A3S back in stock at amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074V88YD2/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ANOETMJCIED7V
Thanks. And there’s a 20% off coupon in Amazon.
P.S. And I hope that my experience with this won’t be the same as that of several people commenting in Amazon that theirs failed after a month or two!
20% off through March 5th with the coupon code …… wowww2018
Code also good on the A1 and the A3
I bought this a week or so ago. But right now it’s boxed up ready to go back to Amazon. I’m sitting on the fence, but leaning toward returning it. The fact that I also bought a Thorfire TK15 that can pretty much serve the same use would make it easier to let it go.
I like the side switch, the UI, and the light output. And with the 20% off, I got it at a great price. But the zoom is annoying. The seal is so strong between the zoom and the body that when you slide it out, it wants to pull back because of the slight vacuum produced inside. You have to hold it a couple of seconds for it to get fixed in place. The same kind of thing happens when you pull the zoom back. Do zooming lights like this every loosen up?
Mine doesn’t do that at all, did you get the A3S or the A3? Pretty sure I read somewhere of that same problem on the A3, and it’s been corrected with the A3S. This review is of the A3S.
The A3S is more expensive, the A3 is a close out.
A3…….(600lm) $19.99
A3S…(1000lm) $29.99
Can’t compare a non-zoomie to a zoomie, if they serve the same use for you then you probably don’t need a zoomie, around here these are usually bought specifically for the zooming function.
No. Not all the zoomie light are like that… jaxman z1 use thread.
Not all the push-pull “slider” zoomie lights are like that. Although screw type is fine in a larger light, personally I prefer the slider type in a smaller light like this because it’s so much faster and easier (and delightful!) to work the zoom one handed.
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I’m thinking rickw12 has the A3 not the A3S, here’s a post from the “A3S anyone seen it yet” thread describing that exact same issue (post #12): Wowtac A3S - Anyone see it yet? - #12 by Firelight2
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Same member wrote in post #2 in this thread above:
It’s the A3S (I unboxed it to be quadruple sure). I would post a picture, but it requires an image URL (?). I followed the link that beam0 posted above to Amazon. At that time there was a 20% coupon, so it cost me $23.99, I think.
Something else interesting is that box shows A3S CW and A3S NW with CW checked. I didn’t know this could come in an NW.
Be careful , Amazon monitors return rate .
Thanks for the heads up and link. Fortunately for me, the amount I spend each month is nowhere near his $1200, nor is my return rate 17%. The Amazon reps have been very friendly and accommodating over these last several weeks, even issuing return labels before I have decided finally to return things. I dropped off my Sofirn SP10b at UPS yesterday and sent Amazon a notice (as a reply to their email), and before long I received a text message saying they had refunded my money and it should show up in my bank in a couple of days. And they haven’t even gotten the light yet!
I wrote to Wowtac about this problem this morning. I think it’s the middle of the night in China, so I probably won’t hear from them until tomorrow at the earliest. I would love to have this resolved somehow so I could keep the light and enjoy it for a long time. I’ll wait to see what they have to say. At least they need to know that a user is having that problem with the flashlight.
OK thanks for clearing that up, sorry yours has the problem that’s been reported on the A3, something to do with the O-ring (maybe one needs removed?) I think Firelight wrote somewhere he fixed it? Not sure though. I’m sure Wowtac / Amazon will take care of you one way or the other.
Thanks for pointing that out about the NW option printed on the box, mine is checked CW as well, NW is not showing anywhere as an option, maybe the box print was just a “before thought” in case they would offer it later, either that or they decided not to offer it. Even though the tint is not overly cold, I’d much rather of had NW. I’d like to hear Wowtac’s response on why it’s printed there though.
I unpacked it one last time and tried it out to see if I thought I could get used to it, but decided it would be too much of a nuisance. So off it goes to UPS today and Amazon will refund the cost. I’ll put a note in my email to Amazon about the problem in case they want to notify Wowtac.
Used my A3S that I got from robo on Thursday night’s walk, mine is now modified witha dedomed XM-L2 and a ramping FET driver, as such it was pretty neat to see the beam… nicely potent zoomed in to the square die shaped hot spot. Wide open isn’t real useful on a walk but the range between abot 10% and 85% zoom is really good and the zoomie is easy to operate with one hand. Haven’t been a big zoomie fan but as zoomies go this one is pretty slick.
I do have the Z1, it’s threaded long zoom is a bit of a pita to be honest. I have an SBT-70 in it and the round die is really cool in the larger zoomie, it’s not efficient though and goes through a cell pretty quickly, pulling high amperage for the lumens output.
How many amps can the XM-L2 handle?
The new U3 version does up towards 5A, they do as much amps as they used to but put out as much or more lumens typically. Since it’s output I’m looking for, that’s a win win all around as the cell lasts longer. 
Mine is an A3, by the way, and it first showed 4.83A a moment ago then fried the emitter on the light box. Oops! lol
I’m 3 for 3 so far today, 3 up 3 down. 
(Officially, that’s 1 XHP-70.2, 1 XHP-50.2 and 1 XM-L2 U3, dead.)
Ok, so I succeeded in my C8 build… got 6676 lumens from a pair of Aspire 18350’s… and while I was on a roll I figured I’d rebuild the now dead A3.
Stuffed a Luminous SBT-70 in it with he FET ramping driver. Now, with an almost full charge on a Sony VTC5A, it pulls 18.75A at the tail and heats up quite nicely! 
The projection of the die is round, looks great! Gotta love it when a plan comes together!
I got an interesting reply from Wowtac about whether the zoom should move easier with the A3S:
“It is just the design of A3s flashlight in avoiding zoom in or zoom out accidently.
The operation is the same between A3 and A3S.
A3S adopts Xl-L HI LED which output more lumnes.”
She also said the NW has not been produced yet.
So according to Wowtac, the zoom slides the same as with the A3. So did people who got smoother ones get the anomalies?
It may be that some do work easier than others if they are in fact designed the same.
I never did take the original A3 apart to have a comparison and it went to Dale (DB Custom) so I cant compare the 2 now that I know how to get them apart as I did the A3S.
I am sure just a fraction of a millimeter in the thickness of the O-ring could make a huge difference though as to how much air can escape and how easy the head moves and stays put.
Kind of like having a ZipLock bag that totally seals and one that has an ever so slight spot in the zipper that barely lets air escape.
I do know the A3S I reviewed DOES slide and stay put much better then the original A3 that I reviewed. The only time the A3S pushes back (or pulls back) is if I slide it really quick and even then it only barely moves back from full focus or full flood.