Review Atactical A1S (upgraded version of the A1)

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

This is the Atactical A1S sent to me for review , NO other compensation for my review other than the light.

Also it might be a good time to mention that any future lights will be marketed under the new name of “WOWTAC” from this company , as they have now changed their name on the website and will be branding the lights with the Wowtac name for any future lights they produce.
The Atactical or WOWTAC company is also assosiated with ThruNite for the Technical support of their product as I understand it.

(Links are NON affiliated)

The A1S can be found on their main site………

Or on Amazon ($29.99 at time of this review)……
https://www.amazon.com/Atactical-Flashlight-Pocket-Sized-Resistant-Outdoors/dp/B01N35ZFQK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492130385&sr=8-1&keywords=atactical+a1s

I was asked if I could mention also , the original A1 is available at this time for US customers only for $19.99 from Amazon.
Just be sure you check the appropriate one if you do buy. (A1 or A1S)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBKWBU8/

Just to note , the light was shipped in a box that had the Atactical box inside that and both were well padded , with the Atactical box having foam and cut outs for everything.

The A1S is an 18650 sized tube light basically , with both tail switch and side switch. The tail switch can be used as a momentary on and it is also the main on / off switch for the light and the side switch is used for the mode changes which are…… L / M / H / Turbo / SOS and a long press for the hidden strobe. The light has mode memory and will come on in the last used mode when turned off and reactivated (other than SOS and Strobe). The A1S has a XP-L V6 emitter , with a smooth reflector and is a cool white , although I am unsure of the bin. There is also the Low Voltage Indicator , the light will blink 2 times periodically when the cell gets low as an indication. The lens is an AR coated lens and was very clear when I took the light from the package. (so much pollen in the air here right now things get dusty quick) The Anodizing is very clean on the Light I recieved , threads are smooth , well cut and were very lightly lubed . There is a Manual “lockout” , as the threads are anodized on the tailend and head end both , so either one works for the maual lockout. I have not found any sharp edges on this light and the machining is all well done as is the knurling on the light. The modes are all well spaced and the light has a very good output in Turbo to see a pretty good distance for a small head light , as I could easily see my 175 yard marker in Turbo when testing.

This light comes with an included 18650 3400 mAh protected cell , that has the built in USB charger on it. The micro USB charging cable is also provided and it plugs right into the side of the cell at the top for recharging , or you can take the cell out of the light and recharge it as you do any of your other 18650 cells externally.
This could be a good feature for someone just starting out that does not have a charger yet to charge the cells otherwise.

I have not done extensive testing as far as run times with this one , but from the test I did do , it does have good run time. The turbo timer , or step down is at 4 minutes on the A1S. It is set at about the right point as I dont think it would need to run in the Turbo mode any longer because the light is getting to the point of being pretty hot when the step down occurs.
The Listed Lumens are also fairly close with what I got on the actual tested Lumens Using the included cell. (See below chart for all the test results)

The Only Cons I have with this particular light is , I would like to see the SOS hidden as the Strobe is , so you dont have to cycle through that mode when your are using the light for regular use. Also for those that like to be able to mod a light , this one does not seem to be mod friendly as the driver is press fit and / or glued in and the bezel does not unscrew. For the average user though it seems to be a very solid light as it is out of the box.

Overall the light seems to be very well built and functions well.

The Only run time test I did , the light was started in Turbo mode and I let it run from there until the LVP warning.
Here is the charts with the test I did on this light………………

As usual I will mention my cheap video camera does not show near as true to life as the still beamshots do in the video portion , as to what I actually see out there with my eyes.
There are a couple of shots in the video portion at 50 and 75 yards with the original A1 for comparison also.

For those who do not want to watch the whole video the Stills and Beamshots start at 6:68 in the timeline of the video and the live outside footage starts at 11:23 of the timeline.

Video followed by the listed specs………………

FEATURES
•One USB rechargeable 3400mAh 18650 battery included which provides 1150 lumens output.
•Cree XP-L V6 LED
•Reverse polarity protection design to protect from improper battery installation.
•Aircraft-grade aluminum body.
•Toughened ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating.
•Low Power Indication: When the voltage of the battery is low, the light will blink twice periodically.
•Direct access to strobe mode: when the light is ON, long press to quickly access to strobe mode.
•Dimension: 137.5mm*25.4mm

Accessories
•Spare O-rings x 2

•Customized USB rechargeable 3400mAh 18650 battery x 1
•USB charge Cable x 1
•Pocket Clip x 1
•Instruction Manual x 1

2

Very nice Robo! Nice presentation of the light and a thorough job draining cells! :slight_smile:

3

Thanks Dale.

One of these days I might try some time lapse of the run times and all , but for now the single test I did adds enough time to get the review finished as it is.

4

Great review, love this flashlight.
Glad to have gotten one before the name change, not hip on the new name but it’s their business.

Crazy bright for an out of the box tube light.
Only wish is for a lower low or moonlight.

For the money the build quality is stunning.
Thanks
Later,
Keith

5

Thanks Muto

Yea I kind of like the Atactical name better than the new name of WOWTAC myself but as you said………

I agree this is a great light for the price also.

6

Thanks Malleshadmissionq , welcome to the forum.

glad to do the reviews.

7

I just got an A1S. The tail end button is pretty stiff, stiffer than a couple other such flashlights I’ve had. Is that stiffness normal? I ask because, if that’s typical, I’ll have to learn how to work with it given the osteoarthritis in my right thumb.

8

Stiff is a relative term . Mine feels about the same as my Convoys.

9

Maybe you should send that back if your thumb can’t be bent without pain or use two hands . Something like this Sofirn SP32A has a side switch only .

https://www.amazon.com/Sofirn-Professional-Flashlight-Stepdown-Rechargeable/dp/B077BH9DZH/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1519078774&sr=8-1&keywords=sofirn

10

Yeah, stiff is relative. I was trying to get a sense if the feel of that one is pretty much the same across the board. It in’t for my Coast, but maybe it is for most.

Thanks for the suggestion of the Sofirn. That was on my list, but I read that step down from turbo is 2 minutes and from high is 3 minutes. And someone else said that 2 minutes is too long for the turbo step down, that 40 seconds is enough. If turbo is 1550 lumens, high is 900, and medium is 160, that means that the only usable level for me is 160 lumens (I rarely have a need to just go up briefly to those higher settings). If medium were 400 or 500, a level that wouldn’t have to step down, I may have gone with it.

The thumb thing is arthritis in the CMC joint, down at the base. The joint has worn enough that the bones move with any significant pressure and then it gets inflamed. The angle for pressing the flashlight switch is just right for pushing it out. So assuming for the time being that the stiffness of the switch is typical, I’ll work on flipping it around to use my index finger on the tail switch. I’m looking forward to getting it outside tonight and seeing what it will do.

11

Sofirn SP10B?

AA/14500 light, side-clicky, simple doubleclick-to-turbo even from off. Li cell yields >500lm, but dunno if there’s any explicit stepdown. Alkaleak/LFP/NiMH are about half the 14500 values.

Physical lockout (tailcap), plus electronic lockout (4-clicks).

I liked the A well enough, but when I heard the diffs between the A and B, I got a bunch of Bs. :smiley:

Liking the Bs quite a bit, and I was an 18650-only dewd for a loooooooooong time.

Else you can use the SP32A in ramping mode. Don’t recall its stepdown policy, if any, that it has in ramping mode.

12

Are you after the hostess with the mostess or are you happy with moderate lumens and long run times? The convoy S9 or BD06 are side switch lights and coupons floating around .

13

Sorry. I was talking about the Sofirn SP32a. I’ll look at the SP10B. I should note that I’m just an average user; I don’t have the kind of uses in mind to spend big bucks on these things.

Moderate lumens would be great, if that means maybe 400-500 available. I was happy with my Coleman 75 lumens light until it started acting up and I found my way to this forum and learned that there are only about a half gazillion options out there. Thanks for the suggestions of the other Convoys.

I’m only going to return the A1S if I find its equal with a side switch. I just returned a couple of UltraFire SK68s to carry in my bag because of one little annoyance and then got a J5 V1 Pro (only to find that it was no better and cost more for one than the UltraFires cost for two). I’m not enough of an aficionado to do this much buying and trying.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

14

Let us know how the A1S works out for you . My thumbs hurt too . I usually use 2 hands .One to hold the light and the other to push the button . Not tacticool but oh well. :smiley:

15

Right now I’m not enthusiastic about it, but I don’t want to make a hasty decision. I can flip it over and press the switch with my index finger and then flip it back, but it’s a hassle. The light itself, though, is fine. I’m going to look closer at the Convoy S9. I can’t get it from Amazon, though, so it might be one of those wait-a-month-to-get-it-from-China things, and I’m impatient to get this settled.

If you have a flashlight the same size as the A1S, try holding it (the opposite way from the tactical way), grab it in the middle between thumb and middle finger and flip it over to tap the tail switch with index finger. Then flip it back. And decide if you can live with it.

16

Be careful , it gets addictive . My wife thinks it is a little nuts . I justify it by putting them in various places in the cars and house . With my ageing eyes , I need extra light even in the day time . The one nice thing about the A1S is it has momentary on . Most don’t . I have mine mounted on a home defense shotgun but it can be removed quickly for hand held use . I see a S9 in my future though .

17

It’s probably good that my budget won’t permit it to become an addiction. On the other hand, that means I have to get it right the first time (or buy from someone with an easy return policy). My problem (well, one of them) is that this is a new world for me. As I’ve said elsewhere, I used to walk into a hardware store and pick out a light in my budget that looked good. Now I have to decide if I want a 7135x4 or x6, or a smooth reflector, or a T6-3B or 4C, or a side switch that gets a long press to turn off instead of long presses (or continuous press) to go through the modes, etc., etc. I never expected there would be a problem simply with the stiffness of the switch.

Are there such things as flashlight shows? I think that’s what I need.

A P.S. here about the A1S. For me, I don’t see the practicality of having a tail switch to turn the light on and side switch for everything else. Even if I could use my thumb comfortably on it, there are still two motions involved (if I don’t want it at the level where I turned it off): reach back to turn it on, then shift it to get my thumb on the side switch. Maybe in tactical use there’s another way to do it, but for my ordinary use, it’s an unnecessary complication. I’ve asked elsewhere about the rubber cover over the charging port on the Convoy S9, whether it is easy to open accidentally in normal use and whether it holds up over time. I’m waiting to hear about that from someone who’s been using one for awhile.

18

The fact that you know all that is not a good sign or that you are even here . :smiley: If you have patience , the China route won’t eat up a lot of money . I got a tan S2+ for $10 last month . The batteries can get expensive but should last a long time . I started moving up to the C8 class. I think that will be my limit .

19

A general question here. Why are tail switches so common? I won’t be using my flashlight in tactical mode while holding a pistol (probably like most users). Why are so many made that way?

20

Rick

Try leaving the tail switch in the on position and just giving the tailcap a very slight twist to break the circuit. Just makes it a twisty switch :slight_smile:
Just tried it on my A1S and it is a very small rotation.
This way you will not have to press in at all with your thumb.

Hope this works for you.
Later,

Keith