Hidden Access to Hidden Modes - Quark Mini

I just discovered a hidden method to accessing the hidden modes on my Quark Mini 123. It is faster, more efficient, and almost elegant compared to original - two partial twists compared to the six or more. It is as follows:

• Tighten the head fully.
• Back off the head until the LED just goes out. You may have to adjust this step a little.
• Position the flashlight in your dominant hand like the signaling device on Jeopardy - bezel up. Place your thumb on the edge of the bezel to avoid smudging the lens.
• Now, like a tactical switch, press down and release the head and you will cycle through the Low-Med-High the required two cycles in a flash (no pun intended).
• Keep pressing and releasing until you achieve the desired Hidden Mode. Stop and hold when you get there.
• With your free hand, reach up and tighten the head. You're there!

Of course, this only works because of the copious amount of play in the flashlight's threads, common in many of the Quark Minis. Perusing the Quark Mini 123 and AA thread, it appears this should work in 50% or more of the Quark Mini's owned by CPF members.

Whether you ever use this or see it as nothing more than a parlor trick isn't really my point. I am so annoyed by the play in the threads of my Mini that I had to find some good in it. In the world of 21st Century manufacturing techniques, that much play is inexcusable.

Please don't see this a an outright bashing of the Quarks. My Quark AA R2 is a great flashlight and is the one used around the house almost exclusively. I recommend it highly. And my Quark Mini, despite the threads, holds the honor of being my EDC. I love it's size and weight, its design, the quality of its materials, and, for the number of modes, it has a well thought out UI. But for fit and finish, it gets the grade of D. I have a couple of other places that I'd like to utilize one but I cannot bring myself to buy another because of that.

Okay, I'll go sit in the corner for a while and willl come out and be nice. Thanks for the opportunity speak a little.

This works on all multimode twisty's, because all threads has some play. I like to hold my mini/preon with three fingers, and use my tumb and index finger to push the modes. push-push-push, push-push twist, voila strobe. Not that easy if you need to twist a tailcap (on larger lights) to activate

Hi Ksailork:

I tried it on both my mini AA and mini 123 and it works as you suggested. My preon II is in clickie mode, but I could get it to work there too. Thanks for the suggestion. However, it seems just as easy to me to do it the regular way, i.e. cycle through the modes by twisting very slightly, the required number of times, to get to the hidden one that you want. If you make a large off and on twist then it is more difficult, but if you just twist slightly off/on each time it's pretty easy and, to me at least, equivalent of bending the head to make contact with the body.

it seems just as easy to me to do it the regular way

Click to expand...

I've had some difficulty doing the regular way but, again, because of the slop in my Mini's threads. Somewhere in middle of the twists I inadvertently bring the head and the body together which triggers the light; messing up my timing and place in the procedure. And the slop makes doing the twists one handed (which is quite possible) more hit and miss.

It's not the end of the world, I don't use the hidden modes that much. Nonetheless, I find the play a bit excessive.

All you really need to do is loosen it like you said and then hold it as if you are going to twist it (if you can do 1 handed twisting) and then pull the head toward the body 7 times (that'd be fast strobe) and twist after the 7th pull. It's a PITA with my AA as it's threads don't have too much play in them though.

All you really need to do is loosen it like you said and then hold it as if you are going to twist it (if you can do 1 handed twisting) and then pull the head toward the body 7 times (that'd be fast strobe) and twist after the 7th pull. It's a PITA with my AA as it's threads don't have too much play in them though.

Click to expand...

I like it!

It makes the slop useful as opposed to annoying. Thanks.

That happens to my mini 123 by accident. I wish they'd get rid of the blink modes completely.

I use this method though with the base in my palm, and my fingers holding the head at the sides (rather than on the top) as the threads are so loose you need very little pressure.

I like having strobe and SOS, however the idea of a "hidden" strobe is lost to me. If you need strobe to temporarily disable someone, buy the time you get to it, you're toast.

PayBack said:

I use this method though with the base in my palm, and my fingers holding the head at the sides (rather than on the top) as the threads are so loose you need very little pressure.

I like having strobe and SOS, however the idea of a "hidden" strobe is lost to me. If you need strobe to temporarily disable someone, buy the time you get to it, you're toast.

Click to expand...

Different lights are for different purposes, if you're trying to disable someone with a flashlight, get yourself a clickie, its common sense!:thinking:

PayBack said:

I like having strobe and SOS, however the idea of a "hidden" strobe is lost to me. If you need strobe to temporarily disable someone, buy the time you get to it, you're toast.

Click to expand...

why would you use a little twisty light for disabling someone? even if it weren't hidden.. I'm pretty sure that if you were in a self defense situation.. you'd be, well, in trouble.
that is.. unless you're wanting to shove it down the guys throat and punch him in the gut to induce choking

PayBack said:

I like having strobe and SOS, however the idea of a "hidden" strobe is lost to me. If you need strobe to temporarily disable someone, buy the time you get to it, you're toast.

Click to expand...

Yeah that's the thing that kind of annoys me, the strobe is too rapid for use when you don't want to induce seisures, personally I'd find a slower strobe much more suitable for a light like this.

The strobe is for signalling. Unless you happen to be attacked by an epileptic assailant, it's useless for inducing seizures even if instantly accessible.

Illum said:

Different lights are for different purposes, if you're trying to disable someone with a flashlight, get yourself a clickie, its common sense!:thinking:

Click to expand...

So what's your point? It looks like you're agreeing with me. I was just saying hiding the strobe is pointless and you're saying the same thing.

csshih said:

why would you use a little twisty light for disabling someone? even if it weren't hidden.. I'm pretty sure that if you were in a self defense situation.. you'd be, well, in trouble.
that is.. unless you're wanting to shove it down the guys throat and punch him in the gut to induce choking

Click to expand...

Little twisty? The size doesn't matter so much, because 190 lumen strobe is enough. Obviously you follow up with a punch to the face or thigh kick or some such, but my point is you don't get the chance with a "hidden" function.

Ksailork said:

I just discovered a hidden method to accessing the hidden modes on my Quark Mini 123. It is faster, more efficient, and almost elegant compared to original - two partial twists compared to the six or more. It is as follows:

• Tighten the head fully.
• Back off the head until the LED just goes out. You may have to adjust this step a little.
• Position the flashlight in your dominant hand like the signaling device on Jeopardy - bezel up. Place your thumb on the edge of the bezel to avoid smudging the lens.
• Now, like a tactical switch, press down and release the head and you will cycle through the Low-Med-High the required two cycles in a flash (no pun intended).
• Keep pressing and releasing until you achieve the desired Hidden Mode. Stop and hold when you get there.
• With your free hand, reach up and tighten the head. You're there!

Click to expand...

Doesn't work on my QMiNi AA. No play.

Doesn't work on my QMiNi AA. No play.

Click to expand...

Wish we had the same battery type - I'd trade you and pay the postage. Despite all advantages and disadvantages, I dislike the in-line movement of the head on the body. :sigh:

Works perfect on my Quark mini 123. I honestly have zero reason to ever use this, but it's a neat trick

PayBack said:

Little twisty? The size doesn't matter so much, because 190 lumen strobe is enough. Obviously you follow up with a punch to the face or thigh kick or some such, but my point is you don't get the chance with a "hidden" function.

Click to expand...

why not just start with a punch in the first place.

csshih said:

why not just start with a punch in the first place.

Click to expand...

Cos hitting them with strobe in the dark first gives me an advantage, why else I mean maybe there's two of them, or he's got a knife or is built like mike tyson or something.

PayBack said:

Cos hitting them with strobe in the dark first gives me an advantage, why else I mean maybe there's two of them, or he's got a knife or is built like mike tyson or something.

Click to expand...

I remember experimenting in one of the older threads about disabling someone with a strobe. I strobed myself from about 2 feet away while typing a message. The strobe was slightly annoying but by no means disabling or disorienting. I'd suggest that you try the experiment on yourself before deciding that a strobe is the slightest bit helpful in a tactical encounter. If you want to use a light at all in that way, you're probably best off with an enormously powerful incan (Surefire M6 or equivalent), not an LED strobe.

paulr said:

I remember experimenting in one of the older threads about disabling someone with a strobe. I strobed myself from about 2 feet away while typing a message. The strobe was slightly annoying but by no means disabling or disorienting. I'd suggest that you try the experiment on yourself before deciding that a strobe is the slightest bit helpful in a tactical encounter. If you want to use a light at all in that way, you're probably best off with an enormously powerful incan (Surefire M6 or equivalent), not an LED strobe.

Click to expand...

+1

Strobes are annoying, not overly disorienting to most people.