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.
The Copper A01 has been my keychain light since the group buy and is still going strong!
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.
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
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. 
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
The dog or the light?
time for a new photo?
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:
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
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?.
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
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
I stand corrected, I was only sharing what I saw in print. I don’t have plans at this time to purchase one, but it sounds like toddcshoe did and it was false advertising.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming . . .
The mods should edit the first post… I also was hunting for a 219b version and mistakenly bought two of those due to false advertising on a certain chinese website… With Next Mode Memory these are basically junk and not worth your money. You can get other more practical 219c lights (or other high CRI emitters) for the same or less money. So as of 2018/2019 the Astrolux A01 advertised as 219b is basically fraud and should be called as such.
Noone is gonna read all the pages in this thread. Maybe only the first and the last.
So: The Astrolux A01 is not 219b anymore and has Next Mode Memory. Don’t buy it.
Similar with the BLF348 that still is advertised on another site as 219b. But there was at least no UI that could have been changed to the worse, so this would still be the better option for an inexpensive 219c light at least.
