quark mini AA & CR123 users thread

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Just got mine today. 123-Ti
It's a great light. Didn't have the issue of thread play which I was worried about.

But just a quick question.
I was playing around and I realised on HIGH mode, I can feel the flash light warm up in about 20 seconds. I didn't want to risk anything and so switched it off before anything else can happen. (Warm enough for me to detect a change in the temperature, but not hot)

Is it supposed to be like this? It's my first proper light so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm just using the 4Sevens battery that came with the light.

If it's normal, it means I can just continue using it even though it's warm?

The light also came with a small tube of red "Deoxit". May I know what is it for?
 
:welcome:

Yes, it is normal for the light to get quite warm. You're pumping out a lot of light!

Deoxit removes the oxidation on electrical contacts.
 
The point at which you should turn off the light is around 140F, which is just about the same temperature where heat goes from discomfort to burning your skin. So if your Quark becomes more than uncomfortable to hold, then you should turn it off, otherwise it and the electronics are safe.
 
Unintended consequences...

Here's an interesting observation about a mod I did with my Mini 123. I superglued a small neodymium magnet into my 123 inside the tube under the spring. It was really cool, the magnet was just strong enough to hold the light attached to a surface.

Now for the unintended (and quite surprising to me) consequences. It made the inductor whine exponentially louder! Without the magnet, it was barely audible on medium if I put the light right up against my ear. With the magnet it was easily audible on low and downright obnoxious, almost unbearable, on medium. So just to confirm my observations, I took the magnet back out, and the inductor whine went back to the previous barely audible on medium state.

Anybody got any idea why I got that result? Maybe the magnet was causing the driver board to be compressed?
 
psychbeat said:
^^^^oooh i like that!

did u easy off the batt tube?
Click to expand...


It's a very easy mod with a NaOH solution...
Few minutes, scrub a bit with a cloth, apply a little polish and "Voila".

Pity the LE is firmly glued and I will not run the risk of ruining it.
 
A tube of Deoxit came with the light??? I wonder if that's an accident. Deoxit is great stuff but it's quite expensive. If they are really shipping a tube each each light, does that say something bad about the reliability of the contacts? Mine didn't come with a tube of Deoxit.
 
paulr said:
A tube of Deoxit came with the light??? I wonder if that's an accident. Deoxit is great stuff but it's quite expensive. If they are really shipping a tube each each light, does that say something bad about the reliability of the contacts? Mine didn't come with a tube of Deoxit.
Click to expand...

I think it was limited offer to liquidate a stock of Deoxit Red... I received them with my flashlights,
but I've never had to use it since I got my Qminis so there's no
problem with the contacts.
 
Just a quick question, would it be possible to add some tritium vials on the tail of the Mini? i.e either side of where the lanyard clip hole is? If so, what's the size?
 
I suppose with the right tools it would be possible to drill (mill?) a pit for a trit. The thickness of the aluminum could present a problem.

Geoff
 
After using this light for a couple of months as a keychain light, i have a few comments:

1. No problem with the UI and ease of use, no problems with mode changes etc and i do use it quite often.

2. Ano is bad. Lots of chips even though i didn't really abuse it and maybe only dropped it once. The Liteflux LF2XT on the other hand is crazy good. Dozens of drops, with rougher use etc and it's ano is really really good. The ring hole connecting to the keys show quite a bit of wear. And the aluminium is bent quite badly there showing that a 'softer than usual' aluminium used in Quark lights. I say this because again, no such wear on the Liteflux. BUT I will say this, it still is good enough for drops and knocks etc. It may be softer than usual but still strong enough for most abuse.

3. Realised that I prefer something a little thinner. Personally think that AAA lights are the best for keychain carry, this light is still a little too fat to be comfortable. After the few months and still i find it a little uncomfortable. But a 250 lumens blast from this little thing makes it worth it. 🙂
 
Just purchased (2) Mini AAs as last-minute gifts, one for my cousin and another for his friend who will be graduating this Friday.

I know what I was buying, but I still have to say it. Though the emitter is XPG and the beam is clean and bright, for $37, the Mini AA should have much thicker walls and at least a clicky switch. I had to put Post-it notes on the lights' packaging to warn their owners not to sit on them, and I can already picture them turning on without their owners' knowledge because they're operated via twisting.

The whole light just feels so flimsy. I was afraid of pinching it lest I dent the body. Echoing another member's comment: the packaging could have been more plain and the body of the light more robust.

Overall, the light is not worth its price, but since I purchased the two lights as gifts, which is a one-time thing, whatever.
 
Midnight oil - I think you underestimate the strength of T6061 aluminum alloy. I've run over the mini's with my car without a problem. I seriously doubt you can crush it with two fingers unless you're superhuman. If you're not happy return it - you're not obligated to keep it.

As far as accidental turn on - if you turn 120 degrees (1/3 turn) and it still turns on then it needs to be returned for an exchange. We've had people send the light back because they expected an 1/5 turn to turn off the light. Again, if you're not happy, no need to harbor bad feelings - send it back and we'll make it right with either an exchange or a refund.

-David
 
It used to be "common knowledge" that clickies are more prone to accidental activation than twisties.

I think that all the problems you perceive with the MiNi is just that, perception, not reality.
 
Totally happy with my Ti AA now. Had issues where it would stay on all the way until connection was broken by removing head. Assume it was a lube on the circuit board issue because after a thorough cleaning it works just fine. Gladly will make do with twisting to achieve the compact form factor it affords. Can not speak for the alox Mini's, but my 123 and 123x2 Aluminum neutrals are now family jewels.
 
David,

Is that 6061-T6 aluminum alloy? If so, I retract my earlier statement and sincerely apologize, because that WILL take superhuman strength to yield it.

If it's 6061-O aluminum alloy, with a yield stress of 8 ksi, then that's a different story. I had read that someone thought the aluminum was soft and assumed that it couldn't be the T6 alloy.

When you drove your car over it, was it with or without the battery in the body?

If it was without the battery, then I guess one CAN sit on it and not deform it.

As for returning them, that's not possible. They're 30,000 ft in the air right now! Even if I still had them, I would not return them, because I had known about the thin walls and the twisty before I made the purchase, and, as I mentioned, they're gifts.

There are no hard feelings. Heck, your products were the first thing I thought of when I decided to shop for gifts.

Again, if the light is made out of 6061-T6 and you drove a car over the empty body, I do apologize.

Carrot,

I guess I've not come across a super-soft clicky, so it's hard for me to imagine how a clicky, especially if it's a recessed one (yes I know I wasn't specific in my original post) can be easier to activate than a twisty. I think the sliding action of clothing created by the wearer's movements will more likely create a twisting action than a pushing action.

Common knowledge? Well, I'm just an uncommon person.
 
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