3 in 1 review. At the end there will be a summary for those who like only particulars, in each topic I will color the key sentences for those who read a little more, and a long waffling for everyone else. Enjoy!
For VERY large photos: click -> on the photo page right click -> "Open image in new tab"
I got this flashlight from Armytek:
https://www.armytek.com/flashlights/models/zippy/keychain-flashlight-armytek-zippy-blue-sapphire/
It will be short review, because I found no point in looong review. Small keychain flashlight, 160lm, not much to say
Table of Contents:
- General parameters
- Package content
- Appearance, parameters
- UI, runtime and charging
- PWM
- Waterproof
- Light pattern, tint
- Usage and my experiences
- Summary
From Armytek page
Small box with all general info
"Developed in Canada". And you know what else is in Canada? Action of game The Long Dark. Just found it and it is soo cool. If you like realistic survival games without monsters and other strange things, this is it. Check it out! Ok back to the review...
Inside the box was only flashlight and a manual.
Pocket clips is removable, but stays in place tight, so no worry of accidental falling.
And also micro USB charging port with rubber cover. Sits tight too.
And there is of course metal ring to attach to keys. Looks very thick and durable. Also all electronic parts seems to be in some interior plastic cover, so don't worry about screws holes or this ring - even if water came inside, it will most probably stay away of electronic parts.
I will not disassemble the flashlight. It is pretty simple, not much to see inside. If you really want to look inside, there are other reviews with disassembling.
UI
Anduril!
Not really...just kidding. We have 3 simple modes, 5lm - 50lm - 160lm. I checked and it is about the same according to my measurements.
Runtime
Graphs, in order High - Medium - Low
High, 160lm, ~ 17 min on relatively high brightness
Medium, 50lm, 1 h 10 min
Low, 5lm, 11 h
So runtimes are accurate too
Charging
By micro-USB. Charging takes about 1 h 10 min. Charging current ~ 0,05-0,08A.
Charging indicates by a red diode
When finished it shines green
Q&A
Q: Can you use flashlight when charging?
A: Yes
I have not noticed any
IP67. So I will not drop it in my fish tank. But let's make this "rain" test:
Water falling from 50 cm height for 10 min. Straight on the flashlight.
Works, no moisture inside, so test passed.
Very wide beam. Distance to the wall = chocolate bar
And the same distance but without the chocolate
As you can see, there are significant tint shifts, beam is very greenish on the edges. On one edge especially.
Very wide beam makes it very useful, e.g:
To read a book. I'm holding Armytek in place where the standard clips light should be - and Armytek easily shines on two pages.
But there is greenish tint on the edges...
When you hold it vertically, there is only greenish light.
Even when holding it...horizontally there is still some greenish light.
I tried to attach it to my trousers and jacket when walking outside. It is doing pretty well in illuminating path.
BUT I think it could be good tent light. You know, attaching it to this tent hook. Pretty lightweight, bright, wide beam, decent runtime. I have to find a way to attach it though.
So every shortcomings and cons in one place.
This greenish tint, and tint shift bothers me a bit. Button is very hard to click as well.
Armytek Zippy is a very small and lightweight keychain light. My lumens and runtime measurements are the same as Armytek stated.
Do I recommend it? It depends on you. Do you need that wide beam, or prefer more focused one? Are you ok with that tint shift? If so, you can consider buying it, because it is lightweight and seems to be pretty durable. No IPX8, but IPX7 is good enough. IP67 to be exact.
Pros:
+ Wide beam
+ SS clips
Cons:
- Tint shift
- Greenish tint on the edges
About host - threads, knurling o-rings and so on
Rating: 8/10
About light - UI, tint and so on
Rating: 9.5/10
1 - very bad flashlight hurts to look at, terrible quality, not worth any (even very low) price
5 - average flashlight, at a reasonable price - for the average person "great". Or better flashlight, but overpriced
10 - flashlight meets all my expectations in a given category (e.g EDC, headlamp, thrower), it's durable and neatly made, perfect light tint, worth its (even slightly inflated) price - just pure perfect, so I doubt any light can get a 10 from me