DQG AAA version II - Now available for pre-order!

For those you who have read my DQG tiny AAA and DQG 2/3AAA review and are interested in getting one yourself, they are now available for pre-order at cpfmarketplace.

This is a newer version that is different from the one I originally bought.  Here are some of the differences that I have noted:

-Version II looks very different.  It has knurling on the body and head.
-Version II is slightly shorter.  Not by much, but it manages to shave a few millimeters, somehow.
-Version II has a longer head, which should make it easier to turn on/off.  This is one of the issues I noted with the first version, and I am glad it has been improved.
-Version II uses XPG R4/R5 instead of XPE R2.  In theory, this should result it a brighter light, but the beam may be more floody.  It's hard to say how this will translate with the optics used in the DQG.  I'd be interested to see comparison beamshots between the two versions.
-There is the option of a neutral tinted LED with the newer version

-Version II should have a lower and longer lasting low mode.  The current on low is 10ma in the new version, while the old version was 25ma
-Version II is reported to turn on in low and then switches to high as you rotate it further.
-The new version is currently only available in stainless steel.  There may be aluminium versions in future.
-The newer upgraded version is more expensive costing $35.  The original was only $27.

Here are some pictures taken by 'coolperl' on the cpfmarketplace thread.  Permission has been obtained to reproduce these pictures:

upgraded version of DQG AAA 3rd from the left, old version 4th from the left.

Will I get one?  Having already had two versions of this light, I'm not that excited about the upgraded version.   I'll wait to see what the other reviewers say about this light.  After using the old version of the DQG for a few months, there's a couple of issues that hold me back from buying the new version.

Based on my experience with the previous version:
-I feel the switching mechanism is not consistent and I can not rely on it.  How tight it needs to be to turn off, the amount of rotations needed to switch from high to low to off, seems to vary depending on the length of the battery and how much the spring has already been compressed.  The light no longer seems to work when going from loosened off->low->high->tightened off, but works the other way.
-The spring tends to crush some batteries if the light is over tightened (to turn off)
-As a side note, I have had to send back a faulty DQG 2/3AAA head, and I have to say the after sales support can be rather slow.

If I did not already have a DQG AAA, I would probably order one of the newer version.  Despite the previously mentioned issues, it is still one of the smallest AAA lights available and would be good to have in your collection.


LINKS:

DQG AAA upgraded version II - pre-order thread
DQG AAA upgraded version II - info
DQG AAA version - photos by coolperl