's very small (shorter than my Fenix E01 but fatter), but I just carry it in my pocket... so for that reason I'm thinking about upgrading to the Quark Tactical with clicky switch since an extra fraction of length isn't a big deal.
My only reservation was that I never had a light with a bunch of different modes and with a user interface where you have to twist in certain combinations to get certain outputs. I would have been just as pleased with this light even if it only had one mode (either medium or high) but I was able to get used to the user interface pretty quickly and now I don't mind it.
Now I have an excuse to upgrade my 6P because now it's just not pulling it's weight anymore! I'm thinking about a Malkoff M60 drop in replacement
My E01 is my "low output / long runtime" light that uses common batteries (AAA) and is fine for navigating the house at night and other close up tasks, and I was planning on finding something that could compliment the E01 by giving me more throw and power even at the expense of shorter runtime, yet small enough I could always carry it.
I finally settled on the Quark mini 123 -- I was willing to go with CR123 batteries because I already use them in my surefire and for their size they'll give me a longer runtime on high. Once I got it in the mail I was blown away though... this thing on high is as bright as my surefire 6P with P61 incandescant bulb, with very similar sized hotspot and throw (and larger spill). I basically had a pocket sized 6P that lasted way longer (1.2 hours on high versus ~25 minutes).
It has 3 main modes (low, which is lower than my Fenix E01, medium and high) and various fun strobe modes that you can access yet they don't get in the way.
It's a keychain light and so it's very small (shorter than my Fenix E01 but fatter), but I just carry it in my pocket... so for that reason I'm thinking about upgrading to the Quark Tactical with clicky switch since an extra fraction of length isn't a big deal.
My only reservation was that I never had a light with a bunch of different modes and with a user interface where you have to twist in certain combinations to get certain outputs. I would have been just as pleased with this light even if it only had one mode (either medium or high) but I was able to get used to the user interface pretty quickly and now I don't mind it.
Now I have an excuse to upgrade my 6P because now it's just not pulling it's weight anymore! I'm thinking about a Malkoff M60 drop in replacement
