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

DQG Tiny 2/3 AAA

DQG Tiny 2/3 AAA

The DQG tiny 2/3AAA is very similar to the DQG tiny AAA, the review of which can be found here.  The user interface and brightness levels of these two lights are essentially the same.  See the DQG tiny AAA review for more information on this.

Barring some are some minor cosmetic differences, the heads of these two flashlights are basically the same and are interchangeable.  The head of my DQG AAA has a black background with silver writing and comes with a black o-ring.  The DQG 2/3AAA has a green background with brass-coloured writing and a red o-ring.  Unfortunately, the head of my DQG tiny 2/3AAA had problems and is being sent back to the flashlight dealer.

DQG tiny AAA head, DQG tiny 2/3AAA head

The only difference between the two lights is the length of the battery tubes.  As the DQG 2/3AAA uses smaller 2/3AAA rechargeable NiMh batteries; the battery tube is shorter.  The overall length of the DQG 2/3AAA is ~45mm in length, whilst the DQG AAA is ~60mm in length.  This means the DQG 2/3AAA is 15mm shorter than the AAA version.

Modamag drake, 2/3AAA battery, DQG 2/3AAA, DQG AAA, Klarus mi x5

The potential downside of this light is the type of battery it takes.  2/3AAA NiMh batteries are specialised batteries that are not readily available at your usual bricks and mortar stores.  I have found they can be purchased at some specialised battery websites, just do a google search for them.  I bought some from here, as well as the flashlight dealer.

Unfortunately, there are no low-self-discharge (LSD) 2/3AAA nimh.  The 2/3AAA nimh will self discharge even if you don't use them, how quickly it self discharges... I do not know.  Even if you don't use the light, you may need to top up the batteries every so often, to ensure they are full.

2/3AAA nimh may require 'spacers' or special chargers to charge.  The rated capacity of the 2/3AAA is between 400-450mah.  This means, ideally, you should charge it using a NiMh 'smart charger' that charges at 150-450ma (0.3-1.0C).  Or alternatively you can do a timed charge and calculate the charge rate vs time.  I would recommend you fully discharge your batteries before doing a 'timed charge'. 

(I've used a few technical terms in the last couple of paragraphs.  If you are confused or have any questions, feel free ask.)

Battery size comparison:  AAA, AAAA, 2/3AAA, 10180 li-ion, AA

As the 2/3AAA battery is smaller and has less capacity, the run time is also less than the AAA version.  From my tests, the runtime on high is around ~20-23 minutes.  I got around 3 hours on the low setting before it became it became very dim and I discontinued the test.  These tests were done with the DQG AAA head (as mentioned earlier the 2/3AAA was faulty).



Conclusions:

If you find AAA lights too large for your keychain, this is one of the alternatives out there.  Measuring only 45mm in length, it still offers a respectable high mode and a usable low mode, both of which have current controlled regulation.  Unfortunately there are no units available at the moment, there may be more made in future.  Keep your eyes out on the cpfmarketplace for updates.


Other lights to consider:


This is the only light I am aware that uses 2/3AAA NiMh batteries.  Some lights do use 10280 li-ion batteries which are comparable in size to 2/3AAA NiMh.

The 'modamag draco' and 'peak eiger' can use 10280 batteries.


Links:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?242840-cnqualitygoods.com-Preorder-D.Q.G-Tiny-AAA-CREE-R2-EDC-Flashlight-The-Last-batch&p=2610042&viewfull=1#post2610042

http://www.shoudian.com/thread-155808-1-1.html

Additional Pictures:

 

DQG Tiny AAA! (Initial thoughts and impressions)

D.Q.G. TINY AAA FLASHLIGHT

Specifications:

--Using CREE XP-E R2 cool white LED
--Material: HaIII Alu / 304 SS
--Switch: Head twist on/off
--Two modes of brightness: Lo>Hi
--Current drawn: Lo 25mA>Hi 210mA
--Runtime: 60mins on hi; 10hrs on lo, with quality AAA
--Using PMMA lens, Angle:15 degree
--With powerful magnet in the tailcap.
--Luminous O ring on the head
--Battery: AAA (put the battery upside down into this light)
--Anti-reverse protection
--Ashproof and waterproof
--Size: 61.5mm×12.5m
--Weight:Aluminum version 8g; SS version 15g

Available in stainless steel or aluminium (Black, Ti-coloured, natural)
NOT COMPATIBLE WITH 10440 LI-ION
Cost: $25 from cnqualitygoods


Background:

I believe the 'DQG tiny AAA' initially emerged on the Chinese flashlight forums; shoudian.com .  It was put together in a small workshop by someone based in china.  When a cpf member posted some photos of this light on candlepowerforums, a lot of interest developed from the non-chinese literate flashaholics. 

Initially, the light was only available from taobao, which is similar to a Chinese version of ebay.  Unfortunately to buy from taobao, you need to pay with a Chinese credit card.  This made it extremely difficult to buy the light if you live outside of china.  Thankfully, since then, a dealer for the light has emerged on cpfmarketplace.

Keep in mind, When critiquing the light, you do have to consider this is a small project with limited funding behind it.

Initial Thoughts and Impressions:

-I received the natural aluminium version of this light.  The aluminium weighs less than stainless steel, but it is uncoated, so I do not have to worry about the annodisation coming off.  Black and Ti-coloured, would be HA III coated. 

-The build of this light feels like it lacks a bit of polish.  You can see the machining marks, and there are a few sharp edges that would be nicer if they were smoothed off. 

-This light is the smallest AAA light I have come across.  I believe the fenix e05 and nextorch K1 come close, however both these lights only have one output and their max output is significantly less.  While the specifications say it is 61.5mm, when I measure it, it is actually ~60mm when fully closed.  Impressive for a AAA light!  It is also thinner than some other AAA lights as well.

Preon 1 (clicky), Preon 1 (twisty), Fenix L0D, DQG tiny AAA, Modamag Drake

 -The lens/optic/reflector in the DQG tiny AAA is quite different from my other AAA lights.  It results in a sharply-defined large hotspot, with limited brightness to the spill.  Comparing it to a preon 1 (neutral XPG R4); the preon has a smaller hotspot which is slightly less intensive.  The preon has a brighter spill and a more gradual transition between the spill and hotspot.

Beamshots taken ~5m from curtains.  Please ignore the reflection from the glass table.  ISO 200, F2.8, 0.5"

DQG Tiny AAA - High

Preon 1 - High

DQG Tiny AAA -Low

Preon 1 - Medium

Preon 1 - Low

 -I do not have any instruments to measure lumen ratings accurately.  However by eye, based on a ceiling bounce, the DQG tiny AAA has a similar max ouput to the preon 1 (70 OTF lumens).  The preon 1 may be a fraction brighter, which is expected as it has an XPG-R4 (as compared to XPE-R2 in the DQG).  The low mode of the DQG sits somewhere between the low and medium modes of the preon 1 (1.8 and 8.5 OTF lumens).

-This light is current controlled, no PWM!  Love that! 

-This light works as a two mode flashlight: 

Fully tightened (off) -> slightly loosened (high) -> loosened more (low) ->loosened even further (off)

I wouldn't recommend having the head loosened for off-mode.  It is quite unstable and only requires a few more turns before the head will fall off completely.

Having said that, I would try to avoid over tightening the light when turning it off.  If you tighten it too hard, there is a tendency for the spring to compress the negative end of the battery.  My sanyo eneloop AAA, now has a small dent on the negative terminal.

-The head is quite small which makes it hard to use one handed

-There is a magnet at the tail end of the light.  This might come in handy to stick the light to the fridge or other metal surfaces.  Given a choice though, I'd rather not have it.  I find some of my keychain clips/split rings get stuck to the magnet.  I'd also be concerned keeping it near magnetically sensitive objects, such as credit cards or CD/DVDs.

Tail-end and magnet

 -The lanyard/split-ring attachment is fairly thin and may be a potential weak point.  The attachment is actually retractable;  if you do not need it, you can push it in and have it recessed.

Thin O-ring attachment point

-There is a glow-in-the-dark o-ring at the head.  It looks sorta funky, however, it doesn't stay glowing for very long. I would not rely on using this feature to locate it in the dark.

luminous glow-in-the-dark O-ring

-My sample has a small hole/spot in the reflector.  It would be interesting to see what the after sales support is like, on this issue...

Black speck in the reflector (just above the LED)

Conclusions:

For $25 shipped the DQG tiny AAA is not an overly expensive light.  The build
quality is not as good as some dedicated manufacturers, however considering its a small project with limited budget, its not too bad.  The size of this light is impressive, its the smallest AAA that I can find available.  That it manages to fit a driver which offers a high and low mode, makes it even more impressive.

I don't think cnqualitygoods has much more stock of the DQG tiny AAA.  However keep your eyes on the cpfmarketplace (dealers corner), there is meant to be a model coming out next year with an XPG LED and updated driver.

There has also been a run of the DQG tiny with a 2/3AAA tube.  These run on specialised 2/3AAA sized NiMH batteries, further reducing the length of this light.  Hopefully there will be another run of these in future, as well.


This light was purchased from:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?242840-cnqualitygoods.com-Preorder-D.Q.G-Tiny-AAA-CREE-R2-EDC-Flashlight-The-Last-batch

Original thread from shoudian:
http://www.shoudian.com/thread-141138-1-1.html

Additional Photos: