2004 Quark Review

[dbb]

2004 Quark Review

 

Thougt I'd give a review of these as I started climbing on them this season (coming from BD Black Prophets rubber shaft model). The Quark overall is a fantastic tool, and I don't think they've changed a lot in the 2004. Great clearance leads to fantastic hooking capability and a snappy swing. Beautiful 3mm picks that don't need sharpening often and bite into the ice perfectly w/o any mods. Pretty standard stuff for modern tools.

 

The pinky rest that they added for leashless climbing is quite nice, and I went leashless on moderates and top ropes easily with these tools. If I were to go leashless often, I would add some sort of pinky rest for matching higher on the shaft. The tools plunge in the alpine okay with the pinky rest on. Pretty akward though, wish I could figure out how to take them off for alpine—it's not entirely obbious. The tools are pretty damp too, which is a compliment coming from any carbon fiber tool user... something us coast climbers will enjoy as I tend to hit rock full force enough.

 

The leashes that comes stock on these are an android-like clippable leash. Different from earlier models, the attachment point is in the middle of the shaft (instead of by the head). The clipper system is good. Getting in and out is a little more difficult than the android but if I didn't own androids already, I'd probably continue using the clipper. Having nothing but a bolt sticking out of the shaft while going leashless is nice too. With the standard rigging of the clipper leash it is possible to grab the head of the tool without unclipping, however this also means that you have a long tail on the clipper its self. Flipping the clip up into my fingers isn't too bad, but I prefer my androids shorter length. This would not be adjustable on the Quark unless you drilled another hole lower down in the shaft. Another drawback to the clipper system is that the cuff, while having significantly more padding than the android, doesn't have a grippy surface where the cuff touches your glove. This means that when placing screws the cuff gets all spun around on your wrist.

 

Comparisons to other tools I've used:

Viper: Quark head feels slightly heavier, but has more clearance. As a result of clearance, the quark has less reach/is shorter (both small distances though). Viper feels like it has a smaller diameter grip. Quark does not have the same flex that the viper gets when really yarding on it. Viper android attachment can be made by drilling another hole in the quark.

 

Cobras: Quark has significantly lighter head and much more clearance. Not as damp, but who is? Better picks for hooking and longevity for sure on the quark. Quark obviously has a much smaller diameter grip.

 

Rage: Again, much much lighter head in the Quark and more clearance.

BD Black Prophets: Prophets have heavier head, bigger grip, are more damp, but are not a clearance tool.

 

Light Machine: Both have about the same clearance. The head (without extra weight) on the light machine is a bit lighter, but not much. The stock pinky rest on the light machine is not as good as the new quark, but would plunge much better in the alpine. Grip size is about the same with the grivel being slightly smaller.

[fern]

you remove the pinky rest by undoing the small allen bolt and yanking it off. tight fit yank hard

[dbb]

I yanked and pried until I heard a crack

 

maybe I can get Layton to yank on it harder, he doesn't have a gf right?

[fern]

 

well I got mine off ... so maybe it only works if a girl is doing the yanking - you have a gf right? Let'er at it ... I found a rotating motion worked well.

 

the slot in the plastic rest thing has molded protrusions which seat in the large hole in the metal spike. You gotta pop and pry these free - that might have been the crack. DISCLAIMER: not my fault if you break your tools ... but mine was not so dramatic to remove the bit or replace it.

[layton]

I yanked and pried until I heard a crack

 

maybe I can get Layton to yank on it harder, he doesn't have a gf right?

 

Hey now! I just finished a morning run/coffee date. But yes, i can yank on it harder.

[NYC007]

try wiggling it and push the top in towards the handle to loosen it

[Fromage]

Another drawback to the clipper system is that the cuff, while having significantly more padding than the android, doesn't have a grippy surface where the cuff touches your glove. This means that when placing screws the cuff gets all spun around on your wrist.

 

Interesting. I have not had this problem with my Quark leashes in two seasons with them. I tighten the webbing snugly and the leashes stay put when I am fumbling around detached from the tools. This might have something to do with your glove system. Thinner gloves = less soft bulk for the leashes to dig through = stay in place. Using Cloudveil Ice Floes or BD Drytools over thin liners has worked fine for me. Shell gloves tend to fare a little worse in my leashes.

 

The main problem I have discovered with the leashes is that once the webbing ices up it becomes difficult to slide it through the buckle, meaning I either get stuck with a leash on my wrist or have to thaw it out in my jacket.

 

Otherwise, brilliant tools. 600m of water ice on them this weekend! Yee hah!

 

[Dr_Crash]

How would you compare the Quark to the Aztar (a bit lighter, less clearance, and fixed adze/hammer) as far as an all-purpose tool for alpine and waterfall?

 

drC

[Ade]

I've been using the Quarks for my last couple of outings and really like them. Previously I was using the Quasars with upgrade picks. In comparison the Quarks are lighter and more precise (waterfall pick not 4x4). A friend of mine noticed that it is possible to overplace the Quarks and they're a bitch to clean if you do this, I've noticed this also. Better technique and a spot of pick tuning would probably resolve this. According to my buddy (who knows his stuff) his Aztar doesn't suffer the same issue.

 

I used the Aztar seracing at Baker in the Fall. I can't say I was that impressed. It's a shorter tool than the Quasar, like the Quark, but has less of a curve than the Quark so the swing feels odd to me. I didn't really get on with it at all.

 

P/C-M market this as an alpine tool but it's not that different from the Quark in terms of alpine utility, with a slightly straighter shaft and less pronounced pinky rest. For my money the difference in their use as alpine tools would be marginal.

 

For semi technical alpine routes I have a pair of BD Shrikes that fit the bill; light(ish), cheap, durable. These will plant a hell of a lot better than most newer technical tools and are easier to hold in the cane position if you saw the top bit of the pick off where it sticks above the head. You can currently pick up a pair of these for the same price as a single Quark.

[rhyang]

I like the aztar for alpine stuff, and tried them out on some waterfall ice in lee vining - they worked decently in plastic conditions.

 

Just as an experiment I screwed 2-3 ounces of extra metal on the heads (bolts, washers, etc) as weights in cold brittle conditions. This basically helped me pump out really fast, so I don't recommend that.

 

Going to try quarks next ...

[cracked]

Quarks strike me as too damn light.

[Ade]

Quarks strike me as too damn light.

 

I thought this too when I first used them, but they're not. The picks have a smaller cross section so you get better penetration with less mass behind them. And that means less weight to wave around above your head.

[jaee]

I yanked and pried until I heard a crack

 

maybe I can get Layton to yank on it harder, he doesn't have a gf right?

 

Just got my add-on griprests today from PMS. I think the problem you're having is they snap into the biner hole in the bottom of the spike. Try spreading the gap with screwdriver or really sharp knife and then you'll probably get it out.

[rhyang]

I just got a pair, undid the bolts and pulled gradually until the griprest came off.

 

btw ordered from sportextreme.com - ups charged me $22 import duty / tax / whatever in addition to what sportextreme had already charged.

[LYleK]

I used my new "Grip Rests" Saturday on my '03 Quarks (at Guiness Gully) and had mixed results on fat (not mixed) ice. I used the axes with and w/o leashes; without leashes I found they focussed my weight onto the pinkies. So instead of being able to grip evenly throughout my hand it seemed to render my pinky and ring finger useless with body-weight cramming them into the "V," leaving it up to the other three digits to hold on. This effect was minimized with leashes as it held body weight above the "rest."

 

IMO, the name "Grip Rest" is a misnomer as it seems to do the opposite. It puts a lot of strain on the grip and didn't seem to provide much of a rest. That said, I'm of the opinion these tools aren't designed for climbing leashless in the first place, unlike their Ergo-handled sibling. The "rest" seems to be more of a marketing device and I'm sure they had many requests to provide this item, I'm just not convinced of the usefulness/ functionality. They did save my knuckles on a couple of bulges, though. I paid $14.95CDN X 2 plus $5 shipping and regular taxes from Valhalla Pure.

[dbb]

That is likely the case lyle... I think the rest's greatest benefit is that it protects your knuckles, keeps your gloves dry, and provides a little better grip for the tool when using the leashes.

[Ade]

I've been drytooling with my '04 Quarks the past couple of weeks. One of the reasons I bought them was because I wanted to tool that was a bit easier to use leashless but was still an ice tool. Unless I move to the Rockies there's no way I can splash $400 notes on a set of Ergos for "modern" mixed or whatever you want to call it.

 

I've been pretty impressed with the grip rests. I was climbing leashless today and wasn't having any problems with them at all. Seemed to pretty much do the job. Obviously not as good as a true leashless tool but better than, say, my old Quasars - which required some real holding onto without leashes.

[sweatinoutliquor]

btw ordered from sportextreme.com - ups charged me $22 import duty / tax / whatever in addition to what sportextreme had already charged.

 

Yeah, me too... I was pissed to have to spend an extra 22 after spending that much... No mention of that in the agreement and no customer service to discuss over. At first I thought it was just some sort of shipping mistake, but I guess they are doing it to everyone. Plus my credit card company didn't allow the transaction at first cause their security got concerned when someone (me) was trying to spend 425 bucks overseas. Also, the conversion that sportextreme provided me with (from euro's to USD) came out to be 20 bucks less than I paid... In the end what I paid matched the correct conversion (I checked exchange rates), but what they quoted as my final USD price was like, 20 or 30 bucks less (I think they quoted 407, and I paid 430). Add this to the $22 import tarrif and I was pretty annoyed. Sorry this is more of a review of sportextreme than the quarks, so... yeah... the Quarks work good.

[rhyang]

Very annoying, since I just saw some better deals at theadventuresource.com ...

[fern]

the online/mail-order gear forum is a good place to post your feedback on buying stuff online. Also a good place to get forewarning of outfits not worth dealing with. There may already be a thread on Sportextreme in the archives, it may be relevant to add your comments there.

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/UBB16

 

[Steddy]

If I were to go leashless often, I would add some sort of pinky rest for matching higher on the shaft.

Here's a quick, uninvasive way to put another ledge on a tool. Cheap and easy. The trimmed zip ties aren't adversely noticable under the tape. Makes holstering even more fun with two hooks.

[Steddy]

These (bent) conduit fasteners are what I had laying around at the time.

The tools work fine this way, but then I did a climb where many moves had the tools clearing bulges and this happens:

Time to find a beefier piece of hardware. I know many mixed modifiers have worked this out already. Please tell.

Of course, these can be bent back and forth a few times.

Good way to test if you're not sure you need to drill your tools or will even like it.

They're not all for foo-foo (fu-fu?) mixed moves; they work nice when you're choked up on the shaft in lower angle terrain and such, too.

[edit:]

yeah, i'd say forget this idea unless the stuff is laying around/just want to check it out/cheap, etc. i think it's probably one of the quickest ways, though.

next plan is to put my own spin on the ideas from this article pointed out to me by lyle.

Edited February 25, 2005 by Steddy

[Steddy]

FWIW, one of gadd's plans, BUMP!

I know I'll figure his older plans out sometime...

Edited February 21, 2005 by Steddy

[Don_Serl]

getting Quarks caused me to shelve my Quasars, but those were such nice tools i didn't want to give up on 'em, and the Quarks don't seem very suited to alpine, so i "alpined" the Quasars by:

 

1. hack-sawing the "hump" off the back end of the pick, then filing it flush with the hollow on the top of the head to allow a comfy grip in cane and/or dagger position, and

 

2. rasping off most of the "lump" at the base of the shaft to allow cleaner plunging.

 

i stayed with the original 4mm picks, cuz i reckon tools can get more shit-beaten in the mtns than on waterfalls; plus you seldom meet very hard, brittle ice in the hills. that said, some of the ice we climbed on sunday on the Ramp on Harvey (using these tools) was like glass, and the Upgrade picks would have given easier penetration.

 

i'm debating hack-sawing the teeth off the "tail" of the underside of the blade. i didn't do it originally cuz i was in a rush, but they interfere with a comfortable grip, so i think they're gone next...

 

oh, and per my earlier comments about "Quarking" Quasars, i threw the original heads away and replaced them with the Pulsar/Axar head - saves about 100gm per tool, and positions the striking face more ergonomically anyway.

 

let the fun begin...

 

cheers,

[Dr_Crash]

Why don't the Quarks seem very suited to alpine? Would you prefer the Aztar (looking at Petzl's line here) if you had only one pair of ice tools for both alpine and WI?

 

drC