AstroLux A01 AAA Nichia 219B Review - Winner winner, chicken dinner. An excellent, Neutral tint High CRI LED keychain light!

LED Flashlights – General Info 1 x AAA Flashlights
210

I got a few of each (2-3pcs each kind) of the Astrolux A01 / CPF Italia A01 / BLF A01 copper during BG’s Christmas sale, which just arrived recently.

All of them definitely use the Nichia 219B LED (none of them used 219C).

But other than that similarity, there are differences:

1) driver:
The Astrolux A01 aluminum uses a non-Manker driver, and has PWM (tested using digital camera and also shining light through rotating fan blades of a small portable fan — PWM shows as some kind of pattern). I haven’t completely checked if it uses the dreaded NMM (Next-Mode-Memory).
(Nothing is labeled on the head)

The CPF Italia A01 aluminum uses the Manker driver (NoPWM). (“Manker” is labeled on the head)

The BLF A01 copper also use the Manker driver (NoPWM). (“Manker is labeled on the head)

2) tints:

Now this seems to be where they really differ. While all use Nichia 219B (supposed to be 90CRI — but I don’t know of a quick way to check 90CRI), the tints differ noticeably.

The Astrolux A01 aluminum ones have neutral white tint (almost similar to the Astrolux S41S, which also use Nichia 219B).

The CPF Italia A01 aluminum ones have slightly warmer white (is that called 4500K?), but has a slight yellowish tint.

The BLF A01 copper ones seem to be a tint lottery — there’s a neutral-white (almost similar or just slightly less warm than the Astrolux A01 aluminum), and there’s another that’s warm (with a very slight rosy tint), plus there’s one that has a noticeably rosy tint (is this called 4000K?)

Here’s a picture of them:

Again, I don’t have a way of measuring color temperature, so I’m guessing the neutral white is 5000K, while the rosy one is 4000K, and the warm white in between is 4500K?

211

To add two more I like:

The CPF Italia A01 Copper has original Manker non-PWM driver high CRI 219B and of them all mentioned above has warmest CCT bellow 4000K IMHO nicest tint of all A01/E01 versions.

Manker E01 Aluminium sold now by Mankerlight has non-PWM original driver, has 219B high CRI and neutral tint about 5000K (similar to CCT of neutral copper BLF A01). Its body has the best quality and never flickers when turning on-off skipping modes like many Astrolux versions. Manker claims (in included paper manual) it has the 219C like E02h, but while mine E02h really has 219C, E01 is definitively 219B.

I went crazy :stuck_out_tongue: last year and bought every possible version (except the Astrolux fiasco) of this light I could find anywhere, before the 219B versions are replaced with 219C like in recent Lumintop Tool AAA and Lumintop IYP365 :person_facepalming: And fortunately the Aluminium CPF versions with original Manker driver on Banggood were just US$3.97 during December, that was basically less than buying the emitters alone :slight_smile: And at US$8.66, the copper CPF version was cheaper than Aluminium Manker E01 (US$ 9.89 on Aliexpress last month), but all of them are nice and nothing like the dreaded Astrolux A01 version.

212

I got a copper BLF edition in the BG xmas sale, just arrived.

To be honest it does not look ‘new’, the outer plastic packaging is very scratched/dirty, the inner cardboard was torn (as though light had been removed many times) and the light itself was scratched a lot in several places. The barcode label says Test so I am wondering if it was a review model.

For €7.40 I don’t complain …. but I would prefer if BG were honest about selling returns/grade B products.

213

The Copper A01 has been my keychain light since the group buy and is still going strong!

214

A word of warning. The lanyard broke the 4th time I used it. Fortunately the torch fell on my dog’s head so it was not damaged.

215

Hi, I’m looking for some clarification.

I’ve read through the thread, and as far as I understand, the Astrolux A01, as it is being sold on

Banggood now, is no longer the “winner winner chicken dinner “ that it used to be?

Thanks. :D

216

I used to like a lot this light but got bitten with a recent (well that was last year) batch of A01 which had cold tint, PWM and NMM.
I grabbed a copper CPF Italia end of last year for an insanely low price, but i wish i could still get the fancy color Al versions to gift away.
Does anyone know if the ‘old’ or ‘classic’ A01 can still be bought?

PS: i’ve edc’ed a copper BLF Special Edition for a few years now… Love it with a leather lanyard and custom wood bead. :slight_smile:

217

you can still buy the Manker E01 in colors

afaik
Astrolux A01, NO!
Manker E01, YES!

Manker no longer makes the Astrolux A01, and now the A01 has NextModeMemory (NMM), because it no longer has the Manker driver

this post explains more details

for those interested in the rundown on the Copper models (I hope Im remembering correctly):
the BLF A01 and the CPFitalia A01 have the good Manker driver… neither is available afaict
the Old-Lumens A01 and the Astrolux A01 have the bad Astrolux driver… the Old-Lumens model is available on banggood

218

The dog or the light?

219

time for a new photo?:slight_smile:

220

That one (previous post) was just out of the crushed hard boiled egg bag where it developed these colors and texture. I gave it away and did the same to another one i’m still carrying. Unfortunately it does not last. Depending on usage it just get some sort of even patina… and some scratches. Here it is now, almost polished daily in my jeans pocket:

221

Yes, patina rubs off my carried lights also. And builds up when not in use.
Ive been carrying the one on the left, while the one on the right has been sitting on my desk

Another way to add patina is to put dish soap on the light. Plant food is even stronger, and can produce some nice green colors,

which unfortunately also rubs off…

here are a few more variations in patina

222

Do Manker, or anybody else still make\sell the original drivers?.
It’s a nice little light (Astrolux) . Or. Maybe.
Somebody could knock up a basic On\Off, or L\M\H one?.

223

yes, afaik the non copper Manker model currently available

still has the original driver that the early Astrolux used (because Astrolux were made by Manker then, and no longer are)

for those interested in the rundown on the Copper models (I hope Im remembering correctly):
the BLF A01 and the CPFitalia A01 have the good Manker driver… neither is available afaict
the Old-Lumens A01 and the Astrolux A01 have the bad Astrolux driver… both are now sold out also

224

Not sold out anymore. Some colors are.

Still the best for a AAA light. 3 mode, with a pencil mod it loses the next mode memory. Its PWM also gives it way longer runtime and the 219c also gives it way better energy efficiency.

Its better to some people I'm sure!

225

I bought the Manker light some time ago, possibly as long as late last year. I think they’re just trying to clear their stick, not making them any longer

Small AAA, firefly and neutral nichia is a winning combo.

226

Someone recently linked to this post recently so I thought I would chime in. I was doing a bit of looking around tonight and found two people selling the Astrolux A01 claiming Nichia 219B and driver with no next mode memory. About $9-10 a light, be prepared to wait a couple months for shipment from China.

I have the Manker E01 (reportedly the same light) and it could be a great little light, but mine has finicky threads that making skipping modes pretty easy. My wife borrows it periodically so its not so bad in use.

227

I’m going to go out on a limb and be a skeptic

I think they claim no next mode memory, but imo, it is no longer accurate, they probably did not change the website ad copy. I have seen people buy Astrolux A01 in the past year, and despite what I warned them, and despite what the website said, they got a light w NMM.

the Astrolux A01 is no longer the same as the Manker E01, the driver is different in the Astrolux now

you can tell because the Astrolux driver is now a different color, and does not have the word Manker on it anymore

If I am mistaken, please update my knowledge base with photos of the drivers in the actual lights you receive, and please confirm if they do not have NMM :slight_smile:

228

I just ordered a A01 from…….nuts, I forget where. It was advertised as a 219B but I would reckon to say it isn’t. I don’t know the exact CRI of the light but I would hazard a guess of around 80 or so and the tint being around 5700K or so. The next mode memory sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. You also, sometimes get to strobe and sometimes you don’t. It’s a crap shoot really. I don’t care, it’s not worth it to send it back. I look at is as every time I use the light I know it’s going to be a surprise. If I really want a laugh I give it to the wife to try and figure out. Drives her crazy. :slight_smile:

229

When the Astrolux A01 (and CPF Italia A01) were on deep discounted sale the year before (Dec 2017), I got a few pieces of them. The CPF Italia A01 came with Nichia 219B and the Manker driver (no NMM and NoPWM in any modes), whereas the Astrolux A01 also came with Nichia 219B but with the newer (unmarked) driver, which has PWM in medium mode.

Later, I ordered another Astrolux A01 (about 4-6 months ago), the A01 now comes with Nichia 219C (instead of 219B), and the unmarked driver (has PWM on medium mode).

Both the CPF Italia A01 nor the BLF A01 copper (which also has the Manker driver and NoPWM) doesn’t seem to be listed in BG’s website anymore, so I would think that the recent Astrolux A01 now has the driver with PWM in medium brightness levels.