Which Quark to get? 123 or MiNi 123?

ZoomFlight15 · Jan 29, 2010

Hello All.

With all the recent talk about 4sevens and their Quark line, i thought i'd give one of them a try. Only question now is which one to get. I'm trying to decide between the Quark 123 and the Quark MiNi 123.

I plan on keeping it in my pocket at all times, replacing my current EDC, a PD20 (older version without the clip), which has been awesome for me so far. I wont be using this in any critical, tactical, professional, hard-use capacity; only for casual use and utility (and fun!) More of a cool, tech-geeky toy than anything, really.

I used to pocket carry a P1D because it was nice and small and bright for its size. I replaced it with the PD20 after a while, as i loved the tail switch over the twisty, and i loved how it felt in hand, between fingers, etc., even thought it was a bit longer. I also loved the way it looked.

I was originally thinking i'd get the Quark 123 as it would assume the duties of the PD20 with the welcome addition of moonlight mode and a clip.

Then I thought maybe i should get the Quark MiNii instead because it's totally different and TINY (even smaller than the P1D), not to mention cheaper than the 123. What's stopping me from buying it is that it doesn't have moonlight mode, a clip, or a tailswitch, and is not as bright as the Quark 123, but will i still have my PD20 to use as well, so maybe it doesn't matter so much.

I've noticed that there's been a lot of talk about the MiNi lately (assumably because it's fairly new) but i haven't really come across any opinions on the Quark 123. I'd be interested to see how people feel about it compared to the PD20 and the MiNi 123.

Which to get? (and no, i cant afford both, unfortunately...)

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

blub · Jan 30, 2010

I have the Quark 123 and Mini 123, I like clickies and you're right, the regular 123 is brighter and the moonlight mode is great along with my favorite beam, it's floody with pretty good throw compared with the other small lights I have, of all the lights I have I like this one the best and carry it the most, you can't go wrong and you can lego it too. The Mini is tiny and has a great beam also but if I had to give one up it would be the Mini.

Warp · Jan 30, 2010

The the MiNi 123's low being 3 lumens will you even miss moonlight?

csshih · Jan 30, 2010

I still like the moonlight on the quark model, however.. how about a titanium mini123? it's pretty decently priced

aa left, 123 right

nanotech17 · Jan 30, 2010

get all

blub · Jan 30, 2010

Warp said:
The the MiNi 123's low being 3 lumens will you even miss moonlight?

I'd miss it because I usually go to bed about 6 hours later than my wife and it's low enough not to bug her at all, the low on the Mini is actually quite bright when you've been in the dark awhile. The low on the Mini is about the same as the second lowest on the regular.

Warp · Jan 30, 2010

blub said:
I'd miss it because I usually go to bed about 6 hours later than my wife and it's low enough not to bug her at all, the low on the Mini is actually quite bright when you've been in the dark awhile. The low on the Mini is about the same as the second lowest on the regular.

If that is an important factor for you then Quark regular 123 sounds like a winner. Especially since you also stated that you loved the switch from a twisty to a clicky the last time you upgraded

I know what you mean about 3 lumens being more than you need for that situation. My Quark 123^2 has a low of 4 lumens and it is definately brighter than I would want for the exact same scenario.

Which is why I just started a thread asking why it might be that the "moonlight" mode on mine is identical to low. Hopefully this is not a common thing because, well, I don't have the moonlight mode I am supposed to have.

blub · Jan 30, 2010

No moonlight? The Four Sevens ad says it should be .2 lumen. I think you'd like it once you used it, I didn't think I'd ever use mine, maybe it's so low you can't see it.

sol-leks · Jan 30, 2010

"I used to pocket carry a P1D because it was nice and small and bright for its size. I replaced it with the PD20 after a while, as i loved the tail switch over the twisty, and i loved how it felt in hand, between fingers, etc., even thought it was a bit longer. I also loved the way it looked."

To me, this says that what you really want is the regular quark. I have the mini 123 and it is a fantastic light, but if you like clicky and arent attached to something keychainable, then go for the regular quark.

JaguarDave-in-Oz · Jan 30, 2010

I choose the 123 because later if you want you can buy different battery tubes and convert it to AA or 2 x AA or even stick a 2x123 tube on it and run it on a 17670 (can't use 2 x123 batteries).

So very versatile and easy to change the format. I'm always changing my battery tubes to suit the size of torch I want to carry at any one time. Can't do any of that with the MiNi.

SFG2Lman · Jan 30, 2010

i have the quark123 regular (i wanted the tailstand) and i love it! i don't like "keychain lights" just because my keys are too big and bulky anyway. I like my edc light to be clipped to my pocket for easier use (you'd be surprised how much more often you use it when its not a hastle to get to). I prefer the clicky, i have tiny girlish hands and my fingers are not very coordinated lol, buttons are much easier than twisty-ing. I love my little quark123 (mine is the XPE version), definitely my most used light (2ns place is my sst-90 6P)

egale1 · Jan 30, 2010

I had the Mini 123. It went back and I am waiting for a refund! The size is great, the output is great, but it is not well made. You never know how it will turn on, or what mode will come next. Instead of the L-M-H which it is supposed to do, you might get M-Strobe-L-L-M-L-H, etc. It skips all over the place. Also I found H mode flickered somewhat sometimes and sometimes it would not even turn on unless it was tightened really hard.

I probably got a bad one but there seem to be a lot of posts about problems with this light.

superpila · Jan 30, 2010

Like you, I had the old PD20 and I was looking for some quality replacement. I purchased the new version with clip, which was really disappointing and I gave it away. I've recently tried the mini 123 and quark 123 regular. I ended up carrying the old PD20 again which is still the best one for my needs

.
Anyway: the mini123 is all flood, which might be good for you, while the regular 123 has a well balanced flood/throw and is definitely brighter. I think that, besides the obvious differences in size, the factor you should keep into account is the beam, which is totally different.
my 2 cents

lightsandknives · Jan 30, 2010

Does the regular 123 suffer from pre-flash?

SFG2Lman · Jan 30, 2010

i have the xpe R2 version of the quark123 and the preflash thing seems like BS to me. Mine has it, but i would never have even noticed until i saw everyone else whining about it. Unless theirs is FAR worse than mine. It obviously only preflashes on moonlight mode, and its so minor and small and quick, i would honestly guess is to be a .8 lumen (thats eight tenths) and so short you hardly notice it. Like i said unless everyone else's is at least 20 times worse, i can't imagine it being an actual problem. But everyone is entitled to their own opinions on it, i would definitely not let a "preflash" stop me from buying one.

Warp · Jan 30, 2010

SFG2Lman said:
i have the xpe R2 version of the quark123 and the preflash thing seems like BS to me. Mine has it, but i would never have even noticed until i saw everyone else whining about it. Unless theirs is FAR worse than mine. It obviously only preflashes on moonlight mode, and its so minor and small and quick, i would honestly guess is to be a .8 lumen (thats eight tenths) and so short you hardly notice it. Like i said unless everyone else's is at least 20 times worse, i can't imagine it being an actual problem. But everyone is entitled to their own opinions on it, i would definitely not let a "preflash" stop me from buying one.

It must be.

Assuming that the various quarks all have the same thing, anyway. My 123^2 R5 has noticeable preflash. Anybody who used the light in the dark with adjusted eyes would be like "whoa, okay" when they went for moonlight/low and it started with a flash of 200+ lumens out the front. And it does it even if you have it set to low, use low, put it down, then an hour later pick it back up. If you just recently turned it on it won't, though. It's weird.

recDNA · Jan 30, 2010

Get the Quark 123. I love mine. The color of the light is greenish but it's bright and the UI is good. The Mini UI stinks IMO. 3 twists to get to high is a pain in the neck (for ME anyway) and sometimes it skips a mode and 3 twists gets me back to low. (I wish the mini were available in a high only model.) IMO the mini is not as bright as it's cracked up to be either. I prefer my EZCR2 for keychain because 1 twist is all I need to get to high and it APPEARS to my eyes as bright as the mini but with less flood.

ZoomFlight15 said:
Hello All.

With all the recent talk about 4sevens and their Quark line, i thought i'd give one of them a try. Only question now is which one to get. I'm trying to decide between the Quark 123 and the Quark MiNi 123.

I plan on keeping it in my pocket at all times, replacing my current EDC, a PD20 (older version without the clip), which has been awesome for me so far. I wont be using this in any critical, tactical, professional, hard-use capacity; only for casual use and utility (and fun!) More of a cool, tech-geeky toy than anything, really.

I used to pocket carry a P1D because it was nice and small and bright for its size. I replaced it with the PD20 after a while, as i loved the tail switch over the twisty, and i loved how it felt in hand, between fingers, etc., even thought it was a bit longer. I also loved the way it looked.

I was originally thinking i'd get the Quark 123 as it would assume the duties of the PD20 with the welcome addition of moonlight mode and a clip.

Then I thought maybe i should get the Quark MiNii instead because it's totally different and TINY (even smaller than the P1D), not to mention cheaper than the 123. What's stopping me from buying it is that it doesn't have moonlight mode, a clip, or a tailswitch, and is not as bright as the Quark 123, but will i still have my PD20 to use as well, so maybe it doesn't matter so much.

I've noticed that there's been a lot of talk about the MiNi lately (assumably because it's fairly new) but i haven't really come across any opinions on the Quark 123. I'd be interested to see how people feel about it compared to the PD20 and the MiNi 123.

Which to get? (and no, i cant afford both, unfortunately...)

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

ZoomFlight15 · Jan 31, 2010

Thank you all for the input so far.

I think I'm leaning towards the regular 123. How much of an improvement will this be over my PD20? Should i expect it to be so much better (and brighter), or just marginally?

Superpila - what made you switch back to your PD20 exacty?

SFG2Lman · Jan 31, 2010

Warp said:
It must be.

Assuming that the various quarks all have the same thing, anyway. My 123^2 R5 has noticeable preflash. Anybody who used the light in the dark with adjusted eyes would be like "whoa, okay" when they went for moonlight/low and it started with a flash of 200+ lumens out the front. And it does it even if you have it set to low, use low, put it down, then an hour later pick it back up. If you just recently turned it on it won't, though. It's weird.

wow! you get full high on preflash? i may be forced to eat my words then, mine is definitely nothing on that scale, you/perhaps everyone else must have a capacitor discharge issue or something, thats crazy, and i would be upset too. well in that case, make sure you buy one like mine lol :naughty:

JaguarDave-in-Oz · Feb 1, 2010

The way the pre-flash behaves appears to be different between my tactical and my non tactical ones.

My non tactical quarks have only a very minor preflash and it occurs if you switch the torch off in a high mode and then switch it back on in the low mode. To see this one you need to be watching for it because the flash is quite low in brightness and very short in duration.

On the other hand, my three tactical ones all give the same very large flash of full bright when switched off on max (tightened) and then switched back on in any lower (loosened) mode. A very bright flash and long enough in duration to be seen even by a blinded mugger..............

Huge difference between the two different types of quark.

Which Quark to get? 123 or MiNi 123?

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