Dismantle ArmyTek Wizard Pro

A potted messā€¦thatā€™s why I donā€™t like Armytek lights. I knowā€¦everyone will say that potting makes the electronics last longerā€¦Iā€™ve had three Armytek lights go badā€¦the latest being a Prime C2 Pro V3 XHP35. Their lights suck!

Geez, what a nasty way of assembling a rather expensive lightā€¦ :frowning:
This way itā€™s basically a disposable lightā€¦

ā€œIā€™ve had three Armytek lights go badā€¦ā€

Headlamps have proven to be a real PITA for me. I bought a Surefire for my wife - a serious backcountry enthusiast - years ago. It drained batteries while ā€œoffā€ which led to stressful 2am return from a local mountain. Surefire replaced it but Iā€™d lost faith and wanted something bombproof with 18650 support. Enter the Wizard which has been working for some time now. The Pro UI is too easily reprogrammed for the missus though and I have been ā€˜resettingā€™ it regularly. Finially, a couple of months ago it lost all output modes above low. Useless.

Iā€™ve promised her a replacement. Have been thinking about a non-Pro Wizard but honestly I have more faith in a $6 plastic china light now. Iā€™ve been using a cheapo 3xAA headlamp daily in a hostile work environment for 4 years without any issues whatsoever.

Exactly in the moment I was about to tell you that I remembered that the driver IS potted !!! You found it yourself .., sorry , now is no turning back ...

You'll have to drill thru , or, after you remove the switch assembly ,just let it soak for a day or two , completely submerged in a paint remover solution (no gasoline , is too slow ) and , maybe the remains of driver will get lose. I used that method for a Skilhunt K30 , the driver was potted too, but with a white stuff , in 2 days I was able to clean it with a tooth brush !!!

Man , you will remain in the history for " eviscerating " a Armytek... . What next ?

Iā€™ve had really good luck out of the Skilhunt H02 that Iā€™ve had for 2 years now and I hear that the Skilhunt H03 is a little better. I know they both have magnetic tailcaps and TIR optics for nice flood.

Thanks for the heads up on the Skilhunt. Looks plain and simple, the way I like things. Have you had it apart?

And for those following along on the deconstruction:

Some epoxy removed.

The switch is loose and comes out without removing the bezel. Only the potting held it in place.

Looking a lot less ā€˜busyā€™:

Dale, tell me moreā€¦ Iā€™ll eventually want to reassemble this thing.

I wanted to find out if I could mod it, but with the small copper mcpcb glued directly to the back of the head and it already getting quite hot when in the higher modes, (not to mention the potting) I reassembled it and just use it like it is. Donā€™t really like the warm white, may change it out some day.

It was Really Hard to get apart. Did some damage cosmetically to the tube.

Used a blade to work around the SS bezel and patiently work it loose. Itā€™s just press fit in but of course itā€™s a tight press fit.

I can see maybe putting an FET driver in it with Bistro or Narsil, maybe TKā€™s ramping, and use an XP-L or XM-L2 emitter, maybe an XP-L2 in which case it might be possible to hit 2000 lumens in it. I probably wouldnā€™t go back with the XHP-50, too much heat right there on your forehead.

@ DBCustom !

Dale , thanks for chime in , you are the ONE responsible for my memories !!! Now I remembered where I saw an Armytek Wizard dissasembled , was not a video , were pictures.., and if I recall good you were complaining about the fact that Armytek used your pictures ,without your agreement to do so...!!! Right ?

@ Greg_M ...Damn , my memory started to play tricks on me , the copper plate , that I assumed that was a heat sink was, in fact , the DTP of the LED.., I have to take some Lecithine and adjust my medication...

Anyway , you'll have to take out the bezel & the Carclo optic in order to get to the Led...But , if you got so far you must continue.., I'm sure that is gonna be a hell of a light !...

Yep, thatā€™s right ceraā€¦ no biggie but still surprising.

I think I would use some JB Weld Stick, they call it Water Weld, the one Iā€™d use. Itā€™s like a jelly roll, white on the outside and dark grey in the middle. You slice off a piece then knead it til itā€™s uniform in color (quickly! It sets up really fast!) and Iā€™d use this to put a 15mm or 12mm FET driver in place on the original contact board. The switch wires to the driver would need to be in place before epoxying it in of course. Then the same stuff to glue a new copper mcpcb into the head, replace the optic and bezel and youā€™d be in business. :slight_smile:

The Water Weld sets up in minutes. You can drill and tap it in about 15 minutes, itā€™s hard to the touch in like 5 minutes, maybe 7. The stuff is so robust you can dive into a swimming pool and stuff it into a crack thatā€™s leaking water, itā€™ll set up in minutes and no more leak. Iā€™ve even heard of a leaking gas tank repaired with it. It doesnā€™t conduct electricity so you can use it to pot a driver or glue it to the side of a host or whatever.

To get the bezel out I like to pick 3 places around the perimeter that if the anodizing getā€™s marred it will look concentric and not be just helter skelter. Then tap a razor edge under the bezel at each place, lightly, patiently, until the razor blade edge is hitting the bezel inside. Move to a small screwdriver and repeat the process until there is enough of a slot showing to use a larger screwdriver, using this larger screwdriver blade, twist lightly to pry the bezel upā€¦ a little at a time in each of the 3 places and it will pop straight up. If youā€™re patient you will do little harm to the ano, what there is will be placed well and not look bad. :slight_smile:

Lolā€¦wellā€¦if any body couldā€¦ :person_facepalming:

Whaaaaat? Inquiring minds wanna know! :stuck_out_tongue:

What is the inner diameter of the silver ring holding the lens/reflector?

Iā€™m curious as to the outcome of this?

I have a C2 Pro Max with only the LED half lit and the Armytek CS is a bit of a joke, they asked if the battery was fully chargedā€¦.ummm

Itā€™s academic now, but I believe Armytek lights have a 10 year warranty. I had to follow a few steps to get this done and it took 6 months, but they did replace two units for me.

Havenā€™t heard of too manyā€¦anybodyā€¦ having good results with their CS. I just had a tail cap fall apart. Literally fall apart since itā€™s just glued in with no retaining ring. Contacted armytek and they told me that I clearly disassembled it :person_facepalming:

Ended up voiding the warranty and pried off the bezel, well, found an XHP70 instead of the advertised 70.2.

Sent Photos and videos showing the half working LED on Firefly level only for them to say they still needed it sent back for confirmation. Showed them the same thing with the bezel and TIR removed and they still said itā€™s not clear lol. It seems their mindset is to avoid any accountability at all costs. They informed me they found it hard to believe because they had never encountered this issue ever before.

Iā€™ll fix it myself with an actual 70.2

I spent hours reviewing their models, only to be treated like crap. Firmly said I wouldnā€™t be reviewing or promoting their products in the future if this is how Iā€™m treated.

Had other models fail from Sofirn, Wurkkos, Imalent, and Cyansky which were replaced without any hassle

I did a review on 3 expensive headlamps. At first I didnt choose the fenix but after 6 moā€™s it was the winner for me. The headband is failing though and looks like shriveled bacon. YUK!