4Sevens Quark 123 Tactical R5
The quark series comes packaged slightly better than most lights, in a stylish rubberized box.
Build Quality
In no sudden deviation from 4Sevens' norm, this quark boasts a clean fit and finish, although it is not particularly robust (thick-walled, waterproof, etc). The threads are all square, which supposedly increases durability, and come well lubricated.
A switch can make the difference between a good flashlight and a failure, and this switch works. It feels solid and provides solid feedback. Momentary activates close to the resting position, and locking a good ways in, so you won't accidentally miss your mark. There is no delay between when the switch is pressed and the flashlight comes on, so it can be used for manually strobing or signalling. If you're thinking that you never thought of these as potential issues before, then you've been lucky enough to buy from thoughtful manufacturers; unfortunately, not all are as good.
Design
Intelligent design is a selling point for the quarks, and rightly so. The small things work. The LED is perfectly centered every time; this light is no exception.
The light comes with a unique finger grip, which works very well. The flashlight did not feel likely to fall when used with the grip in a variety of strenuous activities.
To operate the flashlight, switch between two modes by either tighening or loosening the head, or switch modes rapidly four times to set each mode. I am a person who does fine with just a low and a high mode, so the interface is great for me. However, if you often switch between three or more modes, you should consider something else.
Unfortunately, there is one glaring exception to this theme of thoughtful design, and that is the clip. The clip is fixed on the head to press strongly on the tail, so both parts are awkward to turn. Besides interfering with switching modes, this may eventually wear through the anodizing, though I have yet to see signs of that. It should be noted that the rest of the Quark series is large enough to avoid this limited design, and that a clipless version of this flashlight is available.
For its intended purpose the clip does work well. It does impact ergonomics, but it actually fits rather well into the hand, and may be preferred by some.
Output
The Quark 123 takes good advantage of its XP-G R5 LED, producing a surprising amount of light for the size. It is not focused to throw, but rather provides a nice amount of flood as well, making for a useful beam. The spot is a little smaller than medium sized, with a bright but small corona. As with all quark series lights, the beam is very smooth, but a tiny bit of streaking can be detected by rotating the flashlight.
| Lux at 1m | |
|---|---|
| 4Sevens Quark 123 | 3380 |
Compared to its smaller brother, the Quark 123 MiNi, the regular quark has a smaller spot, more corona, and a slightly warmer tint, though I wouldn't describe either as neutral.
Verdict
The Quark 123 Tactical XPG is a good all-around flashlight which packs a punch into a convenient form factor. Intelligent design and top notch fit and finish make it a winner, with the one catch that you can't have a clip and retain the convenience of the interface.