Quark Turbo - Question for the light geeks

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Sam1911

Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
34,961
Location
Central PA
Hi!

Looking at 4 Sevens' Quark Turbo as a possible replacement for my everyday carry light.

For my needs, I use a light on average twice a day. I don't need a whole lot of complicated controls or modes, though I suppose something a bit less than the full-monty 230 lumens would be helpful for utility purposes.

As my light gets carried every single day at work, on contstrucion sites, and general banging around, it needs to be fairly durable.

I like the price of the Quark Turbo and certainly don't want to go much higher.

Is there another source or option that would be more value for the money?

...

As an alternative, how about the build-your-own route? What's good there, and where to go to get it?

Thanks!
 
I really like that flashlight, just too cheap to open the wallet. LED is the way to go without any doubt & the quark turbo has some kind of super LED on steroids. Variable power, long battery life, what could be better :D
 
i have a quark turbo and really like it. its about all one can wish for in a light. i rarely even use the max setting and even the low setting is plenty in low light.

as for alternatives that are a great value i would recommed this

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=451093

i got one just for kicks and ended up ordering another from Jimdo. I recently lost one to my father who couldnt do without it. :) its well built and bright. the knurling is a bit smooth for my taste (though the paint has something to do with this), and it doesnt have a momentary switch (its a reverse clicky). other than that i actually have started moving it into the EDC rotation. oh and the solarforce has a wicked strike bezel that would be EXTREMELY effective if used.

at half the price and all the brightness of the quark i would fully endorse it. but you cant go wrong either way.
 
I've handled the Quark Turbo and consider it a great light.
Click to expand...

Cool. Thanks! I'll have to check it out. I think I might be leaning towards the Solarforce for value, though. Do you feel they are close to equivalent?
 
Do you feel they are close to equivalent?
Click to expand...

i actually do. aside from the momentary switch issue i could pick up one or the other and be perfectly fine. ive put both of them through the paces and they both pass with flying colors
 
I forget if it's available in Turbo or not but I have either the Quark Tactical or a Quark Tactical that is also turbo...

Anyway I would recommend it for your use, because you can program it (fairly easy) to have 2 settings accessible via twist. I use a mid-range (80-100 lumen I think) setting for most tasks, and keep the bright strobe on reserve for other uses*. If I go for a night time walk the Quark comes out of my man-bag and goes into my left pocket, ready to go on strobe mode.

*Other uses do not include the expectation of blinding and stunning bad guys into submission, but I feel that a "cop voice" Hey what are you doing? Stop right there! and strobe focused in someone's eyes at ~10yd is a nice way to force someone's hand who is approaching a bit too fast and aggressive on a night time walk ​

Actually the mid-range setting is overkill for most basic tasks which is why I have a Photon Freedom on my keychain for finding dropped change or what have you. That lets me relegate the bulkier (hey, no one looks good with stuffed pockets) quark to a man bag unless necessary.
 
I just ordered mine. I'll do a write-up when I get it and abuse it a little.

Thanks to member Jimdo for the hook-up!
 
Just got my Quark Turbo in the mail the other day. I haven't had it long enough to compile enough data for a full review, but I can say this from a glance. Provided it doesn't die anytime soon (seems doubtful given the company's rep) it's worth the money. Very clean beam, extremely bright, allows you to choose from 8 different modes of operation (strobe was what sold it for me, since this is my new EDC tac light). Although I can't speak from experience, it certainly seems durable enough to whomp someone on the head with, if it ever came to that.
The only cons I've encountered so far are that the method of programing the light's two memorized modes is kind of difficult (at least it was for me), but once it's done there's no real need to do it again. Also, shortly after getting all the programing done there were some malfunctions where the light wouldn't turn on until I fiddled with the head and tailcap a bit. After a cursory inspection I noticed some grease on the electrical contact in the head, and after cleaning it thoroughly with a Q-Tip the problem seems to have ceased. If it continues I'll report back after an email to 4sevens.
At this time it seems to be a pretty good bang for the buck (assuming the malfunctions are gone). Major thanks to those who post on this forum because you guys turned me onto the brand.
 
Interested in seeing that right up. I'm a cheap fella...I want a light to mount on my AR to shoot with at night. I'm interested in reading Sam's write-up.
 
I have the Quark Turbo 123-2


I like it a lot. Small light that has a good sized throw.


I used it last night to catch a kid who kept knocking on my door and running off last night. He was hiding behind my neighbors mailbox. He did not come back to my door.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top