quark questions.....

d.weglarz13 said:

Hey guys. Im really starting to like the quarks, and need to pick one up. I'm liking so far the 123(2) quark, I really want something with the most clean nice throw as possible for around 50-70 bucks. And hella bright too! I need more ideas! And thanks so far..
also:
looking at quarks, what is the difference between neutral white and cool white? I like the color of my G2 alot. this may sound dumb but im not sure if my G2 is LED or incandescent. It is much more warm(like a lot more yellowish that blue/whitish) and i like that, as it seems more easy to look at things with it. it also gets real hot, so im guessing its incandescent. Any other similar ideas in this range?
Also, what is the turbo head thing? does this make it better or brighter? I like the look of the AA(2) and the 123(2) better because of the straight look, but the turbo is i think a better beam with more throw? Anyone compare the two side by side? SO, i don't know... so far i really like those quarks. and still can't decide between the AA or the 123 model. I like the straight look and i also like the cool tactical surefires but too damn expensive.
Also "X", turbo X, and R5? any noticeable differences recommendations?
again, really want a light that has crazy lumens OTF and crazy throw with adjustable brightness for somewhere around my price range. again, i really look of the quark 123squared!(although i wish it had the window break bevel). Keep the ideas and opinions coming! Is there anything similar to the look of the quark 123 squared but even brighter and better throw? thanks for your patience.
dave

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The P60 style (clones of the Surefire) do well with high-output LED dropins. These are easy to swap around and try configurations. But really, most lights kept in decent shape go on the Marketplace for just about the same as new price pretty quickly, so don't fear experimenting. My Solarforce L2 ($20 aluminum host, $20 dropin, $10 battery & $15 charger) can be updated to the newest LED, given a different reflector for more throw vs flood, and so on. I'm eyeing an 800-lumen dropin that'll set me back $45, but it'll use the same batteries and interface I'm used to. Mine is about 1/4 inch thicker at the head than the body, so it's almost got the look you're searching for.

The Quarks have an all-use beam, just a bit too throwy for reading by at night. I find that I'm squinting into the distance on muggy nights out in the open, but only when I'm looking out past 100'. It's quite aplenty (my AA^2) at night in real darkness, and dang pretty.

I'm not very well versed on flashlights, but do own a Quark MiniX123 and have a Quark turbo 123x2 on order. The 'X' in MiniX represents the Cree XL-M emitter, while the 'turbo' specifies a deeper reflector for more throw vs more flood for the non-turbo version. I'm not sure if there are any other modifications to the turbo versions allowing for more lumens, but in the Quark series 'turbo' also connotes programmable modes.

The MiniX is really bright, especially for such a small package. Just received the turbo as I'm typing this so I haven't had a chance to play with it.

Update: I played with the Quark Turbo a bit. Very bright, and I like the programmable feature. It is certainly more 'floody' than my Maelstrom G5 S2, which will blister paint;-}

d.weglarz13 said:

Hey guys. Im really starting to like the quarks, and need to pick one up. I'm liking so far the 123(2) quark, I really want something with the most clean nice throw as possible for around 50-70 bucks. And hella bright too! I need more ideas! And thanks so far..
also:
looking at quarks, what is the difference between neutral white and cool white?

Click to expand...

Cool and Neutral white refer to the colour temperature of the emitted light, cool tends to be about 6500K (mid day summer sun), while neutral is a little warmer (generally I think its anything between 4500-5500K). Look up colour temperatures if you don't understand that, and you should get a good idea of what that means. If you like incans though, you'd probably like the Warm or Neutral tints.

d.weglarz13 said:

I like the color of my G2 alot. this may sound dumb but im not sure if my G2 is LED or incandescent. It is much more warm(like a lot more yellowish that blue/whitish) and i like that, as it seems more easy to look at things with it. it also gets real hot, so im guessing its incandescent. Any other similar ideas in this range?

Click to expand...

Take a look at the light itself (when off!). Do you see a small yellow square, or do you see a glass bulb with a filament? LED is the former, Incandescent is the latter. All lights, even with an LED will emit heat as the conversion process to light isn't 100%, incans just get hotter because the efficiency is even lower.

d.weglarz13 said:

Also, what is the turbo head thing? does this make it better or brighter? I like the look of the AA(2) and the 123(2) better because of the straight look, but the turbo is i think a better beam with more throw? Anyone compare the two side by side?

Click to expand...

The turbo head employs a larger and longer reflector, allowing it to "collect" and redirect more of the light forwards into a central hotspot. That means that it can throw further; the overall brightness of the turbo head vs. the normal heads is identical. 123(2) uses CR123 cells, and due to that, the head can deliver more light (more overall power to the LED). This is generally why AA lights are dimmer than lithium based ones.

d.weglarz13 said:

SO, i don't know... so far i really like those quarks. and still can't decide between the AA or the 123 model. I like the straight look and i also like the cool tactical surefires but too damn expensive.
Also "X", turbo X, and R5? any noticeable differences recommendations?

Click to expand...

As already mentioned, X represents the newest class of LED from Cree, the XM-L while the R5 is from the XP-G family. If you want throw for your lights, you want a smaller emitter and you'd probably appreciate the R5 in a turbo head the most; the XM-L die is larger and harder to focus with a small reflector that comes with flashlights this size. XM-L however can handle a LOT more power, and is generally why XM-L lights are rated so absurdly high compared to previous generations; you can pump them with far more amps without worrying about them breaking down.

d.weglarz13 said:

again, really want a light that has crazy lumens OTF and crazy throw with adjustable brightness for somewhere around my price range. again, i really look of the quark 123squared!(although i wish it had the window break bevel). Keep the ideas and opinions coming! Is there anything similar to the look of the quark 123 squared but even brighter and better throw? thanks for your patience.
dave

Click to expand...

Look for a smaller LED die, and a bigger reflector if you want more throw. XM-L is just a sheer wall of light output, so it can illuminate near field things much better, but suffers slightly in the throw department. You need large reflectors to really make the XM-L lights throw faaaarrrr....

Okay,....where to start. First off, i just got of the phone with 4sevens, and they said that the Turbo X model is the best thrower compared to the Turbo, or the X. I think he said it was because it was a lot brighter though.
Also, Just talked to a real nice guy on here, who was getting me to lean towards the SolarForce L2T with a Nailbender custom drop in, and that sounds pretty sick but i need a Master piece Pro head to really get throw, so that adds money that i don't really have. I emailed nailbender, and i hope he will be able to do it in time for my trip thursday night. But, i especially like the L2t host because of its looks, and i think the site says that the L2t doesn't fit on the MasterPiece Pro head(1 or 2, i don't know which is better), so i might be looking at the L2P, which i don't care for as much, if i decide to go that route.
Other than those choices, Im still open to ideas.
The ThruNite stuff is real nice too, as is the G5, but I don't know if i can go that high.

Again, I really love the look of something like the L2t, but would like the best THROW with LEAST SIDE SPILL possible. So, please let me know anything that can help.
Dave
Thanks again