Quark mini 123 to good to be true

[Rocketman]

Doesn't sound like an isolated case. Sounds like a POS to me.

Sounds to me like some manufacturing difficulties. Some are good, some are bad. For a light that turns on and off and mode switches using the head, I reckon the head should be sufficiently tight.

I'll stay clear of the mini 123 for now I suppose. Was actually looking at the Fenix and the Quark single cell lights for a key chain or pocket light. These threads are very valuable IMO. A bad light costs more than it's price tag. BTW I recommend return to the dealer if possible.

 

[Rocketman]

...The people with lemons tend to be very vocal...

We really don't know this.

 

[Saint_Dogbert]

We really don't know this.

Yeah, we do. People that are unhappy with a product are generally much more eager to express this than satisfied customers. Voluntary response bias in action.

Honestly, I don't think the Mini is wonderful. I like the beam pattern, knurling, and simplicity of design, but I'm not impressed by anything about it, except for the size and weight. My experience with the twisty nature of the interface has not been that great, for one. I'm also confused as to why 4sevens rates the AA mini at 90 lumens for 1.3 hours when it gets more like 60 lumens for 2 hours. I don't edc the mini as anything more than a backup light; my preference is for the Preon II clicky when I want a compact edc.

 

[hatman]

These are disturbing comments about a company I have come to trust and respect and whose lights I carry daily.

I would like to see a response from 4Sevens.

 

[tsask]

These are disturbing comments about a company I have come to trust and respect and whose lights I carry daily.
I would like to see a response from 4Sevens.

Thanks Hatman you saved me the time typing almost the exact same words.

I can be very hard on my lights with belt carry and keychain carry and in the case of the Quark 123, loose in my front pants pocket. I try not to drop them of course; yet they do get moved about quite a bit. I actually broke the attachment point on my Lummi Raw due to yanking it out of my pocket in a hurry. (Rob/Lummi took care of that within a week! yea!!)

I have carried the Quark CR123 in my pocket with no problems so far.
The white LED is a little greener than some others, yet not noticable used alone.

 

[eljuez]

These are disturbing comments about a company I have come to trust and respect and whose lights I carry daily.

I would like to see a response from 4Sevens.

There is(or was) a thread on thread play(no pun intended) in the 4 7s forum in the dealers section. There was a response from David.

 

[Dan FO]

Doesn't sound like an isolated case. Sounds like a POS to me.

Then I seriously suggest that you don't buy one. You can't satisfy someone who is predisposed to not being satisfied.

I have the 123 Mini Ti and have no complaints. I bought it because it is small. I have not found a smaller 123 and that was the prime reason I bought mine. Mine functions just how I expected it to and I am very satisfied.

 

[umc]

I have two Quark Mini 123's but I have only unboxed and used one so I can only speak about that one at this point but after reading this thread it makes me want to get the other one out and test it.

Anyway, I've had no issues what so ever with the one I'm currently using. There is a slight learning curve to the UI but nothing that can't be figured out in about 60 seconds.

I've been happy with mine so far and there is a good chance I'll be buying more in the future.

 

[007Runner]

Doesn't sound like an isolated case. Sounds like a POS to me.

Lots of people wrapped the threads in Teflon tape to try to fix the slop and mode bounce. These defects are not isolated cases.

Yet these people rave about how great this light is. I just don't understand how any flashoholic can recommend such a sad flashlight. I threw mine in the trash can.

I would have been embarrassed to have sold this POS. It was also my second mini replacement. The second was even worse then the first.

 

[dagored]

What EDC do you carry, sir? my EDC is also $500, but it is 5 RRT-0's. :laughing:

I think carrot's other light is a McGizmo Haiku. I could be wrong. Completely different category. Really!

 

[bigchelis]

Put an IMR 16340 in it. I have noticed that when underdriven the XP-G's are super green. Then when pushed hard and whallah, the tint turns white.

Be carefull if the IMR 16340 pushes it too hard then, you can tell if its too much because the tint will turn blue. Once it turns blue you know that is not the cell you want to use. Then you have try an AW CR123 li-on.

 

[koolranch]

My mini 123 works great I would be willing to sell it to you for 100usd? Let me know. Sometimes when you pay more for something you think that it is better, well at least psychologically. I would defiantly contact 4-7s they will back up there product.

 

[swxb12]

FWIW:

You also need to consider that thousands of mini's were sold - I'd say maybe a dozen contacted us about threads. There is a "fishbowl" effect in CPF - everyone starts to hyper-focus on some minute detail and obsess over it. Most of the ones sent back have no issue all.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3265133&postcount=883

 

[swxb12]

Personally, I think the price is a pretty competitive for what you get...Plus, given the length of warranty (for something at this price!) and fact that people have successfully returned/exchanged lights for non-defect issues such as tint only reinforces the feeling I get that perhaps 4Sevens as a brand deserves a benefit of the doubt when alarming threads like this ring.

 

[Woods Walker]

I am shocked any person can recommend this light from this forum.

The whole world doesn't revolve around one person.

 

[spackler]

I have bought 4 minis: 123, 2x123 warm, AA warm and the threads work fine and they are great :twothumbs

 

[ranger07]

I have 2 of them, and they both work very well. Gave one to my neighbor, and he loves it-says he uses it all the time. For the money it is a good product.

 

[IMSabbel]

Well, than i will add to the vocal minority:

I got 2 123s, both were bad and unreliable.
I send them back both
Got a replacement for the Ti one that was even worse.
Still waiting for a replacement for the limited edition 123.

There are two main issues with the mini series:
1. thread play. Gets a bigger problem the bigger the light diameter is, as tilting during turining will cause unreliable switching. Thats why it doesnt matter to bad in the AAs, but the 123s are unusable.

2. manufacturing tolerances: I meassured body and head of my Ti replacement. The threads are simply not long enough on the body. It _cannot_ make contact without being overtightened to the point of me being unable to turn it off without using some towels to enhance grip.

In addition, the contact issues are worse because of the very thin body of the 123 version. There are only two tiny areas on the pcb it can actually make contact.

 

[Casebrius]

My threads are tight, light is white and I have no issues. Guess I won the lottery!? I would recommend and buy again.

 

[JaguarDave-in-Oz]

here is the MiNi thread play poll thread on CPF marketplace. Some interesting comparisons there.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=211786

In that thread, regarding the Aluminium MiNi 123 in particular there were 53 respondents who claimed they had thread play issues and 28 that claimed they did not.

I have what I consider thread play issues with my ITP 123 A1 which is so very close to the quark that I think a remedy that works on one will work on the other and so I tried the teflon tape trick and it works beautifully. I don't use the torch a lot so I can't yet comment on how quickyl it wears through the tape enough to need re-wrapping but for now it certainly allows me to twist the head off by only a quarter of a turn to ensure it won't come on by pressing on the corner of the head and that's great compared to without the teflon tape where I've had to turn it more than a whole turn to achieve the same result.