4Sevens
An Atlanta-based flashlight dealer that formerly had separate websites like www.fenix-store.com and www.eagletac-store.com before consolidating the websites under www.4sevens.com. They have since added their own line of flashlights listed below. 4Sevens has sister stores in Poland and Canada.
4 Sevens has a very good reputation as a dealer and as a builder of lights (their lights are actually manufactured in China) in the CPF forums. They often announce new products in the CPF Marketplace before they are listed on their website and post special discount codes for sales in addition to CPF member discount codes.
Flashlights
Maelstrom
Tactical series of higher output lights. Several models announced in January 2010, but so far only the G5 and S12 have been released. In January 2011, the X7 and X10 (Cree XM-L lights, similar to G5 and S12 respectively) were announced, but are not yet available. The X10 and S12 use a single 3900mAh 26650 li-ion battery. The S18 uses 6xCR123A or 3x18650 batteries.
G5 - 2xCR123A or 1x18650 4-mode thrower with Cree XP-G S2 and a maximum output of 365 lumens introduced in November 2010. Two different mode groups available: H-M-L-Moonlight or Turbo-Strobe-SOS-Beacon. Modes are selected by turning the head. Original version introduced in July 2010 with a XP-G R5 with 350 lumens maximum. Review: Selfbuilt
S12 - 1x26650 2-mode light with Luminus SST-90 LED and maximum output of 800 (Low is 120 lumens). The light memorizes the last mode used. Similar to SureFire lights, the tail clicky is for momentary On only when the tailcap is loosened a half turn. To keep the light on, the tailcap must be fully tightened. The 26650 is a special size lithium-ion battery. 4Sevens sells the battery and charger separately. At 3900mAh capacity, it has more capacity than a typical 2400mAh 18650 and is driven at up to 5 amps. First available in February 2011. There was also a limited edition copper version with a copper head for better heat sinking and gold plating to prevent tarnishing.
Preon
Preon 1 - 1xAAA 7-mode twisty with Cree XP-G S2 LED introduced in November 2010. Has a pocket clip and matte finish (no knurling) and is available in black, blue, red, yellow, and titanium. Regular operation cycles through 2, 13, and 70 ANSI lumens (40m throw), but if you cycle quickly through all the modes twice, you also get strobe, SOS, and high and low beacon modes. Parts are interchangeable with Preon 2, which allows use of a clicky tail. Original version introduced in November 2009 with 1.8, 8.5, and 70 OTF lumens.
Preon 2 - 2xAAA 7-mode clicky with XP-G S2 LED introduced in November 2010. Has a pocket clip and matte finish (no knurling) and is available in black, blue, red, yellow, titanium and titanium black (with titanium head and tail but black body). Regular operation cycles through 3, 26, and 120 ANSI lumens (59m throw), but if you cycle quickly through all the modes twice, you also get strobe, SOS, and high and low beacon modes. Parts are interchangeable with Preon 1, which allows use of a flat tail and using the light as a twisty. Original version, introduced in November 2009, used a XP-G R5 and had modes of 2.2, 22, and 160 OTF lumens. In May 2010, a limited edition with warm white XP-G Q5 LED was introduced. In June 2010, a limited edition with neutral white XP-G R4 was introduced.
Preon ReVO - 1xAAA 7-mode twisty with XP-E R2 LED. Regular operation cycles through 1.8, 20, and 82 OTF lumens, but if you cycle quickly through all the modes twice, you also get strobe, SOS, and high and low beacon modes. Power is current regulated instead of PWM of the other Preons which should be more efficient. Available in black or stainless steel and has more traditional knurling instead of a smooth finish. Not to be used with a lithium-ion battery whereas the Preon 1 can be, but is not recommended. Introduced in August 2010. In December 2010, a stainless steel version with a Cree XP-G S2 LED was introduced. Review by Selfbuilt.
Quark
Quark lights were introduced in May 2009 with Cree XP-E R2 LED's. Models are available in Regular or Tactical version. The power switch on the Tactical version is a forward clicky that protrudes from the back of the light and prevents tailstanding. The Regular version has a reverse clicky that does not protrude and can tailstand. The Regular version has max and strobe available with the bezel tightened while with a loosened bezel you use the reverse clicky to cycle through moonlight, low, medium, high, SOS, and beacon modes. The Tactical version has only two modes (tightened or loosened), but can have any of the 8 modes programmed in. The tactical models suffer from preflash where sometimes if the light is set to come on in low it will flash very bright when turned on. All of the Quarks have a mild preflash in Moonlight mode where the light flashes to Low before going to Moonlight. Parts are generally interchangeable but only the head of the 123² and 123² Turbo can handle the higher voltage of 2 CR123A or 2 lithium-ion batteries. All Quarks have orange peel reflectors. The clip is reversible in the sense that the body tube is reversible (the head and tail threads are identical), therefore the light can be assembled for a bezel-up clip or bezel-down. All of the main Quarks were updated to Cree XP-G R5 emitters in December 2009 and XP-G S2 emitters in November 2010. In March 2011, 4Sevens announced that after the S2 versions are sold out, their lights would revert to R5.
Limited Editions In May 2010, warm white (tint 7A3 or 7B4) XP-G Q5 LED's were shipped after a pre-order period (Preon2, 123² Tactical, AA² Tactical, MiNi 123, MiNi AA, MiNi CR2, 123² Turbo, and AA² Turbo). In June 2010, neutral white (tint 4C0 or 4D0) XP-G R4 versions were introduced (Preon2, 123² Regular and Tactical, AA² Regular and Tactical, MiNi 123, MiNi AA, and MiNi CR2). Both of the 2010 limited editions featured "green packaging" (a ziplock bag) instead of coming in a box and were reduced in price by $2. When the standard LED was the XP-E R2, a limited edition neutral white (tint 5A) XP-E Q3 was available. A limited edition titanium version of all of the main lights came out in September 2009 featuring a Cree XP-G R4 emitter (the first 1000 were numbered).
Quark 123 - 1xCR123A Cree XP-G S2 light with output is 0.6, 4, 19, 83, and 174 ANSI lumens.
Quark 123² - 2xCR123A Cree XP-G S2 light with output of 0.9, 4, 19, 83, and 200 ANSI lumens in addition to flashing modes. This body will not accept 18650 cells, but a separate body tube is offered that will. The head of the 123² lights can accept up to 9V. They will also run fine on a single lithium-ion battery (17670) but will not be regulated the entire time.
Quark 123² Turbo - Similar to the 123² but has a larger, deeper head for more throw and a Cree XP-G R5 emitter. Offered only with a tactical user interface, the output levels are 0.2, 4, 22, 85, and 230 lumens in addition to flashing modes. In December 2010, a limited run of satin finish (bead blasted) titanium 123² Turbo's with XP-G S3 bin LED's was introduced (also MiNI 123's).
Quark AA - 1xAA Cree XP-G R5 light with output of 0.2, 4, 22, 85, and 109 lumens in addition to flashing modes.
Quark AA² - 2xAA Cree XP-G R5 light with 0.2, 4, 22, 85, and 206 lumens in addition to flashing modes.
Quark AA² Turbo - Comes with a larger, deeper head for more throw and Cree XP-G S2 emitter. Offered only with a tactical user interface, the output levels are 0.9, 4, 19, 83, 200 ANSI lumens in addition to flashing modes.
Quark RGB - 2xCR123A MC-E Color head with 4 different color LED dies built in to give white, red, green, or blue output (emits from only one die at a time). Uses the regular Quark 123² body with modes controlled by twisting head loose and tight. Available in versions with regular or neutral white light in one of the dies. More of a novelty than anything, the light suffers from a very ugly beam due to the off-center LED dice. Announced in November 2009. Review: Lumens Review
| Model | Head Voltage | Battery | R2 Outputs | R5 Outputs | S2 Output* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quark 123 | 0.9–4.2 | 1xCR123A | 0.2, 3.5, 18, 70, 170 | 0.2, 4, 22, 85, 206 | 0.6, 4, 19, 83, 174 |
| Quark 123² | 3.0–9.0 | 2xCR123A | 0.2, 3.5, 18, 70, 190 | 0.2, 4, 22, 85, 230 | 0.9, 4, 19, 83, 200 |
| Quark 123² Turbo | 3.0–9.0 | 2xCR123A | N/A | 0.2, 4, 22, 85, 230 | 0.9, 4, 19, 83, 200 |
| Quark AA | 0.9–4.2 | 1xAA, 1x14500 | 0.2, 3.5, 18, 70, 90 | 0.2, 4, 22, 85, 109 | 0.4, 4, 19, 83, 95 |
| Quark AA² | 0.9–4.2 | 2xAA | 0.2, 3.5, 18, 70, 170 | 0.2, 4, 22, 85, 206 | 0.6, 4, 19, 83, 177 |
| Quark AA² Turbo | 0.9–4.2 | 2xAA | N/A | 0.2, 4, 22, 85, 206 | 0.6, 4, 19, 83, 190 |
*Nominal S2 output is lower because it is measured using the ANSI/NEMA FL-1 standard. Actual output is 7% higher than R5 output.
The following reviewers commented on these lights:
- csshih
- light-reviews.com (also AA², 123 and 123² tactical)
- Selfbuilt
- UnknownVT (includes follow up post comparing original R2 output to new R5 output)
- Calling All Quarks - A review of mixing and matching various quark parts.
- Nutnfancy's Turbo review (video)
Quark MiNi
The MiNi was first introduced in November 2009 with Cree XP-G R5 LED's and was updated to the XP-G S2 in November 2010. These lights are more compact due to the absence of a clicky switch. All are twisty. By default they are 3-mode lights, but if you cycle through the modes twice by twisting the head on and off quickly, it becomes a 7-mode light with the addition of strobe, SOS, and high and low beacon modes.
MiNi 123 - 1xCR123A XP-G S2 version has output levels of 8, 43, and 135 ANSI lumens. The original XP-G R5 version had output levels of 3, 40, and 189 OTF lumens. A limited edition neutral white version with a Q3 5A emitter was released in December 2009. A titanium version started shipping in January 2010 (cool or neutral). In December 2010, a very limited edition (100 units) titanium version with XP-G S3 was introduced (there was no S2 version in titanium) which should have output of 144 ANSI lumens (though it was not tested). Also in December 2010, S3's were put in limited edition satin finish (bead blasted) titanium 123's (also Quark Turbo 123²'s). A version with a Cree XM-L LED (called a MiNiX 123) with 210 OTF lumens of output was announced in December 2010 (their first light to use this LED). In February 2011, a satin finish titanium version with XP-G S2 was introduced. Review: Lumens Review, Light Reviews, Light Reviews (titanium)
MiNi AA - 1xAA XP-G S2 version has output levels of 4, 21, and 66 ANSI lumens (51m throw). The original XP-G R5 version had output levels of 2.7, 25, and 90 OTF lumens. A limited edition neutral white version with a Q3 5A emitter was released in December 2009. A titanium version started shipping in January 2010 (cool or neutral). A limited edition XP-G S2 edition was introduced in November 2010 with maximum output of 70 ANSI lumens and 51m throw. Reviews: Lumens Review, Light Reviews, Light Reviews (titanium)
MiNi AA² - 2xAA XP-G S2 version introduced in January 2011 with output of 3, 36, and 190 OTF lumens. Unlike other MiNis, the AA2 includes a clip. The XP-G R5 version was introduced after the others in September 2010 with output levels of 3, 36, and 180 OTF lumens.
MiNi CR2 - 1xCR2 XP-G S2 version has output levels of 3, 43, and 193 OTF lumens. Originally introduced in March 2010 with a XP-G R5 in titanium only followed by an aluminum version in April 2010. Output of the original versions was 3, 40, and 180 OTF lumens. Price of the titanium version includes a Batteries4Life subscription where 4Sevens sends the owner a new CR2 battery every 6 months for 10 years (3 years only outside the USA). Review: Selfbuilt
Popular Dealers
4Sevens Not only do they make the lights, they sell them too. Free shipping on all orders and good customer service. Discount codes available in the CPF Good Deals thread (requires registration).
GoingGear GoingGear sells just about everything, but has just about every model of 4Sevens light. Discount codes available in the CPF Good Deals thread.