Banggood sent this light to me to mention here. Here is their obligatory Link along with a 20% code 849be8
M4DM4X also has discount codes if you pm him.
Astrolux K01. The solid copper 14500 light. This particular light is a XP-L emitter in 3D tint, and available in 1A (CW), 3D (NW), and 5A (WW). Working voltage is 2.8v to 4.35v, so a standard AA alkaline or Eneloop won’t work in this light. The driver is the excellent BLF A6 A17DD-L FET+1 driver. With 7 modes, the low runtime of a 14500 is not a problem for me personally, as I’m rarely in the higher modes for everyday use anyway.
The light comes in the standard Astrolux box, well protected with foam. 2 extra o-rings, clip, a couple extra rubber switch boots, and a lanyard. No manual, but there are tons of links online, and BG’s site itself. (Right click on any image for larger version of the image)
The machining is quite good, and the threads are very smooth
Orange Peel reflector for a nice smooth hot spot
4 basic sections. All threads are very smooth and there is no glue anywhere.
The XP-L emitter sits on a copper mcpcb. I assume it’s a direct thermal path board, but don’t know for sure.
Moon-Low-Med1-Med2-High1-High2-Turbo
I’m not going to go through all the runtimes in the different modes, but I did test the step-down and measured temps at 10 minutes on high2.
This light gets warm fairly fast. Step-down from Turbo to high2 is 30 seconds. On a fully charged (4.2v) Efest 14500 700mAh cell, it drained to 3.67v in about 10 minutes. Started on Turbo, waited for the step-down, bumped it back up on Turbo, and it stepped down after another 30 seconds. Then let it run for a total of 10 minutes on high2. The exterior of the light stabilized at about 91°F (32.7C), which was fairly uncomfortable to hold. After 10 minutes, I pulled the battery and it measured 110°F (43.3C). The heat seems to dissipate throughout the entire light body efficiently.
Personally, I’ve been running the light on the medium to high1 modes, and have plenty of run-time for my uses, but there’s that blast of turbo if you need it.
The one “head scratcher” about this light, that leave many people wondering (including myself) is, why didn’t they make this an 18650 light? Here it is compared to the BLF A6. You’ll notice the head diameter is actually larger than the A6 with a larger reflector. It would have been very easy to make the tube for an 18650. It may have made the light heavier, but it’s a heavy light anyway. With battery, the K01 weighs 194g (6.84oz). With battery, the A6 weighs 119g (4.2oz). They could have at least made an aluminum 18650 tube option.
The K01 seems to have a very light coating on it. I took a cloth with copper cleaner, and it didn’t take long to go through the coating. I may try and strip it in a chemical bath, and a soft bristle brush, so it will develop a patina.
Here are a few beam shots compared to the A6. K01 on the left, A6 on the right.
K01 backyard shot
BLF A6 backyard shot
Finally pros and cons. This is subjective, and only my point of view.
I really like nicely machined solid copper lights, and this is no exception. The price for a solid copper light? Don’t know how you could beat the price for this. Hard to believe they can actually produce it at this price. The A6 driver is one of my favorites, and the 3D tint on this is wonderful as it is on my BLF A6. I like the fact that nothing is glued, and is modable if one ever wanted to.
My Cons.
The clip is virtually worthless. The way it sits on the heat sink fins, it would tear your pants pocket up in no time. Also, it’s not a deep carry clip. Although I don’t mind the 14500, this light needs 18650 support as an option, either by aluminum or copper tube and switch.
Will add more as I think of it. Thx!