AstroLux S1 (BLF A6 Mark 2) Quick review. Coming soon in Red and Blue!

01-19-2016
Coming soon in Red and Blue!

Keep an eye on Banggoods website….

Ok, the original run of BLF A6’s had some issues. There are multiple threads here about them. I had ordered several and gifted a few. None of mine had issues big enough for me to sweat. I dedomed one accidentally, now it has an XPL-HI, so not all mistakes are set backs. The DTP board from that one has a Nichia 219A on it and runs in a P60 module now. A couple had the IBM lego look under a NW emitter. All were screamers in the lumen department…

Here is my quick review of the AstroLux S1.

It is a first run BLF A6, but better fit and finish. The UI is unchanged. The driver is as best I can tell, unchanged. The only things changed are the fit and finish. These are changed for the better. The threads are as tight as my Eagle Eye A6 I bought before all of this. The anodizing is all one color under a NW emitter… The driver and switch springs are the second batch ones. Easier to compress and easy to spring bypass… In essence, it is the light that we all wanted from the Group Buy. Now it comes with two body tubes, one for 18650 and the short one for 18350… The clip is the new version, it seems better, way better than the first run BLF A6 clips. The LED spacer is the round one, no more shearing emitters.

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7 My favorite set up for this light…

I think the original spring was better, but I’m glad they fixed the anno issues (if they fixed them).

I am trying to figure out what you mean by “(if they fixed them)”. Are you saying that they did not? On my sample, which was sent un-solicited to me for my work on the short tubes with Neal, the one pictured, there is no blue or off color. Just black, as good as my Eagle Eye A6. Perhaps you are making a swipe at me, doubting my review? I do not understand, so please clarify.

The original spring was stiffer, and has not failed me on my first batch BLF A6. The second batch BLF A6 with the new spring like the S1 has are softer and for me easier to bypass. I tend to put a good knot of solder on the top of the spring, and have dented some battery bottoms with too thick wire and too big of a solder blob. For me the new springs are better. I could take them off an put others on as well if I felt like I needed….

Thanks for the review. It seems nothing was changed. I was kinda curious if the copper MCPCB was swapped for AL or other changes along those lines. I guess not. Exact same.

OK, whats the deal? Is everyone ticked off that much by the original run? This is an improvement from the first batch, what else would you like to see in a tube light? I think the original run was epic for the UI and lumen output from a tube light.

I am sure in the future it will change again, maybe for worse, but for now the AstroLux S1 is an improvement from even the BLF A6 initial production runs…

I think your review is fine. The astrolux is basically the “second run” a6 with fixes to initial issues. Sounds good to me. I prefer the bare one but that’s just me.

Good review. Nice pictures. Thanks for giving a rundown of what’s different amongst the BLF’s 1st run, 2nd run and finally the Astrolux. It’s good to know that whether you’re looking for either currently, both give the same quality without substitutions.

I’m curious, do the group buy organizers/developers get any commissions or profit from investing so much time in creating a light? Perhaps this is just an attempt to circumvent that or move potential buyers away from the BLF community? No idea… it just seems a bit unnecessary especially since there are existing reviews, forums, interest and manufacturing facility already dedicated to the BLF A6. They could simply market the new light as BLF A6v2 new and improved and now with the 18350 tube… Odd… It’s like Coke coming out with a no name brand product and trying to market it all over again.

Un-glued head is a good thing for this light. Not sure about its "improved" pocket clip, all I could see is just shorter "wings". My current clip had rusted and I could not totally remove the rust with polish due to its matte surface.

I thought I read that the second spring substituted in later lights was weaker or overheated more easily and collapsed, but a lot of words have gone under the bridge.

The second spring also was a higher resistance one leading to less output stock at turbo without bypassing it.

The deal is many speculations are running around to why they continued the BLF A6 flashlight while dumping the name. I don’t think it’s because the initial run had issues. I think it was to prevent BLF members from asking for their fair share from the future sales. But I don’t know. Nobody knows.

No BLF member are getting a share from the BLF A6 sales. Not bugsy36, not TK an probably not wight.

As far as i know they didn’t ask for one and did it for the benefits of the community, and 3000 got what we wanted a stronger, cheaper more capable tube light than ever before :slight_smile:

I think this is the part that everyone wants to overlook. Nobody at blf (to my knowledge) expected a cut on the sales of these lights. This community helped design and develop the light and in exchange we had a chance to buy all we wanted for a really cheap price. That time has passed and now Banggood is free to continue using the technology and to charge a higher price for it. And I don’t see anything wrong with that. We got what we wanted (a great tube light for damn cheap). Now Banggood has a chance to get what they want (improved profit margins).

You guys are thinking like a customer. What about the business partners that were erased?

what a great package to come with that 18350 tube!

+1,000,000,000,000,000

Erased?????

Please illuminate us.

G'Day ReManG,

Thank you Very Much for the review.

Best Regards,

George

We are consumers, that is why this forum is called “budget” first, because getting great lights for cheap and teaching each other how to do just that is what this forum is all about.

And as far a business partner that got erased……what are you talking about??

Eagle Eye lost this GB because they took forever to produce samples and when they finally did they weren’t up to spec on the driver, that wasn’t our mistake but theirs.

Astrolight is a brand for lights between Manker & banggood those are the only businesses that have invested in the development by producing samples to our spec for us, and then sold the lights at the spec we wanted. You do know this level of cooperation is unheard of before right? You should be thanking Neal(banggood) for making this happen like many of us are doing, and look forward to the future BLF/Banggood/Manker developed lights instead of trying to stir up trouble by insinuating that someone was taken advantage of here :expressionless:

If you don’t like Manker or Banggood then just don’t buy from them, simple as that :wink:

After copying quotes I get to the end and see that George did it for me. Thank you! :)

We had issues with the BLF A6, no question. Banggood did a great job standing behind things and getting corrections made. RemanG came up with the short tubes and ran with them - A FANTASTIC JOB! Not only did we get our DD driver and a custom UI by TK BUT thanks to RemanG we also have the addition of short tubes and NOT just for the BLF A6 but also the EE X6 and even the Convoy colored lights! The man deserves a case of beer ;)