Absolutely, and A54U takes not just more, but a lot more I think, especially our A54U Plus as penalty for the CRI95 and 4000k CCT. Both Wurkkos TS30S and Convoy M21E are my favorite lights; they just happen to have posts for me to compare.
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A surprise finding in the newer A54U V2: it no longer has the gaskets for the LEDs seen in the original version. As a result of this, the optics are also different.
The changes bring a second surprise, the beam profile between the 2 lights are visibly different. Beam-shots to come, but basically while both Plus and Original versions are overall floody, the Plus has a larger hotspot, whereas the Original has a smaller hotspot, making its beam âappearâ more throwy. (Measured throw distance are similar, around 70 Kcd at Turbo start.)
Because of the lack of gaskets, the last tightening turn of the Plusâs bezel tends to move the optic clockwise a little bit, requiring me to counter-clockwise turn the bezel a teeny 1mm subsequently to make the LEDs look more centered. At least itâs a floody beam, so centering the LEDs donât change the beam much.
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I havenât had mine apart. Do you know what that threaded hole in the reflector for the Ultra is for? Looking at the MCPCB, I donât see a place for a screw to mate with it.
No use that I could see. The optic is âfree-standingâ on top of gaskets.
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@cannga As a newbie to this hobby, your insights have been very interesting to read. I have a few questions if you (or any others!) donât mind answering about the A54Ultra2:
- Both the 6500K and the 4000K are called âA54Ultra2â in the website. Does this mean there is a newer 6500K than the one you are testing?
- I generally prefer a cold temp around 6500K. How big is the improvement in experience when using the 4000K high CRI version? Is it worth going out of the comfort zone and buying?
- I am looking for portable flashlight mostly with a good âwow factorâ since I donât have a regular use for it. Is this the best bang for the buck option in your opinion? I saw the Sofirn Q8 plus and some Convoy options but none seem to be as bright as this.
Thanks!
Hi there, as much as I love this light, I actually donât recommend it as a first light for someone new to this hobby. Yes its brightness is un-matched for such a small light, but this brightness is extremely short acting (other lights do better). Its throw is limited (other lights do better). Its tint, the color of the beam, is ok, not world class. I have multiple other lights, and at this point sometimes rare and ultra-specialized dragracer like this stirs the emotion lol - why I bought it immediately upon release.
May I suggest that you post on general forum regarding what youâre looking for, then Iâm sure people could help. Maybe check out my 4 lights I would buy post here. Now if you still want this light and start you hobby with a bang 
, then:
The two versions of A54Uâs I have:
- The original version, Iâll call it A54U V1, that was available only with 6500k LED.
- The next version, officially called A54Ultra2 (Iâll call it A54U V2), with some improvements, and available with both 6500k low CRI, and 4000k CCT and CRI 95. An ultra-powerful light this small, with warm CCT and top notch CRI, is very rare. Thatâs why it drew my interest.
Hey man
Great comments about this light thanks.
Do you know if the beam is simillar to the NS73V2 so the SFN55.3 emmiters
I basically wanted something simillar to that and I know that light is discontinued. I used to own one but I sold it!
I wanted a beam shot compairson of difference in emmiter of N5-250HE vs N5- 160HE
Thanks in advance
Hi there youâre very welcome. Yeah I know - Nightwatch is a one-off collector type light (nicely, on a budget). Iâm not selling any of mine.
No I donât know regarding beam profile. Both lights have orange-peel cloverleaf reflector, so I think the beam would be similarly floody. Looking at the excellent 1lumen review - throw comparison numbers at start, 0 sec (compare at 0 sec because A54U dies too fast):
NS73v2: 37 Kcd
A54U v2: 76 Kcd
I would say the A54U is more throwy less floody, even though its better throw number is partly due to the fact that it is slightly brighter (15000 lm vs 12000 lm). LED size wise, SFN55.2 at 7mmx7mm (?) is larger (?), contributing to a more floody character.
Note that even from A54U v1 to A54U v2, the beam profile is noticeably different. A54U v2 has a much larger hotspot, and subjectively âlooksâ less throwy. So bottom line is I donât know for sure, but I think while A54U is still basically very much a floody beam, it probably is less floody than NS73.
Is the A10 a new one?
Yes A10 is newish, and a clear escalation of dragracer power :-). Even though a longer light than what I like, with on-board charging and side-switch it has my name written all over it. Iâm waiting for it to go on sale @ Xmas, hopefully itâs still available then. If you buy it I would suggest to get the (required) button top high drain battery. Neal offers tabless EVE 50PL, among the most powerful batteries available nowadays.
The LED âN5-165HPEâ is only seen in the latest Nightwatchs, and unique to this brand. Some sort of custom fabrication, company unknown (anyone pls correct as needed). Older Nightwatchs use Changda-Sanan LEDs with a different naming system beginning with 3 letters, starting with S, SFP55, SFQ60, etc.
Funny that you are asking this now, because just today, I received an A54U V2 (4000K, high CRI), and so far, my go-to âlittle lumen monsterâ is the NS73V2 (Incredible V2). So I took a couple of quick pictures to compare (havenât really gotten into flashlight pictures or beamshots so far, so please bear with me).
I also wanted to thank @cannga for inspiring me to order the A54U V2 high CRI. I went in because of the high CRI part, and my first (short) impression is that I really like this one. It does heat up very fast, but gimme THE HIGH CRI LOOMENZZZ!
Anyway, as to the host and the emitters, here are the two lights next to each other:
The NS73V2 looks hardly bigger, but it feels considerably more massive (tailcap and esp. the head). The NS73V2 appears to hold high brightness longer, at least on first sight. And yes, as cannga suggested, the A54U V2 looks a little more throwy, although both lights are quite floody. Maybe the brighter central hotspot of the A54U V2 is visible in this comparison, with both lights on level 1:
NS73V2:
A54U V2 (4000K, high CRI):
Following this first impression, I can recommend the A54U V2 if you like the NS73V2. I got the NS73V2 back in the day for the nice host design and for the giggles, and it has turned out better and more useful than I had expected. Even if the A54U V2 now takes over as my go-to little lumen monster, I will be keeping the Incredible V2.
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A pleasant surprise Iâve found with the newer Nightwatchs is evidence pointing to the presence of regulated driver. The excellent 1lumen review shows nice flat run-time curves. Making this light a dragracer that could double as a walk light as well :-).
A second pleasant surprise about my newer Nightwatchs is the absence of PWM. Unlike my previous Nightwatch such as Valkyrie and Chaos, the newer models like this A54U and NS14R v2 have no PWM in the dimmer modes (levels 1, 2, 3: 115-470-1000 lumen for A54U).
Good to see that this budget company while far from perfect seems to be heading in the right direction (among other things, note the big posts and plate bypasses for battery). BTW if you donât have one yet, physically they all feel like a solid tank, unlike any other light I have. For me, even though they are inexpensive, nothing feels âbudgetâ about these lights at all - YMMV.
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Thank you very much for the detailed and helpful information
I would love to see the images but I get an error âcontent cant be displayed in your regionâ
I might need to connect to VPN?
Thanks for the pics and beam shots! I can see them which means your prob in the UK like me?
Its good to see the A45u is a bit smaller than the NS73V2 but man do I miss it and regret selling it lol
I think Iâll look into the A45u
Thanks everyone
Sure, happy to help. Iâm in Germany, not in the UK, but maybe close enough? I can see canngaâs pictures just fine at my end, but anyway, I have added the pictures to my BLF post (in greatly reduced size), whereas canngaâs pictures appear to be hosted externally?
As to the NS73V2, yeah, that light is a raw tank, it looks like one and it acts like one, including getting very hot. I usually end up holding it in cigar grip as it is just getting so hot. Totally impractical for almost all use cases imaginable, which is exactly what I was looking for at the time. 
The A54U V2 is more ârefinedâ in several ways, steps down faster, but at the same time does not get that hot and can readily be carried, fwiw.
Yeah some of the old ones like my N103S with the huge SFP55.2 LED (likely the most powerful single LED light available) are surely built like a tank.
A54U in many ways the most civilized/convenient, for me anyway: small size, nicer button response, USB-C charging, side-switch. Could be an EDC with a bonus, the dragracer turbo super-blast :-). That the blast comes from such a tiny light makes it that much more fun.
I redo the comparison beam shot and load it directly here, hope it helps. Even though 4000k CRI 95 is special, I like the 6500k version equally. Different, not better, both very highly recommended.
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Brightness & PWM at each level of A54U v2. (A54U v1 levels and behavior are similar.)
Unlike my older Nightwatchs, the newer ones like this A54U have no PWM in the lower modes, levels 1-2-3, and Turbo. The run-times as seen above in the 1lumen review are all flat; all good signs.
Testing with tabless EVE 40PL (the most âpowerfulâ battery in my collection):
Level 1 = 130, no PWM
Level 2 = 530, no PWM
Level 3 = 1150, no PWM
Level 4 = 3290, PWM at first, then steps down to no PWM
*Turbo = 14780, no PWM (FET turbo?)
EDIT: Moonlight (hold from off) of A54U v2 = 20 lm
A54U v1 does not have moonlight mode.
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Very useful information, thank you!
Any chance you could add the eco mode (special lowest mode, hold from OFF)? Of course, the UI is a far cry from Anduril 2, but still, having a separate eco mode is a nice touch. For some reason, the 1lumen review that you referred to previously does not mention this eco mode. Maybe this is a difference between the A54U V1 and A54U V2?
Also, the 1lumen review lists as a con that the light can be locked out with 4 clicks from ON (not only from OFF), but when I checked with my A54U V2, there was no such lockout from ON, only from OFF. Maybe another difference between the A54U V1 and A54U V2? This would make it already two UI pros for the A54U V2 in my book.
Edit: When I just checked the 1lumen review once again, I noticed that it states that the light is completely dead when locked out. This is different with my A54U V2: when locked out, hold turns on the light at one brightness level (eco level?), and one more hold then turns it off again, consistent with the usual hold from ON for OFF in this UI. And once again, to me, this would be yet another UI pro for the A54U V2.
Good points. The (hold from off) eco/moonlight mode of A54U v2 is 20 lm. And yes it only locks out from off, not from on, and flashes 3 times to signal the lock.
My A54U v1 does not have moonlight mode; hold from off does nothing. And yes, it could be locked out from both on position and off position.
And yes, A54U v1 when locked out is completely dead. v2 on the other hand would still respond to click and hold, by turning on to moonlight. Click and hold again turns moonlight off.
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Thank you for clarifying this. Itâs nice to see that v2 not only got hardware updates, including a high CRI option, but also several UI improvements over v1. Good calls here by Nightwatch.
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