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The plastic insert provides a tighter fit between the head and shaft, tempers stress, and strengthens the connection by 50 percent, according to Monsieur Plaze, who adds that Petzl has been developing the insert over the last three to four years. Time to finally retire your clipper leashes! If you’re an old dog who cannot be taught a new trick, however, you always have Petzl’s V-Link tethers as an option, or can tie a leash through the head of the tool.Īnother of the Quark’s major upgrades, which also appears on the new Nomic and Ergonomic, is the addition of a nylon plastic insert for the joint between the tool’s aluminum head and shaft.
![quark 2018 review quark 2018 review](https://static.macupdate.com/products/6319/l/quarkxpress-logo.png)
Petzl decided to remove the hole for two main reasons: first, because no one climbs with leashes anymore, and second, because the hole was drilled at the weakest point of the shaft. If you are one of the handful of people who still climb with clipper leashes, you might be sad to hear the attachment hole in the middle of the Quark’s shaft is gone. The shaft, where it curves, has a three-dimensional shape-narrower in the front and wider in the back-to create a better high grip for cruising up low-angle slopes.
#Quark 2018 review update
Moving up the shaft, the new Quark has the same adjustable upper finger rest as the previous generation, but a major update is the tool’s new hydroformed aluminum shaft. The change of shape improves indexing (reducing side-to-side tool movement), and the handle is also slightly larger in volume to keep the hand in a more open and relaxed position with the idea of building less pump.
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So on the new Quark, both the front and sides of the handle are flatter than the previous generation. According to Monsieur Plaze, he and the R&D team at Petzl played with different handle shapes and sizes, and found that a rectangular shape, as opposed to oval-shaped or round, was the most efficient grip. The 2018 Quark has an updated handle with improved ergonomics. With the update to the finger rest, Petzl also redesigned the shape of the stainless-steel spike at the bottom of the tool. The wiggle is almost unnoticeable, but if it bothers you, Petzl built in an option to lock the finger rest in the open position with a screw and nut. Because of the moving parts, the finger rest has 0.2 mm of play in either locked position. The locking pin to toggle the finger rest back and forth is fairly easy to press, even with gloves on, although it remains to be seen if it could possibly ice up. This might seem like small beans, but when plunging the tool for thousands of feet up moderate snow slopes, it will make a serious improvement in efficiency.
![quark 2018 review quark 2018 review](https://www.mactech.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Quark.jpg)
In the open position, the finger rest is business as usual, but a small spring-loaded pin allows it to fold up and in line with the tool’s shaft to create a lower profile. Starting at the bottom of the tool, the new Quark has a collapsible finger rest that locks in either an open or closed position. The Petzl Quark, last updated in 2010, has some cool improvements for fall 2018. Sold with Petzl “Ice” pick and either the “Marteau” hammer or “Panne” adze The Details Head is backwards compatible with previous generations of the Quark, as well as cross compatible with the Nomic and Ergonomic for all Petzl picks and accessories New nylon head insert (head-shaft connection is 50 percent stronger) New handle design with improved ergonomics Bottom pommel (finger rest) folds up for more efficient plunging Photo: Keese Lane Petzl QuarkīEST FOR: Technical mountaineering and moderate ice climbing Photo: Hayden Carpenter. Andres Marin trying out Petzl’s completely new Ergonomic ice tools on Le Saucisson (M5), in the Scottish Gullies area of the Ouray Ice Park.