Backstory: The Quark 123^2 TurboX was introduced at exactly the right time for me, I was looking for a work light and it fit the bill. I liked it well enough that I bought a second one as backup just in case.
I’ve since moved to a 18650 light for better run time but my old work light is still a beater that goes camping and usually gets thrown in my bag if I think I’ll need some light.
I’ve always wanted to be able to upgrade it but with the head glued together I didn’t feel like trying the extra steps that would be necessary and might not work.
Anyway I’ve spent the afternoon checking and charging cells and I came across the backup TurboX that’s only really been used to hunt around under my desk. Fondly remembering my dreams of upgrading this light I gave the head a twist, and it came right apart. No evidence of glue at all.
Evidence:
This seems very unusual to me and I wasn’t able to find anyone else with the same pill + threaded reflector.
Now I’m really wishing I hadn’t lost that Quark 18650 body tube.
I think this is a very good thing. It looks like it would be extremely easy to update this light now, I just couldn't believe that 1) it came a part as easily as it did, and 2) that it looks like it was designed to be easily modded.
But, what, that brass pill isn’t a tight fit into the finned head? Then, how do the fins get the heat to disperse it? Confused.
Sure wish I could get mine apart. I even ran a torch on it while it was spinning in the lathe, wouldn’t budge. Got it hot enough to try melting my strap wrenches! Oops! But still, all I managed was some slippage in the big 5” chuck for some ano damage that I had to address.
Looks like permutation of P60 with male/female threading reversed but no improvement in heat dissipation other than more mass in the brass pill. I’d suggest eliminating the brass spring in favor of a snug fitting copper pipe shim or a few layers of deanodized soda can.
I hear ya tarver, I wanted a Maelstrom SO bad! But it’s pricey, quirky, and difficult to modify… a friend that had one for sale advised me away from it and after he explained the UI and how the light worked, I listened. Fantastic design externally though.
