Thanks for posting and the comparisons, the ZL looks like a great light! I never heard of “EasyWhite”
However the reason I was even looking at the Armytek here is the 2300lm burst. And although I’m now heavily leaning towards the Acebeam H10 MTG-2 I’m reading so many good things about this Armytek I may have to get them both!
For a “normal” light (in the area of 1000lm, like the ZL) I just received a Nitecore HC30 in NW and it’s pretty awesome, great tint, great UI, ultra small size. (It’s the same size as that ZL). But it doesn’t negate my desire for a 2000+lm “barn burner” like the Armytek v3 or Acebeam H10.
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I totally agree, I was used to the side mount button on my Skilhunt H02 and the top button on the Nitecore feels a little awkward in comparison, especially since I’m mostly using it as a handheld light not a headlight. I also miss the magnetic tail, but I’m working on that. For now the magnetic tailcap from the Skilhunt threads on and works fine, but it doesn’t fully cover the O-ring.
In their drive-by to determine if Earth was more hospitable, the Kyrllians from sector 7 11th planet under the rule of Khor in his 712th season made away with my ArmyTek Wizard Pro v3 with it’s XHP-50 in Warm White. I morn it’s loss.
Ok, so now that it’s gone…
The head was SEVERELY glued on with what appears to be Red Loctite. It was on SO tight/hard that I , uh, well, the battery tube kinda crushed a little getting the head off.
And then I found the SS bezel over the optic was a very very snug press fit, with a nice thick o-ring between it and the AR coated lens, but it did give up, after a good fight.
Which revealed the XHP-50 on a pcb sitting on the back of the head, no more heat sinking than the actual lights head itself….
As can be seen here, the driver is potted in with a black epoxy. If I get more inspiration from the Kyrllians and choose to further disassemble, I’ll let ya know.
Edit: Oops! Sorry for the duplicate pic, it would seem my internet had temporary scramble issues from the photon interruptions of the Kyrllian vessel.
Thanks a lot for the photos, Dale.
I’ve always wondered how effective potting is if only the driver is potted, and all other soldered connections are not, as can be seen here in the bottom photo.
I do wonder what those 2 screws are screwing into.
Would some copper heatsinking have helped in this case?
My first Wizard v3 died for no reason. Calvin took care of it promptly without issue. Actually it had two problems.
The tailcap PCB is literally glued in with just a tiny layer of glue. I dropped the tailcap on the floor and the PCB shot out like a bullet. Then after that it just stopped working. Calvin confirmed that it wasn’t just a tailcap issue when he received my RMA. I don’t know, but I have serious doubts about the durability of the V3. I love my Tiara and my V1.5 Wizard, but maybe they cut corners here.
My V3 has been working flawlessly. I hope it stays that way. I don’t use turbo 2 much because it get’s too hot for my liking. Although I do use turbo 1 for extended periods of time while I’m working on projects. BTW, I also have a first gen Tiara A1 that’s been 100% since I got it when they first came out.
If AT has indeed cut corners, I hope they pay heavily when a huge warranty claim wave breaks over their heads.
So far, I’ve not seen signs elsewhere of widespread problems, other than being the epicenter of faulty AT lights myself: 2 consecutive XHP50 models with bad switches.
I want to say, that’s what mine was too. I plan on doing my review of the light and dropping it a bit. I was working on it when mine died, and now I have so many other projects.
The emitter is on a very thin copper mcpcb, with thermal paste under it, and screwed to the back of the head which is 1/8” thick according to my old German Steelcraft calipers.
Thanks again, Dale. Have you opened up or seen an opened up Zebralight headlamp? Construction wise I wonder if they’re essentially similar or the innards of one is more robustly assembled than the other’s.
I’ve rebuilt a ZebraLight SC52 but it’s a linear light, not a 90º headlamp style.
I guess if you think about it, most lights only have about an 1/8” thick emitter shelf, so the only difference really in this one is that the back side of the emitter shelf is in open air, on top of your head, instead of in a driver bay. Still, this is a small light and the XHP-50 makes a lot of heat, especially when pushed harder.
Since the battery tube messed up on me, I’ll probably make a new one from copper… wish I could replace those ultra thin lead wires but that epoxy is in there and being a 90º it’d be very tough to get to it to get it out without damaging a unique driver.
Hmmm, now that you’ve mentioned it, those wires are pretty thin, especially for a light that pulls relatively high amps. My perception that this light is robust is eroding quickly.
Got my replacement. Switch is better, but still not consistent like Zebralight’s. The light still occasionally jumps modes, into another output group, or into the battery selection mode when the switch is pressed, but held down with anything less than firm pressure.
The warm tint looks fine on a white wall, but gives skin a green cast for some reason. It seems to render color on everything else just fine. Maybe I’m just green with envy.
AT’s switches seem to be a work in progress. I think the stiffer switches of the previous models were a result of a stiffer switch boot, a more recessed switch, and/or an off-centered switch (not aligned with the boot center line).
I just purchased the CW variant from illumn (thanks Calvin!). Currently, I have four protected Orbtronic 18650 3400mAh batteries for my one other flashlight. Will these get me optimal performance with the xhp50, or should I purchase the “high drain 3500mAh” 18650’s from Orbtronic?
The light draws about 6A on turbo 2 (highest setting) and about 3A on turbo 1. Your protection may kick in on either one, but it will be fine on lower modes. I would get at least one high drain unprotected cell if you want to run it on max levels much.
This is a boost driver for the 6V XHP50, so the LED on max is only getting about 3A, but it throws a bunch of lumens out at “only” 3A to the emitter…
It is going to take a lot more than 3 amps at the tail to delivery 2300 lumens. 2300 lumens is going to require close to 25 watts input to the driver, so at the tail cap
to get 2300 lumens you are going to need about 6 amps.
The actual OTF lumens of the Wizard Pro XHP50 on Turbo 2 is dependent on your battery. Some batteries over-current will trip due to the high draw of the Wizard XHP50, Olights I've seen trip as well as some cheaper protected cells. You can buy an unprotected cell for the Wizard Pro XHP50 since it has low voltage cutoff. The Keeppower 3500s are another viable protected option.
If I get more inspiration from the Kyrllians and choose to further disassemble, I’ll let ya know.
