Thoughts on Quark Tactical vs Eagle Tac?

forklift said:

Thanks for the heads up on that thread, PJD... PM sent. You can answer it here if you'd like. To everyone else, i asked him to elaborate the Eagle Tac's interface compared to the Quark, because I like the fact that I can have more than one option available without cycling through other junk (like on the Quark). Does the Eagle Tac do such a thing and if so, how? I thought it was only a cycling interface that wouldn't store more than one setting.

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forklift...for some reason or other I never received your PM.

At any given time you can access all of the Eagle Tac's modes. You have the ability to disable the strobe function from the tail cap, but it's still accessible through the "hidden mode" feature by loosening>tightening the bezel. The neat thing about that is that the modes are there, but only if you need them. You don't need to cycle "through" them to get to the primary modes, turbo and general. All in all, I think the UI of the Eagle Tac has been very well thought out!

PJD

PJD said:

forklift...for some reason or other I never received your PM.

At any given time you can access all of the Eagle Tac's modes. You have the ability to disable the strobe function from the tail cap, but it's still accessible through the "hidden mode" feature by loosening>tightening the bezel. The neat thing about that is that the modes are there, but only if you need them. You don't need to cycle "through" them to get to the primary modes, turbo and general. All in all, I think the UI of the Eagle Tac has been very well thought out!

PJD

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That seems much better if only because I don't need wait for the light programing to "take". Waiting for the thing those 3 flashes can get annoying when you need to use the light -now- and you don't have the right mode already set. I've killed my night vision plenty of times thanks to those flashes.

I have the Quark Turbo AA2 and the ET P20A2,

Both 2AA lights, both with XP-G R5 LEDs. Note, the Turbo is a larger head version of the Quark Tactical with a larger reflector...the regular Quark head is much smaller with less throw.

Best throw Quark Turbo AA2
Biggest hot spot ET P20A2
Highest output ET P20A2
Longest runtime ET P20A2

Which one is best? Best for what? For pure throw, the Quark Turbo will out throw the ET because of the Turbo's larger reflector. The most lumen battle goes to ET and strangely enough, the ET will run 15 minutes longer on 2AA Eneloops (Turbo 65 minutes, ET 80 minutes) From what I gather, the Quark Turbo uses a buck/boost design which sucks more power but allows for 4.2V lithium-ion operation. The ET only runs 2AA but will run longer for that reason.

Then there is that durability question, I have not broken either light and don't plan on it. However, there are some interesting things to note if you take a light out in the woods, you will drop the light! I used to be an assistant scout master and my Mags always "walked away" and were returned with additional mud, dings and on occasion, a broken bulb.

I can speculate on durability, survivability, repairability and the design of the two lights. Looking at the positive connection in the head, the ET light uses a much thicker brass connection design than the Quark. I would give the nod to ET for positive connection durability. Both of the lights use the same type switch so I'll call that a draw. Both use about the same quality of HA-III so that is a draw also. The Quark uses square threads (if that is important to you) so the Quark gets the nod for threads.

The two sound pretty close up till now... The survivability (drop) testing. The Turbo has that large glass lens and so does the ET light. The difference is EagleTac screwed on a short, stainless steel replaceable bezel--the Quark does not have as deep a bezel and it can't be removed. Head lens protection goes to ET. The tail of the light there is no comparison, the Quark's stock switch is exposed and the ET has a removable hard rubber thing that when the light hits the ground tail end first, the stiff rubber prevents shock and damage to the switch. That piece also allows for tail standing. Brilliant design! With better head and tail protection, the ET wins by a long shot.

Repairability--you can replace the lens, the bezel and the "pill" unscrews so your light can be repaired quickly "out in the field". The Turbo is not repairable so the ET wins that one.

Upgradability The ET with the replaceable "pill" can be upgraded to wazoo LED bins in the future for $25. The Quark head can be ordered to be used with your old body for $50. ET gets the nod.

Lego Light --- The Quark Turbo runs away with this one. It can run 1AA/2AA/Lithium-Ion in "AA size" with the single AA body or a 18650 lithium-ion with that specific body. The ET runs 2AA and only 2AA so the easy win goes to Quark. My Turbo AA2 is actually a "Turbo AA1" with a single AA battery compartment installed and mounted to my bicycle helmet. The larger reflector really helps with throw considering 110 lumens is less than 210.

For a "tactical light" the EagleTac wins over the Quark Turbo since it puts out more lumens, has a longer runtime, throws almost as well, better positive battery connection, easily repaired if lens/bezel/pill requires replacement, better protected if you drop it and it's upgradeable.

For general purpose lighting that you want to squeeze out the most capability, get the Quark AA2 (non-turbo) with the neutral-white R4 bin LED. The switch is protected so no worries if it hits the tail end. If you bring it out to the scouts to throw, beat in tent stakes and the like, get some of that vulcanizing rubber tape that bond to itself (the military calls it F4 tape) Do a tight wrap around the head a few times and trim it about 3 or 4mm from the bezel.

Oooooor.... buy both! That way the scouts can "borrow" one of your lights and you'll have a spare. Part of the be prepared thing. Good luck!

Very good, comprehensive post, Benthead! As I've stated in this thread and others, I DO like my Quarks...very much so! But for reasons I've outlined that are important to ME, the Eagle Tac P20C2 MkII gets the nod as my new EDC. If it holds up to abuse as well as my Quark has, well...'nuff said!

PJD

KingCanada said:

Just get a 6P or G2 LED and be done with it, you'll wonder why you even messed with all the crappy Asian lights in the first place. Yeah, they might be brighter, but in the end, who really needs 260-300 lumens? I find myself using the Surefire G2 Incan over my other lights, which FYI, include a quark and an Eagletac, as well as other poop brands. Infact, my 3 most used lights are the G2, G3, and Romisen RC-G2 (just as good as Quark)...

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:shrug:
Fair warning...keep this up and you might get warned for trolling
While one can be discriminate against brands that may not appeal to you, at minimum you could at least give them some respect in your remarks.

by the way, if Eagletac was in fact a "poop brand" why is it in your top three selections where there are literally dozens of brands to choose from?:thinking:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/3387628#post3387628

Again, many thanks to everyone. So here's what I've found: Both have the same features, both have 2 modes available instantly (thought Quark has more types available instantly) but ET is brighter, and lasts slightly longer.

Last question: Anyone have thoughts on water resistance depths on the Eagle Tac? Quark is what, IPX-8 or whatever that is. I read somewhere that it's an arbitrary term which means 60 non-abusive minutes at 6ft under and it works fine, but that seems like kind of a lame test.

PS. I realized KingCanada was retarded the moment he said everything sucked and didn't give reasons why. :nana:

forklift said:

..........

Last question: Anyone have thoughts on water resistance depths on the Eagle Tac? Quark is what, IPX-8 or whatever that is. I read somewhere that it's an arbitrary term which means 60 non-abusive minutes at 6ft under and it works fine, but that seems like kind of a lame test.
.........

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IPX standards are not really "standards" as there is no agency that enforces them so the companies self-report, which is generally very reliable (sarcasm).

I don't think either one is better. Both will be water-resistant enough not to die in rain or a wet pack or a short dip in the lake, maybe. If your basing your decision on water resistance, then you need a dive light IMO.

The standard Quark has more modes instantly available, but the Eagle Tac has more modes instantly available than the tactical Quarks. With the tactical Quarks, you only have two modes instantly available, without reprogramming it. With the Eagle Tac, if the strobe is enabled via the tail cap, you have six modes available either through the tail switch or with a quick loosen>tighten/tighten>loosen of the head (seven if you count the strobe twice, since when it's enabled you can access it two different ways).

PJD

KingCanada said:

Just get a 6P or G2 LED and be done with it, you'll wonder why you even messed with all the crappy Asian lights in the first place. Yeah, they might be brighter, but in the end, who really needs 260-300 lumens? I find myself using the Surefire G2 Incan over my other lights, which FYI, include a quark and an Eagletac, as well as other poop brands. Infact, my 3 most used lights are the G2, G3, and Romisen RC-G2 (just as good as Quark)...

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My best loved lights are my Surefires, so beautiful, so tough. But the light that I use the most these days is the Eagletac T20C2 MK11. It is relatively cheap but well built and bright. And it's made by Asian hands. So are lights like 4-Sevens, Jil-lite, the new Novatacs.... Neither crappy nor poop.

PJD said:

With the Eagle Tac, if the strobe is enabled via the tail cap, you have six modes available either through the tail switch or with a quick loosen>tighten/tighten>loosen of the head (seven if you count the strobe twice, since when it's enabled you can access it two different ways).

PJD

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I'm gonna need to see a good video of that interface to make the final decision. I just don't get it when reading. The above statement makes it seem like there's 7 positions to the head rotation.

forklift said:

I'm gonna need to see a good video of that interface to make the final decision. I just don't get it when reading. The above statement makes it seem like there's 7 positions to the head rotation.

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Here's Light Junction's review of the MKII series

It isn't the clearest demonstration of the UI (starting at about 1:20), but I think you'll get the idea.

Modes accessed as follows. From off, the light will come on in either General or Turbo by clicking the tail switch, dependent on head position. You can switch between the two modes while the light is on by tightening or loosening.

Head Tight = Turbo
Head Loosened = General

Once the light is on, a quick mode switch motion, either tighten-loosen or loosen tighten depending on the mode you start in, will go to low mode. In other words, pretend you are switching quickly between turbo and general modes. If you keep quickly repeating the tight-loose motion, you will cycle through the flashing modes back to low.

If you turn the light off in any mode using the tail switch, it will come back on in either General or Turbo, dependent on the head position. If you pause during mode switching for more than 1 second (e.g. stop in low, SOS, etc for a bit), the UI will reset and a single twist (tight or loose depending on where you stopped) will go to Turbo or General, and the mode switching sequence will start over at low (i.e. tighten-loosen takes you into low, repeat to go through other modes).

There is also a way to "program" the light to enable strobe from the tail switch. If you click the light on then off 15 times in less than 10 seconds, you enter the "secondary UI mode". When the light is in this mode, the light will go into strobe mode when you turn it off and on quickly using the tail switch. Otherwise, the UI is the same as above.

click on = Turbo or General
Click off then on quickly = strobe.

Most people don't like the secondary UI because it makes momentary on/off signaling impossible, and folks tend to strobe themselves accidentally. For tactical applications though, it might be good, because you can "instantly" access strobe by a double press on the tail cap (triple press from off).

Hope this helps. The EagleTac UI is outstanding since they've hidden the strobe mode in the MKII version, yet they still allow you to "program" the old UI for those who need a tactical strobe.

The biggest complaint most folks have regarding the UI is the fact it requires two hands to switch modes, and there is no way to start in low mode from off.

Yeah, that video wasn't the clearest, but thanks for the explanation - i understand the hidden modes now. Thanks again to everyone!

jhc37013 . . . but also because of the ever so slight delay from engaging the switch to the light coming on.

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Hi jhc - when you say a 'slight' delay, exactly how much are we talking about ? Does it interfere with the momentary operation for signalling ?

Moonshadow said:

Hi jhc - when you say a 'slight' delay, exactly how much are we talking about ? Does it interfere with the momentary operation for signalling ?

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It's really not great for signaling first even though the delay is not terrible it is enough to throw your rhythm off, any type of pattern would be hard to keep other than maybe a SOS. Secondly either momentary or constant on and off 10-15 will activate strobe so you can see where that might cause some problems, unless again you go with a slow SOS.

OK, thanks. That is a bit of a bummer though, because otherwise these look like great lights. It's a shame there's no easy way to try one out in person.

shipwreck said:

See, I find the P20C2 size to be small. Of course, I was carrying a Inova XO3 for a year. I was so impressed with the XO3, until I bought the Inova T2-MP. Then I got the P20C2 Mk 2, and I was so blown away.

I also got the T20C2 Mk 2, and it is a bit large for EDC. But, I wear cargo pants all the time, so I could carry either, I suppose. Today I am carrying a Solarforce L2.

I like the 300 lumens that the P20C2 puts out. And, the medium setting of 60 lumens for 13+ hours is also pretty sweet too. And, I find the lowest, lowest setting on the P20C2 to be fine for low - I don't see it as too bright as others claim. Then again, I never use that setting other than when I am playing with the light.

EVery brand does have reports of problems, but I see a lot less problems discussed on this site when it comes to the Eagletacs.

That beings aid - just buy both eventually, and the problem is solved

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(I was carrying a Inova XO3 for a year. I was so impressed with the XO3)
Ever tried 2 x 3.0v Rechargeable CR123a on this model ? I have got one as a present last year, still in its packaging. Tks for input

No, I only use rechargables for my AAA lights. I stick with the primaries for my 123 lights - as I keep several on hand, and they don't cost that much. So, I can't say if that would make the output any brighter.

It is a good light, though. I mean, short of walking around in the dark and just wanting something brighter (or just wanting the wow factor), it did everything I wanted. It wasn't until I found this website that I wanted something brighter

Very tough and indestructible light too.

PJD said:

Oh goodie...here we go again :shakehead

Eagle Tac is an American designed light ASSEMBLED in China. Regardless, it is a GOOD quality light, as is the Quark series of lights. Sure, you can get a comprible Surefire...for TWICE the price. I've owned MANY Surefires since becoming a CPFer over eight years ago, and they are good lights; still the standard by which most CPFers judge other lights. But calling Eagle Tac and Quark "poop" brands as you so eloquantly called them is pretty narrow-minded. The Quark that I'd been EDCing for the better part of the last year has been dropped from a six foot loading dock onto concrete, stepped on, rained on, dropped in mudpuddles and rolled over by a 200 pound pallet-jack...and it still functions as good as the day I got it. I DO like Surefire products...but you and some of the narrow-minded cronies LIKE you need to get a freakin' grip.

PJD

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I wasn't exactly stating that they are crappy just because they are Asian. Wasn't being narrow minded either, as I have more Chinese lights than I do Surefires, I just happen to like the quality of the SF lights better. Between the two, mentioned lights thow (ET and Quark), the ET is by far the better light.

Beamwise, I find that the Quark Turbo (with regular or forward clicky) is a better match for the Eagletac than the Quark Tactical. The Eagletac is still slightly brighter than the Quark Turbo, and its larger reflector provides a beam that some might prefer. NTL, the lights are surprisingly close in overall performance (unless you get a Quark "Greenie").

Since the Quark Turbo is so much smaller than the ET it is the light I end up using more; it fits neatly in its small belt holster, though I prefer the even smaller holster I recently modded from spare parts.

Brightnorm

I have the aa versions of both these lights. Quick thoughts on both. First the eagletac is a little bigger and heavier, it also seems more substantial. If I needed to break out a car window I would grab the eagletac. As has already been mentioned the quark button is almost instantaneous where as the eagletac has a slight delay. The quark has a wider spill and the eagletac more throw. Quark two levels (programable from 5 levels and 2? flashing modes), eagletac three +. Ok, now to why I picked up an eagletac instead of a second quark. With the quark I found my self changing the modes from turbo/high to high/medium. With the eagletac I now have all three available without reprograming. True, to get to low-ish you have to do two half turns, the head twist is a LOT smoother than the quark. Throw, now this isn't even fair as my aa2 tac is a q5 warm. Still I didn't feel like ponying up for a r4 neutral aa2 for a marginal increase in throw. Which brings us to upgradable pills, no need to pay for the same light twice. The quark has the ability to lego so with a low voltage head you get 4 or 5 battery options. So what you have are two similar yet different lights. Get one then the other.