You’re a monster. What kind of work are you in that you have to test the possibility of hammers being thrown at your head? Is there another way for you to boil water for tea? Or did it just amuse you to hold its head under the water until the bubbles stopped? If I had the light for review, I would have had a gently focused breeze from the a/c directed at it while it layed on a bed of feathers, listening to Brahms or Bach.
Other than that, great informative review.
Hey, Armytek says they’re tough, so I beat on them to see. Besides, a gentle breeze from the AC isn’t enough to keep it from stepping down. The only way to see what the driver can do is to immerse it in water, or maybe subject it to freezing rain. I didn’t have any of the latter.
I didn’t mean to break the lens though. I was just trying to re-seat the bezel, forcefully. Armytek could have avoided the whole situation if they’d put a 144A in it to start with. Their choice of emitter forced my hand.
I have the first version of the XHP 50 without the USB charging. I’ve had it about a year now and so far it’s given me no problems. That said, I very rarely use turbo 2. It just gets very hot, and way too fast in that mode. I mainly use mine on the brightest mode on the second group for close up electronic work. Concerning how I use mine, I anticipate I’ll never have an issue with it.
I like this style of review. A review can give you the knowledge you need to buy a light, but a tear down teaches a man to fish.
This is the kind of review style I like. Check, test, review, tear down, modify, test, and review the mod.
Thanks Zak, in my opinion, this 6V 144AM makes the Wizard much more practical for daily uses (not because I sell the 6V version).
Also,boosting up to 6V should be more efficient than to 12V. Looking from your result numbers, are those firefly modes unusable after?
- Clemence
Firefly1 is totally usable in absolute darkness.
In a practical sense, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the 6V version. It loses the burst mode it had at 12V, but has a similar maximum sustainable level. Armytek should use a 12V emitter or recalibrate the current outputs of their driver if they put it in production though, as lumens do sell lights, and a 1500lm OTF, 90 CRI headlamp has no competition on the market right now. (I expect a Zebralight H600c Mk. IV soon since the SC64c is on the spreadsheet)
Zak, I tried to order AT with bezel off option (again) and the answer was:
“…I have just got the update from our engineers and they state that there is no way to ship the flashlights without bezels as this is a joint construction and there is no way tot ake it apart.
They are also asking you what nicha diod you need to be placed in ? In future we can place the diod you need inside the flashlights at once, so this would be more convenient for you too….”
- Clemence
Over on reddit, we’ve been telling them NV4L144AR sm435 R9050 E900 for months. Their official account even started an interest list.
Of course, we both know it’s false that the bezel can’t be removed. It just requires use of sufficient profanity.
Thanks for pointing that out, and also to put the lead on this. The problem is 4500K is not my favourite CCT. It would be interesting to see how they come up with the MCPCB though.
Check your PM Zak.
- Clemence
Can’t please everyone of course, but it seemed like a good choice for a limited run product because Armytek usually only has warm and cool, not neutral. Also, not many people hate 4500K even if they would rather have something else.
Yup, it’s in the neutral stance. I have no reddit account. Could you make one interest vote for me?
Thanks
Clemence
With some luck, expect special Nichia equipped Wizard Pro coming. Zak already arranged a limited run for this.
I don’t mind potted driver as long as the driver perform better than what it is now. I expect better more efficient driver with thicker lead wire in future Wizards/Prime lineup. Since the LED technology is moving at fast pace, a threaded removable bezel is a good selling point. This way the user can select any CCT/tint they want with simple LED swap modification. 16mm MCPCB instead 14mm should also make life easier for modders.
I really like Armytek for it’s design style, finish, toughness, and features. What I don’t like are: unreliable inefficient potted driver, pressed fit bezels, and overly aggressive branding/ornaments/labeling.
I just got an email from Ylona from Armytek. She said the production is currently on hold because the China factory laser engraving machine is currently under repair. And so does my custom order…. :person_facepalming:
- Clemence
I don’t think anyone would miss the laser engraving.
Thanks. I have another Wizard Pro and now I have 12V emitters, so the question is: 3000K or 5700K? (Both are R9050)
5700K, it’s the best all around CCT. I find 3000K too yellow for every close-up works with colored cables.
Received mine today. It’s a very nice headlamp apart from all it’s limitations you described above. The tint is way too rosy to my taste.
- Clemence
I had CW version.
the color is like pure white for me.
I was not satisfy with CW headlanterns from skilhunt and nitecore…(yellowish or greenish)
Zebra h600 cw tint was also great for me
So I went and put an NV4W144AR sm573 E1000 R9050 in my second Wizard Pro that previously had a warm white XHP50. Thanks, Clemence.
The 6V 144A in my first Wizard Pro makes under 900 lumens, down from 1720. Worth it, I say, especially since that 1720 isn’t very sustainable due to heat. The warm XHP50 had lower output due not just to a lower bin, but lower current in all modes. Practically speaking, I don’t object to that much since max output was unsustainable.
Clemence of http://virence.com sent me some engineering samples of 12V 144ARs. Two are 3000K and one is 5700K. Neither is my favorite color temperature, but I’d rather be a bit too cool than way too warm, so I used the 5700K to replace the warm white XHP50. Outputs are:
| Emitter | Color temperature | CRI | Power-on lumens | 30 second lumens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XHP50 | 4000K | Unspecified | 1488 | 1429 |
| 144AR | 5700K | 90 | 1443 | 1343 |
| XHP50 | 6000K | Unspecified | - | 1720 |
| 144AM | 4500K | 90 | 883 | 812 |
So relative to the warm white XHP50, the 144A gives up 86 lumens to gain a whole lot of CRI. This is very good. I should note that the two Wizards appeared to be a little different in terms of current, with the warm being lower. I think there’s just some variability in production, and using the other sample would have resulted in a bit more output. There’s little practical difference, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Armytek advertises higher numbers on their planned production run.
Since you’re going to ask, I don’t have a concrete update on that. I think it’s going to happen, but I don’t know when. It looks like the color temperature will be 4000K instead of the 4500K we were talking about. It’s also possible that Clemence will be selling built to order Wizards at http://virence.com once his 144A boards come in.
But for now, as far as I know I have two of the three 144A Wizards in the world.
Oh, yeah, beamshots (WB: 6000K):
ArmyTek Wizard
Isn’t that light hard to hold in your hand. Looks a bit unnatural to me. But I see the uses of the clip and headband.
Unfortunately it has an hotspot. Would have liked a bigger battery, but if the runtimes are real then it’s ok.
https://www.armytek.com/products/flashlights/?features_hash=12-1171-2300_17-24-50_23-4969
What’s the difference between
“DIGITAL (CPU brightness control) and FULL (constant brightness)”
There is no better way of making a headlamp that is also a flashlight without making it bigger or reducing its ability of getting rid of the heat.
It has a headband, a clip and a strong magnet. All can be removed.
The hotspot is very wide. Without the hotspot the light would have no reach.
The runtimes are real. In the bightest modes they can be longer it the light gets too hot (it has thermal regulation).
The different terms you mention don’t seem to have clear descriptions except that these lights have a very flat regulation when kept cool.
