Aurora SH-3AA
(Also available as the UltraFire SH-3AA)
Summary
Battery | 3xAA or 1x26650 |
Switch | Forward tail clicky |
Modes | 5 Hi>Med>Lo>Strobe>SOS |
LED type | XM-L T6 |
Lens | Glass |
Tailstands | Yes |
Price | $29.10 |
From | DX.com |
Pros:
- Takes 26650s and AAs (18650s in sleeve etc)
- Tailstands
- LED perfectly centred
Cons:
* Dirty inside
* Unexpected flickering on high
* Disco modes (pro for some)
My initial thoughts upon un-boxing was how light it is for how fat it appears, soon followed by how flawless the machining on the outside even though the anodizing seems to resemble a low gloss black paint I am sure it anodising.
Disassembling the light, the tail threads felt dirty and gritty, the head even more so. The threads are pointed and thin so I would recommend cleaning and lubricating them right away.
The battery carrier was probably the cheapest they could source, I would gladly pay a extra $1-2 to have received one of higher quality. More about that later.
I was quite pleased with the aluminium reflector, it was one of the smoothest I have ever seen. The base is also flat where it sits on the star, I presume it will also aid in cooling.
Inside the tail cap seem to have good machining then appears that someone has manually grinded it down for some reason.
The star is very dirty, I only noticed in the picture that there appears to be something on the emitter as well. I’m not sure if it is there or just a camera trick because I looked a few times and couldn’t see it myself. The pill also looks rather scratched up but it has no effect on usability.
Looking in from the tail end it is very dusty and greasy inside as well, the driver appears to have a sloppy solder job but I’m sure its better than I can do.
A size comparison of the Aurora SH-3AA with the NiteCore EA4
Another size comparison of the Aurora SH-3AA with the JetBeam PA40
And now for some beamshots:
(all light pictures are using freshly charged eneloops)
Above the white post in the fence is about 75 meters, the trunk on the big tree in the background is about 100 meters. These shots were all aimed at the white fence post.
Above all are aimed at the tree trunk in the background aprox 100 meters away.
Final words and thoughts:
When I un-boxed and inspected it was at the same time I took the photos, I was a little disappointed at first but there was really nothing that effected the performance or outward appearance.
Now that a few days have passed it being dirty and having odd marks and uneven grinding inside don’t bother me at all. It doesn’t really affect the appearance or function and I am just happy that the reflector isn’t all scratched up or dirty. This is a budget light after all so I cant expect perfect and premium.
My only real concern was the battery carrier, I can’t actaully test it but I feel it may be restricting its full potential. After testing I was playing with it outside for about 10 minutes then started to notice it flickering, my first thoughts were the batteries must be going flat already. Later that night after putting them on the charger they all only took around 200mAh to top up. This suggests to me that the carrier is not sufficient or there may have been a bad earth. I am not familiar with voltage sag so I don’t know if that could also be a possible cause.
The Aurora SH-3AA makes my JetBeam PA40 look dull in comparison, and to my surprise it has a very similar output (maybe slightly lower) to the NiteCore EA4 yet it has a tighter/brighter hotspot and throws considerably further.
Overall I was more impressed with this light than I though I would be, its exceeded my expectations on AA’s thats for sure. I expected it would under-preform unless a Li-ion was used.
I plan to look around to source a better battery carrier, then perhaps after a bit more testing it will make a great gift for a family member or friend.