UPDATE: Discount codes on Post #2
Hi BLF!
This is my review of the BlitzWolf BW-ET1! Banggood sent the flashlight for an honest review! Thanks Swi and Banggood for sending it
The BlitzWolf BW-ET1 + the 2*AA tube can be purchased here (non-affiliate): https://www.banggood.com/BlitzWolf-BW-ET1-XP-L-V6-600LM-Stepless-Dimming-Mini-EDC-LED-Flashlight-14500AA-with-Body-Tube-p-1271233.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN
The flashlight can be purchased here (non-affiliate): https://www.banggood.com/BlitzWolf-ET1-XP-L-V6-750LM-Stepless-Dimming-Mini-EDC-LED-Flashlight-14500AA-p-1159552.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN
Other BLF reviews of this light can be found here:
WalkIntoTheLight: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/46985
bilakos10: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/47650
KG_Tuning: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/50394
CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGES!
—————///—————///—————///—————
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Body Colour: Black
Material: Aluminium
Switch: Side E-switch
Emitters: XPL V6 (5000K)
Max beam distance: Non-specified
Lens: AR Coated Lens
Candela: Non-specified
Waterproofness: IPX8
Impact resistance: Non-specified
Reverse Polarity Protection: Yes (due to physical design)
Manufacturer Warranty: 18 months
SPECIFIC SPECIFICATIONS
(Manufacturer Specs)
Max input voltage: 4.2Volts
Battery compatibility:
Only button top batteries will work on this flashlight!
> 1*14500 Lithium (probably Li-Ion and LiFePO4)
> 1*AA or 2*AA (primary or rechargeable)
NOTE: 2 lithium batteries don’t work, it will probably damage the driver.
Runtime:
1*14500 Lithium = Min: 1h30 ///// Max: 100h
1*AA = Min: 7h30 ///// Max: 240h
2*AA = Min: 20h ///// Max: 300h
Max level output:
1*14500 Lithium = 600lumens
1*AA or 2*AA = 182 lumens
Min Level Output:
1*14500 Lithium = 2.5 lumens
1*AA or 2*AA = 0.2 lumens
Low Battery “Protection”:
A lithium battery below 3.4V will be identified as AA battery. After that it will not be possible to access to the max brightness level (600 lumens).
—————///—————///—————///—————
PACKAGE & FLASHLIGHT
Banggood was kind to provide the flashlight and the long tube for this review! It arrived in 7 days to my door! All was nicely packed and protected by foam.
Inside, 2 boxes, one for the 2 AA tube and one for the flashlight and other accessories!
Inside the cardboard box, wrapped in foam, can be found: 1 BlitzWolf BW-ET1; 1 plastic white diffuser; 1 lanyard; 2 o-rings; 1 user manual; 1 warranty card. And 1 silica gel bag
On the other box, the 2 AA tube, inside a plastic bag!
THE FLASHLIGHT
The BlitzWolf BW-ET1 is a well-built and strong-bodied flashlight, with smooth anodizing that makes it soft to the touch despite the knurling on the battery tube and the fins on the head.
Note the + on the bottom of the head/top of the tube, to indicate battery’s polarity.
Being an AA/14500 flashlight, this is not a small or thin light. Well, it is the biggest I have that uses those types of batteries, as I’ll show later…
As a comparison, the head diameter is larger than a Convoys S2+
Also, due to its composition and strong/thick body, it is not a lightweight flashlight! Here it is without ( L ) and with battery [Sofirn 14500 Li-Ion battery] ( R ).
The BlitzWolf BW-ET1 is composed by lots of parts/pieces. I didn’t fully dismantle the head to access the driver, but here are the pieces that one can reach.
It is constituted by: bezel; AR coated lens; o-ring; smooth reflector; head; battery tube; and the taicalp.
HEAD
The side switch is made of rubber. In the head there is a metal plate with 4 screws that (probably) allow access the driver and/or the switch. Everything seems to be well tight and sealed to prevent from entering water or dust.
The driver seems to be pressed or screwed in towards the top as there is no retaining ring on the bottom of it.
The XPL V6 LED has a black plastic gasket surrounding it and aligning it with the reflector. The gasket has an uncommon shape (at least to me) as it is placed all over the MCPCB. Both wires are placed below the gasket.
Despite I didn’t took the gasket out, it is possible to see that the emitter plate (probably copper MCPCB) is glued with withe glue.
Also note the cooling fins to help dissipating the heat from the LED.
As mentioned, below the aluminium bezel, lays an AR coated lens.
Well, and below the AR coated lens, we have a well-made aluminium smooth reflector. Due to its shape and the gasket there is no contact between the wires and the reflector.
—————///—————
TUBE
The single battery tube of the BlitzWolf BW-ET1 has a flawless knurling outside. The tips of the tube are different and the tube is not reversible. Towards the tail, the tube’s threads are longer and anodized; towards the head, they are shorter and non-anodized. Both interior edges are non-anodized as well. Each tip has a sealing o-ring.
The tubes were not much lubricated when the flashlight arrived, so I applied some grease.
—————///—————
TAIL
The tailcap of this flashlight is full of pieces: tailcap, lanyard ring, neodymium magnet, o-ring, cap. It is possible to remove the magnet and the lanyard ring without much trouble and the tailcap and flashlight keep on working perfectly. The “tailcap of the tailcap” has a smooth knurling pattern, less deeper than the battery’s tube.
The lanyard ring can is not tight so it can be freely rotated around the tailcap.
Inside the tailcap, there is a tough golden spring, soldered to a PCB, that lays below a (un)screwable brass retaining ring.
—————///—————///—————///—————
ACCESSORIES
Now, let’s check some of the accessories that this flashlight comes with!
2*AA TUBE
The “double tube” of the BlitzWolf BW-ET1 can be bought together or separately from the flashlight. Here is the link (non-affiliate) for the tube only: https://www.banggood.com/Blitzwolf-ET-1-LED-Flashlight-Extension-Tube-for-2xAA-p-1159582.html?rmmds=search
Please note that it arrives with a warning sticker (!!!) in which is written:
“Do not use with 2 lithium batteries” :!!!:
Like the smaller tube for 1 battery, the “double tube” is thick, has knurling on the exterior, non-anodized edges, 2 o-rings in each tip, and is non-reversible.
BUT, unlike the smaller tube, the “double” has a pocket clip that can be installed near the tailcap. The tube has a specific groove for that, and it can only be applied on the bottom of the light.
This is how the flashlight looks like with the “double tube”!
Being a thick tube, it adds more weight to the flashlight! Here it is, without batteries and with 2*AA alkaline inside.
—————///—————
DIFFUSER
One nice extra this light came with is the white diffuser!
Giving the possibility to use this light with 2*AA batteries for almost 300 hours in moonlight mode, the diffuser is an excellent accessory to use the light as a candle! Well thought BlitzWolf!
—————///—————
USER MANUAL and WARRANTY CARD
The user manual is quite simple. It provides basic information, but probably not all the information we are used to see in flashlight manuals!
Despite that, it is well written and helps understanding the flashlights operation!
From the Warranty Card we have to maintain the 18 months warranty!
And…BlitzWolf added some fun in the “wolf paws”
—————///—————///—————///—————
USER INTERFACE
BlitzWolf BW-ET1 flashlight’s User Interface is quite simple, but has some nuances.
First thing to say is that the flashlight has memory for the ramping levels (Strobe and Turbo are not memorized), so it will turn ON in the last used mode, unless the power connection is fully broken or interrupted physically.
Single click to turn the flashlight ON or OFF.
When ON, press & hold the switch to enter ramping (also called “Stepless Brightness Adjustment”).
Ramping
When the light is turned ON in the lowest mode, the ramping will go UP.
If the light was turned OFF in another level – that was reached and memorized by going UP or DOWN in ramping – when turning the light ON and ramping, it will move in the opposite direction.
Also, if the ramping is interrupted (releasing the button), when the switch is pressed again, the ramp will start in the opposite direction.
EX: Ramp UP > release switch OR turn OFF > press & hold switch again OR click for ON + P&H > Ramps Down
When Ramping UP or Down:
> 1 blink marks the lowest level
> 2 blinks mark 50%
> 3 blinks mark the Highest level
The Ramp stops on the Top and Bottom levels!
Double click from ON or OFF for Turbo.
When in TURBO, a single click turns the flashlight OFF.
When in TURBO, a double click returns to the previous level (or OFF).
When in TURBO, a triple click goes to Strobe.
When in TURBO, press & hold starts ramping down.
Triple click from ON or OFF for Strobe.
When in STROBE, a single click turns the flashlight OFF.
When in STROBE, a double click returns to the previous level (or OFF).
When in STROBE, a triple click maintains on Strobe.
When in STROBE, press & hold starts SOS.
From SOS, press & hold returns to Strobe, and the other commands operate like when in STROBE mode.
One trick: twisting the head and cutting the power OFF while the flashlight is ON, resets back to the lowest mode when turning the flashlight ON again
—————///—————///—————///—————
TINT and BEAMSHOTS
As stated above, the BlitzWolf BW-ET1 has a 5000K XPL V6 LED, an SMO reflector and AR Coated Lens.
This combination produces a beam with a well defined but not very intense hotspot. It means that at close distance there is not much problem because the hotspot will not “blind” the user, but at distant range, it looses some throwiness!
Despite the BW-ET1 has a “nice” tint, against a white wall or surface, it produces some tint shifts.
Not all will be visible on the photos due to my cellphone quality and due to image conversion.
What can be seen in naked eye is:
a) the very center of the hotspot is white and yellowish
b) the corona has yellow, greenish and white, and seems to have a “flower” with 4 leaves in format of cross (see the picture on the right, above the LED);
c) near the corona, the spill has some yellowish and then its mostly whit till the limit of the beam.
There are no visible signs of PWM with this flashlight. However, here are some close-ups above the LED on the lowest, the 50% and the highest levels.
Also, here is a tint comparison with other lights! (Left to Right)
BlitzWolf BW-ET1 >>> Sofirn SF14 >>> Manker E11
BlitzWolf BW-ET1 >>> Sofirn SF14
Amutorch S3 (Nichia 219C) >>> Sofirn SF14 (XPG2 NW) >>> BlitzWolf BW-ET1 >>> Manker E11 (XP-L CW) >>> Olight S1R Baton (XML2 U2-1A)
And now, some beamshots at close and distant range:
- 20cm from the wall (14500 Li-Ion; L > 50% > H)
- 1.5 m from the ground (14500 Li-Ion; L > 50% > H)
- 4 m (14500 Li-Ion; L > 50% > H)
- 5 m (2*AA Alkaline; L > 50% > H)
- 5 m (14500 Li-Ion; L > 50% > H)
- 6 m (2*AA Alkaline; L > 50% > H)
- 6 m (14500 Li-Ion; L > 50% > H)
- 10 m (BlitzWolf BW-ET1 >>> Sofirn SF14 >>> Manker E11)
25 m (house) (BlitzWolf BW-ET1 2*AA >>> BlitzWolf BW-ET1 – 14500 >>>Sofirn SF14 >>> Manker E11)
- 35 m (factory) (BlitzWolf BW-ET1 - 2*AA >>> BlitzWolf BW-ET1 – 14500 >>>Sofirn SF14 >>> Manker E11)
- 50 m (factory) (BlitzWolf BW-ET1 - 2*AA >>> BlitzWolf BW-ET1 – 14500 >>>Sofirn SF14 >>> Manker E11)
- 90 m (house) (BlitzWolf BW-ET1 - 2*AA >>> BlitzWolf BW-ET1 – 14500 >>>Sofirn SF14 >>> Manker E11)
—————///—————///—————///—————
SOME CONSIDERATIONS
What I liked?
- Shortcut to turbo (double click) – Obvious, I like this feature in any flashlight
;
- Shortcut to strobe (triple click) – Strobe and SOS are hidden, and won’t turn ON easily;
- Strong magnetic tailcap, even with the long tube and 2 AA batteries inside – It can be nice while using the flashlight on work or as a candle, free-hands;
- Overall machining and anodizing – The flashlight is really well made, almost built like a tank, and seems to be capable to get beaten by flashaholics and non enthusiasts;
- Possibly an efficient light in the lowest mode (and on others) – The general specs seem to point that way, giving a long runtime, specially on Ni-MH or even alkaline batteries
What I thing that could be improved?
- No shortcut to lowest mode through the switch – It would be nice to have quick access to lowest mode without having to twist the head/tube…
- No pocket clip for the short tube (1 battery) version – It would be nice to have a groove in the single battery tube for a clip, specially considering the size of this light…
- No “real” low voltage protection – It seems to me that if we use unprotected Li-Ion batteries, we may have some troubles as there is no alert when the battery reaches low voltage levels. The same thing possibly applies to Ni-MH or other rechargeable compatible batteries. At least, on the specs, this is not mentioned.
- No battery check for rechargeable batteries – More or less like the point above: for lithium cells there should be a way to check battery status, other than the 3.4V threshold that hinders to access Turbo mode.
- No possibility to use flat top batteries – Luckily I have 2 button top batteries (unprotected) and was able to use this light. No reference is made on the User Manual to this situation.
- Possibly some parasitic drain? – There is also no reference to parasitic drain. I don’t know if it exists of not, and don’t have a way to measure it, but it would be nice to have an idea of this given by the manufacturer.
- The ramping mode – If the ramping is a nice feature on this light, it is also a bit annoying, specially after trying other ramping flashlights. From the lowest level to 50% and from here to the highest level, it seems to take an eternity, both on AA and 14500 cells. To have a faster but still easy to control/accurate ramping mode would be good and would make this flashlight more attractive
- The switch – In my “sample” , the switch is not always fast to respond to my press & hold to ramp up, specially when turning the light ON. Maybe this is my defect, but it happened several times. Maybe other owners can say something about this!
- The size – Despite I know this is a very solid, robust and well made flashlight, it seems to me that the overall size for a AA/14500 flashlight is…way to big! But, I recognize that it won’t get easily lost on the pocket due to this
—————///—————///—————///—————
EXTRA PHOTOS
Batteries! Well, you read that, no smiles for flat tops :FACEPALM:
But…that tail can handle the smallest and the biggest version, fully loaded and working
Me, daring to use the “double” tube pocket clip, on the single tube form
The BlitzWolf BW-ET1 as the biggest brother of the AA/14500 family…
… and as the cousin of other types of battery flashlights! 8^)
Thanks for reading!
And thanks Banggood for the opportunity to review this flashlight!
Best regards to all :THUMBS-UP: