[Review] Hiram Aurora is a nice, but flawed, zoomie

LED Flashlights – General Info 21700 Flashlights
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The images in this review belong to Hiram, and the images are being used with Hiram’s permission.

I used a program called Topaz Gigapixel AI to improve the image quality.

I received this zoomie flashlight today.

The Hiram Aurora is a nice zoomie, but it has some flaws

The Hiram Aurora has a Luminus SFT70 emitter.
I like this choice in emitter, and the flashlight does throw pretty far in full throw mode.
The flashlight is also quite bright in the brightest mode.
The tint is neutral white.
It’s about 4500K.

Here are the brightness levels according to the manual:
3000 lumens Level 1
1500 lumens Level 2
750 lumens Level 3
350 lumens Level 4
100 lumens Level 5.
The mode spacing is very nice, and there isn’t a big difference in light level between adjacent modes.
The light does get quite hot after a few minutes on Level 1.
Level 1 is supposed to step down after one minute, but it did not step down for over five minutes (which is the maximum continuous length of time I tested Level 1.)

If the flashlight head had more mass, or if it had cooling fins, it wouldn’t get hot so quickly on Level 1.
On Level 2, the flashlight head does get quite hot after a few minutes, but the lower half of the flashlight does not get that hot even after five minutes.
Level 2 is supposed to step down after four minutes, but it did not step down for over five minutes (which is the maximum continuous length of time I tested Level 2.)

To turn the flashlight on or off, press the button once.
To change modes, quickly press the button twice.
The flashlight goes from Level 1 → Level 2 → Level 3 → Level 4 → Level 5 → Strobe, and then back to Level 1 again.
There is no way to avoid Strobe in the mode selection.
Luckily, the flashlight has perfect memory and remembers the last mode it was in (except it will not remember Strobe.)

Double clicking to change modes is not ideal, to say the least.
Also, double clicking is not super easy because you have to press the button pretty far for just a single click.
It is kinda difficult to change modes, but if you don’t change modes very often (like me), that is less of a problem.

The flashlight comes with a few accessories.
The flashlight can be attached to a long gun, and I think it comes with everything you need to do that.
(I don’t own a long gun, so I didn’t test any of those accessories.)
Also included is a proprietary 21700 cells.
I usually can’t stand proprietary cells, and in my opinion, they’re frequently completely unnecessary.
This flashlight will not work with a regular 21700 cell.
You must use the one provided by Hiram.
Also, you must charge the 21700 cell in the flashlight with a USB type C cable.
I usually don’t like charging batteries in flashlights.
This battery choice, in my opinion, is the flashlight’s biggest flaw.

The fit and finish of the Hiram Aurora are excellent.
There are no sharp edges anywhere, and the ergonomics are nice and simple.
The flashlight claims to have IP68 waterproofing, but I don’t see how that is possible if the USB type C charging port is exposed.

The user manual is in English only.
I only skimmed the manual, but the part that I read is well written and easy to understand.

The Hiram Aurora is very nice, but I don’t like Hiram’s choice to use a proprietary 21700 cell.
Also, it is difficult to change modes, and it’s impossible to avoid Strobe when cycling through the modes.
Other than those complaints, I do like the flashlight.

THE END

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This flashlight is on sale on Amazon.com until September 10th, 2023
Details can be found here:

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Thanks for the review!

  • bad heat transfer from LED to body
  • no thermal regulation
  • strobe in mode rotation
  • not waterproof
  • proprietary battery

In summary just another cheap zoomie, but worse (due to the battery).

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In the GAW thread a video has shown the strange UI, and it was explained that strobe is unavoidable. I was wondering how this light got so many positive comments. To me, the UI remders the light unusable.

Thanks for your honest review!

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Could you post photos of the battery and driver?

Good review, seems like it could be one of the nicer zoomie hosts with a couple of tweaks to the UI and the proprietary battery situation addressed, seeing how it has a boost driver.

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I’m not so sure about that one, but I do agree with your other points. :grin:

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Sorry, I don’t plan on taking any photos. :+1:

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This could be good or bad, depending on if you want a step down or not.
I don’t think the heat would hurt the flashlight, but it can make the flashlight too hot to handle if you’re not paying attention to the heat. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Well, a totally different zoomie would not be so bad.
That seems not to be the question. This looks like it is an expensive version of the well known zoomie.
But what really throws this light out of the competition is the use of a proprietary battery.

PS. Dumb question about proprietary batteries. They are introduced/used with a special purpose in mind.
Can we speak of a new “standard” or is everybody happy just pioneering his own special proprietary battery.

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Proprietary batteries are dumb AF. And doubly so when there’s no reason for it, which AFAICS is the case here; @racoon doesn’t mention a reason, but zooming into the pics it seems there’s a weird plastic/rubber ring around the positive terminal? What’s it for, just so both terminals can be connected directly to the head, without current passing through the light’s body?

Anyway, that’s a really bad idea, Hiram – and if it wasn’t a hard pass for me already due to the UI (repeat after me: “no Anduril, no deal”), the proprietary battery would certainly have killed it.

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Yes, there is a ring around the positive terminal, and I think it might be plastic.
I think you’re right–it’s there so that both terminals can be directly connected to the head.
I don’t like proprietary batteries either, except for keychain flashlights where using a standard removable cell is not easy to do.
I have a couple of large Energizer flashlights that have (proprietary?) batteries that cannot be removed.
The only reason I got those two flashlights is because they were dirt cheap.
Otherwise, I try to get flashlights that accept standard cells. :sunglasses:

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Thanks for the post Raccoon!

I took some…

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Seeing the polarity of the battery, it might be possible to at least use olight batteries as replacements, and charge the included battery with a magnet in the positive terminal hole.

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Nice photos!
They’re much better than what I would have been able to take, plus I hate taking photos. :stuck_out_tongue:

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I used it for a little while and it seems to heat up fairly quickly and no blue shift due to stressing the LED. The wide zoom was brighter than a XH-P50 in a Redline Blast running on 6 Ni-MH and the zoomed beam was narrow but not completely focused. I have a Cometa so I’m set for a good zoomie and will eventually put an SFT40 in it.
For $20, I was thinking about transferring this SFT70 out to another light with a holely XH-P50 and using the accessories. However, it’s a nice light and I’m not going use it for parts. I’m planning on getting a refund. But if someone here in the US would like it, just pay $20 plus shipping and I can send it to you.

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So you’re going to return it or is it damaged?

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It’s in perfect condition but just want to recoup the expense, either through returning it or selling it. I think it may just sit on a shelf and not be resold if I return it to Amazon… a waste of resources, ie. energy, raw materials, labor, etc., IMO.

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I was able to charge the cell with my S4+ charger. The key is to find a charger with a pronounced nipple on the positive contact… and one where the bays are long enough. I could not charge the cell in three other chargers, including the MC3000. Bays not long enough.

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I bought one at the ~$18 price. I guess for that price, especially considering the accessories (I probably would spend that much for the gun, bike mounts and pressure switch), it was not a bad deal.

But I don’t much care for the light overall. Out of five, I think I would give it a 1.5.

In addition to the things mentioned above the switch is pretty bad. It is flush with the tail cap and very stiff. Interesting as I think it functions as an E-Switch. The double click to change modes just does not make sense. At least half of the time I turned the light off when trying to change modes.

On mine, the zoom is real stiff and the thing makes scratchy/grinding noises when zooming. I find it impossible to zoom it one handed.

Inside the tube just reeks. Almost like mold. Quite concerning.

OK, it is nice and bright and the five modes are well spaced. But having to cycle through strobe is a very bad design decision. But the double click for mode selection and super stiff switch make it a PIA to use anyway.

The pressure (?) switch has two buttons. Not sure what they do. I have not tried it. I wonder if leaving it connected would make the light easier to use ??

I would return it, but it is just too much of a hassle. So I am not sure what I can do with it. Maybe stick it in the garage with the other dozen lights that I never use… :expressionless:

I feel bad for anyone that pays full price for this light. Heck, if you take the accessories out of the equation (if someone actually has a use for them), even the $18 sale price point is too steep. Too bad, because I think that the LED has potential.

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I think it is to get around using an “inner” tube to support the E-Switch.

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