[Review] Astrolux S43 ( 4 x Nichia 219C, 18650 / 18350 ) ~ 3300 Lumen at startup? 17A at the tail - Comparison shots added

The flashlight was sent to me by Banggod.com for review.
Here's the product's link: Astrolux S43


The S43 comes in a typical Astrolux branded cardboard box.


It's seated inside laser cut foam to protect it during transportation.



The accessories included are the following:
18350 battery tube, pocket clip, hammer (that pointy thing), 2 replacement o-rings and a user manual.



I must admit that Banggood's pictures make the S43 look not that appealing.
Fortunately, I found out that the actual design is way prettier in person!



The body is completely smooth, while a minimal knurling is applied to the tail.



The e-switch is very tactile and (of course) backlit.



The side heatsink grooves are deep.



Following the tradition, the S43 comes with built in charging.
The rubber cap sits firmly onto the port and stays in place ( in contradiction to the S42's design flaw ).
The max current I was able to record was 1.01A



Of course, the quad emitter setup is the main attraction in here.
The optics create a very wide hotspot - this is a close range flashlight.



The S43 comes with two emitter options:
Nichia 219C ~ 5000K (that's what I have gone with)
Cree XP-G3 ~ 6500K



The included pocket clip is actually a deep carry one.
It provides great retention, comes in a glossy black finish and be normal or reverse mounted onto the 18650 tube.



Thanks to the included 18350 tube, the S43 can be turned into a mini burner :)



Due to the protruding head, the pocket clip can be only normally mounted on the 18350 tube.



Both the head and tail threads are anodized, so the S43 can be mechanically locked out.



As with its predecessor, the flashlight comes with a threaded tailcap.



The attachable punch can be quite handy in emergency or self defense scenarios, but to be honest I don't see myself using it.



In order to get the extreme current draw, the tail pcb contains double gold plated springs.



The Batt+ contact is utilizing a brass tab to further decrease the system's resistance.



And here's a few size comparison pictures.
From left to right: 16340 cell, Klarus Mi1C, Wuben TO10R, Astrolux S43 with 18350 tube, Fitorch er16



Same order in vertical.



From left to right:
18650 cell, Skilhunt M200, Convoy S2+, Astrolux S43, Nitecore EC23, Klarus XT2CR



Same order in vertical.




User Interface

I don't feel the need to go into detail about the UI of the flashlight.
It uses NarsilM, so you probably know what's up:

- Smooth ramping.
- Lots of mode groups.
- Excellent shortcuts.
- Battery check mode.
- You can customize the whole UI via the config menu.

Performance

Now that's where things got really interesting for me.
Astrolux advertises the flashlight to be able to achieve 1600 Lumen, but in reality Turbo provides more than double the output.

Here's my measurements using a Samsung 25R cell.


And here's turbo compared to the rest of the crew.


Of course, the 3300 Lumen are measured at startup and aren't sustainable.
The flashlight will get quite hot after 30 seconds and will eventually step down.

I also measured the parasitic drain:
Indicator LED ON: 110uA , Indicator LED OFF: 26uA
Both readings are impressive - props to the driver's designer!

And some beamshots compared to my other multi-emitter lights.

Jaxman E2l ( Triple XP-G2 )


Wuben TO46R ( Triple XP-G3 )


Wuben TO10R (Triple XP-G3) ~ Identical to the TO46R


Astrolux S43 ( Quad 219C)


The E2L seems to have the most compact hotspot (without any visible spill), while the S43 has the widest hotspot + spill combo.

A couple outdoor ones.
@10m


@35m (house in the far back)

Summary: The S43 is probably the most affordable EDC uber-flashlight.
Its performance is very impressive and its wide optics make it a great daily light.

thanks for the very nice review!

Thanks for the review. Any numbers with the 18350 cell?

Unfortunately I can’t get any good readings as I don’t have any high drain 18350s.

Does anyone know any legit EU store that sells the 1200mAh keeppowers/vapecells for a reasonable price?
I usually buy from Nkon.nl but the above cells won’t be in stock before November 23.

I try to build a source for those shockli cells

Oh that sounds great!
The new IMR 18350 even though they are top notch, they have been out stock for quite some time!
I will definitely be taking part in GB that you might be organizing!

Also, thanks for liking my review, though yours is way greater than mine :slight_smile:

One that will ship to Australia as well as Austria?

The only cost effective way to ship cells from Austria to Australia would be via kangaroos :stuck_out_tongue:

Nice review vasilaki (bilako). Can weigh this espesially with the 18350 tube?Thanks

Thanks Tom6 :)
Here's some pictures to cover your request.

Astrolux S43 + 18650 Tube + Samsung 25R.


Astrolux S43 + 18650 battery tube.


Astrolux S43 + 18350 tube.

Thanks Bill.Very informative and accurate.I have too many lights but no nichia in this form.What you think about the tint and the temperature? Can banggood send the light with battery?

The Nichia is bright, I was hesitant on posting my measurements but you’ve confirmed them.

At first I was also skeptical about my measurements, but decided to publish them either way.
It now seems that most people got readings of 2500+ lumens at least.

I have that many 3000 lumen lights I knew it was around there before even measuring it. Weird Astrolux are under-rating a light!

First prototypes of the Astrolux had a spring in the head.
And the Mateminco was described as nicer. Seems nicer includes a bit more lumens.

@flashaholics
Are the 3k lm at startup or 30sec?

Start up, ANSI wasn’t too bad when it held over 30 secs.

And some comparison wall beamshots compared to my other multi-emitter lights.

Jaxman E2L ( Triple XP-G2 )


Wuben TO46R ( Triple XP-G3 )


Wuben TO10R (Triple XP-G3) ~ Identical to the TO46R


Astrolux S43 ( Quad 219C)


The E2L seems to have the most compact hotspot (without any visible spill), while the S43 has the widest hotspot + spill combo.

And a couple of outdoor beamshots.
As expected the S43 creates a wall of light and is intended for close range use.

@10m


@35m (the house far back)