UKC

Looking to get myself a set of Quarks at some point but I'm wondering when the best time to do it is?

They're discounted at the moment in a number of stores (Ubran Rock, Joe Brown etc) but are these prices likely to come down further as we go into the summer and the demand drops?

In reply to aldo56:
From users with the new quarks there does seem to be an issue with the trig rests breaking. I can say for sure that retrofitting them on the old quarks is not worthwhile, I've broken 4 now and have moved to using grivel triggers with the metal trigger sawn off.

I also personally prefer the swing on the vipers for ice (the grip rest gets in the way less as its further back from the pick) so requires less wrist flick. Have you considered these?

In reply to CurlyStevo: Did you read my post Stevo? I'm not really asking for advise on what axes to buy....

In reply to aldo56: When I was looking for axes there didn't seem to be any relevance as to when they came up cheap - just odd shops at odd times. I ended up buying some from Peglers (Grivel Matrix)in the Autumn cheaper than I'd seen them anywhere inc. ebay.
Don't forget - lots of people still buy in summer if they're off to the Alps.

In reply to aldo56:
The best time to buy axes, screws, crampons etc is generally around the middle of the summer as they can easily be ordered on line and stock rarely runs out.

The best time to buy winter clothing is normally the spring sales so around april / may, when the shops still have stock and you can try it on but it is heavily discounted. I generally aim to buy all my gloves at this time of year and preferably stuff like belay jackets and winter soft shells.

Good luck with the quarks!

In reply to mrchewy:
Well I'm not sure on the quarks but towards the middle of the summer last year the Vipers went down to £220 pair deal (perhaps around the time most people had already bought their summer alpine axes) and then back up again to £250 around November sort of time. I've seen similar patterns with crampons and other winter hardware in the past too.

In reply to aldo56: Good advise guys, cheers.

(In reply to aldo56)
I'm sure you'll find this of no interest and off topic but anyway:

http://www.neclimbs.com/SMF_2/index.php?topic=5952.0
http://coldthistle.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/new-petzl-quark.html

If you search about on here you will find others with the same experience. The trig rests cost 14 quid for one and seem to break in about 4 - 10 days of ice / mixed climbing, but then I do just whack my axes in where the pick would be best put rather than placing them to prevent breakage. People with other axes with trig rests do not seem to be suffering this problem anything like as often!

In reply to CurlyStevo:

I haven't had this problem yet, but I guess I've only had 11 days climbing on them so far (6 big days in Scotland, 5 shorter days in North Wales), mostly ice rather than mixed. Just another anecdote, of course...

In reply to aldo56: The Outdoor Shop are selling them for £135 each at the moment.
Jon

In reply to Nick Russell and CurlyStevo:

I ended up breaking mine at the weekend on ice, hit a bulge of ice while swinging and it snapped off. I've used them happily on mixed all this season with no problems but i'm now a bit more wary seeing how easily they can be broken. In hindsight I wish I had went for something like the vipers as they seem a little more robust but the Quarks feel very light, which is really nice.

On-topic: If you see a cheap deal on them i'd just go for them, I doubt you will see any massive drops in price over summer. (I got mine with a 20% off coupon at rock and run which was by far the cheapest at the time)

In reply to CMcBain: I like the lightness of them too. If you're a big he-man I imagine the DMM Apexes would suit better, with the Vipers maybe in between. I like the precision of placement you get with a lighter feel.

In reply to aldo56: Aye, i've had a play with the Apex, Viper, Nomics and Quarks in Tiso. From reading reviews online I was keen on the Apex then the Viper then the Petzl offerings in that order but it was a different story once i got them in hand.

I wasn't a huge fan of how the Apex and Vipers felt, much more impressed with the Petzl axes. Decided on the Quarks as I felt the Nomics were a bit extreme for the stuff i'm likely to be doing anytime soon.

I can see how the Trigrest could be a weak spot in the design but it also adds a good bit of flexibility which I like.

Any of these are going to be 10 times better than my current axes!

In reply to CMcBain:
yes they seem very fragile to hitting rock or ice when placing the tools, most mine have broken hitting ice bulges and they rarely take more than a whack or two of a hard swing. The grip rests are much much more resilient. Petzl seem to be claiming this isn't as problem but I doubt they can keep this up for long. Shame as the Nomics are also still suffering with a similar issue, both of which would currently stop me buying their axes.

In reply to aldo56: Urban Rock gets my vote for good axe deals. I would say anytime from now till the summer is the best time, keep checking the web.
I would say reference trig rests that they are pretty pointless on a straight shafted tool. Triggers just seemed to give me a cold index finger and really transmitted the shock when you hit a rock hard to said cold finger.

In reply to aldo56: Go Outdoors stock Quarks so will beat anyone other price, in store or online, by 10%.

That means you can pick them up now for £243 (10% less than The Outdoor Shop) which is a great price.

In reply to The Ex-Engineer: That's a great idea, cheers engineer.

In reply to aldo56: I may be selling my Quarks if you'd be interested in a 2 season old pair? Can negotiate price if your keen.

Adam

In reply to adamsky: Sent you a pm.