Layman’s Flashlight Reviews

4Sevens has breathed new life into the AAA cell by offering the Preon series of lights. More than a collection of individual flashlights, the Preon Series offers something akin to a buffet of options allowing you to truly make the light your own.

4Sevens Preon Series

Meat and Potatoes

Aluminum or Titanium? How many cells? Clip, keychain, smooth? Twisty or clicky? Pick your color. These are the decisions that have to be made if you choose to go with a Preon. Built on a base of the slim AAA cell, the Preon is large light performance in an unassuming package. The use of a durable, solidly attached, deep-carry clip with the twisty Preon I makes for a light so easily pocketable and unobtrusive that it is nearly possible to forget you are even carrying it. There is now no excuse to not have a light with you at all times.

The Preons play host to the same winning user interface as the Q-MiNi lights. A simple Low-Medium-High sequence with 4 special modes hidden away where they won’t be accidentally activated. It is a good UI for a light that might be loaned out to the uninitiated since it only takes a few seconds to learn the basics. The three levels have been well spaced and carefully chosen to give noticeable increases in output or significantly better efficiency. Producing 70 lumens for almost an hour from an AAA cell is no mean feat, and increasing that to 160 with only one more cell is simply astounding.

The use of the XP-G in such a small textured reflector creates a beautiful smooth, floody beam that is perfect for close to medium distance illumination. There is a spot to spill transitional corona that further increases its usability. This light does use PWM to accomplish its multiple modes, however due to its extremely high frequency (2.6 khz I believe) this is completely a non-issue during use.

Preons with their XP-G's

4Sevens proprietary matte finish anodizing for these lights is still being touted as type III, and after several weeks of torture testing I find I am inclined to agree. One of these Preon I’s was assigned the dreaded keychain duty for the duration of my testing. The only noticeable wear was at the point of contact between the body and the split ring used for attachment. The remainder of the body survived the incessant jangle and repeated drops quite admirably.

Constructive Criticism

Though the unique anodizing of the Preons does help to provide extra tackiness to the grip, it is still the dead middle of an arid winter here in the midwest. Between the lack of knurling and stiffer threading I was often left struggling for purchase when attempting one handed operation using the twisty interface. Even some subtle shaping would serve greatly to alleviate this trouble without even needing to resort to the standard rhombic knurling, thus still setting this light apart from the pack.

If the twisty is a little too difficult, the clicky option suffers from the opposite affliction. The protruding button of the clicky tailcap standard to the Preon II is so easy to push that accidental activation was the rule of the day. The frequency which I felt my pocket heating up from this light was quite surprising. In fact, I can confidently say that the interior of my pockets saw more of this lights runtime than I did during its time in the spotlight. Either stiffer springing or a more protected button is needed to reclaim this setup from a “shirt pocket only” designation in my book.

Tailcap options

Conclusions

The fact that an AAA based light can compete with and even outperform most 2xCR123A based lights from only a few years past highlights the incessant march of technology. To do so in such a simple, yet elegant form however, is just shooting for extra credit.

4Sevens Preon Series

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

The Q MiNi 123 has once again pushed the limit of exactly how small can a light be and yet still fully encompass the common CR123A 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 123

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 189 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.

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 123

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 emitted from a high power laser prior to the anodization process.

4Sevens Q MiNi 123

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.

4Sevens Q MiNi 123

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 Series

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.

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

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