This is the WowTac A2 headlamp. (formerly Atactical)
This light was sent to me for my review and NO other compensation other than keeping the light.
This headlamp can be found on the main WowTac site …. http://wowtac.com/wowtac-a2-headlamp-550-lumen/
Or on Amazon site …. Amazon.com
For $19.99 at the time of this review.
I will start by saying the WowTac A2 Headlamp totally took me by surprise. I was not expecting to find the quality that I pulled from the package when I recieved this light to be honest , especially for $20.
This is a very well constructed headlamp with your basic features and easy to use UI. The threads are square cut , smooth and were lubed well , but not overly lubed. The knurling is all well done and the reflector and AR lens both look near flawless in the sample I received for my review. ( other than some water droplets in the still shots from rain that caught me suddenly). The switch is fairly firm but works very smoothly also.
This package comes with an instruction manual , spare O-ring , a lanyard , USB charging cable and a USB chargeable 2600 mAh cell , (as well as it can be charged on a traditional charger) with the tiny charger built right onto the top of the cell. There is also a tiny indicator light (red when charging and green when fully charged) on top of the cell.
The anodizing is all done well with no bare spots or thin spots that I found. There are NO sharp edges detected on the light.
The 550 lumens coming from the XP-G2 emitter also kind of surprised me in how much light the A2 is putting out. It has a fairly focused beam with a pretty smooth transition from the hotspot to the spill area , for a light with a smooth reflector in it. I can see at 100 plus yards away to make out larger objects with the A2 (although my cheap video camera dont show it too well) In the still shots of the slide portion , the pictures are much closer to what I actually see out there. The headband fits pretty comfortably and has the extra strap that goes over the top of your head so the light will not slide down as some tend to do without that strap.
The modes are well spaced on the A2 and for the fans of the super low Firefly or Moonlight this one should fit the bill as it is a very low one. The runtimes are also good for the 2600mAh cell that comes with the light. I did test several cells in the A2 other than the included cell also. All my protected cells seem to work fine in the A2 , as well as the unprotected button tops. The only ones that I had any problem with were the unprotected flat tops. Most of the unprotected flat tops will work as far as turning the light on and all , but DO loose contact with a good bump of the light.
Modes are a long press for Firefly , about 1/2 second to the next modes of Low , Medium and High , a quick double click to get into the turbo and when in turbo a quick double click for the SOS mode.
Or you can cycle through Low , Medium and High modes once the light is turned on by simply holding down the switch button and releasing when the desired mode is achieved. A quick click turns the light off from any mode and you can manually “lock out” the light with about 1/4 turn of the tailcap. There is also mode memory for the Low, Medium and High modes and the light will come on in the last used of those.
There is also the LVP or Low voltage Warning I guess we should call it , that blinks 2 times every few seconds when the cell is low.
Of course as with most lights any more there is the Reverse polarity protection also.
I would also like to note that WowTac does receive technical support from ThruNite , meaning they are getting some good advice from one of the top flashlight makers out there.
Overall I have NO negatives about this light at all , for the low price they are sold at and for the quality you get for that price , but I would like to see a choice of a neutral emitter added to their line in the future.
Here are the charts of the testing I did on the A2 with the included 2600 mAh cell………
For those who do not want to watch the whole video……… the still shots and beamshots start at 7:38 of the timeline and the outside live footage comparing the Thrunite TH-10 and Olight H1R start at 11:42 of the timeline.
Video followed by listed specs…………
•One USB rechargeable 2600mAh 18650 battery included which provides 550 lumens output.
•Cree XP-G2 LED
•Reverse polarity protection design to protect from improper battery installation.
•Aircraft-grade aluminum body.
•Toughened ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating.
•Low Power Indication: When the voltage of the battery is low, the light will blink twice periodically.
•Direct access to strobe mode: when the light is ON, long press to quickly access to strobe mode.
•Dimension: 106mm*30mm*23.5mm.
•30 days worry-free money back; 2 years limited warranty for flashlight; 1 year limited warranty for battery