I picked up a couple of Wowtac A2 Cool White and an A2S Neutral White headlamp to give as gifts. Out of curiosity, I took one of the A2 headlamps and the A2S headlamp outside tonight to compare beams. Both were using the supplied batteries that were fully charged. (The A2 used the Wowtac 2600mah and the A2S used the Wowtac 3400mah battery.)
I expect that in lights with the same LED, the cool white version will appear brighter than the neutral white or warm version but, in this case, the cool white version was an XP-G2 and the neutral white version was an XP-L V6.
I was very surprised to find that in a casual comparison in the back yard, the A2's cool white XP-G2 (550 lumens) seemed to out-shine the neutral white XP-L (1050 lumens) by quite a bit! The XP-G2's hotspot was a little bit smaller than the XP-L's but the light seemed much brighter overall.
Even though I've read the XP-G2 is more of a thrower than the XP-L my comparison result doesn't seem right considering that the rated output of the XP-L is about twice that of the XP-G.
Theres a simple explanation, Our eyes perceive white light in general to be generally more unpleasant thus giving you the perception that the light is “brighter” and as you described the hot spot on the A2 was smaller than the A2S would also factor in as the hotspot is the concentration of light at a given point. Secondly for our eyes to perceive a “doubling” of light it would require 4 times the output the only good way to test outputs at home is with a DIY lumen tube with a lux meter just eye balling it.
Best example I can come up with is for my eyes just eyeballing shining a Fw3a 6500k on a wall on turbo vs my MF01 mini 4000k they look almost identical in overall output while the gap is fairly large between the lights.
At what distance were you putting these beams on targets? Do you expect them to be used from a stationary position to look at things? I would suggest that you go for a walk on an unfamiliar or really dark trail for a minimum of 20 minutes and change lights on your head every 5 minutes. Don’t bother with turbo just put each one on the high position. Report back your findings and tell us which one you’d rather use in real world conditions and why. Edit, pick a trail with rocks and roots and leaves where you have to somewhat watch your footing.
I was shining them around the yard from at my feet to about forty yards. I rarely use the "turbo" setting on my lights and I compared them at the three normal brightness level settings.
I would like to compare them in the manner you suggested but since they are going to be gifts, I'd like to leave them in pristine condition. I suspect that in a trail hiking situation I would prefer the A2S to the A2. For camp use, I'd prefer a DC-Fix diffuser on each.
I know in some cases, a cool white light may look brighter, but you may see more detail in a neutral or warm white light of the same intensity. I assumed a neutral or warm white light with twice the output would not only show more detail, but even look brighter as well. My comparison was brief and I probably didn't pay enough attention to comparing the hotspot sizes and overall spill.
I do have an A2S (neutral white) of my own and, after using it a few times, ordered some DC-Fix to diffuse the beam. I have other headlamps with various beam types from a variety of manufacturers (Zebralight, ArmyTek, Fenix, Black Diamond, Petzl, Princeton Tec). I am impressed with the value of the Wowtac lights.
I love the Wowtac A2. I think it’s hands down the best 18650 headlamp for the money. I bought four of them, all for $12.99, and all in CW. I don’t think an A2 NW exists.
So I was excited when I saw the A2S came out. I immediately bought one, also in CW.
That first night I did a test - with both the supplies batteries and various others.
Sadly, I quickly realized that the A2S was no better or brighter than the A2.
There was a “slight” difference actually. Although they were both CW, the A2S has a slightly more yellow tint and little more flood. But as far as brightness went, it was almost impossible to tell the two apart. On turbo the A2S may have been just a tiny bit brighter. But barely. No more than 50-100 lumens difference. Certainly not the 550 vs 1050 as advertised.
So again, sadly, I realized that the A2S was really no better a light than the A2. It made me think that Wowtac just wanted to release an “updated” model so they could charge $10 more for it.
But still, for the money, these are fantastic headlamps. Even if you go for the A2S there’s no better value that I know of for an 18650 headlamp.
Wowtac seems to be Thrunite’s “budget” line, but really the units are just as good, materials, construction and all.
And the Wowtac H01 is a killer 16340 headlamp for those interested. That’s actually become my go-to light for casual usage.
Anyway, bottom line is that the A2S is really nothing more than the A2. So spend less money if you can.
I realized a long time ago that a comparison of brightness doesn’t work well outdoors. When I want to compare output, I find a dark room and shine each light at the same spot on the ceiling from the same distance. This has always proved more reliable, as you are relying on reflection of all of the output, diffuse or not.
I find that my a2s is definitely brighter than 550 lumens, I can’t vouch for 1050, but certainly more than 550.