The Quark MiNi AA, just as its name implies, is very small and light weight. It's made of aluminum and coated in black Type 3 anodizing. The head has a pretty simple design with a smooth bezel. Behind this is an AR-coated sapphire lens which allows better light transmission as compared to regular glass. A lightly textured reflectors focuses light from the LED which sits well-centered at the bottom of the reflector cup. The coating on the reflector is nicely polished and consistent with no noticeable flaws. The exterior of the head is mostly covered in diamond-textured knurling which provides ample grip which is good since the light is twist-activated. Viewed from the rear you can see the PCB with electrical contacts for the battery.

The battery tube continues its simple, cylindrical design. It's almost totally covered in knurling on the exterior, with a slightly raised section towards the rear end. There is also a small lanyard hole at the tail end for lanyard attachments. The flat end also allows the light to tail stand easily with no problems. Threads between the head and tail cap mate well and smoothly, no cross-threading or squeaking was experienced during testing. A well-lubricated rubber o-ring sits just behind the threads which provides a moisture seal. On the inside, the battery tube is cleanly finished and has a spring contact at the bottom which prevents the battery from rattling when the head is loosened while switched off.

If you're unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this review, click here for explanations on common flashlight related vocabulary.

The MiNi AA provides a total of 7 modes of output. From off position, switching it on presents the low output level. Subsequent off/on twists of the head within 2 seconds cycles through medium then high output levels. The remaining 4 output modes are strobe, S.O.S., beacon (hi) and beacon (lo). These are activated by going through 2 cycles of the low, medium and high output levels. So an overall sequence available is as follows:

Off > Low > Medium > High > Low > Medium > High > Strobe > S.O.S. > Beacon (Hi) > Beacon (Lo)

Take note that there is no memory functionality so it will always revert to the low output mode first after the light is left off for anything more than 2 seconds.

Beam profile provided produces a medium sized hot spot with a smooth corona tapering off to its spill beam. The beam is clean with no noticeable artifacts. The review sample has an almost pure white tint, leaning just slightly towards the cool side.The low and medium output levels are achieved by means of PWM, though the frequency used is high enough for it to not be noticeable in practical usage unless you intentionally wave the light around looking for signs of this. Tests produced a maximum output of 77 lumens on an AA cell which is slightly lower than the advertised 90 lumens. Although not specifically stated, the MiNi AA also unofficially supports the use of 3.7V 14500 li-ion cell. You can use a 14500 cell for low and medium levels without worry, however high should only be used continuously for less than 1 minute at a time although you do get a nice boost in output measured at 262 lumens. This is because the small body of the light is unable to effectively dissipate the heat at this high level. Prolonged activation of high output on a 14500 cell will lead to accelerated degradation of the LED over time. Runtime is good relative to its output, however regulation seems to drop off quite noticeably during the first 15 minutes when running on high mode, stabilizing at about 75% of initial output for most of the runtime.

The Good - Clean design and well-machined body. Respectable runtime performance. Compact and light weight.

The Bad - Output drops to about 75% rather quickly.

The Relative - Beam is clean with an almost pure white tint. Uses a twist switch. Is able to tail stand.