StandardBattery
Flashlight Enthusiast
Thanks for the initial impressions Wrencher. Can't wait to get one in my hands.
Maratac AAA Q5
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nerdgineer
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: County Comm Maratac AAA Q5
Also, this type usually conducts current through the threads, where lubricant or oxidation can make for iffy current flow. The spring loaded type conducts current (usually) directly between the body end and the PCB, which is better.
wrencher
Newly Enlightened
A few ansers. Key chain lanyard atachment is by wire c-clip. Thelight has no momory for last setting. It is eas y to on hand cycle through the levels. It is o-ring sealed at the body head junction and at the lens. It should be fairly water resistant. Sorry posting pics is over my head. I have it on a ball chain with my Tifli and it fells ok for neck where. I don't have a LOD to compair it to , I do have a Arc AAA and the Maratac is a little shorter but thicker. The end of the battery tube is where the negitive signal path is carried, not the threads. As you can tell I like it. It has bumped the Arc from my EDC.
Jeff
Jeff
Well, I broke down and ordered two today. 
:shakehead 
. One Natural HA and one Black. Can't wait til' they get here! If they are as good as I hope for them to be they ought to make a great EDC light.
And thanks, wrencher, for the extra details.
:shakehead . One Natural HA and one Black. Can't wait til' they get here! If they are as good as I hope for them to be they ought to make a great EDC light.And thanks, wrencher, for the extra details.
Flying Turtle
Flashaholic
I'm making an effort not to go to County Comm. I know what will happen. The extra small size and price makes this pretty compelling.
Geoff
Geoff
marcoc
Newly Enlightened
Ordered 08 July and they're finally here. As mentioned in this thread by Wrencher, the head twist operation is not a problem...one can shift through the three stages without difficulty. We'll see how it holds up as a keychain light. Pictures are a quicky so bear with me. Thanks.
marco
marco
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KDOG3
Flashlight Enthusiast
Great pics.... Do you think the output levels are on par with the claims?
marcoc
Newly Enlightened
I"m no expert on lumens but just by gut comparison with other lights, I would say yes. So far, all claims in their ad seem to be accurate (claims on duration, build of course will be determined over time). :thumbsup: At this price point (my initial impression is that it "outshines" lights much more expensive), I would strongly recommend this light! Here's the Nat one on the keychain.
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BWatts
Newly Enlightened
Thanks for the answers!
MKLight
Enlightened
marcoc
Newly Enlightened
Hey MKlight...I went through both reviews briefly and while there are similarities, I can't really say they're "related". Someone here said that they think they've seen it before and I second that...it bugs me that I can't find it...the actual "relation". In any case, I'm sure at the price point, that whoever designed and manufactured this borrowed heavily from lights that have gone through our paypal accounts in the past. Cheers!
I don't really think that the Maratac looks too much like the Tiablos, just the somewhat the head and the taper into the body, the tail on the Maratac is the same the same diameter as the body, there's no clip indentation on the head or the slight taper at the end of the head. Eh I dunno, but honestly I don't care as the Maratac looks to be one heck of a light for the money.
MKLight
Enlightened
Incidentalist
Enlightened
Got my Maratacs in today and here is a quick unscientific review after playing with it for a few minutes and also while I post.
Definitely one of the smallest and lightest AAA's that I own (which is quite a lot). I don't have a digital scale, but I'd say it is pretty close in weight to the Ti Arc.
Packaging could have been nicer, but that's not an issue for me. If packaging it the way they did helped them get to the price point they did, then I see no problem.
Comparing it some other modern multi level 1xAAA lights (and a few others as well):
Eigar, Mako, Maratac, Ti Arc, LD01, LF2XT, Avenger GX
The lowdown - I'd say the low is closest to the Avenger GX low. Significantly lower than the LD01, but also much brighter than the LF2XT. It's also very close if not a bit lower than the 'higher' level on the Mako (which isn't very high at all, just the higher of the two modes on the light). For my tastes, it is low enough while still retaining usefulness other than the middle of the night.
The beam - Profile looks most like the LD01. Nice hot spot, but not nearly as well defined. After the hot spot it transition to a large spill, largest spill of the group in fact. Some ringiness around the edges, but you've got to look for it.
Color - Cool white for sure, but not quite as white as my LD01. Since I'm a fan of the cool white I'm perfectly happy with the tint.
The rest - Nice smooth operation, simple Med-Low-High twisty. Haven't done anything with the threads yet, but they are smooth enough for the moment.
Finish is great, but we'll see how well it stands up to actual edc useage.
I was able to pull the clip off pretty easily and it didn't leave any scratches in the finish. :thumbsup:
I like the ability to use the lanyard attachmen with the clip still attached.
A few people mentioned the Tiablo MA1:
Can't give you any insight into whether they are related other than to say that the smooth sections of the Maratac body look identical to the finish on my Tiablo. Otherwise, the Maratac feels like the far superior light between the two in every category.
In the end, I think this is a great light, especially when you consider the price. If these things prove they can live on a keychain and take the daily abuse that comes with it, then these are sure to be a home run.
Definitely one of the smallest and lightest AAA's that I own (which is quite a lot). I don't have a digital scale, but I'd say it is pretty close in weight to the Ti Arc.
Packaging could have been nicer, but that's not an issue for me. If packaging it the way they did helped them get to the price point they did, then I see no problem.
Comparing it some other modern multi level 1xAAA lights (and a few others as well):
Eigar, Mako, Maratac, Ti Arc, LD01, LF2XT, Avenger GX
The lowdown - I'd say the low is closest to the Avenger GX low. Significantly lower than the LD01, but also much brighter than the LF2XT. It's also very close if not a bit lower than the 'higher' level on the Mako (which isn't very high at all, just the higher of the two modes on the light). For my tastes, it is low enough while still retaining usefulness other than the middle of the night.
The beam - Profile looks most like the LD01. Nice hot spot, but not nearly as well defined. After the hot spot it transition to a large spill, largest spill of the group in fact. Some ringiness around the edges, but you've got to look for it.
Color - Cool white for sure, but not quite as white as my LD01. Since I'm a fan of the cool white I'm perfectly happy with the tint.
The rest - Nice smooth operation, simple Med-Low-High twisty. Haven't done anything with the threads yet, but they are smooth enough for the moment.
Finish is great, but we'll see how well it stands up to actual edc useage.
I was able to pull the clip off pretty easily and it didn't leave any scratches in the finish. :thumbsup:
I like the ability to use the lanyard attachmen with the clip still attached.
A few people mentioned the Tiablo MA1:
Can't give you any insight into whether they are related other than to say that the smooth sections of the Maratac body look identical to the finish on my Tiablo. Otherwise, the Maratac feels like the far superior light between the two in every category.
In the end, I think this is a great light, especially when you consider the price. If these things prove they can live on a keychain and take the daily abuse that comes with it, then these are sure to be a home run.
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I forgot to add how much I like the head, it's longer than say the E01, which gives you more surface to grab onto, same with the diameter. I like twisting my E01 by wrapping my pinkie around the head and twisting the tail, this will definately be easier with the Maratac (I guess that's something else it has in common with the Tiablo).
This looks like a great light for the money. Is anybody with testing equipment planning on reviewing this light for actual runtime data? I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet with the amount of interest this light has generated so far. I'm ready to buy a few of these if the runtimes are close to the claims.
I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet with the amount of interest this light has generated so far. I'm ready to buy a few of these if the runtimes are close to the claims.
Robocop
Moderator, *Mammoth Killer*
Received my package also today and let me say I wish I had bought 2 of them now. This is also one of the smallest AAA lights I own and I have probably 40 others in various styles.
I have racked my brain trying to figure out how they did it and can not figure it out.....the light is exactly 1/4th of an inch shorter than my LOD. Both have reflectors and tail springs with both also twisty activated. Maratac must have figured a way to make the circuit thinner as the reflectors between the LOD and Maratac look about the same depth.
The 3 levels on mine very closely match the LOD with the exception of low. The LOD is about twice as bright on low than the Maratac. The Maratac seems to be about half as bright on low as my E01....so their lumen claims must be close to what they claim. Very good product for the cost and a nice addition to my AAA collection.
I have racked my brain trying to figure out how they did it and can not figure it out.....the light is exactly 1/4th of an inch shorter than my LOD. Both have reflectors and tail springs with both also twisty activated. Maratac must have figured a way to make the circuit thinner as the reflectors between the LOD and Maratac look about the same depth.
The 3 levels on mine very closely match the LOD with the exception of low. The LOD is about twice as bright on low than the Maratac. The Maratac seems to be about half as bright on low as my E01....so their lumen claims must be close to what they claim. Very good product for the cost and a nice addition to my AAA collection.
patycake57
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2006
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I apologize as I've asked this question before, but I'm itching to pull the trigger based on the reviews coming in. Is there any noticable PWM on low? Thanks.
StandardBattery
Flashlight Enthusiast
OK Sorry I only have a few minutes right now, but more later.
First... the Size is very impressive, and it's a no crusher.
The reflector is considerably more shallow than a LD01, so expect less throw. I like the beam, quite a smooth hotspot, not like an LD01 with a really strong hotspot. Wider spill than LD01, high is close to Med on LD01, maybe a tad brighter. I used fresh eneloop in Maratac, and Lithium L9? in LD01 that's I've used for a couple months.
Emitter is not XR-E, but XP-E (although I'm no expert in emitter ID). I just check one sample and the tint was noticeably cooler than my LD01-SS, but not ugly, and quite acceptable to me. Instruction sheet says it's XR-E, but mine can't be XR-E.
The somewhat floody softer hotspot beam looks very good for close range EDC tasks.
The clip can move a bit if pressed. It's nice how they were able to incorporate the lanyard/keyring loop and a clip into the light, and both are removable. This makes it keychain or pocket carry... Nitecore take note.
Looks like they debated on the level sequence. It's Med-Low-High, but my instruction sheet says Med-Med-High ooops!! little typo there
I threw mine across the wood floor, it hit a metal desk, then old computer and skirted out into the other room and hit a few things. No problem, just the slightest ano chip bezel end, and a liitle paint off the clip.
I have to run now, thanks to all the others that entered their first impressions today.
I think we have a winner.
First... the Size is very impressive, and it's a no crusher.
The reflector is considerably more shallow than a LD01, so expect less throw. I like the beam, quite a smooth hotspot, not like an LD01 with a really strong hotspot. Wider spill than LD01, high is close to Med on LD01, maybe a tad brighter. I used fresh eneloop in Maratac, and Lithium L9? in LD01 that's I've used for a couple months.
Emitter is not XR-E, but XP-E (although I'm no expert in emitter ID). I just check one sample and the tint was noticeably cooler than my LD01-SS, but not ugly, and quite acceptable to me. Instruction sheet says it's XR-E, but mine can't be XR-E.
The somewhat floody softer hotspot beam looks very good for close range EDC tasks.
The clip can move a bit if pressed. It's nice how they were able to incorporate the lanyard/keyring loop and a clip into the light, and both are removable. This makes it keychain or pocket carry... Nitecore take note.
Looks like they debated on the level sequence. It's Med-Low-High, but my instruction sheet says Med-Med-High ooops!! little typo there
I threw mine across the wood floor, it hit a metal desk, then old computer and skirted out into the other room and hit a few things. No problem, just the slightest ano chip bezel end, and a liitle paint off the clip.
I have to run now, thanks to all the others that entered their first impressions today.
I think we have a winner.
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