# The Quark lights thread! (Part 4)



## Badbeams3 (May 30, 2009)

_*[Continued from **Part 1* *, Part 2 and Part 3]*_


Announcing the new Quark lights...

10 year performance warranty!!!

Let`s try to keep this thread from getting closed down from nonsense 


Manufacture's link


----------



## passive101 (Jul 27, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*



Unforgiven said:


> There are a few threads on it in the 4sevens forum at the market place.



At first I thought it may have been a very bright flash. Bad if I don't want someone to know where I am working security at night and doing paper work. 

Then I saw how bright the pre flash really was and then I  I got all concerned over a non issue for me. I still can't wait for this light to get here. I really need to buy backups in the future. Not having a flashlight now sucks


----------



## Toohotruk (Jul 27, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*

Personally, the pre-flash doesn't bother me at all...in fact, I had my Q123 (+AA body) for a couple of weeks at the time and I never noticed it until I read about it at the CPFMP.


----------



## Lobo (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*

I know that the preflash is a pretty big issue here on CPF, but I don't get it. If it bothers you, there is such an easy fix, just cover the light in your hand etc when you turn it on.

A much bigger problem for me which nobody seems to care about is the startup voltage a circuit needs. Most lights can run for days on low but few people realise that it doesn't really matter if you can't turn your light on. For ex, if your battery is almost down and your running it on low and you turn it off cause you want to save battery, *you wont be able to turn on the light again* even though that the light would had continue to run for a couple of hours if you hadn't turned it off. In a survival situation this could be crucial. A direct driven light would had crammed all the juice out of that battery. Which makes me think that most runtime test on low levels are not that useful. At least that was the case with my old multi stage lights with circuits like Fenix L2D and Nitecore DI. Has that changed?


----------



## Toohotruk (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*



Lobo said:


> ...A much bigger problem for me which nobody seems to care about is the startup voltage a circuit needs. Most lights can run for days on low but few people realise that it doesn't really matter if you can't turn your light on. For ex, if your battery is almost down and your running it on low and you turn it off cause you want to save battery, *you wont be able to turn on the light again* even though that the light would had continue to run for a couple of hours if you hadn't turned it off. In a survival situation this could be crucial. A direct driven light would had crammed all the juice out of that battery. Which makes me think that most runtime test on low levels are not that useful. At least that was the case with my old multi stage lights with circuits like Fenix L2D and Nitecore DI. Has that changed?



Excellent point...that's something I've noticed with my own Fenix lights. Maybe that should be something included in reviews...both a constant runtime and intermittent, at least on Low. I suspect you get much less out of a battery using it intermittently.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*

With almost 30 days of run time on a 2x123A neutral LED I'm not going to be to concerned about a couple of hours.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*

I re-read the thread but haven't seen it yet.

For the 2x 123A model what will the battery and brightness difference actually be between neutral and standard? 

The only things I have heard is dimmer and shorter:shrug:


----------



## DM51 (Jul 28, 2009)

Part 3 reached 400 posts, so is continued here.


----------



## Egsise (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*



Lobo said:


> I know that the preflash is a pretty big issue here on CPF, but I don't get it. If it bothers you, there is such an easy fix, just cover the light in your hand etc when you turn it on.
> 
> A much bigger problem for me which nobody seems to care about is the startup voltage a circuit needs. Most lights can run for days on low but few people realise that it doesn't really matter if you can't turn your light on. For ex, if your battery is almost down and your running it on low and you turn it off cause you want to save battery, *you wont be able to turn on the light again* even though that the light would had continue to run for a couple of hours if you hadn't turned it off. In a survival situation this could be crucial. A direct driven light would had crammed all the juice out of that battery. Which makes me think that most runtime test on low levels are not that useful. At least that was the case with my old multi stage lights with circuits like Fenix L2D and Nitecore DI. Has that changed?



You mean that Quark working voltage is 0.9-4.2V, and if i leave my Quark AA on low it drains the battery below overdischarge protection which is at 0.9V?
Or do you mean that it needs more than 0.9V, if it needs, how much is it?
I have not noticed this kind of behaviour in my Fenix LD10, i need to run a few tests with it....


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 28, 2009)

I think we could find a scenario for any light that isn't perfect. For those using primary batteries having them sucked completely dry is no problem. However, for those using rechargables that is a problem. I personally like having the light maintain the same level of brightness on any given level for however long it can. That can be seen as a weakness in a "survival" situation but in others it is a Godsend. I have a couple of Fenix lights that just basically drop down in level to the closest they can regulate. For instance, if I am using turbo and the batts can't maintain regulation anymore it drops down to medium or low. I don't have my Quarks yet so I don't know how they will respond.


----------



## chaosmagnet (Jul 28, 2009)

My Quark 123 does not have the pre-flash issue.


----------



## Lobo (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*



Egsise said:


> You mean that Quark working voltage is 0.9-4.2V, and if i leave my Quark AA on low it drains the battery below overdischarge protection which is at 0.9V?
> Or do you mean that it needs more than 0.9V, if it needs, how much is it?
> I have not noticed this kind of behaviour in my Fenix LD10, i need to run a few tests with it....



I don't know about the working voltage of the Quark(or that many details at all), I just mentioned a problem I discovered on other multistage lights, and I guess that goes for all multistage lights(especially those with really really low levels). This is just an issue I remember when you guys brought up other "minor" issues. I don't remember at which voltage my light(think it was a L1D or NDI) but I remember that if I didn't turn the light off, it ran for a LONG time. But if I turned it off and tried to turn it on again, it refused. So the circuit needed more start up juice than it required to run the light. My thought was just that the runtimes could be very misgiving then(especially on lights that has REALLY low) since they will run a lot longer than it's actually practical(you can't turn the light on if it's off).

About the over discharge protection, I don't know if the Quark has that(I asked the same question in an earlier post). The 0,9 might just be the voltage the circuit requires to run the light and you will the battery down if you leave it?
And does the Quark step down in levels or does it just empty the battery and then don't work on low?



Mr. Tone said:


> I think we could find a scenario for any light that isn't perfect. For those using primary batteries having them sucked completely dry is no problem. However, for those using rechargables that is a problem. I personally like having the light maintain the same level of brightness on any given level for however long it can. That can be seen as a weakness in a "survival" situation but in others it is a Godsend. I have a couple of Fenix lights that just basically drop down in level to the closest they can regulate. For instance, if I am using turbo and the batts can't maintain regulation anymore it drops down to medium or low. I don't have my Quarks yet so I don't know how they will respond.


Oh, I know, there are scenarios when it's prefered that you can't suck your batteries dry. I'm just nitpicking, and was bringing up an "issue" many people don't think about. Personally, I would prefer if I could chose myself to turn of the battery. It would be ideal if there was a mode that was direct drive, and it was up to the user to care for the batteries. But this is as said just nitpicking. Overall I think the Quark seems to be a terrific light.


----------



## Egsise (Jul 28, 2009)

You were right, my LD10 refuses to start when it was on low, and i shut it, battery was almost empty the open circuit voltage was ~1.0V

On the other hand, overdischarge protection is something why i dont use 2xAA lights, they ruin rechargeable batteries easier than 1xAA lights.
There is always that Murphy dude who leaves my lights on until batteries are empty, or overdischarge protection is triggered....


----------



## Mikellen (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: The Quark lights thread! (Part 3)*



Mikellen said:


> I ordered within the first couple of hours that the warm tacticals became available and I didn't receive a shipping notice.
> Maybe tomorrow (I hope, I hope, I hope).


 
Just checked my e-mail and I got the "shipped" status! :twothumbs


----------



## BigBluefish (Jul 28, 2009)

Got a "shipped" notice on my 123 Tactical Neutral Tint, no clip, this morning. :thumbsup:


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 28, 2009)

> Got a "shipped" notice on my 123 Tactical Neutral Tint, no clip, this morning.


 +1. Will give an overall impression of it 24 hours after it has been in hand. It will be my first _*warm*_ tint and I am anxious to say the least.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 28, 2009)

Got my notice this morning too :twothumbs


----------



## ChoppedBroccoli (Jul 28, 2009)

For those that were wondering, I got my replacement 2xAA Quark today (first one had no visible output change between high and max) and the replacement fixed the problem.

The max is noticeably brighter now and its on par with my Fenix T1's max. I'd say the quark has a wider spill beam that is less intense than the T1, and the Quark is on par or brighter in the throw spot.

Very impressed with the light and happy that I can consolidate all my flashlight needs into this one light (camping, biking, around the house, and edc with the 1xAA tube).


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 28, 2009)

I think my returned order (to exchange for a Warm) got lost in the mail  I has been 8 days and 4Sevens hasn't received it. WTF USPS.


----------



## f22shift (Jul 28, 2009)

shipped. 6/24 order

they are moving pretty fast considering they just got it yesterday.


----------



## Inliner (Jul 28, 2009)

Shipped: 2xAA Std ordered on 07/14

:nana:


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 28, 2009)

Egsise said:


> You were right, my LD10 refuses to start when it was on low, and i shut it, battery was almost empty the open circuit voltage was ~1.0V
> 
> On the other hand, overdischarge protection is something why i dont use 2xAA lights, they ruin rechargeable batteries easier than 1xAA lights.
> There is always that Murphy dude who leaves my lights on until batteries are empty, or overdischarge protection is triggered....



I'm confused, how would overdischarge protection ruin batteries easier?


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 28, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> I'm confused, how would overdischarge protection ruin batteries easier?



The Quark 1xAA, 2xAA, 123 head (all the same head) does not drop to moon mode till .9 volts...not bad for 1 AA batt. But in a 2 AA light each batt would have dropped to .45 volts...not good for the batts to run down that low.


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 28, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> The Quark 1xAA, 2xAA, 123 head (all the same head) does not drop to moon mode till .9 volts...not bad for 1 AA batt. But in a 2 AA light each batt would have dropped to .45 volts...not good for the batts to run down that low.



Ah that makes sense. Thanks.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 28, 2009)

I got my shipping notice! I ordered a warm 1xAA regular and a warm 1xAA tactical. The anticipation has been killing me.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 28, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I got my shipping notice! I ordered a warm 1xAA regular and a warm 1xAA tactical. The anticipation has been killing me.



Have you got your 14500 batt charged and ready?


----------



## Biginboca (Jul 28, 2009)

I have a Warm 123 Tac and Warm 123x2 Tac on order and no shipping confirmation yet, but my pre-orders went in late maybe July 15th or so. So I am going to live vicariously through you guys who have warms coming in the next few days.

But there is one thing I don't see discussed about the quarks that for me was a major selling point. All the models feature saphire lenses! I can't find another light in that price range that offers this. I think that is a great feature for an EDC light, but maybe no one else agrees it's important?

I can't help but think that a light that's going to be dropped in a pocket every day with change and keys should have a virtually scratchproof lense. It's one reason I retired my EZAA in favor of my Quark AA. 

Maybe I am too anal, but having a perpetually blemish free lens just makes sense to me.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 28, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> Have you got your 14500 batt charged and ready?


 
I have to save up for some AW so I don't have any 14500 yet, just nimh.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 28, 2009)

Biginboca said:


> I have a Warm 123 Tac and Warm 123x2 Tac on order and no shipping confirmation yet, but my pre-orders went in late maybe July 15th or so. So I am going to live vicariously through you guys who have warms coming in the next few days.
> 
> But there is one thing I don't see discussed about the quarks that for me was a major selling point. All the models feature saphire lenses! I can't find another light in that price range that offers this. I think that is a great feature for an EDC light, but maybe no one else agrees it's important?
> 
> ...


 
I was wondering about that. I don't know anything about these lenses so I hope someone will _*enlighten*_ me. Does this mean that they are more scratch resistant? Any other advantages/disadvantages?


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 28, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I have to save up for some AW so I don't have any 14500 yet, just nimh.



I hear you brother  But it will be hard knowing it could be way brighter :naughty:


----------



## flatline (Jul 28, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> Have you got your 14500 batt charged and ready?



When I get my QAA, after I verify that everything works, I'll take the tail off, grab a jumper, and see what the max looks like with 2AA. If I decide that I need it, then I'll look into a charger and 2 14500 cells.

My wife is hoping that I'll be content with 90 torch lumens...


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 28, 2009)

Biginboca said:


> I have a Warm 123 Tac and Warm 123x2 Tac on order and no shipping confirmation yet, but my pre-orders went in late maybe July 15th or so. So I am going to live vicariously through you guys who have warms coming in the next few days.
> 
> But there is one thing I don't see discussed about the quarks that for me was a major selling point. All the models feature saphire lenses! I can't find another light in that price range that offers this. I think that is a great feature for an EDC light, but maybe no one else agrees it's important?
> 
> ...



Wow in all of the Quark threads, I have never before read that they have sapphire lenses. That's awesome to know they are scratch proof!

But how did you find this out anyway?


----------



## Biginboca (Jul 28, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Wow in all of the Quark threads, I have never before read that they have sapphire lenses. That's awesome to know they are scratch proof!
> 
> But how did you find this out anyway?


 
https://www.4sevens.com/quark/

Look at the chart at the bottom of the page under features. It's also on the item description page for each model on the 4sevens site.


----------



## Biginboca (Jul 28, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I was wondering about that. I don't know anything about these lenses so I hope someone will _*enlighten*_ me. Does this mean that they are more scratch resistant? Any other advantages/disadvantages?


 
Yes, significantly more scratch resistant. Synth Saphire is just below diamond in hardness. Actually more like second only to diamond. 

So in other words, in general use the lens should never scratch unless it comes into contact with a diamond ring or some other diamond tipped instrument.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 28, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Wow in all of the Quark threads, I have never before read that they have sapphire lenses. That's awesome to know they are scratch proof!
> 
> But how did you find this out anyway?



Sapphire lens with Anti Reflective coating. https://www.4sevens.com/quark/

Scroll down to the bottom and see "features". I can`t comment further as I know nothing about what make a good lens.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 28, 2009)

Biginboca said:


> Yes, significantly more scratch resistant. Synth Saphire is just below diamond in hardness. Actually more like second only to diamond.
> 
> So in other words, in general use the lens should never scratch unless it comes into contact with a diamond ring or some other diamond tipped instrument.



So the Quarks lens are only second best  I wonder what Surefire`s use.


----------



## Biginboca (Jul 28, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> So the Quarks lens are only second best  I wonder what Surefire`s use.


 
Well I think it's safe to say they are not using diamond lenses!


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 28, 2009)

Biginboca said:


> Well I think it's safe to say they are not using diamond lenses!



I wonder how well the anti reflective coating will hold up to scratches...


----------



## DM51 (Jul 28, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Don't forget to close this thread...


LOL, thx for pointing that out... it's the 2nd one I've forgotten to close this week :duh2: ! Fortunately, Unforgiven dealt with it soon after you posted.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 28, 2009)

Biginboca said:


> Yes, significantly more scratch resistant. Synth Saphire is just below diamond in hardness. Actually more like second only to diamond.
> 
> So in other words, in general use the lens should never scratch unless it comes into contact with a diamond ring or some other diamond tipped instrument.


 
Wow, I'm impressed. Looks like our Quarks will be there for the long haul.:twothumbs


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 28, 2009)

flatline said:


> When I get my QAA, after I verify that everything works, I'll take the tail off, grab a jumper, and see what the max looks like with 2AA. If I decide that I need it, then I'll look into a charger and 2 14500 cells.
> 
> My wife is hoping that I'll be content with 90 torch lumens...


 
That's a very good idea. I will have to try the same thing. If it is like my Fenix lights then it is a noticeable difference but not huge by any means.


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 28, 2009)

Biginboca said:


> Yes, significantly more scratch resistant. Synth Saphire is just below diamond in hardness. Actually more like second only to diamond.
> 
> So in other words, in general use the lens should never scratch unless it comes into contact with a diamond ring or some other diamond tipped instrument.



That's awesome! I can't imagine the lens ever coming in contact with diamond for my purposes.



Badbeams3 said:


> I wonder how well the anti reflective coating will hold up to scratches...



I imagine the anti-reflective coating is on the INSIDE of the lens, as it wouldn't make any sense to have it on the outside.


----------



## 4sevens (Jul 28, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> I imagine the anti-reflective coating is on the INSIDE of the lens, as it wouldn't make any sense to have it on the outside.


Bingo. AR on the inside. Sapphire on the outside.


----------



## mossyoak (Jul 28, 2009)

4sevens said:


> Bingo. AR on the inside. Sapphire on the outside.



another thing about the light i like... david did you get my email by chance?


----------



## Toohotruk (Jul 28, 2009)

4sevens said:


> Bingo. AR on the inside. Sapphire on the outside.



OK, OK...that's one of the few details about this light that I missed...I will start using it at work like we talked about at the OR show! :nana:

Maybe I can convince some of my coworkers to get one. :shrug:

I tried it on one of those retractable reels you can put on your belt that you mentioned, and it works pretty well. I'll keep it in my pocket most of the time, and when I'm near one of those "bottomless pits" I told you about, I'll clip it on the reel line...just in case. :thumbsup:


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 28, 2009)

Toohotruk said:


> OK, OK...that's one of the few details about this light that I missed...I will start using it at work like we talked about at the OR show! :nana:
> 
> Maybe I can convince some of my coworkers to get one. :shrug:
> 
> I tried it on one of those retractable reels you can put on your belt that you mentioned, and it works pretty well. I'll keep it in my pocket most of the time, and when I'm near one of those "bottomless pits" I told you about, I'll clip it on the reel line...just in case. :thumbsup:



I like this idea, are you using an ordinary ID badge kind or are there stronger ones?


----------



## Toohotruk (Jul 28, 2009)

The ones I have are the ID badge variety, but the spring seems a little stronger than most I've seen. I'm not sure where they came up with them, there's no brand name or anything on them, the ones I have are both black.

I can't take credit for the idea, QuarkMaster David mentioned it as a possibility when I met with him last week. 

Maybe he could carry some as official Quark accessories on the 7777 site...


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 28, 2009)

I think I have an ID badge one somewhere, thanks. There are a lot of varieties online, I really like the carabiner ones.

QuarkMaster D - sounds like a rapper's name.


----------



## hiker123 (Jul 29, 2009)

4sevens said:


> Bingo. AR on the inside. Sapphire on the outside.



So what is the lens made of? Plexiglass or ordinary glass or synthetic sapphire? The wording confused me [easy enough =P] as it sounds like it might be a coating.

I believe synthetic sapphire is brittle though so it could shatter.

AR coating on the outside would have been bad, that stuff is so easy to smudge and hard to clean.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 29, 2009)

hiker123 said:


> So what is the lens made of? Plexiglass or ordinary glass or synthetic sapphire? The wording confused me [easy enough =P] as it sounds like it might be a coating.
> 
> I believe synthetic sapphire is brittle though so it could shatter.
> 
> AR coating on the outside would have been bad, that stuff is so easy to smudge and hard to clean.



He means bare sapphire on the outside.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 29, 2009)

Sapphire lens on this light as well! 

Now it's going to be a beautiful piece of jewelry like a fine watch. IIIA hardened, multi use tool, built like a multi tool, and pretty as a wine watch in the business end :naughty::twothumbs


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

Oh goody.... pre-ordered ltd editions are in! Patiently waiting.... 

DQuark


----------



## passive101 (Jul 29, 2009)

I have a 2x 123A Quark coming my way at some point. What would the specs be if I ran it of 2AA alkaline batteries? 

If that isn't possible maybe I need a single AA Quark for just in case I don't have access to 123A batteries at some point. Or one to keep in the car or where ever 

OMG I've only been back on this board actively for a little bit and now I might buy a 2nd flashlight.


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

passive101 said:


> I have a 2x 123A Quark coming my way at some point. What would the specs be if I ran it of 2AA alkaline batteries?
> 
> If that isn't possible maybe I need a single AA Quark for just in case I don't have access to 123A batteries at some point. Or one to keep in the car or where ever
> 
> OMG I've only been back on this board actively for a little bit and now I might buy a 2nd flashlight. Son of a ..............



The 123-2 is incredible running on a 17670 li-ion. One of my most favorite flashlights!

May I suggest getting a Quark AA light also, and a 123 body as an accessory. Then you'll be able to run the heads on all the bodies with pretty much any major cell configuration available (17670, 2x123, 2xRCR123, 14500, AA NiMH, AA L91 lithium, AA alkaline, 123, and RCR123)! Just don't drive the .9-4.2v head (the one that comes on the AA) with two cells! Other than that, you can run anything I've listed together.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 29, 2009)

DHart said:


> The 123-2 is incredible running on a 17670 li-ion. One of my most favorite flashlights!
> 
> May I suggest getting a Quark AA light also, and a 123 body as an accessory. Then you'll be able to run the heads on all the bodies with pretty much any major cell configuration available (17670, 2x123, 2xRCR123, 14500, AA NiMH, AA L91 lithium, AA alkaline, 123, and RCR123)! Just don't drive the .9-4.2v head (the one that comes on the AA) with two cells! Other than that, you can run anything I've listed together.



I don't have any rechargables so at least for now I'd only be dealing with cells I can buy as primaries.


----------



## digitaleos (Jul 29, 2009)

Quark tactical tailcaps and 123x2 bodies are now for sale at 4sevens.


----------



## Lobo (Jul 29, 2009)

The Quark has saphire glass? Seriously? How come I can't get saphire glass on a 200 dollar watch but on a 60 dollar light? This is awesome by Quark!



DHart said:


> The 123-2 is incredible running on a 17670 li-ion. One of my most favorite flashlights!



Just curious why the 123-2 would run better on a single li-on than the regular head, which was made for a single li-ion? Does it run longer or brighter?
Man, don't start to make me consider buying a 123-2 as well!


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 29, 2009)

Lobo said:


> The Quark has saphire glass? Seriously? How come I can't get saphire glass on a 200 dollar watch but on a 60 dollar light? This is awesome by Quark!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The 123x2 head is rated slightly brighter than the others at 190 vs 170. In addition it drops to moon mode at a higher voltage (3 volt vs .9 volts)...protecting the Li-ion batt better. And further the 123x2 body can run on the 17670 li-batt, giving you a long run time. If you plan on running Li-ion 123, 14500 or 17670 batts the 123x2 head makes better sense than the standard. 

And without having any facts, but using a %20 drop in brightness a 123x2 neutral white head should put out around 153 lumen. Compared to a regular neutral white head at 136 lumen. Of course if you don`t plan on using LI-ion batts in a 123, 2xAA or AA body you must use a standard head...for example, a 123x2 head with 2xAA batts would not work...moon mode only. 

So for another example you could run a 14500 batt (AA body) with a 123x2 head and have 153 lumen compared to 14500 batt with a standard head at 136 lumen...and have better Li-ion batt protection...not sure about runtime.

Don`t know if this makes any sense and is based on some guess work too.

I wish the 123x2 heads were sold seperatly.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 29, 2009)

digitaleos said:


> Quark tactical tailcaps and 123x2 bodies are now for sale at 4sevens.



Thanks for the heads up! Tailcap is on it`s way...more lego stuff :naughty:


----------



## bodhran (Jul 29, 2009)

This may be a dumb question, but is the tactical tialcap all that's required to get the tactical UI?:duh2:


----------



## passive101 (Jul 29, 2009)

bodhran said:


> This may be a dumb question, but is the tactical tialcap all that's required to get the tactical UI?:duh2:



The electronics are in the head of this light, but the tail lights can be switched.

My light shipped today


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 29, 2009)

Yay! My light "shipped" but has not been picked up by USPS yet.


----------



## Biginboca (Jul 29, 2009)

passive101 said:


> My light shipped today


 
Me too :thumbsup:

By the weekend I will own 5 flashlights total, and 3 of those 5 are Quarks! Time to charge the batteries...


----------



## chaosmagnet (Jul 29, 2009)

digitaleos said:


> Quark tactical tailcaps and 123x2 bodies are now for sale at 4sevens.


----------



## wapkil (Jul 29, 2009)

hiker123 said:


> So what is the lens made of? Plexiglass or ordinary glass or synthetic sapphire? The wording confused me [easy enough =P] as it sounds like it might be a coating.



I'm not sure about the meaning either but I think that sapphire coating could be almost as expensive as sapphire glass so it should be sapphire. Either way, if the lens can be removed it should be easy to check - sapphire glass should weight around two times more than mineral glass so one would only need to weight and measure it.


----------



## Lobo (Jul 29, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> The 123x2 head is rated slightly brighter than the others at 190 vs 170. In addition it drops to moon mode at a higher voltage (3 volt vs .9 volts)...protecting the Li-ion batt better. And further the 123x2 body can run on the 17670 li-batt, giving you a long run time. If you plan on running Li-ion 123, 14500 or 17670 batts the 123x2 head makes better sense than the standard.
> 
> And without having any facts, but using a %20 drop in brightness a 123x2 neutral white head should put out around 153 lumen. Compared to a regular neutral white head at 136 lumen. Of course if you don`t plan on using LI-ion batts in a 123, 2xAA or AA body you must use a standard head...for example, a 123x2 head with 2xAA batts would not work...moon mode only.
> 
> ...



Thanks for sorting that out for me.

Damn, I should probably stop asking things here. Every time I get an answer I want to buy another light... 
Running the 123x2 head with a 14500(the sweetspot for me when it comes to size, output and runtime) is very tempting.


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

Lobo said:


> Running the 123x2 head with a 14500(the sweetspot for me when it comes to size, output and runtime) is very tempting.



That is a nice set-up. Of course the 123-2 really isn't much longer and with the 17670 you get so much more runtime! Both are awesome set-ups though.


----------



## Linger (Jul 29, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> The 123x2 head is rated slightly brighter than the others at 190 vs 170.



at +6v input. It's only brighter with two cells, the head is not intrinsically brighter or more efficient.

Sad to say that makes the rest of your guess work off as well. IIRC any quark head with a single cell should produce comparable output.

-Linger


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

linger said:


> at +6v input. It's only brighter with two cells, the head is not intrinsically brighter or more efficient.
> 
> IIRC any quark head with a single cell should produce comparable output.



Agreed. For the most part, either Quark head is a great choice with a single li-ion... but the 3v-8.4v head is needed if one wants to run with two li-ions, or two CR123s however. 

For myself, the slightly higher output with two RCR123s isn't significant, especially since I prefer to run my 123-2s with a single 17670. Cool thing is that you can run either head on the 123-2 body with a 17670!


----------



## hiker123 (Jul 29, 2009)

wapkil said:


> I'm not sure about the meaning either but I think that sapphire coating could be almost as expensive as sapphire glass so it should be sapphire. Either way, if the lens can be removed it should be easy to check - sapphire glass should weight around two times more than mineral glass so one would only need to weight and measure it.


The following line is from 4sevens marketing: "Sapphire, AR coated lens."
I read this to mean sapphire coating on the outside of mineral glass? and AR coating on the inside. I don't read it as a sapphire lens with AR coating on the inside. Though it could be read the later way.

I _believe_ it would be better to coat mineral glass as it is less prone to shattering when dropped. I was just curious how it was actually made. Maybe 4sevens will fill us in on this small detail.
Cheers


----------



## wapkil (Jul 29, 2009)

DHart said:


> linger said:
> 
> 
> > at +6v input. It's only brighter with two cells, the head is not intrinsically brighter or more efficient.
> ...



I think there is something I don't understand but in selfbuilt's tests the (replacement) Quark 123-2 ran as bright with a 17670 as with two RCR123s. If a 14500 cell could maintain sufficiently high voltage, shouldn't it work in the way that Badbeams3 proposed?


----------



## wapkil (Jul 29, 2009)

hiker123 said:


> The following line is from 4sevens marketing: "Sapphire, AR coated lens."
> I read this to mean sapphire coating on the outside of mineral glass? and AR coating on the inside. I don't read it as a sapphire lens with AR coating on the inside.
> 
> I _believe_ it would be better to coat mineral glass as it is less prone to shattering when dropped. I was just curious how it was actually made. Maybe 4sevens will fill us in on this small detail.
> Cheers



For some reason I just thought that it would be hard and expensive to find a sapphire coated glass in China (does any light use a sapphire coated lens?). Obviously I agree that David is the person who knows best


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

Posting for convenient reference re: runtimes:

=============14500======Eneloop AA======L91 Lithium
Q AA on turbo.........46 min............1 hr. 12 min.............2 hrs. 1 min.
Q AA on High........3 hr. 2 min........1 hr. 30 min.
Q AA on Medium..........................12 hr. 25 min.

=============RCR123=====CR123
Q 123 on turbo.........30 min............41 min.
Q 123 on High..........2 hr. 10 min.....3 hr. 3 min.
Q 123 on Medium....10 hr. 28 min.

==============17670=======2*RCR123======2*CR123
Q 123-2 on turbo.....1 hr. 45 min.........1 hr. 14 min.........1 hr. 52 min.
Q 123-2 on High......6 hr. 7 min....................................7 hr. 52 min.

===========

As for brightness, selfbuilt reports that the 123-2 head running on a single 17670 or two CR123's does put out about 5% higher output than the .9v-4.2v head does. And on two RC123's, the 123-2 head puts out about another 5% more. A 5% difference (even a 10% difference) is not likely to be discerned to the human eye.

The 3v-9v 123-2 head uses a buck only circuit, which is likely more efficient, perhaps making for slightly higher output than the .9v-4.2v head, which has a buck/boost circuit.

If you want the most brightness possible from a Quark, that is obtainable only with a 123-2 running on two RCR123's. If you can live with a slightly lower max output, you will gain immense runtime by running the 123-2 on a 17670.

To be able to run a Quark on high for a little over 6 hours on a single rechargeable li-ion is fantastic... that's what you get with the 123-2 on a 17670! Speculating here, but on _medium_ you may see a runtime possibly as long as 30 hours! Gotta love that! :twothumbs


----------



## wapkil (Jul 29, 2009)

DHart said:


> [...]
> 
> As for brightness, selfbuilt reports that the 123-2 head running on a single 17670 or two CR123's does put out about 5% higher output than the .9v-4.2v head does. And on two RC123's, the 123-2 head puts out about another 5% more. A 5% difference (even a 10% difference) is not likely to be discerned to the human eye.
> 
> [...]



I'm not sure if you were answering my question but the most interesting part of Badbeams3's idea of using a 123-2 head on a AA body was the possibility to get some king of "overdischarge protection" this way. I'd say that a 5% difference in brightness is rather irrelevant - not only it cannot be seen by the human eye but also differences between emitters in the measured heads can lead to higher output variations.


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

wapkil... no I wasn't addressing the overdischarge protection questions... just posting some easy to reference data for comparing the outputs and runtimes of the head/cell combinations. 

I really don't know how the two heads would differ with regard to overdischarge protection when running a single li-ion cell. Does someone here have that info readily available? If it's here already, I must admit I haven't been paying much attention to that aspect and have overlooked it... sorry.


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 29, 2009)

> Then you'll be able to run the heads on all the bodies with pretty much any major cell configuration available (17670, 2x123, *2xRCR123*, 14500, AA NiMH, AA L91 lithium, AA alkaline, 123, and RCR123)!


 I thought running two RCR's in any light was a _no-no_. Something about possible mismatched voltages???


----------



## wapkil (Jul 29, 2009)

DHart said:


> wapkil... no I wasn't addressing the overdischarge protection questions... just posting some easy to reference data for comparing the outputs and runtimes of the head/cell combinations.
> 
> I really don't know how the two heads would differ with regard to overdischarge protection when running a single li-ion cell. Does someone here have that info readily available? If it's here already, I must admit I haven't been paying much attention to that aspect and have overlooked it... sorry.



Well, I think sometimes even DQuark can be excused for overlooking something :nana:

As for the runtimes - if you got the data from selfbuilt's reviews, I think that you missed the 123-2 head that selfbuilt got to replace the first (faulty) one. I don't know if there were other differences but it ran with RCRs for 1h 14min (instead of 17 min) on turbo.


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

wapkil said:


> Well, I think sometimes even DQuark can be excused for overlooking something :nana:
> 
> As for the runtimes - if you got the data from selfbuilt's reviews, I think that you missed the 123-2 head that selfbuilt got to replace the first (faulty) one. I don't know if there were other differences but it ran with RCRs for 1h 14min (instead of 17 min) on turbo.



Yes... thank you! I forgot to update the table with selfbuilt's new data for that head!


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

pobox1475 said:


> I thought running two RCR's in any light was a _no-no_. Something about possible mismatched voltages???



Running two lithium primaries together or two li-ions together in a flashlight can be just fine (if the cells are well matched) OR VERY risky (potentially very dangerous!!!) if the voltages are not well matched. This is one reason why I choose to run almost every light I have (with one exception, which does require two li-ions) with a single li-ion. In the Q123-2, for example, I run a single 17670 rather than two primaries or two li-ions. Another nice benefit here is that the runtime is even better with the 17670 and I only have to deal with using, carrying, recharging one cell, not two.

Many, many people run two lithium primaries or two li-ions together in flashlights all the time without incident, but you must be aware of the potential hazards of lithium and li-ion cells and use them/charge them in the proper manner or you may well regret it. Essentially, never run two lithium or li-ion cells together unless they are well matched for usage/voltage. Do NOT match a used cell with a new one... that's a receipe for a potential meltdown you will definitely _*not*_ appreciate!


----------



## flatline (Jul 29, 2009)

wapkil said:


> I'm not sure if you were answering my question but the most interesting part of Badbeams3's idea of using a 123-2 head on a AA body was the possibility to get some king of "overdischarge protection" this way. I'd say that a 5% difference in brightness is rather irrelevant - not only it cannot be seen by the human eye but also differences between emitters in the measured heads can lead to higher output variations.



Seems like that would only make a difference if you're running unprotected cells. Or am I missing something?

--flatline


----------



## Biginboca (Jul 29, 2009)

flatline said:


> Seems like that would only make a difference if you're running unprotected cells. Or am I missing something?
> 
> --flatline


 
Probably just the idea that "protected" cells shouldn't be trusted to always be protected. From what I gather the cell's protection can fail, so having another first line of defense built into the light helps to prolong the cell life and safety.


----------



## crockett (Jul 29, 2009)

I'm looking at picking up the quark. Still on the fence if I'd like the tactical more or the standard version. 

Anyway, my question is about the heads.

Do I understand it right that if I order the Quark 123-2 and a Quark 123 body, then I essentially have two lights in one?

I can run it as a Quark 123 no clip with a single RCR123A?
I can also run it as a Quark 123-2 with a clip on (2) RCR123A's or (1) 17670?

If this works, am I making any compromises by using the 123-2 head on a single RCR123A battery?

Also, it wouldn't work if I first bought the Quark 123 and then tried to add the 123-2 body because the head couldn't handle the higher voltage from two batteries. Correct?

Finally, for current owners. Talk to me about the UIs...do you hate the tactical UI. It just seems like you'd constantly be programming and reprogramming the light as your situation changes. To me it seems like I'd like the button on the tactical light but the standard UI.


----------



## digitaleos (Jul 29, 2009)

I have both and I'm pretty sure I prefer the tactical tailcap on the regular Quark. YMMV :green:


----------



## bcwang (Jul 29, 2009)

DHart said:


> If you want the most brightness possible from a Quark, that is obtainable only with a 123-2 running on two RCR123's. If you can live with a slightly lower max output, you will gain immense runtime by running the 123-2 on a 17670.



Does that mean you can run the 123-2 head with a 2AA body and 2 14500 cells and get brighter output and longer runtime than any other combination?

What exactly about a 18650 cell doesn't fit in the quark? Is it too fat or too short? They seem to have quite a lot more capacity than a 17670.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 29, 2009)

digitaleos said:


> I have both and I'm pretty sure I prefer the tactical tailcap on the regular Quark. YMMV :green:



Does this allow momentary on the regular quarks? 

Which one of the switches is more durable?


----------



## digitaleos (Jul 29, 2009)

passive101 said:


> Does this allow momentary on the regular quarks?
> 
> Which one of the switches is more durable?




Yes it allows for momentary on the regular Quarks. As far as durability goes, that has yet to be determined.:shrug:


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 29, 2009)

bcwang said:


> Does that mean you can run the 123-2 head with a 2AA body and 2 14500 cells and get brighter output and longer runtime than any other combination?
> 
> What exactly about a 18650 cell doesn't fit in the quark? Is it too fat or too short? They seem to have quite a lot more capacity than a 17670.



Interesting...2 14500 would work...and as Dhart has pointed out 2 li-ion batts would be the brightest setup...but I`m not sure about runtime...might beat a 17670...for sure should beat 2 123 li-ion`s. But as Dhart also pointed out...very little increase in brightness over...a 17670, 14500 or 123 li-ion...and not nearly as safe...

Also if the built into the batt protection failed...and all you had left was the head protection dropping at 3 volts...not good...each batt would have been run down to 1.5 volts...way to low...

I would rather see folks go with single Li-batt setups...have to second Dhart`s opinion...just not worth the risk for a 5% gain.

Regarding the 18650...wouldn`t that be nice! But I think they are to fat.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 29, 2009)

I use 123x2 for longer run times. I don't recharge batteries. If I'm out in the middle of nowhere or need longer light I may not have access to other batteries and 123x2 runs longer then 123x1.

Someone should make a single cell lithium that is the size of 2 123A batteries. People like myself and other people who need lights for duty would buy them if they were safer. They would have to be as bright and run at least as long though. Is there any reason a company doesn't just make a cell that is the size of 2x123? 

2x the run time as a single cell light seals the deal for me. It's also a better size as a single cell is hard to hold especially if you are wearing gloves.


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 29, 2009)

> Talk to me about the UIs...do you hate the tactical UI. It just seems like you'd constantly be programming and reprogramming the light as your situation changes.


 Have not gotten my Quark standard yet, but have used a NEX extensively that basically has two levels like a Quark Tac. Tight bezel is max and loose is user defined lower mode. If you are one who likes varing intensities of output (moon, low, mid, etc...) then go with a standard. The Tac version _IMO_ is good for someone who uses the light for duties that only require a couple settings and mostly require high output. With my NEX I probably use the lower of the two 70% of the time which is why I jumped on the standard Quark. Wish the blinking modes could be hidden, but as is usually don't have to touch them as they are positioned at the end of the cycle. As a second light a Tac makes sense to me. Just my _personal_ $0.02.


----------



## mbiraman (Jul 29, 2009)

DHart said:


> Posting for convenient reference re: runtimes:
> 
> =============14500======Eneloop AA======L91 Lithium
> Q AA on turbo.........46 min............1 hr. 12 min.............2 hrs. 1 min.
> ...



Nice chart Dhart. What's the lumin output of the L91 lithium on turbo?


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 29, 2009)

2 hour turbo runtime on L91 lithium AAs? That's BADASS!


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 29, 2009)

DHart said:


> Posting for convenient reference re: runtimes:
> 
> =============14500======Eneloop AA======L91 Lithium
> Q AA on turbo.........46 min............1 hr. 12 min.............2 hrs. 1 min.
> ...



Wouldn't it be possible to run 2x L91s in the Quark AA^2? The voltage would only be 3.0v. I wonder how that would compare to the 123^2.

DHart, can you give us a High runtime please for the L91? I bet it is superior to the 123^2 on Primaries.


----------



## DHart (Jul 29, 2009)

Another MAJOR reason I just use li-ion in all of my lights that can run them... you always start out with freshly charged batteries! If you use primaries... each time you use the light, the cells are weaker... and they get to the point where you don't want to rely on them even though they still have useful life. Then you need to either try to find a way to use them up some other way or toss 'em... what a waste. With li-ions, you get awesome performance, can start every day with fresh cells, and you can use 'm'em over and over and over and over! Gotta LOVE that!



mbiraman said:


> Nice chart Dhart. What's the lumin output of the L91 lithium on turbo?



mbiraman.... I don't happen to have a room temp L91 on hand (I keep them all in cool storage for emergency/backup), but I'm confident that the output of the QAA on an L91 would be comparable to performance with NiMH... 4.0EV vs. 4.8EV on li-ion (from my ceiling bounce tests). That is, the QAA on a 14500 cell is about 80% brighter than running on the NiMH.


----------



## bcwang (Jul 29, 2009)

passive101 said:


> Someone should make a single cell lithium that is the size of 2 123A batteries. People like myself and other people who need lights for duty would buy them if they were safer. They would have to be as bright and run at least as long though. Is there any reason a company doesn't just make a cell that is the size of 2x123?



I think the 17670 is the size of 2-123a batteries. In fact, I thought the 18650 was the size of 2 123a batteries for a while until I read it wouldn't fit this light.


----------



## Toohotruk (Jul 29, 2009)

I think he's talking about primary Lithium batteries.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 29, 2009)

bcwang said:


> I think the 17670 is the size of 2-123a batteries. In fact, I thought the 18650 was the size of 2 123a batteries for a while until I read it wouldn't fit this light.



I believe he means a primary cell, not rechargeable.


----------



## CaNo (Jul 29, 2009)

Any talk of a Quark with a Piston Drive? I'm sure adding a PD on these already phenomenal lights will boost some cosmetic points that the Quarks are lacking. Aside from its almost flawless performance... cosmetically, the Quark is not as attractive as per say... a Nitecore D10, Ra Clicky, etc. It just doesn't have that sophisticated feel in your hand, like the two mentioned above... anyways just my 2 cents.

But just imagine... instead of clicking a rubber clicky on your Quark, you are clicking a Piston Drive...  

Maybe the tactical versions should of came with a PD... since in a tactical low profile, situation... the Quarks clicky is quite loud, and the PD is extremely silent... (kind of like the late night/early morning mission to the bathroom without waking up the significant other :tired: lol)


----------



## Toohotruk (Jul 29, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> I believe he means a primary cell, not rechargeable.




Ha! Beat ya! just barely! :nana:


----------



## mbiraman (Jul 29, 2009)

DHart said:


> Another MAJOR reason I just use li-ion in all of my lights that can run them... you always start out with freshly charged batteries! If you use primaries... each time you use the light, the cells are weaker... and they get to the point where you don't want to rely on them even though they still have useful life. Then you need to either try to find a way to use them up some other way or toss 'em... what a waste. With li-ions, you get awesome performance, can start every day with fresh cells, and you can use 'm'em over and over and over and over! Gotta LOVE that!
> 
> 
> 
> mbiraman.... I don't happen to have a room temp L91 on hand (I keep them all in cool storage for emergency/backup), but I'm confident that the output of the QAA on an L91 would be comparable to performance with NiMH... 4.0EV vs. 4.8EV on li-ion (from my ceiling bounce tests). That is, the QAA on a 14500 cell is about 80% brighter than running on the NiMH.



Thanks Dhart. What i was wondering was if i could twofish the Quark AA on my bike helmet and have enough lumin output to ride for an hr at about 16mph


----------



## hiker123 (Jul 29, 2009)

=============14500======Eneloop AA======L91 Lithium======Alkaline
Q AA on turbo.........46 min............1 hr. 12 min.............2 hrs. 1 min............38 min.
Q AA on High........3 hr. 2 min........1 hr. 30 min
Q AA on Medium..........................12 hr. 25 min.

=============14500======Eneloop AA======L91 Lithium======Alkaline
Q AA-2 on turbo............................1 hr. 5 min.............1 hrs. 41 min...........32 min.
Q AA-2 on High.............................4 hr. 53 min.

Numbers from here

Well if you're going to run on turbo buy the QAA, but on the lower modes it looks like the QAA-2 will get you more run time. 4Sevens specs on the QAA give 6 hours on medium, big difference (but I don't know what those numbers are based on). It would be nice if these charts were filled in fully though.
It is way easier to look at the graphs like that *DHart*!
Cheers


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 29, 2009)

mbiraman said:


> Thanks Dhart. What i was wondering was if i could twofish the Quark AA on my bike helmet and have enough lumin output to ride for an hr at about 16mph



You would have enough runtime, but weither it'd be enough output for you personally, is hard for anyone to say but you. I myself use the 55 lumen mode of my Eagletac P100A2 for biking and that's usually all I need.



Toohotruk said:


> Ha! Beat ya! just barely! :nana:



Not sure how, but you cheated :nana:


----------



## mbiraman (Jul 29, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> You would have enough runtime, but weither it'd be enough output for you personally, is hard for anyone to say but you. I myself use the 55 lumen mode of my Eagletac P100A2 for biking and that's usually all I need.
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure how, but you cheated :nana:



Thanks Defloyd


----------



## Toohotruk (Jul 30, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> ...Not sure how, but you cheated :nana:



I'll never tell... :devil:


----------



## Lobo (Jul 30, 2009)

CaNo said:


> Any talk of a Quark with a Piston Drive? I'm sure adding a PD on these already phenomenal lights will boost some cosmetic points that the Quarks are lacking. Aside from its almost flawless performance... cosmetically, the Quark is not as attractive as per say... a Nitecore D10, Ra Clicky, etc. It just doesn't have that sophisticated feel in your hand, like the two mentioned above... anyways just my 2 cents.
> 
> But just imagine... instead of clicking a rubber clicky on your Quark, you are clicking a Piston Drive...
> 
> Maybe the tactical versions should of came with a PD... since in a tactical low profile, situation... the Quarks clicky is quite loud, and the PD is extremely silent... (kind of like the late night/early morning mission to the bathroom without waking up the significant other :tired: lol)



That would be a KILLER light for me!
The main attraction point with the Quark for me is the beam, throw and output. Is there any other single AA lights out there with the XP-E? That led seems ideal for smaller reflectors. And the main attraction with the D10 is the superb UI(although adding memory for customized level after using shortcut to low/hi would be perfection), reliability of the piston switch, smaller size and last but not least, incredible aestethics of the D10. The Quarks are by no means ugly(especially without the clip) but they don't have that special feeling that makes you want it just by looking at it.
Combining this together into one light would be AMAZING for me.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 30, 2009)

I personally don't care for the looks of piston drives and as for their reliability, I seem to recall people on here with a few problems with them (I'll search for the source in a minute). I'm not one for bling, in fact, I'm the anti-bling. I'll take my black rubber boot, thanks. Or maybe the blue one they had on the prototype Quarks. Or gray. Plain ol' charcoal gray or possibly the same color as the lanyard.


----------



## Lobo (Jul 30, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> I personally don't care for the looks of piston drives and as for their reliability, I seem to recall people on here with a few problems with them (I'll search for the source in a minute). I'm not one for bling, in fact, I'm the anti-bling. I'll take my black rubber boot, thanks. Or maybe the blue one they had on the prototype Quarks. Or gray. Plain ol' charcoal gray or possibly the same color as the lanyard.



Did not know that the pistons had reliability issues. Thought that was the main reason to use piston? 
And that's exactly why I like the looks of the D10, it's so ANTIbling(I'm not talking about the tailcap). It has a straight forward clean nononsense design, and there is a beauty in that.


----------



## wapkil (Jul 30, 2009)

Biginboca said:


> flatline said:
> 
> 
> > Seems like that would only make a difference if you're running unprotected cells. Or am I missing something?
> ...



You are right but most importantly (at least for me) almost all protected batteries have the cutoff voltage set to a level with which running them until the protection intervenes slowly kills the cell.


----------



## wapkil (Jul 30, 2009)

hiker123 said:


> 4Sevens specs on the QAA give 6 hours on medium, big difference (but I don't know what those numbers are based on).



I believe this is simply an error in the specification. With the current consumed by the Quark AA on medium it should run for more than 12 hours and it turned out that it did run for more than 12 hours for everyone who measured it.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 30, 2009)

A few of our members should receive their warm whites today...maybe these lucky dogs can say a few words about the brightness/tint


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 30, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> A few of our members should receive their warm whites today...maybe these lucky dogs can say a few words about the brightness/tint


 
I paid a little extra for priority shipping and insurance. I should get mine today or tomorrow if USPS is on time. I bit the bullet and ordered some 14500 last night. Dang you guys anyway.:shakehead


----------



## flatline (Jul 30, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I paid a little extra for priority shipping and insurance. I should get mine today or tomorrow if USPS is on time. I bit the bullet and ordered some 14500 last night. Dang you guys anyway.:shakehead



What charger do you plan to use with your 14500s?


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 30, 2009)

flatline said:


> What charger do you plan to use with your 14500s?


 
I ordered a Tenergy Multifunctional Charger. It will charge 14500-18650.


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 30, 2009)

^ Go with a Pila IBC if you can locate one. I got mine from http://www.flashlightz.com/product.php/pila/bc01-ac01/?product=171829&category=#tabStart and although the price has gone up a few bucks still worth it IMO.



> I ordered a Tenergy Multifunctional Charger.


 *TL-100 Universal Li-Ion Charger?*


----------



## StinkyButler (Jul 30, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> Badbeams3 said:
> 
> 
> > A few of our members should receive their warm whites today...maybe these lucky dogs can say a few words about the brightness/tint
> ...



Mine's on its way to my house as we speak!! Might have to leave early today cause I'm feeling kinda sick. :sick2:

:naughty:

From USPS: "Your item was processed through and left our ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL 60007 facility on July 29, 2009. The item is currently in transit to the destination."


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 30, 2009)

^ Yours went through Elk Grove at the same time mine did :twothumbs. It made it to my local PO at 8:30 AM walking distance away. If the carrier does not have it I will gladly retrieve it my self.

**** Update **** 

Well perfect timing. Finished yard work and after washing up saw Post Man pass across my lawn. Woo...Hoo... My clip less warm 123 was in the box. Wiped all threads, applied an even coat of Nyogel, inserted a fresh AW and fired it up. At first was not _blown away_. Compared it to my Gen I ConneXion on highest settings and it was definitely brighter as expected. Next went to only dark room in house (Basement bathroom) and compared it to my NEX again on high. Lets say I am very happy! It has more spill, more even transition from hot spot to sides and about the same output. Initially I could not really tell it was warm until compared to NiteCore. The little rubber finger holder will actually be of use to me. I ride my beach cruiser at night sometimes and just within the past week dropped my NEX . I am going to like these neutral tint LED's a lot .


----------



## Shimmy (Jul 30, 2009)

Just ordered a AA2 regular , hoping its as good as I have been reading.
Will be running Eneloops.


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 30, 2009)

Also I did not get a packing list with mine so I guess I will need to print off my confirmation email and save it should I have any warranty issues.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 30, 2009)

pobox1475 said:


> ^ Yous went through Elk Grove at the same time mine did :twothumbs. It made it to my local PO at 8:30 AM walking distance away. If the carrier does not have it I will gladly retrieve it my self.
> 
> **** Update ****
> 
> Well perfect timing. Finished yard work and after washing up saw Post Man pass across my lawn.



Dang, I for once wish I lived in Illinois. Lol just kidding  eh I'll have mine tommorow. You do realize you have certain obligations since you're the first to post that you have yours, don't you?


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 30, 2009)

pobox1475 said:


> ^ Go with a Pila IBC if you can locate one. I got mine from http://www.flashlightz.com/product.php/pila/bc01-ac01/?product=171829&category=#tabStart and although the price has gone up a few bucks still worth it IMO.
> 
> *TL-100 Universal Li-Ion Charger?*


 
No it is something different. I already have a TL-100. This is item #01237 at www.all-battery.com. I didn't get my Quark today but it should be here because it is at the hub before my local Post Office. One more _looooooooooong_ day! :mecry:


----------



## flatline (Jul 30, 2009)

USPS "tracking" says my QAA was routed by the local bulk sorting facility last night. With any luck, I'll get mine today after work. :naughty:


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Jul 30, 2009)

Just got my warm QAA tactical, wow. Kinda nostalgic, the beam looks like an old incandescent D cell light with partially depleted batteries. A couple of other XP-E lights that I judged to be slightly warm look green next to this tobacco tinted light.

I've got a 14500 on the charger, just popped an AA rechargeable in it for now. Also, I have the 2AA battery tube for Lego fun later.

Nice feel to the tactical clicky switch, just hope it lasts! I've never been that great with the clicky twisty programming on Henry's lights, the current settings of max and low are probably what I want anyway.

I wasn't going to get another Quark but the warm emitter and DHart's persuasion on the AA/14500 power sources tipped the odds against my fiscal restraint.

Wonder if there might be production runs with IR, UV, red, green or blue LED's? I'd be a buyer, I'm afraid...


----------



## CaNo (Jul 30, 2009)

Lobo said:


> The Quarks are by no means ugly(especially without the clip) but they don't have that special feeling that makes you want it just by looking at it.
> Combining this together into one light would be AMAZING for me.



Took the words right out of my mouth. :twothumbs



defloyd77 said:


> I personally don't care for the looks of piston drives and as for their reliability, I seem to recall people on here with a few problems with them (I'll search for the source in a minute). I'm not one for bling, in fact, I'm the anti-bling. I'll take my black rubber boot, thanks. Or maybe the blue one they had on the prototype Quarks. Or gray. Plain ol' charcoal gray or possibly the same color as the lanyard.



Actually for the Nitecore Piston Drives they have all been fixed. As with all new products and ideas, there will be glitches and it will not be a 100% in its first few lines. But atleast for my experiences, I have had nothing but perfect performance from my piston driven Nitecore D10 PD R2.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 30, 2009)

CaNo said:


> Actually for the Nitecore Piston Drives they have all been fixed. As with all new products and ideas, there will be glitches and it will not be a 100% in its first few lines. But atleast for my experiences, I have had nothing but perfect performance from my piston driven Nitecore D10 PD R2.



I can't really find my source, but I seem to remember something about sand too?


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 30, 2009)

There are some great pic`s being posted by our lucky dog members in the manufactures area...and from what I can tell the neutral whites are kicking butt...way more than I would have thought  :thinking:

Scroll down a bit http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=196497&page=4


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 30, 2009)

my warm quark is at homeeeeeeeeee i cant wait to get home...2.5 hrs more to go....


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 30, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> There are some great pic`s being posted by our lucky dog members in the manufactures area...and from what I can tell the neutral whites are kicking butt...way more than I would have thought  :thinking:
> 
> Scroll down a bit http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=196497&page=4


 
Man, those are some great shots!  Thank you to the guys over there in the Marketplace who are sustaining the rest of us still waiting.  After seening those shots I am even more excited now. lovecpf


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 30, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> Man, those are some great shots!  Thank you to the guys over there in the Marketplace who are sustaining the rest of us still waiting.  After seening those shots I am even more excited now. lovecpf



Me too. Excited and somewhat confused with the AA shot next to the Fenix. It might be sort of an illusion, maybe it's just the hotspot that is more intense, either way it's great!


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 30, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> Me too. Excited and somewhat confused with the AA shot next to the Fenix. It might be sort of an illusion, maybe it's just the hotspot that is more intense, either way it's great!


 
Those infrared and green looking images are bad to the bone. That makes the beam quality of the Quark more apparent in comparison to the Fenix. Even if the hotspot is really intense at least we can tone it down to 0.2 lumens!:twothumbs And then throw the beam across the yard for kicks.


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 30, 2009)

> You do realize you have certain obligations since you're the first to post that you have yours, don't you?


 I would have thought that I would receive the obligations (like maybe a Single Malt  ). But any way here goes what I _assume_ your after:


*Standard warm tint clip less 123.*


*Packaging* = *A*. Everything held in it's own compartment and I have never felt a rubberized box like this one. Really neat!

*Included Accessories* = *A*. Lanyard may not get used. But belt holster is currently and finger holder looks promising.

*Ergonomics* = *A*. So far have not found any quirks.

*Features* = *A*. Multiple levels to choose from and blinking modes to boot. Moon mode I will have to see if it grows on me. Blinking modes can easily be avoided by _not _cycling to them. You can turn off at any point and start from Moon.

*Button* = *B*. A little stiff, but being able to cycle to next level with a light depress is a nice feature.

*Output* = *A*. Best tint and beam I have experienced.

*Value* = *A*. Features, performance and hopefully longevity for a reasonable price.

*Efficiency* = *Not Rated*. I will leave this one to one of our resident Techies.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 30, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> somewhat confused with the AA shot next to the Fenix. It might be sort of an illusion, maybe it's just the hotspot that is more intense, either way it's great!



Yea that one is confusing. If the Quark had a 14500 in there it would make more sense.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 30, 2009)

Vox Clamatis in Deserto said:


> Just got my warm QAA tactical, wow. Kinda nostalgic, the beam looks like an old incandescent D cell light with partially depleted batteries. A couple of other XP-E lights that I judged to be slightly warm look green next to this tobacco tinted light.


 
That is pretty crazy. My Q3 5A looks like it is _pure white_ compared to my stock 3D Mag with _new_ batteries. If yours is that warm I would guess that to be an exception and not the norm. Have you compared it to any of your incan flashlights? Just so you know I haven't received my warm Quark yet so the Q3 5A I have is XR-E not XP-E. I will compare the tints of the 2 different warm emitters when I get it.


----------



## f22shift (Jul 30, 2009)

q35a shouldn't look like an incandescent. it looks white or pink in comparison. still behind for outdoor but better than the regular tints we are used to.


----------



## Kwanon13 (Jul 30, 2009)

The tint on my 132x2 looks just slightly pink compared to an M60WL, hard to tell unless really looking for it. The diameter of the beam is huge, impressive little light! :bow:


----------



## DHart (Jul 30, 2009)

I mentioned this on the other forum, but there might be some here who aren't aware of this about the Quark AA.

The QAA on an alkaline cell or NiMH is nothing like the QAA on a 14500 li-ion.... with the 14500, the QAA is 80% brighter (appears about twice as bright!) 

For those who haven't yet ventured into li-ion land, you may really want to consider doing so with your QAA. This light is quite limited when running on a AA... which may be ok in a pinch if AAs are all you have access to, but for every day use... consider the benefits of running a 14500: 

• you can start every day with a full-up, topped-off cell (not a cell that has worn down, but still has some useful life), 

• you get nearly twice the maximum output - high on 14500 is comparable output to turbo on other cell types

• no more buying and throwing away/recycling cell after cell, you get guilt-free lumens by recharging li-ions

For those who will use the light a lot... the 14500 cell is a wonderful thing!

Runtime on turbo is less with li-ion than with other cells, but consider that the difference between turbo and high is not a huge difference of output... in fact, high on 14500 appears the same brightness as turbo on other cells... plenty bright for most applications.... so look at the runtime for 14500 on "high" and compare that to runtime on "turbo" with other cells.

Here are runtimes as collected by selfbuilt:

=============14500======Eneloop AA======L91 Lithium
Q AA on turbo.........46 min............1 hr. 12 min............2 hrs. 1 min.
Q AA on High........3 hr. 2 min........1 hr. 30 min.

selfbuilt's review is here:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/234960


----------



## flatline (Jul 30, 2009)

My QAAW was waiting for me when I got home from work, so I thought I'd share my observations with you all. Just so you know where I'm coming from, this is my first premium light. I've been carrying a minimag with 1w LED upgrade from NiteIze on my belt for the last 10 years.

I'll start with the accessories...

Holster: Its sides are elastic which means it'll age poorly. It has a flap that closes over the top that is fastened to the front with velcro which means it's relatively noisy to open. I would have preferred they fasten it with a magnet or not have the flap at all. Really, I would have loved it if it was like the holster for my minimag (form fitting stitched canvas with no top flap and no elastic). It holds the flashlight well and, excepting the elastic, is made of very stout material, so it'll do until I get used to it or find a replacement.

Lanyard: top quality lanyard with two adjustable, err, things that you can slide up and down to loosen or tighten it. Good solid clip at the end. I won't use it with the flashlight, but I'm pleased to have it to use elsewhere.

Finger Holder Thingie: Played with it some. I guess I don't get it. I'll play with it later to see if I can figure out how it's intended to be useful.

...and now the QAAW itself!

It's wonderful. :twothumbs

It's tiny. I don't really know what my expectations were, but it felt akward at first to hold (I was trying to hold it like my minimag). Now that I've played with it, it's very comfortable. The 3 flat surfaces on the tube make it extremely easy to hold between your thumb and middle finger (using the index finger on the button) or like a pencil for up close work.

The button is stiff to click, but comforatable to half-engage to change modes. I like it, but I can see how people who prefer to hold it like a cigar might have troubles. Much easier to click with the index finger than the thumb.

The clip in the head-down configuration (how it came) makes it hard to twist the head. I'm not a clip user (I much preferr to belt carry), so I don't really have an opinion on the utility of the clip. I took it off the light as soon as I figured out how.

I switched the head and tail so that the tube was closer to the back. In the head-down configuration, the ring that tightens over the clip would turn in my right hand when I meant to turn the head with my left hand. It was annoying. By putting the head on the ring end, it stopped being troublesome and made the light slightly more comfortable to hold in my preferred grip.

The beam is beautiful. The color is noticeably warmer than what I normally expect from an LED light and colors indoors and outdoors look "right" (not washed out like the typical LED flashlight and not yellow like my 4D maglite). It's not quite like daylight, but it's closer than I've seen before in a flashlight. It makes my cheap LED flashlights look washed out and anemic.

Moon mode is perfect. Low is probably as bright as I'll use it for close work even in a well lit room (like the labs at work). Medium, High, and Max are all bright enough to be useful in daylight to various degrees. Even Medium is brighter than I'm used to carrying, so I'll have to spend some time with the light to determine if I find the higher output levels useful. Obviously, they'll be useful at a distance, but I don't have much occasion to require illlumination at a distance (maybe that'll change now that I have a flashlight that is capable of it). It'll certainly wow my friends (especially if I decide to use li-ions).

I'm very pleased with this light, although now that I see how small a 1xAA flashlight really is, I might be tempted to look for something bigger to put on my belt for EDC in the unlikely event that the QAAW isn't enough in some respect (can't imagine how, but my tastes may change over time, I suppose).

Anyways, it's a great light. I hope you enjoyed the observations of noob. 

--flatline


----------



## xenonk (Jul 30, 2009)

DHart said:


> The QAA on an alkaline cell or NiMH is nothing like the QAA on a 14500 li-ion


I've been using an Akoray K-106 on 14500 and it exhibits a similar change in performance on li-ion. I was getting ready to mod it with a neutral emitter when the neutral Quarks hit, and that plan went out the window.

The momentary forward tac switch on the Quark will be more useful for me and I found that I only ever used two modes on the K-106 anyway, with the third always being set to something silly like beacon and getting skipped past whenever I use the light.

Can't wait for my neu-tac Quark to get here so I can trade up.


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 30, 2009)

DHart, how does the QAA on Li-Ion on Max...compare output wise, against the QAA*^2* on NiHM on Max?

The "dangers" of Li-Ion batteries worry me much more than NiHM.


----------



## xenonk (Jul 30, 2009)

The Quark AAs are rated for 90 lumen OTF, while the 123 and AA^2 are 170 lumen. They all share the same head though, so it's just something the driver does when fed somewhere north of 2 volts.


----------



## Mikellen (Jul 30, 2009)

DHart said:


> I mentioned this on the other forum, but there might be some here who aren't aware of this about the Quark AA.
> 
> The QAA on an alkaline cell or NiMH is nothing like the QAA on a 14500 li-ion.... with the 14500, the QAA is 80% brighter (appears about twice as bright!)
> 
> ...


 

Is that an accurate runtime figure for the Q AA on high with 14500? (3 hrs. and 2 min.) If it is, that's over twice the runtime on an Eneloop!


----------



## matrixshaman (Jul 30, 2009)

I think if you read post #1 in this thread Here and then read post #12 in that same thread you'll have an idea for a whole new Quark and one I think would be a big hit if 4Sevens would consider it. If it can be done at or under the price mentioned I'll bet this would be another 4Sevens winner. It doesn't seem any such light currently exists so who else wants to start making some noise for this or has this been brought up before here?


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Jul 30, 2009)

> That is pretty crazy. My Q3 5A looks like it is _pure white_ compared to my stock 3D Mag with _new_ batteries. If yours is that warm I would guess that to be an exception and not the norm.


 
You're perhaps thinking of some other light. My QAA warm looks just like the one on this link posted above:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=196497&page=4

Someone called it a tobacco tint, I sure would agree...

Here's another shot of the 'tobacco' beam from 4Seven's site: https://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=297_310

Thanks DHart, it runs great on a 14500! And, as always, thanks David!


----------



## DHart (Jul 30, 2009)

Mikellen said:


> Is that an accurate runtime figure for the Q AA on high with 14500? (3 hrs. and 2 min.) If it is, that's over twice the runtime on an Eneloop!



That's the runtime which selfbuilt's evaluation came up with.


----------



## hiker123 (Jul 30, 2009)

Vox Clamatis in Deserto said:


> You're perhaps thinking of some other light. My QAA warm looks just like the one on this link posted above:
> 
> http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=196497&page=4
> 
> ...



Tobacco tint... lol... not the best marketing term. I hope it is a little whiter than a stock Maglite, but I'll guess I'll have to wait until I get it to see for myself.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 30, 2009)

Vox Clamatis in Deserto said:


> You're perhaps thinking of some other light. My QAA warm looks just like the one on this link posted above:
> 
> http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=196497&page=4
> 
> ...


 
I was thrown off by your comparison to a incan with partially depleted batteries. In my experience that is very warm and ugly yellow. :green: My stock Mag 3D with new batteries is still too yellow for my liking. My 5A tint(which I love) is very white looking compared to the Mag. We all just have different ways of describing things I guess. I am glad you are happy with the Quark as I am excited for the mailman to show up tomorrow with my warm Quarks!:rock:


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Jul 30, 2009)

> I am glad you are happy with the Quark as I am excited for the mailman to show up tomorrow with my warm Quarks!:rock:


 
Let us know what you think. I love the 'warm' light, it does get hot on max with a 14500 after a while.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 30, 2009)

Vox Clamatis in Deserto said:


> Let us know what you think. I love the 'warm' light, it does get hot on max with a 14500 after a while.


 
I will only have my nimh to try with it when I get it. Sometime next week I should receive my 14500. I have a warm AA regular and a warm AA tactical coming. I will actually be able to compare nimh turbo to 14500 turbo simultaneously since I will have 2. *CPF MADE ME DO IT(buy both).* I will definitely chime in with the experiences.


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 31, 2009)

> (especially *if* I decide to use li-ions).


 ??? Go for it! You won't regret it :thumbsup:.


----------



## DHart (Jul 31, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I will only have my nimh to try with it when I get it. Sometime next week I should receive my 14500. I have a warm AA regular and a warm AA tactical coming. I will actually be able to compare nimh turbo to 14500 turbo simultaneously since I will have 2. *CPF MADE ME DO IT(buy both).* I will definitely chime in with the experiences.



Senor Tone.... oh my gosh. You had better order up a couple of extra 14500's to have on hand; one for each light and one to have in reserve ready to roll. Once you're bitten by the li-ion bug, you are lost forever.......... mmmuuuuaaaahhhhhhh!!!! :naughty:

"Don't fear my tiny darling... enter these gates and behold!" :devil:


----------



## BigBluefish (Jul 31, 2009)

I received my Quark 123 Tactical with the neutral (what I think of as "warm") tint emitter yesterday. 

I ordred this light for the following reasons: 

2 level operation, with each level selectable
Warm tint emitter for outdoor use (hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, etc.)
Low lows (moonlight .2 lumens and low, 3.5 lumens) 
Silly modes (strobe SOS) either absent, or completely out of the way

As a bonus, there are several other desireable qualities: 

Very nice beam pattern, good combo of throw and flood 
Very good build quality
Lego-izable  for different battery types 
Forward clicky
Great knurling - aggressive enough to hold onto, but probably won't eat pocket linings...time will tell
Aesthetically pleasing styling

My initial impressions are: I LOVE THIS LIGHT

As far as lumen ratings, it's been discussed that the warm-tint versions would probably have lower output than the standard versions, and based on some informal ceiling bounce and white-wall tests, I'd say this is correct. "High" on my 123 Tactical warm-tint seems just about equal to the output of my SureFire E2E (incan) with the standard Surefire MN03 lamp, which is rated at 60 OTF (a/k/a "SureFire") lumens. It also just about equal to the output of my Fenix L1T v2, which is rated at 98 emitter (a/k/a "Fenix" lumens). "Medium" is just about equal to my SureFire E1E (incan) with the stock MN01 lamp, rated at 15 OTF lumens. "Low" irated at 3.5 lumens (for the standard model) is considerably lower than my Fenix E01, or the low on my L1P, so I'd say, its, well, low! "Moonlight" is really, really, low.  I haven't really tried "Max" much, but I'd guess, and this is even more of a guess, that it produces about 130-140 OTF lumens, based on a comparison with my Olight T10 Q5, which is rated at 180 emitter lumens. 

The tint is very nice. On mine, at least, it is not at all "tobacco" colored, and I think it compares favorably with my three incans, and E1E w/MN01, and E1E with the LF H0-E1A lamp, and an E2E with the MN03 lamp. It is not quite as warm, is a little bit "whiter" but is dramatically more "incan-like" than any other LED I have, and is, therefore, much more pleasing to me.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 31, 2009)

DHart said:


> Senor Tone.... oh my gosh. You had better order up a couple of extra 14500's to have on hand; one for each light and one to have in reserve ready to roll. Once you're bitten by the li-ion bug, you are lost forever.......... mmmuuuuaaaahhhhhhh!!!! :naughty:
> 
> "Don't fear my tiny darling... enter these gates and behold!" :devil:


 
FYI I ordered 4. Yes, 2 for each Quark. This CPF bug sure does keep my wallet from getting too heavy.


----------



## tsask (Jul 31, 2009)

Vox Clamatis in Deserto said:


> Wonder if there might be production runs with IR, UV, red, green or blue LED's? I'd be a buyer, I'm afraid...


 

Back in the 'early days' of 4 Sevens, David made a few AA Fenix L1P lights with blue, amber and green! That was so cool!!!


----------



## DHart (Jul 31, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> FYI I ordered 4. Yes, 2 for each Quark. This CPF bug sure does keep my wallet from getting too heavy.



Yeah... I find that because most flashlights aren't super expensive and the other items (batteries, chargers, tailcaps, bodies, etc) aren't super expensive either - individually, I tend to buy a lot of stuff... but it all adds up big time!


----------



## flatline (Jul 31, 2009)

Quick follow-up to my previous post.

My QAAW had some extra lubricant on the threads that was causing the head to flicker when in Max mode. The problem went away when I wiped it off with some cotton gauze.

What is the recommended lube for when I decide to re-lube it?

--flatline


----------



## Lobo (Jul 31, 2009)

DHart said:


> Yeah... I find that because most flashlights aren't super expensive and the other items (batteries, chargers, tailcaps, bodies, etc) aren't super expensive either - individually, I tend to buy a lot of stuff... but it all adds up big time!



That's kind of funny. When I signed up here, it was to buy one reasonably priced light that would fullfill my needs. Of course that didn't happen...
Buying a lot of lights like this, and then getting into li-ions, ROP etc adds up to a lot of money in the end. Although I recommend everybody who ends up here to invest in Li-ions. You'll eventually end up there sooner or later, and when you have bought charger, batts etc it pays for itself and you get super performance.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 31, 2009)

I finally received my neutral Quarks. I don't have a lot of time right now but I will give my quick impressions about some of the things being discussed. FYI I have 2 neutral Quarks, AA regular UI and a AA tactical UI.

BUILD QUALITY- The build quality of these lights and the packaging seem exceptional. Very nice job 4sevens! I am surprised by how tiny the XP-E emitter is. It is so cute.

BEAM QUALITY-This is the nicest beam I have yet seen. The spill is very large and even and the hotspot is even with virtually no artifacts or rings of any kind. EXCELLENT! Moonmode is very low, finally a true low I can use in the middle of the night.

TINT-The tint is definitely warmer than my XR-E Q3 5A in my DBS. It does have a more "tobacco tint" like an incan, which I was not expecting and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet since I though it would be the same as my other 5A. Once I can use it at night I will have more to say.

PRE-FLASH-This is a non-issue with the regular UI Quark, _in fact I don't even notice a small one_. *However, with the tactical UI it is a big deal*. If it is off for a couple of minutes it will flash as bright as turbo before coming down to moon mode. That would be quite unfortunate in a tactical situation were having to think about covering it for a second would be the last thing on your mind. It will definitely ruin your night vision and temporarily blind your night-adapted eyes. I have nimh in them right now and see if the flash is any different with 14500 once I get them. 

That is all I have time for now so I will give more impressions after some more time with them.


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 31, 2009)

> PRE-FLASH-This is a non-issue with the regular UI Quark, _in fact I don't even notice a small one_.


 +1.



> *However, with the tactical UI it is a big deal*.


 Hadn't thought of that and agree. Personally still might get a 123(2) Tac for outdoors or use when I know long and high output will be needed.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 31, 2009)

Got mine today:rock: first impressions:

1. It looks a lot smaller than it actually is. The actual size is perfect for me.

2. The head is somwhat hard to turn, I'd like to be able to change modes by wrapping my pinky around the head and twisting the body or tail, but I just end up loosening the tail. I wish the tail was tight like the head and the head was as easily turned as the tail.

3. Now on to the beam. Man I love this tint!! And the beam? Before I ordered this, I was hoping it would be like the Pentagon MOLLE's beam and it's very similar. Looking at the MOLLE's reflector and emitter and comparing it to the Quarks, they both have a very similar reflector shape and they both also use small emitters, so no suprise they have similar beams. The MOLLE's spill is just a hair wider and the Quarks hotspot is definately more intense. Crap now my warmish MOLLE tint now looks almost violetish 

4. The programming. It's very simple, but I think maybe 10 seconds is just a bit too long. I'm fine with it.

5. One thing that bugs me is one of the modes is kind of useless. Not strobe, SOS or beacon, the 70 lumens mode. I set it to 70 and 90 and compared, there's not a noticeable difference and the gain in runtime isn't really that big either. They didn't consider the AA version when they were selecting the output levels. 50 lumens would have been perfect.

6. Moon mode does have a slight preflash, it's barely noticeable, unless you were previously using turbo, turned off the light and loosened the head to turn on moon mode, then it will flash in the turbo's brightness. Not too big of a deal to me, if I'm that worried about the turbo preflash, I'll turn it to moon mode before I turn it off.

That's all I can think of for now, I'll add some input once I get some night time useage. Bottom line, this guy ROCKS!!!


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

so i got my quark neutral white AAx2 tactical last night...

i love the size in my hand.

The tint indeed is not as warm as others might have thought, it really is a pure white and slight pinkishness to it...my TK20 is def warm compared to this tint.. i do like the neutral white tint..better than the " standard " tint.

i got a few questions for you guys, do you guys with the AAx2 quarks notice the whining noise?

also since the tactical verisons have to be program, if i remove the batt for any certain amt of time, will it reset the programed modes back to " default"? or will it stay at what i have programed it to do?


----------



## bcwang (Jul 31, 2009)

ninjaboigt said:


> i got a few questions for you guys, do you guys with the AAx2 quarks notice the whining noise?



I notice it, only in turbo. Not immediately either, it starts quiet when you first go into turbo and slowly builds up the whine after a few seconds. But to me you have to stick your ear up to it to hear it. I'll have to test it with my kids to see if they can hear more from a distance, I know my hearing isn't so good up high based on hearing tests.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

Mine got to my town today. I could have it in a few minutes to a couple hours :twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

bcwang said:


> I notice it, only in turbo. Not immediately either, it starts quiet when you first go into turbo and slowly builds up the whine after a few seconds. But to me you have to stick your ear up to it to hear it. I'll have to test it with my kids to see if they can hear more from a distance, I know my hearing isn't so good up high based on hearing tests.


 
yea thats what i meant, on turbo..next to my ear also. lol thanks that answers my question! it first sounded like a hissing sound, so i was afraid something was gonna blow...


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 31, 2009)

These light DO have lockout tailcap ability. Look at the tailcaps threads, they are anodized. Loosen the tail and it will not be able to turn on.


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> These light DO have lockout tailcap ability. Look at the tailcaps threads, they are anodized. Loosen the tail and it will not be able to turn on.


 
oh yea i forgot to report that also!

i will 2nd that, my neutral warm tactical AAx2 has andoizing on the threads of the tail cap...it takes more of a turn to lock out vs my fenixes....


----------



## flatline (Jul 31, 2009)

They don't look anodized on my QAA. And my understanding of how the circuit is made dictates that they can't be anodized.

of course, i could be wrong.

Edit: just saw the comment on the threads of the tailcap being anodized. That appears to be true on my unit, but to get it to "lock out", I have to turn my tailcap past the o-ring. So either the anodized surface has been compromised or there's something else going on.


----------



## f22shift (Jul 31, 2009)

got my 2aa tact neut today also.
box and stuff are definitely premium.
beam is perfect.
outputs are well spaced out.
programming is very easy.
there is a tail lockout.
i dont think the button is stiff but i dont have any other quarks to compare to.
it does have preflash. actually i think it goes that split second in the last mode. so i think if you had in moon mode and went to turbo it would preflash the moonmode lol.
on the preflash, i count in my head how long it takes to dissapate. it seems that if the light is off for 30 seconds then it doesnt preflash at all.

i actually left it on my desk and my wife was playing around with it and the box. she said it must be really good. it seems high quality. wife approved. she's surprised that this is a brand new company.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 31, 2009)

ninjaboigt said:


> oh yea i forgot to report that also!
> 
> i will 2nd that, my neutral warm tactical AAx2 has andoizing on the threads of the tail cap...it takes more of a turn to lock out vs my fenixes....



Actually if you look closer, not all of the threading is anodized. Look down toward the spring, there's a small area of thread that bare aluminum. This makes sense as it both allows lockout and the use of a slightly larger battery by slightly loosening the tailcap.


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

flatline said:


> They don't look anodized on my QAA. And my understanding of how the circuit is made dictates that they can't be anodized.
> 
> of course, i could be wrong.
> 
> Edit: just saw the comment on the threads of the tailcap being anodized. That appears to be true on my unit, but to get it to "lock out", I have to turn my tailcap past the o-ring. So either the anodized surface has been compromised or there's something else going on.


 
hmm my quark takes about 1/4 of a turn to lock out. ( my fenixes take about 1/16 of a turn or something like that, its a very short distance..)


----------



## xenonk (Jul 31, 2009)

flatline said:


> They don't look anodized on my QAA. And my understanding of how the circuit is made dictates that they can't be anodized.
> 
> of course, i could be wrong.
> 
> Edit: just saw the comment on the threads of the tailcap being anodized. That appears to be true on my unit, but to get it to "lock out", I have to turn my tailcap past the o-ring. So either the anodized surface has been compromised or there's something else going on.


You may have backed it off so far that the spring lost contact.

The body tube threads can't be anodized because it's reversible and the head relies on thread conduction. There's nothing really stopping the tailcap threads from being anodized, but half the overall anodize thickness may not be a reliable lockout.


----------



## f22shift (Jul 31, 2009)

ninjaboigt said:


> yea thats what i meant, on turbo..next to my ear also. lol thanks that answers my question! it first sounded like a hissing sound, so i was afraid something was gonna blow...


 yeah i heard the hissing too.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

I have received my 123-2 standard neutral Quark..

Wow! What a pretty light! This is my new workhorse! It is shorter then an Inova X5 and taller then a Fenix P2D, but still is able to sit flat comfortably in a pocket. 

It does have a little pre flash when going to moonlight mode. Waiting a while at least on mine makes no difference then going from turbo, turn off, switch to moon light and turn on quick. It definitely doesn't bother me in the slightest. I have a 123-2 model and have a very long run time which is why I wanted it. 

It is very light weight. The LED seems to be centered perfectly. All of the features work perfectly as well. I'm considering a tactical tail light which will give me most of the advantages of the tactical light for my uses.

I was out of 123A batteries and my new order of them hasn't arrived yet. These lights come with the batteries. I wasn't aware of this.

How do they make the outside of their box feel like velvet?! I'm a nerd and geek. I'd love some business cards that feel like this.

This light is so sexy and it's packaging (clothing) feels and looks so good. I have a use for this icon FINALLY!


----------



## DHart (Jul 31, 2009)

passive101 said:


> I have received my 123-2 standard neutral Quark..
> 
> Wow! What a pretty light! This is my new workhorse! It is shorter then an Inova X5 and taller then a Fenix P2D, but still is able to sit flat comfortably in a pocket.
> 
> ...



Passive... yeah, the 123-2 is an awesome size and with 17670 is just perfect in my view. I have a regular 123-2 and a 123-2 warm tactical.

I hope you'll consider powering yours with a 17670... I think that's truly the sweet spot with the 123-2. And a couple of smaller bodies will give you many great powering/pocketing options for that head too - if you're using li-ions!


----------



## f22shift (Jul 31, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> Actually if you look closer, not all of the threading is anodized. Look down toward the spring, there's a small area of thread that bare aluminum. This makes sense as it both allows lockout and the use of a slightly larger battery by slightly loosening the tailcap.


 
i'll probably end up top loading the light to reduce any possibility of wear on the tailcap anodizing.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

No rechargables right now. When I do have more money I am considering getting into them and learning more about them. until then these work fantastic. 

I've been playing around with it for color distinction. White under the neutral looks tanish or pinkish. However my other LED's wash out more colors that are not white and have a very slight bluish tint. 

Overall I really like it.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

f22shift said:


> i'll probably end up top loading the light to reduce any possibility of wear on the tailcap anodizing.



Why would this be better then the head wearing off?


----------



## f22shift (Jul 31, 2009)

passive101 said:


> Why would this be better then the head wearing off?


 the anodizing on the threads of the tailcap which enables lockout. the head doesn't have anodizing in the threads.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

f22shift said:


> the anodizing on the threads of the tailcap which enables lockout. the head doesn't have anodizing in the threads.



But the anodized threads is on the inside of the light. This light is waterproof. Am I missing something?


----------



## DHart (Jul 31, 2009)

*Re: Q3 vs R2 OUTPUT COMPARISON*

Having just received my Q123-2TW w/Q3 5A emitter (tactical warm) today, I popped my favorite power source into it (17670) and compared the max output to my regular Q123-2 w/R2 WC emitter (also powered by a 17670) via my ceiling bounce test and here are the results:

Q123-2 regular 4.9EV
Q123-2 warm 4.6EV

So, there isn't a huge "hit" to take in brightness when choosing the warm Q3 5A emitter vs. the R2 WC. 

30% is noticible, but not dramatic; while the difference in the color of the lights themselves is much more noticible. I don't find the Q3 5A emitter to be overly warm, but in comparison to the cold tint R2 WC shining on a white surface, it does look a bit brownish - in comparison. In use, however, it doesn't appear brownish at all. I like the tint a lot.

Overall, at least so far, I prefer the functionality of the regular 123-2 vs. the tactical 123-2 as I like easier access to several output levels rather than just two. As for emitter choices, I'd have to say it's a bit of a toss up, as I like the slight edge in brightness of the R2, but prefer the tint of the Q3. Basically, I'm a happy camper with either.


----------



## bcwang (Jul 31, 2009)

Got my neutral 2-aa, love the tint. Now my l2d rebel100 looks a sickly green, and my other lights look so blue. I'd say it is no dimmer than my rebel 100 both in turbo mode, but the tint is just so much nicer. If the q3 is this bright, I wonder how much brighter the r2 with the 123x2 head would be in turbo. Though I wonder if the tint has a lot to do with why it seems so bright even though it is a Q3.

Pre-flash? I was looking for it and it is so hard to see. The turbo to moon one I can see, but is gone after like 15 seconds with it off. But the moon to off and back on is a total non-issue. 

Packaging looks great, too bad the corner was smashed probably by the post office. Unfortunately, I've never received a perfect box from 4sevens. Maybe since I usually only buy one light they use the bubble envelope instead of a box, thus I always have slightly crushed box with bent corners.

Now I'm thinking of getting a R2 AA and a cr123-2 body. Has there been any resolution to the AA battery tube threads not being fully cut? And how come the cr123-2 body doesn't come with a clip? That is what's holding me back right now.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 31, 2009)

*Re: Q3 vs R2 OUTPUT COMPARISON*



DHart said:


> Having just received my Q123-2TW w/Q3 5A emitter (tactical warm) today, I popped my favorite power source into it (17670) and compared the max output to my regular Q123-2 w/R2 WC emitter (also powered by a 17670) via my ceiling bounce test and here are the results:
> 
> Q123-2 regular 4.9EV
> Q123-2 warm 4.6EV
> ...



Only a 10% diff more less


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

*Re: Q3 vs R2 OUTPUT COMPARISON*



Badbeams3 said:


> What does 30% have to do with anything?



I think the R2 is 30% brighter then the neutral LED model.


----------



## DHart (Jul 31, 2009)

*Re: Q3 vs R2 OUTPUT COMPARISON*



Badbeams3 said:


> Only a 10% diff more less



BB... Passive has it right... a change of 1.0 EV represents a doubling or halving of light output, or a 100% change. So an increase of .3EV represents an increase of about 30%.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 31, 2009)

*Re: Q3 vs R2 OUTPUT COMPARISON*



passive101 said:


> I think the R2 is 30% brighter then the neutral LED model.



I think the math was just a little off. 10% of 4.6 is .46.....so .46 + 4.6 = 4.96

So the diff is around ten percent.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 31, 2009)

*Re: Q3 vs R2 OUTPUT COMPARISON*



DHart said:


> BB... Passive has it right... a change of 1.0 EV represents a doubling or halving of light output, or a 100% change. So an increase of .3EV represents an increase of about 30%.



Ohh, ok...thanks. Well thats way more than it looks like.


----------



## f22shift (Jul 31, 2009)

passive101 said:


> But the anodized threads is on the inside of the light. This light is waterproof. Am I missing something?


 
the screwing action to reload the batteries will cause some wear(albeit i'm sure very little).
so unscrew the head off the body. load the batteries in that side so that i only need to unscrew the tailcap for lockouts.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 31, 2009)

Wait a moment...what does "EV" stand for? Say one light has a EV of 10...and another 11. Is it twice as bright? Or a light has a EV of 1...and another of 2...is it also only twice as bright?


----------



## DHart (Jul 31, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> Wait a moment...what does "EV" stand for? Say one light has a EV of 10...and another 11. Is it twice as bright? Or a light has a EV of 1...and another of 2...is it also only twice as bright?



As a photographer, I think in terms of concepts from the science of photography... EV (exposure value) is logarithmic... a change of 1.0 EV represents a doubling or a halving of output... as each change in a lens's f/stop halves or doubles the light transmission. So a light with an EV measurement of 11 is 100% brighter (2x as bright) as a light measuring EV 10 - all other factors held constant. An increase of 2EV represents 4x the output.

Here are some measurements for your consideration:


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> Actually if you look closer, not all of the threading is anodized. Look down toward the spring, there's a small area of thread that bare aluminum. This makes sense as it both allows lockout and the use of a slightly larger battery by slightly loosening the tailcap.


 

Oh yes i do notice that now..thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Does the reg quark have any anodizing on the threads?


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

f22shift said:


> yeah i heard the hissing too.


 
Nothing i should worrie about right? lol im only worried because it remindes me of the hissing of cr123a, though i never heard a cr123a hiss...so im not sure if its the same sound or same reason..


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

I'm still confused as to how the anodizing will effect anything as it's already protected from the elements?


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

*defloyd77, *if the neutral is 30% less bright than the reg tint..that means...the neutral 2AA on turbo is 119 lumens OTF? approx?


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 31, 2009)

DHart said:


> EV (exposure value) is logarithmic... a change of 1.0 EV represents a doubling or a halving of output... as each change in a lens's f/stop halves or doubles the light transmission. So a light with an EV measurement of 11 is 100% brighter (or twice as bright) as a light measuring EV 10 - all other factors held constant.



Guess I don`t understand camera talk. I would be happier with the old CPF light meter in a milk carton trick. Better for my simple minded brain :tinfoil:


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

passive101 said:


> I'm still confused as to how the anodizing will effect anything as it's already protected from the elements?


 
basicily the more you rub something, the more likely it'll rub off. im sure if you rubbed ur car paint constantly it'll begin to wear off..

so if anodizing can be chippped off and etc, im sure unscrewing any anodized threading will eventually wear off the anodizing.

Hope this helps


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

ninjaboigt said:


> basicily the more you rub something, the more likely it'll rub off. im sure if you rubbed ur car paint constantly it'll begin to wear off..
> 
> so if anodizing can be chippped off and etc, im sure unscrewing any anodized threading will eventually wear off the anodizing.
> 
> Hope this helps



I understand that, but how will these negatively hurt the light or it's performance as it's protected from the elements already.

Or is this just something people are concerned about since some never want a scratch in their light?


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks for putting up the chart Dhart. Guess these came in as expected...but from the photos posted I thought they were outperforming expectations


----------



## ninjaboigt (Jul 31, 2009)

passive101 said:


> I understand that, but how will these negatively hurt the light or it's performance as it's protected from the elements already.
> 
> Or is this just something people are concerned about since some never want a scratch in their light?


 
oh, well if the anodizing rubs off on the inside of the tail cap, the flashlight wont be able to lock out any more..


----------



## f22shift (Jul 31, 2009)

passive101 said:


> I understand that, but how will these negatively hurt the light or it's performance as it's protected from the elements already.
> 
> Or is this just something people are concerned about since some never want a scratch in their light?


 

the anodizing(non conductive) enables the feature of a lockout. if the anodizing rubs out then you'll lose that feature as there is conductable metal underneath the anodizing coating.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

f22shift said:


> the anodizing(non conductive) enables the feature of a lockout. if the anodizing rubs out then you'll lose that feature as there is conductable metal underneath the anodizing coating.




Ok I get it now. Sorry I'm a bit slow. So to avoid this we can just unscrew the head instead. Would any negative side effects come about from doing this?


----------



## pobox1475 (Jul 31, 2009)

> I am considering getting into them and learning more about them.


 Not much to _learn._ Well worth the investment IMO. Especially If you spring for protected AW's and a Pila IBC charger. Just put in, take out and away you go . Having the ability to _top off _cells gives a positive feeling in day to day use. Of course a primary or two for back-up duties makes sense as well.


----------



## DHart (Jul 31, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> Thanks for putting up the chart Dhart. Guess these came in as expected...but from the photos posted I thought they were outperforming expectations



Yeah... photos, especially if they're not created very methodically, can be very, very misleading.

But as one can see in comparing my measured EV values for the Quarks to my EV values of the other lights I measured... they are as expected. Do remember that my EV values are not absolute values, just values relative to other lights I have tested under the same conditions.


----------



## f22shift (Jul 31, 2009)

passive101 said:


> Ok I get it now. Sorry I'm a bit slow. So to avoid this we can just unscrew the head instead. Would any negative side effects come about from doing this?


 
none that i can think of. even if you put the batteries in backwards there are some physical protection for reversed polarity.


----------



## Xak (Jul 31, 2009)

Got my Quarks! Just a quick rundown, first impresions, etc.:

Q123-2 Neutral Tac: Fantastic in every way. Tint is amazing, function flawless with any head or tail, bright, running a 17670. As bright as the QAA using 14500. Now to figure out how to program it.

Q123: Got the body only, functions perfectly with any combination head or tail. Beautiful tint, similar, if not identical to my M20 Warrior R2 WD. The body came with screw on end caps making the body double as a battery carrier. Great idea.

QAA: Almost identical tint as my M20 Warrior R2 WD and with a 14500 is slightly brighter than the warrior on medium. Much brighter than the Q123 on a primary CR123 cell. To be fair I haven't tried the Q123 with one of my 3.7 volt RCR123 yet. Tail cap button a little stiff to press on, a little too sensitive when tapping it a second time to switch modes. Twisting the head is so difficult to get to moon mode and almost impossible to twist back to max without getting fingerprints all over the lens, inadvertantly loosening the tail cap, and being in danger of bending the clip rendering the moon mode and other levels undesireable unless there is a true emergency and you NEED the moon mode. It is unacceptable and will most likely be returned if I can't work the bugs out on my own. I thought I heard someone posting some way of fixing it. Not sure. Will have to look into it.

If anyone is considering a QAA I would say DO NOT BUY ONE until the bugs are worked out. It will only frustrate the hell out of you. I had heard rumors of these problems for weeks now, as I'm sure 7777 has, but I was still shipped a lemon. I mean, really, it comes with a battery, you can't toss it in and see if it functions correctly before you ship it to someone that has been waiting a month for it? I am VERY dissapointed:scowl:

Concerning the 2 different tints. Well, the neutral is so awesome and renders colors differently, perhaps more naturally, as would be expected. I like it over the other whiter tinted LED's I own, HOWEVER, the tint of the regular Quark head is so milky white and soft it really is nicer than other lights I own as well (other than my M20 Warrior as I've mentioned) and therefore I must say my tint choice is a toss up and I like them equally.


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Jul 31, 2009)

> If anyone is considering a QAA I would say DO NOT buy one until the bugs are worked out. It will only frustrate the hell out of you. I mean, really, it comes with a battery, you can't toss it in and see if it functions correctly before you ship it to someone that has been waiting a month for it? I am VERY dissapointed:scowl:


 
Well, I've got a new QAA neutral tactical and it is great. As I related in earlier posts, I had a Q123-2 that wouldn't switch modes and smelled like something was burnt. 4Sevens replaced it but I agree, it is amazing how many quality control issues we continue to have with these LED lights. It is nice to have great customer service but it is even better not to need it. I've had issues with almost every brand of LED light I've bought, Surefires, Henry's lights, Fenixes etc. but I can't remember having to return, say a camera or television that I've bought in the last couple of decades.

Buy the way, I just tried programming the QAA tactical and it worked. Nice easy interface with feedback flashes, perhaps a little simpler than on Henry's lights. Of course, there are only two modes to set on the QAA tactical so the K.I.S.S. fans here will be happy. And, so am I.


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

My only complaint with my neutral is that there is no white. Everything is a light tan color if it's white. Other then that it seems perfect.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jul 31, 2009)

Maybe tonight some of our members can post pic`s of these outside...or other than white wall photos


----------



## passive101 (Jul 31, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> Maybe tonight some of our members can post pic`s of these outside...or other than white wall photos



My camera isn't the best, but I could try to see if I can get any to turn out good. 

Does anyone know if some of the neutral LED's are more tan/brownish then others? White paper and walls appear tan to me. I saw a color rendition chart and it appeared to me the R2 distinguished color better then the neutral that someone posted. I'm confused, but it's not really dark enough for me to try this out yet.


ETA. Someone responded and I looked at things some more. I can't explain it exactly but seeing the difference between colors is easier for me with my neutral quark then my other Q5 Led my g/f has.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 31, 2009)

passive101 said:


> Does anyone know if some of the neutral LED's are more tan/brownish then others? White paper and walls appear tan to me. I saw a color rendition chart and it appeared to me the R2 distinguished color better then the neutral that someone posted. I'm confused, but it's not really dark enough for me to try this out yet.


 
I can tell pretty easily that my neutral Quarks are more tan/less white in tint than my other 5A emitter. I don't know if it is the XP-E making the difference or something else. My DBS with the XR-E Q3 5A is more white and when compared to sunlight has a slight pinkish shade to it. The XP-E Q3 5A in both of my Quarks have a tan tint compared to sunlight and don't render white as nice as my DBS tint. My 2 neutral Quarks have identical tints to answer your question. I am waiting for the sun to go down so I can see how the neutral Quarks look outside.


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 31, 2009)

I've noticed that every mode has a preflash if you turn it off in 1 mode and turn it on in another. You can somewhat notice it with turbo especially if you turn it off in moon mode, it'll look like a fluorescent light does when you turn it on and it's dimmer at first but then gets bright. You have to really and I mean REALLY look for it.


----------



## timbo114 (Jul 31, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> BEAM QUALITY-This is the nicest beam I have yet seen.
> EXCELLENT!
> Moonmode is very low,...


*x3*



> PRE-FLASH-This is a non-issue with the regular UI Quark, _in fact I don't even notice a small one_.
> *However, with the tactical UI it is a big deal*.


*x3*

I did notice on my Q123-2TW, that if I start out in max and just turn the head to moonlight - no flash.
This flash is only activated by clicking to the off position from max and back on in any other mode, head turning has zero flash effect.
I tried to get the flash in all modes - it only happens stepping down from max.
So that being the case, I would imagine the 'flash' bug is in the software? 
Is there a nanosecond memory glitch stepping down from max ?

Other than this .... ^^
I think every other aspect of this Q torch is fantastic.


----------



## Closet_Flashaholic (Jul 31, 2009)

I guess it's my turn.

In my infinite quest for the brightest AA formfactor light that I can EDC. I just received a QAA Tactical and a Q123x2 Tactical. The plan was to mate the Q123x2's head with a 14500 in the QAA body to get 190 OTF lumens for about 45 minutes. It does get hot - if running on turbo for the entire time. I am going to refer to this as the QAA-190 setup for this post. As a quick side note: I am glad that I bought tactical versions. The M20, the D10 are both forward clickies and I find using reverse clickies bothers me more than it used to.

I Just got back from some quick night-time comparisons between my Olight M20 Warrior Premium (SM reflector)+18650 and a Nightcore D10 GDP+14500 (my current EDC)

In a word the QAA-190 is: :thumbsup:

Of course the M20 is the thrower, but recently I have come to realize that I want something a little more floody. The QAA-190 seems to do the trick. While it doesn't match the M20 for throw, it does a reasonable job and is much better in the flood department. For me it's effective out to ~100 ft. to ID small critters whereas the M20 is good to maybe 150 ft. or so.

The UI is ok. I have become very fond of the D10's UI. I can hit low, high and anywhere in-between using only one-hand. You can't beat that with a stick. 
I think any UI that requires 2 hands to change levels is just not good. For a lot of reasons. My absolutely perfect UI is the Gladius. Programmed with low/adjustable + High + Strobe all accessible from 1 hand. I have often thought of getting it upgraded (warranty has long been expired), but then there is the issue of the CR123 batteries that I don't want to deal with. If there ever is a D10 with 200+ OTF lumens on a 14500, I AM IN.

But for me lumens is king so if I can resolve the clip issue with the QAA, it will be my EDC at some point. The issue being, the clip is not "deep" enough. It needs to allow the light to sit almost flush in my pocket (like a D10 does) and not have 33% of the body sticking out. I have an idea on how to fix this, I am going to try something this weekend and will post if it works out.

My long term plan has always been to replace my Surefire M3/MN11's 225 OTF lumens with something more economical. (Replacing 3xCR123 batteries every 1 hour and bulbs every 10 hours is not economical). Not to mention its relatively beastly size. I have grown accustom to the M3's balance of throw/spill and consider it almost perfect for me. The QAA-190's 190 OTF lumens on a single 14500 is the closest yet that I have come. Maybe 2 more generations and I'll get there.

My EDC progression has been:
MiniMag 2AA (ican) many years
MiniMag 2AA (niteize)
P1D CE
L1D CE
L2D Q5 (short-lived wayyy too big)
D20 (short-lived wayyyy too big)
D10 GDP
QAA-190 (soon)


----------



## Mr. Tone (Jul 31, 2009)

timbo114 said:


> *x3*
> 
> *x3*
> 
> ...


 
On my regular UI Quark the flash thing is really a non issue. I can't see anything accept when going from turbo down and even then it is very small, very fast, and insignificant. On my tactical UI Quark no matter what combination or length of time there is a flash that is as bright as turbo for long enough to ruin your night vision. At least with my tactical Quark there is something different about it that makes it have this really bad flash. It does it whether on moon, low, or medium. I think I heard somebody say that it was either gone or less of a problem with 14500 so I will see when I get them. Let me repeat that with my regular UI Quark there is virtually no flash and it works perfectly, the problem is only with my tactical Quark. Both of the lights are single AA and I am using NIMH.


----------



## StinkyButler (Jul 31, 2009)

ninjaboigt said:


> hmm my quark takes about 1/4 of a turn to lock out. ( my fenixes take about 1/16 of a turn or something like that, its a very short distance..)



My Q123W takes about 1/16th to 1/8th or so of a turn to lock out as well, not much distance at all. VERY cool feature, although I probably don't have to worry much about that because the tailcap is somewhat hard to press. One handed operation is a bit difficult. Gotta hit the gym and start doing some finger press exercises. 

Overall, I *really* like this light. It's got the nicest tint and most useful features of any of the lights I own. 4Sevens really did their homework on this one. I can live with a stiff tailcap, no problem.


----------



## hiker123 (Jul 31, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> TINT-The tint is definitely warmer than my XR-E Q3 5A in my DBS. It does have a more "tobacco tint" like an incan, which I was not expecting and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet since I though it would be the same as my other 5A. Once I can use it at night I will have more to say.


So how does the tint compare to your stock Maglite? I understand it is subjective, but I am curious.

---

Did these lights ship with an extra tailcap or is the new version already installed?

I'm so jealous all you members are getting to play with your lights, but I hope you are enjoying them. I had my light shipped to family in the US and I was supposed to go there this weekend but something came up and I can't go now.


----------



## Mugrunty (Jul 31, 2009)

one thing I noticed, is that my cool tinted tactical light Does NOT have the tail lock out feature. The threads are not anodized. It also does not ramp up output when doing the beacon mode. It simply blinks. My warm version I got today does ramp up output in beacon mode, does have the lockout, and does have a harder to turn head. Weird.


----------



## crockett (Jul 31, 2009)

DHart,

Your chart is awesome and very helpful. I'm a photographer as well so the EV thing is fine by me.

Would you mind testing a Quark123 with CR123A primary that ships with the light. I don't see it on your chart. I'm interested how it compares to the AW RCR123.

Thanks.


----------



## jcw122 (Jul 31, 2009)

Mugrunty said:


> one thing I noticed, is that my cool tinted tactical light Does NOT have the tail lock out feature. The threads are not anodized. It also does not ramp up output when doing the beacon mode. It simply blinks. My warm version I got today does ramp up output in beacon mode, does have the lockout, and does have a harder to turn head. Weird.



How does the warm have lockout if the threads aren't anodized? What does ramp up in beacon mode matter?


----------



## defloyd77 (Jul 31, 2009)

Mugrunty said:


> one thing I noticed, is that my cool tinted tactical light Does NOT have the tail lock out feature. The threads are not anodized. It also does not ramp up output when doing the beacon mode. It simply blinks. My warm version I got today does ramp up output in beacon mode, does have the lockout, and does have a harder to turn head. Weird.



My beacon doesn't ramp. Interesting.


----------



## 4sevens (Jul 31, 2009)

We made some small unannounced changes over time that doesn't affect the specifications.

We got rid of the ramp because it wasn't that smooth so newer boards don't have the ramp.

Also, newer tailcaps now have annodization. It's also not really a "feature" since annodizing breakdown will still bridge the connection. 

-David


----------



## Woods Walker (Aug 1, 2009)

4sevens said:


> We made some small unannounced changes over time that doesn't affect the specifications.
> 
> We got rid of the ramp because it wasn't that smooth so newer boards don't have the ramp.
> 
> ...


 
I consider annodization on a tailcap nice. Still on the fence with these as I often like to read all the reviews and reports from users and let a little time pass before jumpin on a new gear item.


----------



## 4sevens (Aug 1, 2009)

Woods Walker said:


> I consider annodization on a tailcap nice. Still on the fence with these as I often like to read all the reviews and reports from users and let a little time pass before jumpin on a new gear item.


We still wouldn't claim it as a "feature" as it would eventually break down. If you absolutely must have an anodized tail, we'll send you one.


----------



## xenonk (Aug 1, 2009)

4sevens said:


> Also, newer tailcaps now have annodization. It's also not really a "feature" since annodizing breakdown will still bridge the connection.


I'll take that non-feature. Hopefully the neu-tac I've got coming is recent enough; I'll top load to prolong the anodize.


----------



## defloyd77 (Aug 1, 2009)

Well I just put my Quark to it's first real test. What'd I do? I made a pizza. The problem was whenever I'd make one, when I'd check on it I'd either have to go to the far side of the room to switch on the light or I'd do it the flashaholic way and use what I had in my pocket. The problem? I like my pizza's cheese to be golden. The room's light has those ugly amber tinted incan bulbs and my P100A2 uses a cool white Q5. When I'd use the P100A2, a pizza that looked golden was brown and under the room's light, what seemed golden was still white. But this little Quark's light was just right. I can't even remember the last time I had a pizza perfectly golden like this without natural lighting. A strange but enlightening testament to the neutral tint.


----------



## Glow_Worm (Aug 1, 2009)

flatline said:


> I switched the head and tail so that the tube was closer to the back. In the head-down configuration, the ring that tightens over the clip would turn in my right hand when I meant to turn the head with my left hand. It was annoying. By putting the head on the ring end, it stopped being troublesome and made the light slightly more comfortable to hold in my preferred grip.
> 
> --flatline



Hey flatline: Kudos for your awesome tip regarding switching the head & tail caps. I also removed the clip on my Quark AA, and the rattling ring was driving me crazy. Following your suggestion for swapping the head & tail fixed that and made the operation perfect. I also re-lubed both ends w/ additional Nyogel to make the twisting much easier.

The Quark AA Warm is a fabulous light; when using a 14500 (Trustfire) battery it's comparable to my EagleTac P10A2 in throw, and w/ much better tint. For those Quark AA owners who haven't switched to 14500 batteries, you really should, as it completely amps-up the light. 

On Eneloops or regular AAs, there's little change between High & Turbo; with a 14500, the difference is dramatic. On all modes other than Turbo, the output from regular AA vs 14500 batteries are completely comparable.

The other thing I love about this light is the very-low Moon-mode; the lowest of any light I have – lower than the lowest mode on the EX10, and even lower than the lowest on the Proton Pro.

Thanks again to flatline for the head/tail body-swap hint.

--kirk


----------



## defloyd77 (Aug 1, 2009)

Glow_Worm said:


> The other thing I love about this light is the very-low Moon-mode; the lowest of any light I have – lower than the lowest mode on the EX10, and even lower than the lowest on the Proton Pro.



Actually I was kind of suprised how "bright" the moon mode was. .2 lumens sounds really super dim so I was thinking about the same about as my Photon Rex , it's brighter than my Rex at it's lowest, using the Rex, my eyes have to adapt before I can use it, I can use the Quark's moon mode right away. It's equal to the Rex's one "ramp up step" from the lowest which is my sweet spot for dim output. The beam itself is so much more useful for my uses than the Rex's which is more suitable for closer range uses like looking at a map and not searching the floor for cats who like to trip people.


----------



## chaosmagnet (Aug 1, 2009)

4sevens said:


> We made some small unannounced changes over time that doesn't affect the specifications.
> 
> We got rid of the ramp because it wasn't that smooth so newer boards don't have the ramp.
> 
> ...



These are good changes.


----------



## flatline (Aug 1, 2009)

Glow_Worm said:


> Thanks again to flatline for the head/tail body-swap hint.



You're very welcome.

--flatline


----------



## Badbeams3 (Aug 1, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> Well I just put my Quark to it's first real test. What'd I do? I made a pizza. The problem was whenever I'd make one, when I'd check on it I'd either have to go to the far side of the room to switch on the light or I'd do it the flashaholic way and use what I had in my pocket. The problem? I like my pizza's cheese to be golden. The room's light has those ugly amber tinted incan bulbs and my P100A2 uses a cool white Q5. When I'd use the P100A2, a pizza that looked golden was brown and under the room's light, what seemed golden was still white. But this little Quark's light was just right. I can't even remember the last time I had a pizza perfectly golden like this without natural lighting. A strange but enlightening testament to the neutral tint.



Oh man you s**k. Not even a single pic. Not really interested in the light...


----------



## ninjaboigt (Aug 1, 2009)

Funny thing last night, lol so i showed my gf the new neutral tactical 2AA i got. and when i showed her how to program it, lol she mentioned it look like i was grinding one of those peper thingys LOLLL...stupid twist back and forth...i'll def need to get a standard quark soon...


----------



## MstrHnky (Aug 1, 2009)

i have two questions about my new quark 123. 

i ordered an ex10 R2 at the same time and the tint on my ex10 is a very cool white while the quark is very slight green/yellow. i ordered the standard version (ie., not tactical and not the warm tint emitter). is this normal? is the quark a different R2 bin?

also, the UI on the quark is a bit strange, but i haven't decided if it's good or bad. as i mentioned, i ordered the standard quark 123, but it has a "tactical" mode also. one full press on the reverse clicky will turn the light on. once the light is on, a soft press will change modes. however, a full press on the clicky turns the light off, but click it again and you get the "flash" before the light appears to be off. at this point, the light is in tactical mode and you can soft press to cycle through the modes again. if you hold the soft press down without clicking, the light will remain on in that mode. next full click turns off. click again and it's the constant on that you'd expect.

it's somewhat annoying that i have to do a full double click to get back to the "constant on" modes that i want to use 99% of the time. 

and btw, my clicky sits flush in the tailcap and the light can candlestand, so it's not the tactical tailcap.

are they all like this?


----------



## chaosmagnet (Aug 1, 2009)

MstrHnky said:


> i ordered an ex10 R2 at the same time and the tint on my ex10 is a very cool white while the quark is very slight green/yellow. i ordered the standard version (ie., not tactical and not the warm tint emitter). is this normal? is the quark a different R2 bin?



My Quark 123 has a substantially warmer tint than I expected.



MstrHnky said:


> also, the UI on the quark is a bit strange, but i haven't decided if it's good or bad. as i mentioned, i ordered the standard quark 123, but it has a "tactical" mode also. one full press on the reverse clicky will turn the light on. once the light is on, a soft press will change modes. however, a full press on the clicky turns the light off, but click it again and you get the "flash" before the light appears to be off. at this point, the light is in tactical mode and you can soft press to cycle through the modes again. if you hold the soft press down without clicking, the light will remain on in that mode. next full click turns off. click again and it's the constant on that you'd expect.


 
Mine doesn't do this -- and yours shouldn't. Perhaps you have a flakey clicky? My suggestion would be to call or email 4sevens to get a warranty replacement.


----------



## Woods Walker (Aug 1, 2009)

4sevens said:


> We still wouldn't claim it as a "feature" as it would eventually break down. If you absolutely must have an anodized tail, we'll send you one.


 
Can someone load the batteries from the bezel of a Quark? I am thinking of an EDC so the lockout is not that important unlike for the backpack. But still one never knows what a light is used for. Like to keep the options open.


----------



## matrixshaman (Aug 1, 2009)

Woods Walker said:


> Can someone load the batteries from the bezel of a Quark? I am thinking of an EDC so the lockout is not that important unlike for the backpack. But still one never knows what a light is used for. Like to keep the options open.



I don't have the Quark in front of me at the moment but I'm fairly sure you can load batteries from either end.


----------



## jahxman (Aug 1, 2009)

Woods Walker said:


> Can someone load the batteries from the bezel of a Quark? I am thinking of an EDC so the lockout is not that important unlike for the backpack. But still one never knows what a light is used for. Like to keep the options open.



Yes, you can load batteries from either end; the threads are the same, so you can also swap head and tailcap positions, as some have done, to change the clip orientation or whatever other reason you might have.

On my QAA and Q123 noclip I did this (after removing the clip on the QAA) because I find the operation of the head easier.


----------



## Legend (Aug 1, 2009)

Would someone please explain how the UI would work on a regular Quark with a tactical tailcap? I searched the forum but didn't a full description.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Aug 1, 2009)

Legend said:


> Would someone please explain how the UI would work on a regular Quark with a tactical tailcap? I searched the forum but didn't a full description.



Works great...just tap, tap...till you are at the level you want then click all the way. Real sweet. But no tail standing.


----------



## Legend (Aug 1, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> Works great...just tap, tap...till you are at the level you want then click all the way. Real sweet. But no tail standing.



Thank you. I may be getting a Quark.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 1, 2009)

hiker123 said:


> So how does the tint compare to your stock Maglite? I understand it is subjective, but I am curious.
> 
> ---


 
When compared to my stock Maglite the tint of the Quark is slightly whiter but not much. The Quark tint leans more towards a brown/tan color and the Maglite towards yellow. I will like the warm Quarks for most things over my other LED lights with cool white Q5, but it is actually warmer than I would like it to be. It is of course more so when in lower modes, the whites come out better on High/Turbo.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 1, 2009)

I have some good news about the preflash problem I was having with my AA tactical Quark. I hope others that have the problem with their tacticals can try this and have it work like mine is. 

*BEZEL TIGHTENED*-It is when I had this mode programmed as turbo that the problem existed. No matter how long it was off, or any other thing it would flash as bright as turbo on the lower setting I had programmed into the bezel loose mode. It did this whether I had the lower mode as moon, low, or even medium. 

*BEZEL LOOSENED*-I decided to try programming this mode to be turbo and the bezel tight as moon. *Voila!* It will only flash as bright as turbo if you turn the light off in turbo and turn it back on in moon mode, and only once as well. Otherwise the flash on the moon mode is basically the same brightness as low now, is fast too and is really insignificant this way. It should not affect night vision now. I programmed the bezel tight mode as low and medium too, and the flash is not there at all except if turning off in turbo and then on again in lower mode.

I hope this helps other people because it eliminated the problem for me. My regular Quark has no problem with this in anyway, only the tactical model. Both of my Quarks are AA and running on NIMH.


----------



## passive101 (Aug 1, 2009)

Legend said:


> Thank you. I may be getting a Quark.



Sounds like the best of both worlds! If I could get it today I would order one today.


----------



## jcw122 (Aug 1, 2009)

Warm Owners: Does your box state it is a warm quark?

AA^2 Owners: Does your head hiss on NiHMs on MAX? I'm getting a hissing noise and this is worrying me!


THIS IS MY FIRST LIGHT AND IT IS AWESOME!!! The warm looks great!


----------



## passive101 (Aug 1, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Warm Owners: Does your box state it is a warm quark?
> 
> AA^2 Owners: Does your head hiss on NiHMs on MAX? I'm getting a hissing noise and this is worrying me!
> 
> ...



I can't say about the hiss as I have a 123-2.

On the back of the box near the center there is a sticker that reads "Neutral White Limited Edition"


----------



## Mikellen (Aug 1, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I have some good news about the preflash problem I was having with my AA tactical Quark. I hope others that have the problem with their tacticals can try this and have it work like mine is.
> 
> *BEZEL TIGHTENED*-It is when I had this mode programmed as turbo that the problem existed. No matter how long it was off, or any other thing it would flash as bright as turbo on the lower setting I had programmed into the bezel loose mode. It did this whether I had the lower mode as moon, low, or even medium.
> 
> ...


 
I have the 2 AA warm tac Quark and I get a bright pre-flash no matter if turbo is in the tight or loose position. The brightness seems to be the same regardless. I don't really like this pre-flash but I can live with it. I keep turbo in the tight position and high in the loose position so the pre-flash is not an issue. 

Is the pre-flash also present in the regular Quarks? If so when the flashlight is turned off if any other mode besides turbo will there be a pre-flash?


----------



## Xak (Aug 1, 2009)

flatline said:


> You're very welcome.
> 
> --flatline



I may want to try this to help my super tight head problem. Does this mean I need to either remove the clip or have it in the bezel up position, though? I really like the clip the way it is, bezel down.


----------



## MichaelW (Aug 1, 2009)

Got the Q123x2 (warm-neutral)
The beam, for what it is supposed to be, it correct.
The problem I have is that it is all hotspot & spill. There isn't any transition.

Hopefully when the Quark 1.5 series comes out (cough xp-g) the extra light (the extra 50% over xp-e) will be used to fill in the corona.


----------



## flatline (Aug 1, 2009)

Xak said:


> I may want to try this to help my super tight head problem. Does this mean I need to either remove the clip or have it in the bezel up position, though? I really like the clip the way it is, bezel down.



Hmm...if you put the head on the clip-ring side of the tube as I've done, then the clip will function bezel up.

If I were you I'd try to determine the cause of your super tight head. Try taking the o-ring off and see if the problem goes away. If the o-ring isn't the culprit, then I would guess that the cause of the problem is that the tube thread was terminated early (I think mine is like that, but since I prefer the head on the other side, I don't consider this an issue worth correcting). If that's the case, and you decide you can't live with it, you may need to contact 4sevens customer service for a new tube.

But I'm just speculating. There are people far more knowledgable than I am who have already written some about this problem and might have better advice for you.

Good luck.

--flatline


----------



## Toohotruk (Aug 1, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> ...AA^2 Owners: Does your head hiss on NiHMs on MAX? I'm getting a hissing noise and this is worrying me!...



It's known as inductor whine and is pretty common, although I haven't heard much about it with the Quarks.


----------



## flatline (Aug 1, 2009)

MichaelW said:


> Got the Q123x2 (warm-neutral)
> The beam, for what it is supposed to be, it correct.
> The problem I have is that it is all hotspot & spill. There isn't any transition.
> 
> Hopefully when the Quark 1.5 series comes out (cough xp-g) the extra light (the extra 50% over xp-e) will be used to fill in the corona.



My QAAW beam has an intense hotspot, a transition to spill that is about half as wide as the hotspot, and then spill. If the hot spot were any smaller (it's currently about 1/9th the width of the beam), I'd have an issue with it, but if it were any bigger, then the light wouldn't have the desired throw (throw was a design criterion, right?). I would gladdly sacrifice throw to get a hotspot about 1/3rd the width of the beam and still keep the smooth transition to spill that the current beam has, but realistically that isn't going to happen with a AA flashlight. Maybe my next purchase will be a 18650 flashlight with that kind of beam (assuming one exists).

--flatline


----------



## ninjaboigt (Aug 1, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Warm Owners: Does your box state it is a warm quark?
> 
> AA^2 Owners: Does your head hiss on NiHMs on MAX? I'm getting a hissing noise and this is worrying me!
> 
> ...


 
my box says "Neutral White Limited Edition" not warm... 

i do hear the hiss on my AAx2 flashlight on turbo...i think this is normal....i hear the hiiss also in strobe mode...


----------



## MichaelW (Aug 1, 2009)

I pulled out the Inova T1-mp & T2-mp.
The T1 has a very useful beam and is brighter than the '70' setting of the Quark, but the Quark has a brighter hotspot.
The T2 hotspot is brighter than the '70' setting of the Quark, but not when the Quark is on turbo.

I thought that moon mode would be dimmer.

Never thought that the Fenix p2d,p3d,l2d rb100s would look so blue.

The Q3-5A is lacking in green, more so than I expected it to be.

If you are on beacon, switch to turbo, switch back to loose you will be on moon. Beacon needs some work.


----------



## Paul5M (Aug 1, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> AA^2 Owners: Does your head hiss on NiHMs on MAX? I'm getting a hissing noise and this is worrying me!


Now, you know why many of these electronic flashlights are not FCC certified 
.
.
.
If I were you, I wouldn't strap one of these to my head


----------



## passive101 (Aug 1, 2009)

Hot spot and side spill is perfection for me with this light. I would use it for target identification and also real world light. I really like the mix of both of them. 

This light is already on my pants pocket. This light is a perfect size length wise. It's already gotten some use :thumbsup:


----------



## 4sevens (Aug 1, 2009)

Paul5M said:


> Now, you know why these Chinese flashlights are not FCC certified
> .
> .
> .
> If I were you, I wouldn't strap one of these to my head


As far as I know there are no flashlights that are FCC certified. Thats only required if it transmits a wireless signal.

I'm not exactly sure how you are designating lights as "chinese"

Quarks are designed in the USA. (Atlanta, Georgia) LED's are from Durham, North Carolina. The rest of the components are from China and other parts of the world. Final assembly is in China. 

Hissing is normal and audible from holding it close to your year. Like someone said it's an inductor whine. I've had "non-chinese" lights do the same.


----------



## passive101 (Aug 1, 2009)

4Sevens please tell me what is on the outside of your boxes?!

Your packaging is perfection and the material for the feel of my box is fantastic! Can you get business cards that have this feel? :wave:


----------



## 4sevens (Aug 1, 2009)

passive101 said:


> 4Sevens please tell me what is on the outside of your boxes?!
> 
> Your packaging is perfection and the material for the feel of my box is fantastic! Can you get business cards that have this feel? :wave:


It's a secret concoction of nano-polymers that literally SUCK light into it make your need of a flashlight even greater.

Just kidding. 

I'm not too sure actually. The idea was inspired by a very nice Corvette brochure. We sent a sample to the guys who were doing the packaging and they found a source that was similar.

Yeah, business cards like that would be awesome!


----------



## DHart (Aug 1, 2009)

MichaelW said:


> If you are on beacon, switch to turbo, switch back to loose you will be on moon. Beacon needs some work.



When I'm in beacon, switch to turbo, switch back to loose again... I'm back in beacon again... as I would expect.


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Aug 1, 2009)

> Now, you know why these Chinese flashlights are not FCC certified


 


> As far as I know there are no flashlights that are FCC certified. Thats only required if it transmits a wireless signal.


 
As a possible counterexample to both claims, I offer the Rogue ICON, made in China with an FCC certification logo on the side.


----------



## 4sevens (Aug 1, 2009)

Vox Clamatis in Deserto said:


> As a possible counterexample to both claims, I offer the Rogue ICON, made in China with an FCC certification logo on the side.


Interesting. FCC is not required unless it's a wireless device or if it could possibly cause wireless interference. Can you find the FCC number on the device or packaging?


----------



## Paul5M (Aug 1, 2009)

4sevens said:


> I'm not exactly sure how you are designating lights as "chinese"
> 
> Quarks are designed in the USA. (Atlanta, Georgia) LED's are from Durham, North Carolina. The rest of the components are from China and other parts of the world. Final assembly is in China.
> 
> Hissing is normal and audible from holding it close to your year. Like someone said it's an inductor whine. I've had "non-chinese" lights do the same.


My bad. I already "calibrated" the word


----------



## Xak (Aug 1, 2009)

passive101 said:


> 4Sevens please tell me what is on the outside of your boxes?!
> 
> Your packaging is perfection and the material for the feel of my box is fantastic! Can you get business cards that have this feel? :wave:



Yeah, the packaging is awesome with these lights! How much are we paying for packaging? Serious, I'm already sold on the product, you can send it in a plain cardboard box for all I care if it will save me money! Save the fancy boxes for physical store shelves.


----------



## 4sevens (Aug 1, 2009)

Xak said:


> Yeah, the packaging is awesome with these lights! How much are we paying for packaging? Serious, I'm already sold on the product, you can send it in a plain cardboard box for all I care if it will save me money! Save the fancy boxes for physical store shelves.


Thanks! It was very expensive. I may do an "eco-friendly" version thats a few bucks cheaper. I'm not sure yet, we've got too may items to keep up with these days.


----------



## defloyd77 (Aug 1, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> Oh man you s**k. Not even a single pic. Not really interested in the light...



Sorry man, I was hungry. I've found that even the low, not moon mode doesn't bother my dark adjusted eyes.


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Aug 1, 2009)

> Interesting. FCC is not required unless it's a wireless device or if it could possibly cause wireless interference. Can you find the FCC number on the device or packaging?


 
I'm somewhat familiar with FCC ID's from some of my work with radio gear. I don't have the packaging for most of my lights since I'm a married man and it would leave a very incriminating evidence trail.

However, I just used my QAAW to find some Surefire lights in the drawers while my wife was sleeping.

A new, second batch SF LX2 has no FCC certification markings that I can see. However, two recent SF U2's have 'FCC CE Certified' on the side as does an older U2.

I also found two SF L1's from maybe five years ago (luxeons with TIR optics) and a SF Kroma Mil-Spec from a couple of years ago with 'FCC CE Certified' on the side.

Two SF E1B's and a T1A have just the FCC CE logos on the head.

Here's another FCC certification claim on a page about the Gladius light:



> *Q: What other certifications does this light have? *
> *A:* To date, FCC and CE


 
From: http://www.opticsplanet.net/blackhawk-flashlights-gladius-fag.html

I don't seem to find FCC ID's in any of the specs or marketing material for the lights.

However, an old SF U2 manual brochure from 2004 states: 'SureFire U2 Ultra Tested to Comply With FCC Standards FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE' implying Part 15 I would think.

I don't seem to find Surefire by name in the FCC cert database but I sometimes can't find myself in government databases that I know I should be in.

I think you may have to get FCC Part 15 (or Part 18) certification if you use a switching frequency above 9 kHz. The Quarks may not have this issue due to design.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 1, 2009)

4sevens said:


> Thanks! It was very expensive. I may do an "eco-friendly" version thats a few bucks cheaper. I'm not sure yet, we've got too may items to keep up with these days.


 
4sevens, thanks for making these nice lights for us. I think it was probably a good idea to pull out all the stops like you did for your first light offerings. Having the nice packaging and promotion adds a sense of all around quality and attention to detail that shows you care. If you put that much thought into the packaging you had to put way more into the lights. 

I am enjoying these Quark lights and think you did well with addressing a number of needs/desires that us flashaholics have and incorporating them into these lights. Moon mode for me was a huge selling point along with the neutral tint option. I hope you are getting some sleep. I can understand the feeling of putting your heart into something and how the feedback both positive and negative can keep your mind going with if's, ands, or but's. Thanks again.


----------



## defloyd77 (Aug 1, 2009)

There are a lot of non radio type devices that have the FCC certification, basically my understanding is that FCC certified devices will not cause interference, for example CFL's that don't have FCC certification may cause interference with cordless phones, radios and other such things. 

So what is the new beacon pattern, I have not yet figured it out?

Also on the box design, I love and hate it. It's beautiful, but I want those magnets lol and haven't figured out how to get them out without ruining this beautiful box.


----------



## Xak (Aug 2, 2009)

OT: How cool would it be to get a flashlight that could also jam cell phones?!?!:twothumbs


----------



## jcw122 (Aug 2, 2009)

Thanks for the replies on the hissing noise. I suspect the reason we haven't heard much about this is because (from what I have read in all 4 parts of the Quark threads), no one has talked very much about the AA^2. I really enjoy the AA^2 so far, I don't mind the length at all. The AA almost feels too short sometimes! I can't imagine the 123, blah!


----------



## jcw122 (Aug 2, 2009)

*Minireview*

*My Mini review, a few problems*

This has been my first flashlight, and I got to use it a bunch today. I love it so far! It is the Quark Neutral White Tactical. From my newbie point of view, everything about it is great. The throw, the amount of light, the feel, etc! The only thing I don't appreciate is the tint, just because I have never seen an R2 light before, so I'm not sure how it really looks in comparison. Sometimes I can tell it's warm, sometimes I feel it's very plain white.

The only thing I don't like is that the head seems difficult to tighten/loosen on the AA body. The AA^2 though has no issues, and it is not the clips fault on the AA, but I haven't tried reversing the head. I'm guessing it is that threading issue. It's not that big off a deal, just kind of difficult to change modes.

ALSO I can't seem to get the light to work when I reverse the head and tail! I'm not sure why this would be, but it won't work! The polarity is correct. Any ideas?


----------



## hiker123 (Aug 2, 2009)

*Re: Minireview*



Mr. Tone said:


> When compared to my stock Maglite the tint of the Quark is slightly whiter but not much. The Quark tint leans more towards a brown/tan color and the Maglite towards yellow. I will like the warm Quarks for most things over my other LED lights with cool white Q5, but it is actually warmer than I would like it to be. It is of course more so when in lower modes, the whites come out better on High/Turbo.



Thanks *Mr. Tone*. 
Do you use your lights mostly indoors or outdoors? Do you feel the lights are warmer than you'd like them to be in both situations?


----------



## f22shift (Aug 2, 2009)

Update: there isn't any dissipation for leaving the light off. it'll still pre-flash. i tried overnight.

what i thought was dissipation was something else. there is no way around pre-flash besides turning it on and letting taking it's course. it's more that it comes on the previous setting for a split second.
anyway, if you turn the light on in turbo. shut it off. immediately(within a second) turn to another mode(loose to moonmode) then it will not preflash.
it's sort of similar to before turning the light off you turn to another mode then shut off. so there's like a 1second window even if the light is turned off to twist the bezel into another mode. could be less than a second.
i was trying all sorts of patterns and combos last night and this morning. and surprisingly not kicked out of bed. 

i hope they work on eliminating the preflash in the future. the light is nearly perfect.

the rubber hand accessory is perfect for runners. you don't have to hold the light with a tight grip. only thing i would have to mention is to twist the head to what level you want and then put it on. if you end up twisting the head, you'll twist the rubber strap.


----------



## Mikellen (Aug 2, 2009)

f22shift said:


> Update: there isn't any dissipation for leaving the light off. it'll still pre-flash. i tried overnight.
> 
> what i thought was dissipation was something else. there is no way around pre-flash besides turning it on and letting taking it's course. it's more that it comes on the previous setting for a split second.
> anyway, if you turn the light on in turbo. shut it off. immediately(within a second) turn to another mode(loose to moonmode) then it will not preflash.
> ...


 
Do you have the tactical or regular Quark? I have the tactical version and the pre-flash is bright. The pre-flash is the only thing I do not like about this light. I'm wondering if the regular version has the pre-flash as well. 

Thanks.


----------



## mbiraman (Aug 2, 2009)

*Re: Minireview*



jcw122 said:


> *My Mini review, a few problems*
> 
> 
> Quote
> ...


----------



## f22shift (Aug 2, 2009)

Mikellen said:


> Do you have the tactical or regular Quark? I have the tactical version and the pre-flash is bright. The pre-flash is the only thing I do not like about this light. I'm wondering if the regular version has the pre-flash as well.
> 
> Thanks.


 tactical. the preflash is as bright as the previous mode or the preflash can be as low as the previous mode.
so yes from turbo to moonmode it looks exactly like a camera flash going off.


----------



## defloyd77 (Aug 2, 2009)

*Re: Minireview*



mbiraman said:


> jcw122 said:
> 
> 
> > *Try just switching the o-rings from front to back, that worked for me because it turned out they were different thickness's. Now my tail is stiff but i only go there to change batteries which i don't do very often.*
> ...


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 2, 2009)

*Re: Minireview*



hiker123 said:


> Thanks *Mr. Tone*.
> Do you use your lights mostly indoors or outdoors? Do you feel the lights are warmer than you'd like them to be in both situations?


 
I will use them for both situations, but probably indoors the most. Outside it isn't as big of a deal since there is not much that is naturally white. Inside is where it is mostly too warm/tan for me. I do like the tint much better for 90% of things over my cool white Fenix. 

My DBS 5A tint is my ideal tint of all my flashlights. I wonder if my DBS is a little more white than most 5A or if the difference is because of the XP-E vs. XR-E. I do like the neutral warm Quark tint but just wish it was a little closer to white and had less of a tan/tobacco tint. It is much more pleasing to the eye than the blueish tints of my Fenix LD20 and L2D CE.


----------



## jcw122 (Aug 2, 2009)

Does anyone have photos of the contact-side of their Quark heads? I noticed there are 5 dots, and one is not soldered on my Tactical Warm, I was wondering if any other models were different, and if maybe this soldering point did anything.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 2, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Does anyone have photos of the contact-side of their Quark heads? I noticed there are 5 dots, and one is not soldered on my Tactical Warm, I was wondering if any other models were different, and if maybe this soldering point did anything.


 
I don't have any photos but I just checked mine. My regular model has 2 points that are not, and the tactical has 1. I don't doubt that it is intentional and therefore probably nothing to worry about.


----------



## pobox1475 (Aug 2, 2009)

> The only thing I don't like is that the head seems difficult to tighten/loosen


 Keep in mind that even a_ brand new_ light will see improved smoothness in twisting action when threads are cleaned and given a good application of a quality lube like Nyogel.

http://www.nyelubricants.com/pdf/760g.pdf

http://www.cpfreviews.com/Flashlight-Care-Nyogel-Lubricants.php


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Aug 2, 2009)

I've got both the tight head and the sometimes bright pre-flash on my QAAW tactical. I'll try some Nyogel but the head feels like it is already lubed.

The pre-flash could indeed be a major issue in a tactical situation. At the least, it is annoying with dark adapted eyes.


----------



## DHart (Aug 2, 2009)

Very minor pre-flash with my regular Quark heads. No biggie. I can easily live with this.

Very BRIGHT pre-flash with my tactical Quark head. Not a good thing, potentially problematic. This should be corrected.

Nice, comfy head turn on my Q123. Wonderful!!!

Overly tight head turn on my AA and both Q123-2 bodies. Serviceable operation, but not wonderful-too tight feeling. Definitely o-ring thickness -or- o-ring groove diameter variance related.

David... tell us about the o-rings, please. Are they all the same spec or are some thinner and some thicker. What is the specified size? 

If all the o-rings are to the same spec, then using a slightly less fat o-ring could compensate for a slightly out-of-spec o-ring groove diameter.

It would be nice to be able to find some slightly less "fat" o-rings for those of us with overly-tight head turning... but I have no idea what the size spec is to begin with. Can you help?


----------



## MichaelW (Aug 2, 2009)

DHart said:


> When I'm in beacon, switch to turbo, switch back to loose again... I'm back in beacon again... as I would expect.



I don't mind that it goes to moon mode.
What needs work is the signal profile. It isn't a nice square wave. There is a short flicker (on then off) before the full output (nearly one second) full beam comes on.

I have the lock out tail cap, maybe the beacon->moon was one of those upgrades.


----------



## hiker123 (Aug 2, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I will use them for both situations, but probably indoors the most. Outside it isn't as big of a deal since there is not much that is naturally white. Inside is where it is mostly too warm/tan for me. I do like the tint much better for 90% of things over my cool white Fenix.
> 
> My DBS 5A tint is my ideal tint of all my flashlights. I wonder if my DBS is a little more white than most 5A or if the difference is because of the XP-E vs. XR-E. I do like the neutral warm Quark tint but just wish it was a little closer to white and had less of a tan/tobacco tint. It is much more pleasing to the eye than the blueish tints of my Fenix LD20 and L2D CE.


Thanks again *Mr. Tone*.
In the Flashlight Reviews section there is a new thread comparing the tints in case anyone missed it. Review


----------



## SilentK (Aug 2, 2009)

Has anyone worn out some of the anodizing off of theirs yet? i know i have. the clip anodizing is really screwed up now. i think i might be to tough on my stuff.


----------



## f22shift (Aug 2, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Does anyone have photos of the contact-side of their Quark heads? I noticed there are 5 dots, and one is not soldered on my Tactical Warm, I was wondering if any other models were different, and if maybe this soldering point did anything.


 
same as you. seems to be normal.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 2, 2009)

For those of you with tactical models and the preflash problem try this from my other post #237. It worked for me and solved the problem. Hopefully it will work for some or all of you.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3033638&postcount=237


----------



## passive101 (Aug 2, 2009)

SilentK said:


> Has anyone worn out some of the anodizing off of theirs yet? i know i have. the clip anodizing is really screwed up now. i think i might be to tough on my stuff.



You already wore off the 3A anodizing on your light? Were you rubbing it against cement? 

I've been using the pocket clip. I've hit the side on a couple of walls. So far zero damage to my light.


----------



## kz1000s1 (Aug 2, 2009)

SilentK said:


> Has anyone worn out some of the anodizing off of theirs yet? i know i have. the clip anodizing is really screwed up now. i think i might be to tough on my stuff.



Yes, my clip finish is wearing on the edges. It looks like paint though, not anodizing.


----------



## flatline (Aug 3, 2009)

I'm hoping you folks can help me understand the unpredictable behavior of my QAAW last night.

With bezel loosened, when I would turn it on, it would start in moon mode and then start flashing high/max (hard to tell the difference with regular AA) randomly. Half clicking the clickie would cause it to flash and then go out (maybe moon, couldn't tell) and then flash again when the clickie was released. Fully activating the clickie would turn the QAAW off.

After a couple of minutes of experimentation I determined that it never had any troubles if I started it with the bezel tight and then loosened it to get to moon mode. If I started it with bezel loose and then tightened it, sometimes Max would turn on, other times it would continue flashing randomly.

I changed out the battery with a fresh alkaline (it had been running on an old NiMh of unknown health). The unpredictable behavior continued, but seemed to improved the more I messed with it. This morning, it misbehaved just once (the second time I turned it on), but now seems to be behaving correctly every time I mess with it.

Do these symptoms sound familiar to anyone?

Edit: I've sent my description to 47's. Perhaps they'll know what's going on.


----------



## pobox1475 (Aug 3, 2009)

> just wish it was a little closer to white and had less of a tan/tobacco tint.


 I must have won the tint lottery. Mine is white with no yellow or tobacco what so ever.


----------



## f22shift (Aug 3, 2009)

flatline said:


> I'm hoping you folks can help me understand the unpredictable behavior of my QAAW last night.
> 
> With bezel loosened, when I would turn it on, it would start in moon mode and then start flashing high/max (hard to tell the difference with regular AA) randomly. Half clicking the clickie would cause it to flash and then go out (maybe moon, couldn't tell) and then flash again when the clickie was released. Fully activating the clickie would turn the QAAW off.
> 
> ...


 

i would try cleaning the contact point on the inside head(gold circle around circuit) and the end of the top barrel. just to make sure it's not a connection problem. also is it hard to twist tight at the end? double check if your threads were cut all the way to the end.

if all fails i would just contact 4sevens. i'm sure they can get your a replacement asap if it's defective.


----------



## flatline (Aug 3, 2009)

f22shift said:


> i would try cleaning the contact point on the inside head(gold circle around circuit) and the end of the top barrel. just to make sure it's not a connection problem. also is it hard to twist tight at the end? double check if your threads were cut all the way to the end.
> 
> if all fails i would just contact 4sevens. i'm sure they can get your a replacement asap if it's defective.



It only misbehaved when the bezel was loose, so I'm confident that it isn't the ring connection at the head (but yes, I've cleaned both head contacts and the tube ends...it corrected some flickering I had the first day).


----------



## Kwanon13 (Aug 3, 2009)

+1 crazy Quark. My 123x2w turns on in random modes at times and sometimes only has three modes. :sigh:


----------



## ninjaboigt (Aug 3, 2009)

SilentK said:


> Has anyone worn out some of the anodizing off of theirs yet? i know i have. the clip anodizing is really screwed up now. i think i might be to tough on my stuff.


 
i think the clip is just paint and not anodizing.

well..with my flashlight anodizing, right where the clip gets attached to the flashlight..thers a small chip of the anodizing..i donno how it happend i was examining it when i got it out of the box..oh well no biggy..its a work horse light for me =]


----------



## flatline (Aug 3, 2009)

Kwanon13 said:


> +1 crazy Quark. My 123x2w turns on in random modes at times and sometimes only has three modes. :sigh:



Can you characterize the crazy behavior a bit?

The more detail we have, the better we can diagnose what is actually going on. I'm hoping to determine whether or not the problem is something I can correct myself of if I need to return the light to 4sevens.


----------



## hiker123 (Aug 3, 2009)

A little update on the lens:
Well I emailed 4Sevens and asked for clarification on the lens. The reply was that it is a sapphire coating on the outside, AR coating on the inside. I _assume_ the lens is a mineral glass.
Cheers


----------



## recDNA (Aug 3, 2009)

Can anybody here compare the Quark 123 (non-tac clipless) t the Fenix PD20? They seem very similar so I need a little help in choosing. I'm looking more for flood than throw. I don't care about color but like a nice ring-free beam.

Never mind - I found the thread in the Review Section


----------



## passive101 (Aug 3, 2009)

Is the 123-2 3A anodized or 2A?


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Aug 3, 2009)

> Well I emailed 4Sevens and asked for clarification on the lens. The reply was that it is a sapphire coating on the outside, AR coating on the inside. I _assume_ the lens is a mineral glass.


 
I misread the specs on that one myself, thought it was a sapphire lens with AR coating.

I've got a couple of extra battery tubes, and both tailcaps, almost too many lego possibilities.


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Aug 3, 2009)

> The more detail we have, the better we can diagnose what is actually going on. I'm hoping to determine whether or not the problem is something I can correct myself of if I need to return the light to 4sevens.


 
Don't know if you saw it but I had a Q123-2 with mode problems, it was replaced:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2986341&postcount=51


----------



## wapkil (Aug 3, 2009)

hiker123 said:


> A little update on the lens:
> Well I emailed 4Sevens and asked for clarification on the lens. The reply was that it is a sapphire coating on the outside, AR coating on the inside. I _assume_ the lens is a mineral glass.



It would be rather pointless for them to coat a sapphire glass with a sapphire coating 

What's strange is that in the specification in Polish here they write that the light has a sapphire lens. In Polish it's impossible to interpret it in a different way.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 3, 2009)

recDNA said:


> Can anybody here compare the Quark 123 (non-tac clipless) t the Fenix PD20? They seem very similar so I need a little help in choosing. I'm looking more for flood than throw. I don't care about color but like a nice ring-free beam.
> 
> Never mind - I found the thread in the Review Section


 
I have the Quark AA and Fenix LD20 which have the same heads as the lights you are looking at. If you want the best beam quality and more flood then the Quark is your ticket. The Fenix head has a little tighter hotspot with the typical Cree XR-E rings. The Quark hotspot is similar but slightly larger and the beam is superb. I much prefer the Quark beam over the Fenix.


----------



## recDNA (Aug 3, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I have the Quark AA and Fenix LD20 which have the same heads as the lights you are looking at. If you want the best beam quality and more flood then the Quark is your ticket. The Fenix head has a little tighter hotspot with the typical Cree XR-E rings. The Quark hotspot is similar but slightly larger and the beam is superb. I much prefer the Quark beam over the Fenix.


 
Thank you. The beamshots in the review section confirm your statement. I'll go with the Quark.


----------



## recDNA (Aug 3, 2009)

Imagine the demand if 4-7 put out a stainless steel limited edition of any of the Quark series?


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 3, 2009)

recDNA said:


> Thank you. The beamshots in the review section confirm your statement. I'll go with the Quark.


 
I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the beam quality. The beamshots don't do justice to the real world experience. The spill beam is so large and even that I find it extremely useful. I have had my warm Regular Quark and warm Tactical Quark since Friday and I am a very satisfied customer. My Fenix lights are going to become shelf queens, I'm afraid. These Quarks are definitely keepers.


----------



## passive101 (Aug 3, 2009)

Do we know if they are 3A anodized? I'm wondering how hard it is as this is a work light.


----------



## Linger (Aug 3, 2009)

*tactical pre-flash fix*

Tactical pre-flash fix
Turbo flash in moon mode fixed repaired



Mr. Tone said:


> I hope this helps other people because it eliminated the problem for me. My regular Quark has no problem with this in anyway, only the tactical model. Both of my Quarks are AA and running on NIMH.



Well done. I just added a title so I can search this post in two days when mine arrives and I forget what your fix was (I'm in Canada, shipping had to go through usa first).


----------



## defloyd77 (Aug 4, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> For those of you with tactical models and the preflash problem try this from my other post #237. It worked for me and solved the problem. Hopefully it will work for some or all of you.
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3033638&postcount=237



I'm completely lost here, or maybe my tac doesn't have the same problems the others do but what you described (copied below) is what mine does no matter what I have turbo as. Are others having problems other than this?

BEZEL LOOSENED-I decided to try programming this mode to be turbo and the bezel tight as moon. Voila! It will only flash as bright as turbo if you turn the light off in turbo and turn it back on in moon mode, and only once as well. Otherwise the flash on the moon mode is basically the same brightness as low now, is fast too and is really insignificant this way. It should not affect night vision now. I programmed the bezel tight mode as low and medium too, and the flash is not there at all except if turning off in turbo and then on again in lower mode.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 4, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> I'm completely lost here, or maybe my tac doesn't have the same problems the others do but what you described (copied below) is what mine does no matter what I have turbo as. Are others having problems other than this?


 
When you programmed your light with turbo on bezel loose and then the lower mode on bezel tight does it flash after turning on in the lower mode every time, or only after coming off of turbo? Mine will only do it now if I turn the light off with turbo on(bezel loose), and then on again with moonmode(bezel tight).


----------



## Mikellen (Aug 4, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> I'm completely lost here, or maybe my tac doesn't have the same problems the others do but what you described (copied below) is what mine does no matter what I have turbo as. Are others having problems other than this?
> 
> BEZEL LOOSENED-I decided to try programming this mode to be turbo and the bezel tight as moon. Voila! It will only flash as bright as turbo if you turn the light off in turbo and turn it back on in moon mode, and only once as well. Otherwise the flash on the moon mode is basically the same brightness as low now, is fast too and is really insignificant this way. It should not affect night vision now. I programmed the bezel tight mode as low and medium too, and the flash is not there at all except if turning off in turbo and then on again in lower mode.


 
On my tac it doesn't matter if turbo is programmed for bezel tight or bezel loose; I always get a bright flash if I turned the light off in turbo and then switched the light on in a lower mode (not just moon but low, medium and high too).


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 4, 2009)

Mikellen said:


> On my tac it doesn't matter if turbo is programmed for bezel tight or bezel loose; I always get a bright flash if I turned the light off in turbo and then switched the light on in a lower mode (not just moon but low, medium and high too).


 
See if after you turn it on in the lower mode if it does it again without going back to turbo. Mine will only flash now if going from turbo to off, then on again in a lower mode. If I turn it on again in the same lower mode there is no longer a flash. With the turbo programmed as bezel tight I got the bright flash every time even if I only turned on the lower mode and nothing else.


----------



## f22shift (Aug 4, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> See if after you turn it on in the lower mode if it does it again without going back to turbo. Mine will only flash now if going from turbo to off, then on again in a lower mode. If I turn it on again in the same lower mode there is no longer a flash. With the turbo programmed as bezel tight I got the bright flash every time even if I only turned on the lower mode and nothing else.


 
im a little confused. so yours will pre flash even if you had it on at low and then turn it back off and then back on on low?(on the tight bezel turbo programmed)

mine behaves like mikellen. it'll just preflash whatever output you had it previously on. the turbo off to moon light on makes it the most noticeable. regardless of which output set to tight/loose.


----------



## pobox1475 (Aug 4, 2009)

I'm getting from all this that the Tac version has got it's share of issues. My standard 123 does not have any pre-flash from any mode that I have thus far noticed. Is this problem only with the Tac?


----------



## HKJ (Aug 4, 2009)

pobox1475 said:


> I'm getting from all this that the Tac version has got it's share of issues. My standard 123 does not have any pre-flash from any mode that I have thus far noticed. Is this problem only with the Tac?



No, it exist in the standard version, it can give a short flash, before turning on. 

Measuring with a light sensor I can get this (But not every time):


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 4, 2009)

f22shift said:


> im a little confused. so yours will pre flash even if you had it on at low and then turn it back off and then back on on low?(on the tight bezel turbo programmed)


 
Yes, it will do a bright flash this way when turbo is bezel tight, every time no matter how long you wait. When I have turbo as bezel loose then there is no flash with 2 exceptions.

1.Have light on turbo then turn it off and on in lower mode

2.Have lower setting to moonmode and then the flash is only as bright as low(3.5lumens) which is fast and no big deal

If the lower setting is low, medium, or high there is no flash at all unless turbo is on right before turning off.


This description is for my AA tactical, as the regular AA it is a non-issue. This is one of those things that in writing is hard to describe so I'm sorry for the confusion.


----------



## Linger (Aug 4, 2009)

Your writing is pretty clear. I'm still waiting on shipping (Monday was holiday) so as outside observer you've described well what is going on.

Thing is, I don't know why. The AA has a boost circuit (thus allowing lower voltage in to provide higher vf and thus better output). I suspect the boost circuit discharges under conditions which cause the 'pre-flash.' Why this is different for bezel loose vs. tight, well I am having a hard time mapping the problem to my limited understanding of drivers.


----------



## Egsise (Aug 4, 2009)

Just received Quark AA neutral.

QAAW max vs Fenix LD10 max





QAAW max vs Fenix TK20 general





QAAW
pros:
-UI, love it that remembers what low mode i was using if i tighten and loosen bezel
-No long term memory
-Tint is nice, not too warm
-Low is really low, but still enough for reading etc
-Square threads
-No cree rings
-Tailstands like a brick
-Tailcap is anonized and lockout works
-Reverse clicky works ok
-Moon mode preflash is so short and dim that i barely noticed it

cons:
-Beacon mode, it could be better
-Pocket clip needs to be redesigned to allow deep pocket carry
-Holster, it could've been better, LD10 holster works better
-Bezel diameter, WHY it couldn't be just a liiittle smaller so that Fenix diffuser cones would fit, now i have to sand them
-Limited edition, i want more of these but i dont have the money right now


----------



## Mikellen (Aug 4, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> See if after you turn it on in the lower mode if it does it again without going back to turbo. Mine will only flash now if going from turbo to off, then on again in a lower mode. If I turn it on again in the same lower mode there is no longer a flash. With the turbo programmed as bezel tight I got the bright flash every time even if I only turned on the lower mode and nothing else.


 
On mine it doesn't matter if turbo is set to bezel tight or loose. If I turn it off (from turbo) then back on in a lower mode I get the preflash regardless of the time that was waited between turning it to low.
If I then turned it off in that same lower mode and then turned it back on in that lower mode, then there is no preflash.

From what I understand, your tac when turbo is set to bezel loose, and then you turn off the flashlight, twist bezel to tight position, then turn on flashlight, (now low mode), you will get the preflash. If you then turn it off (from low mode), then turn back on (still low mode), then there is no preflash.
This is how mine behaves regardless if turbo was set to the bezel tight or bezel loose position.

Now, if you had turbo set to the bezel tight position, turn off the light,
twist bezel to loose position, (low mode), turn on light, there will be a preflash, (same as mine). Here is where the difference is: Now that the flashlight is in low mode, you then switch it off, then switch it back on (still low mode), there is still a preflash. Correct?

Yours seem to behaving the same as mine and others when having turbo in the loose bezel position. The difference in your tac is when you have the turbo set to the tight bezel position that you will get the preflash in the low mode not only after it was switched off from turbo, but even after that when just turning the flashlight on and off in low mode.

Sorry for the long, repeated, and somewhat confusing explanation but I just wanted to make sure I understand. If I am understanding correctly I'm not sure how to explain the reason for your tac's operation. There are others here who can possibly explain why this is happening. Maybe you should contact 4sevens. 

P.S. If I totally screwed up the accuracy of this post please let me know and I'll edit or delete it. Just trying to be helpful. :shrug:


----------



## f22shift (Aug 4, 2009)

Mikellen said:


> On mine it doesn't matter if turbo is set to bezel tight or loose. If I turn it off (from turbo) then back on in a lower mode I get the preflash regardless of the time that was waited between turning it to low.
> If I then turned it off in that same lower mode and then turned it back on in that lower mode, then there is no preflash.
> 
> From what I understand, your tac when turbo is set to bezel loose, and then you turn off the flashlight, twist bezel to tight position, then turn on flashlight, (now low mode), you will get the preflash. If you then turn it off (from low mode), then turn back on (still low mode), then there is no preflash.
> ...


 
that sounds exactly how he is explaining it. i have a 2aa and he has a aa. supposedly the same head so then hypothetically mine should behave like his with 1 aa. i need to find some wires to test. i dont have a AA body.


----------



## f22shift (Aug 4, 2009)

f22shift said:


> that sounds exactly how he is explaining it. i have a 2aa and he has a aa. supposedly the same head so then hypothetically mine should behave like his with 1 aa. i need to find some wires to test. i dont have a AA body.


 
just tried it with an aa. it works the same regardless of which is programmed. it'll preflash only once.


----------



## vali (Aug 4, 2009)

I got the AA2 w today and mine has preflash too, but I found it will be not an issue at all. I will try to make a minireview tomorrow and probably a couple of pics.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 4, 2009)

Mikellen said:


> On mine it doesn't matter if turbo is set to bezel tight or loose. If I turn it off (from turbo) then back on in a lower mode I get the preflash regardless of the time that was waited between turning it to low.
> If I then turned it off in that same lower mode and then turned it back on in that lower mode, then there is no preflash.
> 
> From what I understand, your tac when turbo is set to bezel loose, and then you turn off the flashlight, twist bezel to tight position, then turn on flashlight, (now low mode), you will get the preflash. If you then turn it off (from low mode), then turn back on (still low mode), then there is no preflash.
> ...


 
You are exactly right. You understand what I was saying. I will take a guess at what is possibely going on, but I'm no expert and could be wrong. 

I think that the light wants to turn on in primary(bezel tight) first. When you turn it on with secondary mode(bezel loose) there is a moment of latency that it takes to go to secondary mode(bezel loose), hence the flash of whatever the setting of primary mode is. My thought as to why the flash is there when turbo is on, then turned off, and then on again in a lower mode is that it is a residual energy stored somewhere. That would explain why it doesn't happen when on low, then off, then on again in low.

I could be very wrong with this theory but it makes sense as a possibilty to me since it does not do it when primary mode(bezel tight) is set to a lower setting and secondary(bezel loose) the higher.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 4, 2009)

For the record I really like these Quark lights and would buy them again if something happened to them. :mecry: 

I am sorry for all the lengthy explanations and run-on sentences.


----------



## defloyd77 (Aug 4, 2009)

My Quark only will flash bright if I turned it off in a brighter mode and turned it back on a lower mode, no matter how it's programmed, except for the quick flash that appears every time I turn it on in moon mode, it's no big deal to me it's quick and the same brightness as the low mode.


----------



## wrdwrght (Aug 4, 2009)

Would this pre-flash (exhibited on my Tactical QAA, as well) be a capacitor dumping its built-up energy before taking on less energy for a lower level of light?


----------



## jcw122 (Aug 4, 2009)

I had a great adventure the other day with my Quark!

I am currently on vacation near a lake, and a few days ago some adults down at the lake dropped an unopened beer into the water by accident! Well I was there and saw it happen, and I remembered where they dropped it.

So what did I do? I got my Quark and went swimmin' for beer! I attached my lanyard to the light (no way in hell do I want to go diving for the Quark!) and jumped in! It only took me two tries swimming down to about 10-15ft depth to find the beer. It was a Bud Light, glass bottle, haha. I didn't keep it because I don't drink, but I thought it was really fun anyway! The Quark really helped once I got past the point in the water where the light from the sun couldn't get through anymore.

I love the fact that the Quark is waterproof down to 10 METERS (32 FT!)


----------



## Toohotruk (Aug 4, 2009)

Of course you didn't keep it...why would you keep a bottle after drinking the contents?


----------



## vali (Aug 4, 2009)

Toohotruk said:


> Of course you didn't keep it...why would you keep a bottle after drinking the contents?



[OT]
Uhmm... this? 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-f5uYb4uWs
[ /OT]


----------



## Xak (Aug 5, 2009)

I would like to see a hybrid of the tactical and regular Quarks as a different tactical UI. 

Bezel tight: A regular Quark UI with High/Strobe
Bezel loose: A tac Quark UI with programmable level (moon-low-med-high-SOS-beacon)

I think the regular Quarks would be better with the tactical UI in the tightened position.

But/hey, ya can't please everyone!


----------



## Toohotruk (Aug 5, 2009)

vali said:


> [OT]
> Uhmm... this?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-f5uYb4uWs
> [ /OT]



Well, that would be one reason. 


Actually, that's pretty amazing.


----------



## wapkil (Aug 5, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> I had a great adventure the other day with my Quark!
> 
> I am currently on vacation near a lake, and a few days ago some adults down at the lake dropped an unopened beer into the water by accident! Well I was there and saw it happen, and I remembered where they dropped it.
> 
> ...



Thank you for the story. It was fun and I think you did nothing dangerous but I believe you are mistaken. Quarks *are not* diving lights and shouldn't be used as such. Most lights, Quarks included, may work correctly underwater but shouldn't be used if their malfunctioning may result in any danger.

I don't know why you think the Quark is "waterproof down to 10 METERS". You may have been led to believe it because of the "IPX-8 Waterproofing" statement in the specification. If it has anything to do with the IEC 60529 standard, there is nothing about 10 meters (only one meter) in there, unless the manufacturer defines their own testing conditions (does 4sevens do it?). There are many problems with this statement that were previously discussed in depth (e.g. here). I think it is safest to understand the "IPX-8" meaning as "splash proof".

Moreover, according to the IEC 60529 standard, the "IPX-8" IP Code doesn't even exist. The standard clearly states that there is no place for dashes or hyphens inside the code, so if anything it could be only "IPX8" (or "IP6X", "IP67" etc.). I don't know if this popular, especially in China made lights, notation was meant to be related to the IEC 60529 standard. It may as well describe something completely different, only by coincidence similar to the IP codes.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 5, 2009)

defloyd77 said:


> My Quark only will flash bright if I turned it off in a brighter mode and turned it back on a lower mode, no matter how it's programmed, except for the quick flash that appears every time I turn it on in moon mode, it's no big deal to me it's quick and the same brightness as the low mode.


 
That's great. That is exactly how mine reacts with the brighter mode in bezel loose.


----------



## StinkyButler (Aug 5, 2009)

wapkil said:


> Quarks *are not* diving lights and shouldn't be used as such. Most lights, Quarks included, may work correctly underwater but shouldn't be used if their malfunctioning may result in any danger.



Yeah, I'd take the light apart and inspect it for water intrusion if I were you, just to be safe. If it is bone dry inside, then that's pretty dang cool that it could withstand being down that deep (10-15 ft) while moving it around underwater, which actually multiplies the amount of pressure on it.


----------



## jcw122 (Aug 5, 2009)

wapkil said:


> Thank you for the story. It was fun and I think you did nothing dangerous but I believe you are mistaken. Quarks *are not* diving lights and shouldn't be used as such. Most lights, Quarks included, may work correctly underwater but shouldn't be used if their malfunctioning may result in any danger.
> 
> I don't know why you think the Quark is "waterproof down to 10 METERS". You may have been led to believe it because of the "IPX-8 Waterproofing" statement in the specification. If it has anything to do with the IEC 60529 standard, there is nothing about 10 meters (only one meter) in there, unless the manufacturer defines their own testing conditions (does 4sevens do it?). There are many problems with this statement that were previously discussed in depth (e.g. here). I think it is safest to understand the "IPX-8" meaning as "splash proof".
> 
> Moreover, according to the IEC 60529 standard, the "IPX-8" IP Code doesn't even exist. The standard clearly states that there is no place for dashes or hyphens inside the code, so if anything it could be only "IPX8" (or "IP6X", "IP67" etc.). I don't know if this popular, especially in China made lights, notation was meant to be related to the IEC 60529 standard. It may as well describe something completely different, only by coincidence similar to the IP codes.



Wapkil,

I am not mistaken, I didn't assume the Quark is a diving light. Also, from what I read (and I know it's controversial/confusing) the IPX-8 standard means it is defined by the manufac. Well that's what I did, I asked 4Sevens and they replied back to my e-mail stating:


Trevor @ 4Sevens said:


> Our quarks are rated for 10 meters deep for 30 minutes.



So that is the official 4Sevens specification. I understand that this might not mean they are intended for diving, or don't mean they should be operated down there, but I did it anyway, lol.


----------



## wapkil (Aug 5, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Wapkil,
> 
> I am not mistaken, I didn't assume the Quark is a diving light. Also, from what I read (and I know it's controversial/confusing) the IPX-8 standard means it is defined by the manufac.



I'm sorry if I misunderstood you. You wrote that you dove with the Quark and that it is waterproof to 10 meters so I had an impression that you thought it is suitable for diving. I think other readers may come to simmilar conclusions, hence my correction. I'm glad to hear that there was no misunderstanding on your part.



jcw122 said:


> Well that's what I did, I asked 4Sevens and they replied back to my e-mail stating:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thank you for the information. I didn't know that the Quarks are rated to this depth - I think it's not mentioned anywhere in the available specification. I wonder how expensive it is to rent for testing a 10 meter deep immersion tank.


----------



## HKJ (Aug 5, 2009)

wapkil said:


> I wonder how expensive it is to rent for testing a 10 meter deep immersion tank.



That is very easy, you just use a 0.5 meter deep tank and add some pressure.


----------



## wapkil (Aug 5, 2009)

HKJ said:


> That is very easy, you just use a 0.5 meter deep tank and add some pressure.



It could work but I think it would violate the requirements of the IEC 60529 standard. As I understand, the standard requires an immersion tank of an appropriate depth. It is not a standard for diving equipment so the conditions and procedures are not defined for tests with higher depths. All of this of course assuming that "IPX-8" is supposed to mean "IPX8".


----------



## f22shift (Aug 5, 2009)

jcw122 said:


> Wapkil,
> 
> I am not mistaken, I didn't assume the Quark is a diving light. Also, from what I read (and I know it's controversial/confusing) the IPX-8 standard means it is defined by the manufac. Well that's what I did, I asked 4Sevens and they replied back to my e-mail stating:
> 
> So that is the official 4Sevens specification. I understand that this might not mean they are intended for diving, or don't mean they should be operated down there, but I did it anyway, lol.


 
maybe more of their over engineering. figuring on the tightness of the o-rings it does have the impression of having above avg water resistance. i doubt they'll ever publish 10 m because i don't think it's the original design intent plus then it would have to be covered by warranty if it didn't meet that standard.
reminds me of the l2d which would balloon the rubber cap on overdischarged cells meaning tight seal.
but it's nice to know if you had your back to the wall you could jump in with a quark.


----------



## passive101 (Aug 5, 2009)

Are the Quark lights IIIA hardness? I'm just wondering how strong of a finish they have.


----------



## flatline (Aug 5, 2009)

Well, I contacted 4sevens' customer service about the strange behavior of my QAAW, but since the flashlight is no longer misbehaving, there was no way to troubleshoot. My description of the problem wasn't sufficient for them to identify which component of the flashlight was faulty (although from my description, they did think that _something_ was faulty).

If it begins to misbehave again, I'll contact them again and we'll reattempt to troubleshoot what's going on. Of course, if it never misbehaves again, then I've got nothing to worry about


----------



## NonSenCe (Aug 5, 2009)

finally my warm tactical AA came.. and i almost didnt go to the mailbox today. glad i did and i ahvebeen playing with it now for few hours. 

programming seems difficult to remember without instructions.. i think i must keep looking at the utube video several times and re-prog my light all the time till it becomes second nature. (the long wait till it remembers setting is the thing that i struggled with when i tried to do programming by my feeble memory.) 

the clicky is loud but i bought it just to get a momentary 
(oh ok it had other cool things going for it too but you guys know them)

looks nice. tint is nice (warm in mine). the output looks promising. (on close up it just has this funky empty dark spot in middle. kinda wished the clip to allow hanging deeper in pocket.. but the reversability is cool thing to have.

but the bright "pre-flash" is definate dissappointment. a huge one in my mind. i surely hope they will fix this on future models. didnt believe it to be that visible beofre i got it in my hands. if i would of believed the talk about it here in cpf.. i just might of not bought a quark after all.

i think i will try to carry it around for a week or so before final judgement.. i just hope the other features overcome the annoying blinding flash on low and moonlight modes. there should not be one. it just destroys the basic reason why i want to use lower modes!

other stuff:
just lookin at that holster makes me want one mounted horizontally.. without a flap.. and definately without velcro (too loud) 

i think i would carry it on my belt on weakside on front.. i guess its called something like 10 oclock position? and just pull it out by tail or end of the clip that is hangin outside the strechy stuff on the sides holding the flashlight there too. 

i have never carried a flashlight on a pouch yet.. only pocket carry so far. 

i dont like vertical holsters on smaller lights (on big ones they are a must but not on small ones.. would be nice if someone would atleast offer an optional pouch attachment methods)


***without the bright flash.. i would buy other one.. maybe the cr123 version, with the "normal" led. but with it... nope. 

***hope the new mce serie dont have this kind of snafu in it. it might be a good addition to my collection too.


----------



## mossyoak (Aug 5, 2009)

passive101 said:


> Are the Quark lights IIIA hardness? I'm just wondering how strong of a finish they have.



yup they are ha3


----------



## flatline (Aug 5, 2009)

Can anyone give us any insight into the nature of the pre-flash?
What causes it?
Why was it unavoidable when designing the circuit?
Why is it so pronounced on some units but virtually invisible on others?


----------



## passive101 (Aug 5, 2009)

mossyoak said:


> yup they are ha3



That is awesome to hear!


----------



## broomdodger (Aug 6, 2009)

QAA regular neutral on moon mode flickers, anyone else?
All other modes seem fine, that is to say the light is great.


----------



## jcw122 (Aug 6, 2009)

Is HA3 hardness good?


----------



## SJB (Aug 6, 2009)

I have a Lego problem. I purchased a QAA regular with 123 body and have no problems switching back and forth. The QAA head is a little tight but usable on the AA tube, and turns nicely on the 123 tube.

Yesterday I took delivery of a QAA2 Tactical Warm. I tried to Lego with the AA tube, and had no problems, but when I tried to lego with the 123 tube it did not light. I think the thread length of the 123 tube is a little short to make contact with the tactical tailcap.
(so it is permanently locked out)

Any ideas.


----------



## ImGeo (Aug 6, 2009)

Ordred my QAAWT (yay for acronyms!) but haven't received yet, and wanted to know:

How many people have lights w/o the pre-flash problem (switching to a diff. mode when off causes it to flash brightly at turn-on). Is there a cure for this? Or is it just luck of the batch?


----------



## HKJ (Aug 6, 2009)

ImGeo said:


> Ordred my QAAWT (yay for acronyms!) but haven't received yet, and wanted to know:
> 
> How many people have lights w/o the pre-flash problem (switching to a diff. mode when off causes it to flash brightly at turn-on). Is there a cure for this? Or is it just luck of the batch?



I have a flash on all my lights, both standard and tactical and it has nothing with mode change to do.
Here is from my tactical 2x123:






My regular AA version looks like this:





I do not have a low voltage tactical head, but I will guess that is works the sames as my regular AA version.


----------



## ohwhyme (Aug 6, 2009)

*Which Quark to buy? AA or 123?*

Heya just got a nitecore d10 r2 and its really small and am quite impressed with it. Now I'm thinking of getting a quark. Should I get a quark AA or 123? Whats the difference between regular and tactical? It says on the site that the Q123 is 190 lumens max and the AA is 90, so I guess that the quark 123 is a lot brighter? Thanks.


----------



## csshih (Aug 6, 2009)

*Re: Which Quark to buy? AA or 123?*

the quark123 is indeed quite a bit brighter.

run the quarkAA on 14500s, though, and you'll get 170 lm.


----------



## Zeruel (Aug 6, 2009)

HKJ said:


> I have a flash on all my lights, both standard and tactical and it has nothing with mode change to do.



So...you're saying all Quarks have pre-flash? :duh2:


----------



## HKJ (Aug 6, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> So...you're saying all Quarks have pre-flash? :duh2:



I only have this bunch here and they all have it:





The two small ones are from the first batch and the two big ones are with warm emitters, i.e. very recent.


----------



## Mr_Light (Aug 6, 2009)

*Re: Which Quark to buy? AA or 123?*

If the size difference doesn't matter, get the QuarkAA. You can get the brightness of the 123 by using a 14500 cell and still have the flexiblity to run it on Alk or NiMH AA cells. I bought an additional 123 body to go with my QuarkAA and can switch around to any of the batteries.


----------



## LightWalker (Aug 6, 2009)

*Re: Which Quark to buy? AA or 123?*



ohwhyme said:


> Heya just got a nitecore d10 r2 and its really small and am quite impressed with it. Now I'm thinking of getting a quark. Should I get a quark AA or 123? Whats the difference between regular and tactical? It says on the site that the Q123 is 190 lumens max and the AA is 90, so I guess that the quark 123 is a lot brighter? Thanks.


 
For an extra $20 you can have both with one head. 
http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=297_304


----------



## Zeruel (Aug 6, 2009)

HKJ said:


> I only have this bunch here and they all have it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Since they're modular, I guess that pretty sums up all has it. oo:


----------



## wapkil (Aug 6, 2009)

HKJ said:


> I only have this bunch here and they all have it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I think though that the preflash in the same light can show with varying intensity, at least judging from what I saw in the tactical Quark demonstration video (e.g. 1:30 and 2:08). I'd say it's quite simple - if you don't see it, it's not there


----------



## Xak (Aug 6, 2009)

broomdodger said:


> QAA regular neutral on moon mode flickers, anyone else?
> All other modes seem fine, that is to say the light is great.



Nope. Mine is fine and I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT PRE-FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Xak (Aug 6, 2009)

*Re: Which Quark to buy? AA or 123?*

Get the Q123, the QAA doesn't function correctly and comes with heads that are too tight to use without serious frustration. Until you hear it has been corrected I wouldn't get one.


----------



## HKJ (Aug 6, 2009)

Zeruel said:


> Since they're modular, I guess that pretty sums up all has it. oo:



Probably, but my selection does not cover everything, I am missing low voltage tactical and high voltage standard and 4Sevens might have modified the program and/or circuit to reduce the flash-

But my guess is that they all have it.



wapkil said:


> I think though that the preflash in the same light can show with varying intensity, at least judging from what I saw in the tactical Quark demonstration video (e.g. 1:30 and 2:09). I'd say it's quite simple - if you don't see it, it's not there



Or you can not see it, just like some people does not see pwm. 
I can see that there is something "funny" when turning on, but I am using an oscilloscope and light sensor to get the exact flashing.
This also showed something else on the high voltage head, strobe looks like this (This has no practical implications):


----------



## wapkil (Aug 6, 2009)

HKJ said:


> Or you can not see it, just like some people does not see pwm. I can see that there is something "funny" when turning on, but I am using an oscilloscope and light sensor to get the exact flashing.



Hmm, then maybe tactical versions are worse :shrug: Have you looked at the demonstration video? I don't think anyone could miss the flash like the one at 2:08, but unfortunately I do see PWM


----------



## HKJ (Aug 6, 2009)

wapkil said:


> Hmm, then maybe tactical versions are worse :shrug: Have you looked at the demonstration video? I don't think anyone could miss the flash like the one at 2:08, but unfortunately I do see PWM



Video is not really a good media to show this kind of flashes in. In a video each picture is shown for 0.04 second (Depending on format), i.e. a 0.003 second flash will be stretched more than 10 times, if it is captured, the flash might also happen between frames and then it will not be recorded.

The 0.003 second includes both peaks in the trace and the pause between, the first very bright peek is more like 0.0002 second!


----------



## Marduke (Aug 6, 2009)

*Re: Which Quark to buy? AA or 123?*

The AA version is more versitile. You can run on NIMH, lithium primaries, or 14500's for maximum output.

The clip is also removable and reversible, neither of which you can do with the CR123 body.


----------



## Woods Walker (Aug 6, 2009)

HKJ said:


> Video is not really a good media to show this kind of flashes in. In a video each picture is shown for 0.04 second (Depending on format), i.e. a 0.003 second flash will be stretched more than 10 times, if it is captured, the flash might also happen between frames and then it will not be recorded.
> 
> The 0.003 second includes both peaks in the trace and the pause between, the first very bright peek is more like 0.0002 second!


 
The flash looked bright to me video distortion or no given the low moonlight output. Just sayin it looked brighter than I expected. Still I liked the video and modes.


----------



## wapkil (Aug 6, 2009)

HKJ said:


> Video is not really a good media to show this kind of flashes in. In a video each picture is shown for 0.04 second (Depending on format), i.e. a 0.003 second flash will be stretched more than 10 times, if it is captured, the flash might also happen between frames and then it will not be recorded.



I should have thought about it, thanks  It may also explain differences in the flash intensities in this video.



HKJ said:


> The 0.003 second includes both peaks in the trace and the pause between, the first very bright peek is more like 0.0002 second!



I have no idea what these times mean in practice. The human eye is an incredible instrument... You are right that some people may be less sensitive to this. There may also be differences between different Quarks. I agree that it could be an explanation why it is so annoying for some and invisible for others.


----------



## wapkil (Aug 6, 2009)

Woods Walker said:


> The flash looked bright to me video distortion or no given the low moonlight output.



We would have to ask HKJ but if I correctly remember his reviews, the flash peak brightness is equal to the highest mode brightness, so around a thousand-fold higher than the moon mode. I think it is bright, the question is how the eyes react when something is really bright but really short.


----------



## Unforgiven (Aug 6, 2009)

wapkil said:


> Hmm, then maybe tactical versions are worse :shrug: Have you looked at the demonstration video? I don't think anyone could miss the flash like the one at 2:08, *but unfortunately I do see PWM *





How can you see PWM in a light with a Constant Current regulated circuit in a You Tube video on your computer monitor?


----------



## wapkil (Aug 6, 2009)

Unforgiven said:


> How can you see PWM in a light with a Constant Current regulated circuit in a You Tube video on your computer monitor?



I wasn't talking about the video or the Quark. It was just a digression caused by HKJ's analogy "like some people does not see pwm". To be completely precise, of course with high enough frequency I don't notice PWM but I'm quite sensitive to it (I think more than most people).


----------



## Unforgiven (Aug 6, 2009)

Thanks for clarifying.

I dislike PWM too. Even if the frequency is to high to see the pulses, I find CC regulated lights easier on my eyes at the perceived same level of brightness. 

I will stop here as to not take the thread further off topic.


----------



## SJB (Aug 6, 2009)

SJB said:


> I have a Lego problem. I purchased a QAA regular with 123 body and have no problems switching back and forth. The QAA head is a little tight but usable on the AA tube, and turns nicely on the 123 tube.
> 
> Yesterday I took delivery of a QAA2 Tactical Warm. I tried to Lego with the AA tube, and had no problems, but when I tried to lego with the 123 tube it did not light. I think the thread length of the 123 tube is a little short to make contact with the tactical tailcap.
> (so it is permanently locked out)
> ...



I think I figured out what is going on here. The threads on my 123 tube are a bit too short to make contact with the tailcap plate. This isn't a problem with regular tailcap, but the tactical tailcap threads are anodized on the inside. 4sevens said this isn't a feature in an earlier post. (and it may eventually wear off) But for now it is enough to prevent contact between the 123 tube and the new tactical tailcap. Anyone else have this problem, I'd be curious to know. I guess I needs to call 4sevens to replace my 123 tube


----------



## DM51 (Aug 6, 2009)

*Re: Which Quark to buy? AA or 123?*

The various Quark lights are already extensively discussed in the main thread, so it will only duplicate things if we continue in this one. I'm merging the 2 threads.


----------



## jcw122 (Aug 6, 2009)

Just to add to the numbers, I can also say that my QAAWT has pre-flash as well. It is easily noticeable.


----------



## HKJ (Aug 6, 2009)

wapkil said:


> I have no idea what these times mean in practice. The human eye is an incredible instrument... You are right that some people may be less sensitive to this. There may also be differences between different Quarks. I agree that it could be an explanation why it is so annoying for some and invisible for others.



A short bright pulse looks the same as a longer less bright pulse (within limits), this is the reason pwm works.




wapkil said:


> We would have to ask HKJ but if I correctly remember his reviews, the flash peak brightness is equal to the highest mode brightness, so around a thousand-fold higher than the moon mode. I think it is bright, the question is how the eyes react when something is really bright but really short.



I do not believe that I have stated that, as far as I remember from the first Quarks I tested (That was where I did most of the analysis), the brightness in the pulse, is not up to full brightness.


----------



## qip (Aug 6, 2009)

im curious how many have a flash to those who dont , also low flicker ...someone make a poll 

no flash here btw


----------



## wapkil (Aug 6, 2009)

HKJ said:


> A short bright pulse looks the same as a longer less bright pulse (within limits), this is the reason pwm works.



That's what I was thinking about but I wasn't sure if it is that simple. The eyes more or less average the brightness but they do it when exposed to a repeated pattern. The neural response may be completely different when the eyes are suddenly hit with a bright pulse followed by darkness (i.e. a short high intensity stimulus) than when the aggregated number of photons is the same but they arrive slowly (i.e. lower intensity, longer stimulus).



HKJ said:


> I do not believe that I have stated that, as far as I remember from the first Quarks I tested (That was where I did most of the analysis), the brightness in the pulse, is not up to full brightness.



Yeah, I was not clear (again, it seems). This was my impression when you first showed your reviews (in Danish). I was looking at the scope plots and compared the flash with some other mode (beacon?) that was specified as maximum brightness. That's why I wrote we would have to ask you about it. So could you tell what was the flash peak brightness in your measurements?


----------



## wapkil (Aug 6, 2009)

wapkil said:


> That's what I was thinking about but I wasn't sure if it is that simple. The eyes more or less average the brightness but they do it when exposed to a repeated pattern. The neural response may be completely different when the eyes are suddenly hit with a bright pulse followed by darkness (i.e. a short high intensity stimulus) than when the aggregated number of photons is the same but they arrive slowly (i.e. lower intensity, longer stimulus).



Nevertheless the PWM analogy may still hold - the analysis of what PWM frequency is unnoticeable to the human eye could show the timespan over which the response is "averaged". If the first PWM pulse is not noticeably brighter, the time is probably already short enough. Anyway it would probably turn out to be more complicated when you dig dipper 

EDIT: Uhm, it seems to be more complicated. Even if the neuronal response from the eye is the same to both the stimuli, the brain will probably interpret a short flash in the same way it interprets a sudden movement, i.e. can react much stronger than to a continuous PWM pattern. At least it would seem logical to me, but I don't have even a fraction of the knowledge necessary to be sure.

and would be off topic in this thread. EDIT: yup, sorry, will not drag it further.


----------



## Mr. Tone (Aug 6, 2009)

I got my 14500 batteries for my Quark(s) today. I have a problem, though. Maybe some of you can give me an easy fix. The protected Tenergy 14500 batteries are flush on the top and don't have button like normal batteries. The reverse polarity protection in the head prevents the positive from making contact with the positive in the Quark head. Is there a simple way to make this work? Thanks for any suggestions. I was jealous of all the AA Quark owners using 14500 and decided I needed my own too.


----------



## jahxman (Aug 6, 2009)

Mr. Tone said:


> I got my 14500 batteries for my Quark(s) today. I have a problem, though. Maybe some of you can give me an easy fix. The protected Tenergy 14500 batteries are flush on the top and don't have button like normal batteries. The reverse polarity protection in the head prevents the positive from making contact with the positive in the Quark head. Is there a simple way to make this work? Thanks for any suggestions. I was jealous of all the AA Quark owners using 14500 and decided I needed my own too.


 
One way would be using a very small magnet on the button, as long as it has a very low resistance. 

Best way would have been to buy button-top 14500s, not flat tops, and buy a better brand, like AW.


----------



## Vox Clamatis in Deserto (Aug 6, 2009)

> The protected Tenergy 14500 batteries are flush on the top and don't have button like normal batteries. The reverse polarity protection in the head prevents the positive from making contact with the positive in the Quark head. Is there a simple way to make this work?


 
My advice is don't use little batteries to make the contact, I had a bad experience a while back:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2950430&postcount=158

The AW 14500's work great and last a long time in my QAAW, thanks for the tip DHart. I've also experimentally assembled a QAA-2 body with two 14500's and a Q123-2 head. Actually, the Q123-2 head and body with a AW 17650 seems to be brighter, perhaps because the voltage is closer to direct drive. This combo has very nearly the throw of a SF LX2 and is much smaller.


----------



## StinkyButler (Aug 6, 2009)

Xak said:


> Mine is fine and I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT PRE-FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



x2

Mine (Q123 Neutral) has a slight pre-flash going into moon mode, but so what? I use it in the dead of night in a dark room and the pre-flash does nothing to me. I close my eyes to turn it on and it's like the flash is not even there. Even if I don't close my eyes, simply looking away when turning it on completely negates the effect of it. Whether it's been in turbo mode recently or the light has been off for hours, the flash is there, but it's not as bright as turbo mode. I'd say the flash is maybe medium mode brightness for a split second, then nothing but moon.

This little light is awesome. It's perfect for just about any lighting scenario I come across. I love it.


----------



## GregU2 (Aug 6, 2009)

StinkyButler said:


> x2
> 
> Mine (Q123 Neutral) has a slight pre-flash going into moon mode, but so what? I use it in the dead of night in a dark room and the pre-flash does nothing to me. I close my eyes to turn it on and it's like the flash is not even there. Even if I don't close my eyes, simply looking away when turning it on completely negates the effect of it. Whether it's been in turbo mode recently or the light has been off for hours, the flash is there, but it's not as bright as turbo mode. I'd say the flash is maybe medium mode brightness for a split second, then nothing but moon.
> 
> This little light is awesome. It's perfect for just about any lighting scenario I come across. I love it.




I would have to agree. I have the Q123 x 2 Tactical running on 17670 batteries. I love that I can program it to the 2 modes I use most often, Low and High. This is a GREAT little flashlight. I would of course rather it didn't pre-flash, but it's no big deal to me.


----------



## HKJ (Aug 7, 2009)

wapkil said:


> Yeah, I was not clear (again, it seems). This was my impression when you first showed your reviews (in Danish). I was looking at the scope plots and compared the flash with some other mode (beacon?) that was specified as maximum brightness. That's why I wrote we would have to ask you about it. So could you tell what was the flash peak brightness in your measurements?



You can not compare the brightness between oscilloscope traces on my measurements. Maybe I need to remove the "brightness" scale, from the traces to make that clear:thinking:.


----------



## Xak (Aug 7, 2009)

Any info on runtimes and lumens comparing the neutral tint and regular tint Quarks? I'm loving the neutral Quark, just wondering if there is any significant loss in efficiency compared to the regular Quarks.


----------



## Marduke (Aug 7, 2009)

Flux bins do not change runtime. The brightness difference is directly from the difference in the bins, which is rather negligible in actual use. Tint makes a much more pronounced effect.


----------



## ImGeo (Aug 7, 2009)

4Sevens describes the pre-flash as a "hardware limitation" which was a compromise between the efficiency of low mode and the flash. As such, there is no planned update that will remove the pre-flash. (And there was a direct quote of the email here, but I removed it)

And in reply to:


> Any info on runtimes and lumens comparing the neutral tint and regular tint Quarks? I'm loving the neutral Quark, just wondering if there is any significant loss in efficiency compared to the regular Quarks.


At the 90 lumens for a Quark AA, a neutral tint will put out about 73 lumens.

Lastly, the Quark flash is quite noticeable, though I can live with it. Compared to my Olive Fenix L2D, the flash for the Quark is a lot brighter... but oh well.


----------



## HKJ (Aug 7, 2009)

ImGeo said:


> *In fact, most people don't notice it unless they look for it (from reading on the forums) or try to measure it with an occiliscope. As of right now, they design remains. There won't be an "update".
> *



Oops, was that a dig at me?
Anyway if you look into the led when turning the light on, you will probably see it, but just using the flashlight, it is not a big problem (at least not for me), but you might still sense it (I did), without really seeing it.


----------



## ImGeo (Aug 7, 2009)

HKJ said:


> Oops, was that a dig at me?
> Anyway if you look into the led when turning the light on, you will probably see it, but just using the flashlight, it is not a big problem (at least not for me), but you might still sense it (I did), without really seeing it.



haha.... its true though. CPF makes me realize things that I never realized, and made me care about how centered LED's are when they dont matter at all in real life. Or the fact that the laser lettering isn't as perfectly white as it should be. I'm just glad it hasn't yet made me disassemble and relube my lights when they're new.


----------



## 4sevens (Aug 7, 2009)

HKJ, not really a dig  I think there are others who measure with o-scopes as well. My point being that it's not as prominent as in the past with Fenix and not as bad as these discussions make it out to be.

ImGeo - I didn't think you'd quote me. I should have added a note in my email to you to check with me first. It's ok. We're just very hesitant to make public statements but then we realize that everything we reply can and does become public. This is why I instruct my CS staff to say less than more for this very reason. No harm done here. We just have to be careful when our correspondence gets posted in less than an hour without our knowledge.


----------



## HKJ (Aug 7, 2009)

4sevens said:


> HKJ, not really a dig  I think there are others who measure with o-scopes as well. My point being that it's not as prominent as in the past with Fenix and not as bad as these discussions make it out to be.



That was a bad excuse, I believe that I am the guy with most oscilloscope traces at the current time  and the statement "I think there are others" says it all :tinfoil:.

But I agree with you that scope traces shows a lot of stuff that does not really matter in real life and I have no problem with you statements.
My reason for doing the scope traces, in the first place, is because I am interested in the reason for the "something" on turn-on, measuring it gives me an explanation of it.
Sometimes there are also surprises when doing a scope trace, like the 2xCR123 head on strobe, it has no practical implications, but why?


----------



## 4sevens (Aug 7, 2009)

HKJ said:


> That was a bad excuse, I believe that I am the guy with most oscilloscope traces at the current time  and the statement "I think there are others" says it all :tinfoil:.
> 
> But I agree with you that scope traces shows a lot of stuff that does not really matter in real life and I have no problem with you statements.
> My reason for doing the scope traces, in the first place, is because I am interested in the reason for the "something" on turn-on, measuring it gives me an explanation of it.
> Sometimes there are also surprises when doing a scope trace, like the 2xCR123 head on strobe, it has no practical implications, but why?


If you've every programmed in microcode, theres lots of round about things you have to do to achieve certain goals. Sometimes it has to do with getting a certain timing or sometimes it's dealing with de-bouncing issues. Then sometimes code is put in to deal with parts variations (that fall under normal ranges) Most of the hairy stuff is not observed without an o-scope so sometimes we just leave things in there. With coding, sometimes you fix one thing and it throws two other things out of whack. I don't know if I'm making sense.


----------



## HKJ (Aug 7, 2009)

4sevens said:


> If you've every programmed in microcode, theres lots of round about things you have to do to achieve certain goals. Sometimes it has to do with getting a certain timing or sometimes it's dealing with de-bouncing issues. Then sometimes code is put in to deal with parts variations (that fall under normal ranges) Most of the hairy stuff is not observed without an o-scope so sometimes we just leave things in there. With coding, sometimes you fix one thing and it throws two other things out of whack. I don't know if I'm making sense.



It is not microcode in a MPU, it is just assembler (or sometimes in C) and I have done a lot of it. You description sounds like you do not give the programmer enough time or that you have space issues in the MPU .
If I was programming a flashlight with strobe/sos/etc. I would demand a scope, I would like to be sure everything works as expected.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Aug 7, 2009)

The pre-flash is a great feature. It allows the user to know the light turned on...as the .2 lumen level is so low...without it we would find ourselves having to look into the business end to see if it lit. Thanks for putting the effort in to get it to do this 4 7`s


----------



## mbiraman (Aug 7, 2009)

I don't have any flickering that i know of. Pre-flash was hardly noticeable with the the alki provided but is more noticeable with the 14500 it runs on now. It only seems to happen switching on to moonlight and either way i don't find it to be a problem. its my first high end light and a good choice.


----------



## ImGeo (Aug 7, 2009)

4sevens said:


> [...] I didn't think you'd quote me. I should have added a note in my email to you to check with me first. It's ok. We're just very hesitant to make public statements but then we realize that everything we reply can and does become public. [...]



Edited out the quote in my original post. I was thinking it would be info that'd be reasonable for all these flashlight addicts to have, and wouldn't do any harm, but I do agree that I should ask before quoting people's emails. 

Also, does anyone know of a cure for the line created by the clip rubbing against the head (or tail) besides taking off the clip? From just unscrewing the head (and maybe from when the head was originally installed), the anodizing of the clip at the contact point has already come off. I'm just glad the head isn't covered in rings from twisting the head back and forth, but feel that if it continues, it will eventually show some wear. Also, I wiped the clip with a piece of paper and saw little pieces of anodizing:shrug:

Also, this is random, but I just realized that Fenix's orange tailcap "buttons" are just glow in the dark ones painted orange!


----------



## Badbeams3 (Aug 7, 2009)

ImGeo said:


> Edited out the quote in my original post. I was thinking it would be info that'd be reasonable for all these flashlight addicts to have, and wouldn't do any harm, but I do agree that I should ask before quoting people's emails.
> 
> Also, does anyone know of a cure for the line created by the clip rubbing against the head (or tail) besides taking off the clip? From just unscrewing the head (and maybe from when the head was originally installed), the anodizing of the clip at the contact point has already come off. I'm just glad the head isn't covered in rings from twisting the head back and forth, but feel that if it continues, it will eventually show some wear. Also, I wiped the clip with a piece of paper and saw little pieces of anodizing:shrug:



Flip the body around. Makes a great headlight when attached to a cap/hat this way. Then when you change the batt put a little outward pressure on the clip so it doesn`t scrap the tail


----------



## Linger (Aug 7, 2009)

Badbeams3 said:


> The pre-flash is a great feature. Thanks for putting the effort in to get it to do this 4 7`s


LMAO


----------



## Scott Packard (Aug 7, 2009)

I think I have the first Quark used during a power failure.
I was in a data center today, middle of summer, battery backup + huge generator. Not five minutes earlier I was wondering why I bothered to put in my pocket my Quark 1x123 neutral white as I knew I'd be working in a lit place, and just briefly at that. As I went to leave, *bam*, A/C stops and lights go out.

It seems they only have a few of the fluorescents on UPS and the half of the center I was in had no lit tubes at all (maybe a maintenance issue).
I turned it on high, pointed it at the ceiling. A few other people in the center gravitated to me like moths to a porch light. Nothing much we can do. Generator is running. Phoned SCE - they said 2000 people affected. Just walk out and wait it out. About an hour later power was restored.

Two years ago the staff bought the cheapest 2D cell lights they could find. The batteries had juiced and ruined the flashlights they had put in the data center earlier this year.

The 1x123 is such a nice size. I was using an UltraFire FMR-1 until I bought the Quark. It's just easy to put in my pocket and not too big that I won't take it unless I really need to.


----------



## flatline (Aug 7, 2009)

What causes flickering?

When I first got my QAAW, it flickered a bit on Max, but that went away when I cleaned the contacts and threads on the head side of the tube.

However, just recently, I've noticed that sometimes when I switch from medium to high mode, high is flickery for a bit (maybe 3 or 4 seconds) before it stablizes. The only thing I haven't cleaned is the switch innards. Should I take the switch apart for cleaning or should I be looking for another explanation?

(I'm not keen on taking the swtich apart...I'd rather not risk ruining my new toy).

--flatline


----------



## crockett (Aug 7, 2009)

I have some questions about a Quark 123-2 and 123 body tube I receive today. Perhaps someone could answer these:

#1 I believe I received a neutral white but ordered the cool white version. I don't have the box in front of me but I will check it tomorrow. Is the Quark cool white on the warm side? Mine sure is. If it is the neutral white that stinks because I know there were only a limited number of these and they are now sold out. Maybe I can find a member who would be willing to do a swap.

#2 I have the 123-2 head 3.0 - 9.0 V. Works great on 2 cells. However, when I change to 123 body that I ordered and stick in a CR123A primary battery, I can see no difference between high and turbo mode. Is this correct? Is it because I have the 123-2 head and I'm only using one battery instead of two? Does anyone who owns a standard 123 notice a difference between high and turbo when using the single primary battery it shipped with?

Only other thing is, I didn't get annodized threads :sigh: on this version. Otherwise a perfect shipment.


----------



## Nake (Aug 7, 2009)

crockett said:


> Is the Quark cool white on the warm side?


 
My 123 cool white is on the warm side. I got it before the neutral whites where being sold.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Aug 7, 2009)

crockett said:


> #2 I have the 123-2 head 3.0 - 9.0 V. Works great on 2 cells. However, when I change to 123 body that I ordered and stick in a CR123A primary battery, I can see no difference between high and turbo mode. Is this correct? Is it because I have the 123-2 head and I'm only using one battery instead of two? Does anyone who owns a standard 123 notice a difference between high and turbo when using the single primary battery it shipped with?
> 
> Only other thing is, I didn't get annodized threads :sigh: on this version. Otherwise a perfect shipment.[/QUOTE
> 
> You are correct. At 3 volts it`s ready to drop down soon and fast. Now if you use a 123 LI-ION in there (3.7 volts) turbo would be there. Sweet bright little pocket rocket :thumbsup:


----------



## crockett (Aug 7, 2009)

Well, thats good news! That means once my 123 Li - ION arrives (what I plan on using anways) it will only get brighter!

I'll check my box tom. to see if reads cool white.


----------



## edc3 (Aug 7, 2009)

Crockett, just got my AA tactical today. It's not dark yet, so I haven't used it outside, but I've hunted some walls and it's on the warm side as well.


----------



## crockett (Aug 7, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback on the temperature. I'm a newb to this so the only thing I have to compare it to is the Romisen RC-N3 II Q5. This light is much cooler than my Quark.

I'm EDCing both of them now for a few weeks just for comparison.


----------



## ImGeo (Aug 7, 2009)

Note that though you say "on the warm side" it probably is still one of the cool whites. DealExtreme often sells lights with the WC bin, whereas the Quark may have the WG or WH bins. The WC looks really blue or purple, whereas the WG or WH looks more yellow (and maybe a little green, for mine). It doesn't mean its "neutral white", though it may look warmer. A neutral white 1. should be properly labeled on the box 2. looks a lot like incandescent light, and is clearly orange/reddish light. 

Here's a chart and pic for your comparison:
Cool White Variations: http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8799/creexlampcwfulloe4.jpg
Neutral White: http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/2269/creexlampnwwfullix9.jpg
Quark Comparison: http://www.4sevens.com/images/Quark123-2NW_cW.jpg


----------



## edc3 (Aug 7, 2009)

crockett said:


> Thanks for the feedback on the temperature. I'm a newb to this so the only thing I have to compare it to is the Romisen RC-N3 II Q5. This light is much cooler than my Quark.
> 
> I'm EDCing both of them now for a few weeks just for comparison.



No problem. I took my new Quark for a walk tonight. So far I'm very happy with it. I like the ergonomics a lot. My middle finger wraps comfortably around the narrow body tube. It's reminiscent of my old AA Huntlight, but with more grip.

A word of advice though - comparing tints between different flashlights is a recipe for unhappiness. I prefer a cooler tint myself, but if you just use a light you'll quickly forget about tint and just enjoy it.


----------



## pobox1475 (Aug 8, 2009)

> Does anyone who owns a standard 123 notice a difference between high and turbo when using the single primary battery it shipped with?


 Can't answer that, but can tell you with an AW protected in my warm 123 there is a noticeable jump in output from high to max .



> 2. looks a lot like incandescent light, and is clearly orange/reddish light.


 I feel I got very lucky. My warm is white and only appears warm when compared with one of my previous cool lights. I'm afraid if I try to get another warm it will not satisfy.

After using the finger do'hickey while riding my bike I really wish the two loops were positioned the same way. Then I would be easy to aim ahead while gripping the handle bars. As it is I must hold the forward portion of bike grip and turn my hand and finger awkwardly .


----------



## TwitchALot (Aug 8, 2009)

Did anyone else have a problem turning their Quark AA on? Mine won't turn on at all.


----------



## Marduke (Aug 8, 2009)

crockett said:


> #2 I have the 123-2 head 3.0 - 9.0 V. Works great on 2 cells. However, when I change to 123 body that I ordered and stick in a CR123A primary battery, I can see no difference between high and turbo mode. Is this correct? Is it because I have the 123-2 head and I'm only using one battery instead of two? Does anyone who owns a standard 123 notice a difference between high and turbo when using the single primary battery it shipped with?



You are running a buck-only head on a single cell which only puts out 3.0v, what exactly do you expect?


----------



## Unforgiven (Aug 8, 2009)

Part 5


----------

