British direct-to-consumer outdoor brand Alpkit will be familiar to many Trail and LFTO readers by now. As well as a long-running online retail presence, its stores have popped up everywhere from Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia to Hathersage in the Peak District, not to mention Ambleside and Keswick in the Lakes, as well as various city centres throughout the UK. The retailer has built a solid reputation for turning out good quality, reliable hiking gear essentials at reasonable prices, with the Alpkit Qark being no exception.
Pros
- Bright
- Spot and flood beams
- Hybrid battery compatibility
- Great value
Cons
- Relatively short burn times
- No button lock
- No dimming function
- No battery level indicator
| Max power | 580lm (high) (Not ANSI FL1-rated) |
| Max burn time | 18 hours at 30 lumens |
| Max beam distance | 150m (Not ANSI FL1-rated) |
| Battery | 3 x AAA or 1 x 800mAh rechargeable power pack (micro-USB) |
| Weight | 95g |
| Ingress protection rating | IPX6 |
The Qark headtorch is a classic example of Alpkit’s value-driven product range. A multiple Trail magazine ‘Best Value’ winner, it’s a 580-lumen headtorch designed for all-round outdoor use, from hiking and hillwalking to camping. It also has specs that, on paper at least, compete with established big-name outdoor brands like Petzl and Black Diamond, whilst undercutting them fairly significantly on price. What’s not to love? We tested it in the hills and mountains of Snowdonia, North Wales and pitted it against the best alternative headtorches on the market to find out…
Design and features
The Qark is a simple and straightforward headtorch. The light unit is made of a hard, shiny plastic that is pretty robust, despite looking and feeling a bit cheap – though it is IPX6 rated for waterproofing, which means it should withstand the heaviest rain (but not total submersion). The hinged rear of the unit pops open to reveal the battery compartment, which houses a removable Lithium-polymer battery pack. On the front is a big white LED, protected by a chunky bezel, with a secondary red LED, also protected by a plastic moulding. An adjustable hinged plastic bracket that sits against the forehead holds the light unit in place and provides attachment points for the elasticated headband and overhead top strap.
It’s very easy to operate, with a single button controlling all functions – just press to cycle through low (30 lumens), medium (270 lumens) and high-power (580 lumens) from the main white LED, plus red light (10 lumens) and red strobe modes from the secondary LED. The rotating bezel allows you to adjust the spread and distance of the main beam, from spot to flood. This design feature does add a little bulk, but it’s extremely useful on the trail or in camp, giving you the versatility to switch between close proximity tasks and long-range illumination.
Burn times are slightly limited by the relatively low 800mAh capacity of the supplied battery pack, but you still get about 2.5 hours on high power and up to 18 hours on low power. The battery pack needs to be removed from the unit in order to charge it via its micro-USB port, but this does mean you could plug it into a power bank and still use the headlamp with an alternative power source. Thanks to hybrid compatibility, it will happily run on 3 x standard AAAs as a back-up. It’s worth noting that micro-USB doesn’t offer as quick charging times as more modern USB-C technology though.
Unlike most rivals this headtorch isn’t ANSI FL1 rated, which means the specified light output hasn’t been verified by the industry standard testing process. So, should you trust it? Well, all we can say is that we’ve used one for many years and it has been a consistently reliable performer. Whether it puts out exactly the quoted 580 lumens at full power is hard to gauge without using a calibrated luxmeter in a controlled setting, but in practice on the hills, it is decently bright. We do think the quoted maximum beam distance of 150m (that’s about one and a half football pitches) is ambitious though.
Performance and comfort
At under 100g, the Qark is reasonably lightweight. It’s also fairly compact, if a little front heavy, though the additional overhead strap helps a lot with stability. In use, you notice you’re wearing it, but it’s neither uncomfortable nor unwieldy, thanks to that top strap. The headband is easy to adjust too, ensuring a close fit. The light unit can be adjusted through six positions, up to an angle of almost 90°.
Operation is very intuitive, since everything works via one button sensibly positioned on top of the unit. There are three levels of white light plus a red light and strobe mode. Otherwise, that’s about it. It’s a bit of a shame that there’s no button lock to guard against accidental operation if it gets knocked about in your rucksack. Also note that there’s no dimming function and no battery level indicator either, so you can sometimes be plunged into darkness without much warning.
Still, despite its relatively basic functions, this is a solid performer for year-round camping, hiking and backpacking.
Price and competition
The Qark has been around for a few years now and is a perennial ‘best value’ winner here at Trail magazine and LFTO. The reason for that is simple – at this price point, there isn’t much that can touch it. Indeed, this headtorch undercuts many big-name rivals in terms of both performance and price.
Though it doesn’t boast loads of functions, it covers all the essentials and most importantly is decently bright. Burn times are adequate, and hybrid compatibility ensures that even if the battery pack dies, it’s easy enough to swap it out for 3 x AAAs and keep on shining.
If you want a headtorch at a similar weight and price, but with quicker charging, plus a bigger battery and therefore longer burn times, you could look at the Lifesystems Intensity 300 – but it’s not as bright as the Qark and has an integrated Li-ion battery, not a removable battery pack (which also means it lacks hybrid compatibility for use with standard AAA batteries).
Alternatively, spending more money will give you more functionality, such as a battery charge indicator, dimmable beam output and a button lock, but although they are useful, none of these features are deal-breakers for most people.
Verdict
A solid and straightforward all-rounder at a good price, the Qark is lightweight, comfortable and powerful. Its only major drawbacks are its limited functionality and relatively short burn times.
About the author
Matt Jones is a freelance journalist based in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, he’s a vastly experienced gear tester and self-confessed outdoor kit geek. Matt’s been one of our main gear testers for the last couple of years and is the first person we call with any complicated kit queries that need in-depth and forensic analysis.