Layman’s Flashlight Reviews

EagleTac, newly crowned king of evolutionary product cycles has upped the ante once again with their Mark II Digital model. Harnessing advancements in both LED efficiency and UI refinement, the P20A2 attempts to bring greater versatility to this champion in tactical lighting.

EagleTac P20A2

Meat and Potatoes

EagleTac has historically been known for their simplistic but useful torches usually offering only two modes; a general use setting, and a full-bore max. At its heart the P20A2 in Mark II Digital garb holds to that formula, while yet adding a few features to sweeten the pot. The Mk II adds a series of hidden modes containing both a useful low power setting and several blinking options. Overall the gist of the light has not changed since only those two primary modes are available when the light is first fired up, but the secondary settings are a welcome addition indeed.

Dropping the original XR-E package for the XP-E in the budget minded 100 series was one of EagleTacs best choices. In my experience, lights with the smaller XP based LED package have inherently cleaner beams and more usable spreads of light. For the P20A2, EagleTac has gone a step further by taking advantage of the increased efficiency available from Crees new XP-G, producing an even more impressive 230 lumens of out-the-front intensity. The beam of this light is an excellent tight spot with a flawless wide transitional corona into the spill. The net result is a very well balanced beam that is useful both at distance and up close. Though the output is reduced compared to the CR123A powered version, this AA powered light still puts out very respectable illumination due to these advancements.

Of note, though not genuinely important to use, is the method that the light uses to transition between brightness levels. The 20 series does not use the traditional direct output change, but rather invokes a rapid ramp to smoothly and evenly change brightness in less than a second. It is a unnecessary extra that gives this light a touch of class and makes it feel just that much higher quality.

Included accessories are the concept that rules the day with these lights. All of them ship with removable clips, quality holsters, interchangeable black or glow-in-the-dark switch covers, lanyards, soft rubber tailstanding rings, and even a very nice screw in diffuser that takes the place of the crenelated stainless steel bezel. Those last two are especially unique because of how well they function exactly as they are intended with very little intrusion. The tailstanding ring doesn’t really get in the way of the switch when in play, and the diffuser creates a flawless hotspot-free beam with almost no apparent depletion in overall output.

A myriad of accessories

Constructive Criticism

As I mentioned, this light remains true to EagleTacs past, being at its core still strictly a two-mode light. With such an excellent quality, long-running low mode it seems a shame to eliminate any chance of activating the light directly into that mode. I don’t know what would be the best possible user interface for three separate modes of activation, but I would like to see some method involving just a further twist of the head to access that. Independent access to all three drastically different uses for this light would increase its real-world effectiveness that much more.

The 20 series are exceptionally well constructed lights. They feel incredibly solid in my hand and look capable of withstanding any abuse you put them through. The one sticking point to that, in my opinion is the clip. The clip does not appear to be altered in any way from the old 10 series and is still a short steel clip held on by nothing more than spring tension. After having become spoiled by the clip retainer rings of other companies, this method just comes up short.

One byproduct, I assume, of the new digital brain of the 20 series is a slight delay between pressing the switch and activation of the light. This isn’t a large gap by any means, but it is noticeable none the less. It almost makes the light feel like you are using a reverse clicky instead of the nice forward clicky that they are known for. I don’t know for certain what it is that causes this behavior, but I would love for it to disappear in a quiet update to this product.

EagleTac P20A2

Conclusions

EagleTac has once again produced a high quality light that pushes the envelope in terms of output. Combine that with the P20A2’s good choice of levels, useable interface, and dare I say it, good looks, and you have a light that you can truly enjoy carrying.

Provided for review by the kind folks at EagleTac.

The Q MiNi AA has once again pushed the limit of exactly how small can a light be and yet still fully encompass the common AA cell powering it. This powerhouse of Lilliputian proportions is the reason I have decided to give up on mentioning the phrase “barely bigger than the cell powering it”. Every time I do, something smaller rolls across my desk.

4Sevens Q MiNi AA

Meat and Potatoes

The Q MiNi series utilizes the current (as of this writing) top of the line XP-G LED from industry leader Cree to accentuate the discrepancy between its minuscule size and amazing output. This simple little light cranks out an astounding 90 lumens on high that completely dazzles anyone uninitiated into quality flashlights. Even those experienced with high power LEDs will express surprise that so small a package can produce such results.

4Sevens Q MiNi AA

The larger die size of the XP-G combined with the smaller reflector of this mite sized casing has a (to me) beneficial side effect of creating a wider beam that is well suited for the close up tasks that tend to constitute the majority of EDC needs. That beam is also very well smoothed out by the textured reflector resulting in a nearly artifact free beam with a good spot to spill transition.

4Sevens Q MiNi AA

Aesthetically these lights aren’t going to win any beauty contests but that is because their design simply follows the same utilitarian approach as the rest of the light. The MiNi series comes with ample knurling over the majority of the light providing superior grip for both retention and operation of the light. The only non-functional aesthetic design appears to be the engraved 47 logo on the tail of the light that was ironically carved out by photons prior to the anodization process.

4Sevens Q MiNi AA

The simple twist based user interface for the light is an excellent blend of simplicity and options. The basic Low-Med-High levels are well spaced, providing adequate choices of illumination.  While lying hidden and out of the way, the 4 signaling modes are still relatively easy to access.  The light does unfortunately utilize PWM to regulate its brightness however the very high rate (2.6 khz I believe I read) makes this a non-issue during use.

I have even had the opportunity to test out the Limited edition Titanium variations of these excellent lights. As expected, the technological differences are completely nonexistent since both flavors use identical electronics and tooling. The elitism of the Titanium version comes almost entirely from the highly polished beauty and higher strength of the unique metal. There is a slight drawback that these premium editions seem to have stiffer threading that appears to be an unfortunate staple of Titanium construction.

Constructive Criticism

In all honesty, considering the many lights I have thus far seen and used, this series has been one of the hardest when it comes to filling out this portion of my review. These lights are just so unpretentious that it really makes them a joy to use. They don’t try to be anything they are not, they are just small and useful.

The one sticking point I can spot for these really is not a case of “bad as-is” but rather a case of “might this be better?” With the current UI, in the event that you don’t want to use the light on the lowest setting you are required to switch it back off and back on in rapid succession before arriving at your desired output. While with only three modes, this isn’t much of a problem, I am still struck with the thought of “what if?” In a more ideal scenario I see a modification of the Nitecore EZ user interface. The same three levels cycled by merely tightening the bezel slightly further to increase the output would be excellent. Again, I don’t pretend to speak for everyone, this is an opinion based blog.

EDIT: 2/11/2010

After extended use, I am forced to revisit this light with another mention.  Overall I still find it to be exceedingly useful and easy to carry, but I have stumbled across one slight issue that is cause enough for me to immortalize it here.  The threads of the Q  MiNi series do not seem to be the same square cut threads originated on the Quark series and as such are not nearly as robust.  There is actually quite a pronounced bit of thread play with these lights causing them to sometimes jump through levels unexpectedly when you are activating them or re-selecting modes.  This problem goes away by using more deliberate motions (usually involving two hands rather than one), but on the fly it tends to come up fairly often.

4Sevens Q MiNi AA

Conclusions

The Q MiNi series is one of the most versatile, inconspicuous EDC style flashlights that I have ever seen. It combines the newest technology with extremely compact size to produce a truly utilitarian work of art. With the option to purchase a premium Titanium variety in all its jeweled splendor, this light gets even better.

4Sevens Q MiNi Series

Provided for the duration of the review by 4Sevens.com

Icon Modus 2

The Modus series by aesthetically focused manufacturer Icon is another shot at fusing high technology and practical usability with a look that takes flashlight design to an art form. The Modus 2, like its smaller sibling, with its seemingly cephalopod inspired design virtually guarantees it will garner more in-depth study.

Icon Modus 2

Meat and Potatoes

The Icon Modus 2 is not the same as every other flashlight in your collection. It is not designed to be the rough and tumble utilitarian piece that resides in the bottom of your toolbox just collecting dings until you need it in a pinch. The aesthetics of the Modus designs look like they would be completely at home with the silver jumpsuits of classic Hollywood future. It really looks more like the kind of light you would leave prominently displayed on an easy to reach shelf, where it can both look good and be used often around the house. Its polymer construction would likely withstand quite a bit of use and abuse, but I am not sure how well the appearance would hold up considering its current white/gray color scheme.

The skeletal tentacular design of the Modus series is nothing if not bold. You either love it or you hate it and there seems to be a bit of debate on that front. Equal parts of my circle of contacts fall on either side of that line. Some are completely enthused by it and others immediately express their dislike. This facet of the Modus line falls firmly into the category of personal opinion, and mine is that of rising affection.

The two modes of the Modus 2 are very well placed providing a decent gap between outputs. This is in effect the only difference between the two models in this line. The Modus 2 increases the overall output on both levels but at the expense of doubling the length of the light. The Modus utilizes the same circuit as the Rogue series so it exhibits the same gradual brightness step down on the high mode. I don’t find myself running into this very often because I don’t seem to use the light on High for very extended periods of time. When it does kick in, it is so gradual that I don’t generally perceive anything, therefor functioning exactly as it is intended, reducing output to maximize runtime while providing no noticeable change in perceived illumination.

The Modus 2 averts itself from the currently traditional reflector design, opting instead for a lens based optics system. As I have said several times before, I am a big fan of lensing because of the overall beam profile. I vastly prefer the fact that the spill beam gradually fades to nothing, rather than providing the tunnel-vision inducing sharp dropoff.

Icon Modus 2

Constructive Criticism

Though the use of lensing does provide the Modus with a much more useful beam profile, it does lack one point that the Icon Rogue series had nailed. The beam of the Modus series is riddled with quite a few rings. Though these don’t really cause much issue with actual use, they do leave serious longing for the completely artifact free smoothness of the Rogues.

The switch used in the Modus series definitely has a more solid feel than I first was expecting after experiencing previous Icon offerings. This time however it was decided to recess the switch most of the way. This location makes the switch a little more difficult to activate but does not at all allow for tailstanding. I believe that this switch should either protrude a little further or should be completely recessed. Half way doesn’t cut it for me.

One last point I have found that could use a little improvement is the threading. Re-attaching the head of the light after a battery change reveals that the threading is awfully fine and relatively easy to cross-thread. This hasn’t yet proven itself to be an issue but I am very glad that I discovered it early so I can watch carefully in the future.

Icon Modus Series

Conclusions

In short, I am the type of person who prefers rugged durability in all my lights. Quality hard anodizing is my favorite finish on a flashlight. I generally will choose function over form any day of the week. The Icon Modus series, however, is my guilty pleasure.

Provided for review by Paul Kim of Surefire and Icon.