AKOray AA & AAA Review + RUNTIME

[Deathyak]

Re: AKOray AA & AAA Review

Your AA model is broken. Mine only draws about 700ma from a 14500 cell.
Mine is the newer programmable model.

I was curious and opened mine up.

Draw was 1.00 amps on high,
.02 amps on low.

If my 14500s are really 900 mah, then I should get around 40 hours on low.

or ~50 minutes on high lol.

 

[vali]

Re: AKOray AA & AAA Review

I was curious and opened mine up.

Draw was 1.00 amps on high,
.02 amps on low.

If my 14500s are really 900 mah, then I should get around 40 hours on low.

or ~50 minutes on high lol.

I got 37 h with an eneloop...

 

[recDNA]

Where did you buy yours?

 

[vali]

I got both in DX, and the K-102 was ordered the first day it was listed (was looking for a decent AAA brighter than the E01).

 

[recDNA]

I got both in DX, and the K-102 was ordered the first day it was listed (was looking for a decent AAA brighter than the E01).

I guess there is no American distributer because nobody has mentioned one. Too bad for me. I would have tried one.

 

[slipe]

Vbeez,

Thanks for the useful pictures. I ran a little experiment with the emitter from the K-106.

I tested out a CREE P4 on light (MTE 1xAA), then I swapped out the emitter with the one from the Akoray. For some reason, the P4 easily blew away the emitter from the P4. How can this be? I am starting to doubt that these are really Q5. I have a feeling that putting a true Q5 or R2 into this thing would improve output significantly. Unfortunately, I don't have any of those that would fit into this light. Did anyone else come up with the same conclusion?

I've had the same feeling about my K-106. My lightmeter came in so I could do some ceiling bounce comparisons. The readings were from having the meter at a fixed height about eye level and the light at arm's reach. I'll eventually get a more standardized setup but the readings are valid for comparison.

Akoray K-106 with 14500: 48
Ultrafire C3 P4 with 14500: 61
Ultrafire A3 Q5 with 10440: 60
Maratac AAA Q5 with 10440: 70 (dropped rapidly to below 60)

I reprogrammed the K-106 to make sure I hadn't screwed up the high. It ramped up, flashed and went on high. I'm sure I got it right. I also swapped batteries with the C3 before trying again (both recently charged). Results were the same.

The light seems to function fine. I've cleaned everything and there has never been any flickering or problems with it.

I'm sure the other folks here know what a Q5 is supposed to look like with 14500s. Akoray is probably like the other Chinese cheapies in that you get Q5s until they run out. Then you get whatever is in the spare bin. You and I seem to have gotten the spare bin versions.

I recently got two C3 P4s and they are odd too. My original one was given away, so I can't check numbers. But it seemed as bright on alkaline and NiMH as on 14500s. And it was about as bright as the K-106 on either AA or Li-Ion if the Akoray had 14500s. The new batch is much brighter on 10440s and doesn't seem as bright as the original on AAs. Since I got them to give to friends and family who will use only alkalines it would seem I've hit the spare bin with them as well. I might just keep the things and find something else for friends and family. They are pretty bright on Li-Ions.

 

[vali]

I guess there is no American distributer because nobody has mentioned one. Too bad for me. I would have tried one.

Yes, there is for the K-109 -> http://www.extremebeamtactical.com/products_sar5.html

 

[recDNA]

Yes, there is for the K-109 ->

I see nothing at that website about AKORay...only their own products. They also do not say where they are located.

 

[xenonk]

I see nothing at that website about AKORay...only their own products. They also do not say where they are located.

They're based in Oregon, and the SAR5's build looks identical to the Akoray K-109 right down to the anodized square threads. They probably sourced them from the same manufacturer under their own brand.

MSRP: $137.00

:huh:

 

[txg]

I'm searching for an extension tube for my k-106 to get 2AA in there for longer runtimes than with 14500, and hopefully comparable output.

anybody has an idea where to get such a tube?
i don't guess this one will fit:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4438
?

another interesting idea would be to use a short extension (~15mm) for tossing in a 14650 battery.

too bad i don't own a lathe...

 

[romteb]

i don't guess this one will fit:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4438
?

Threads are different, this will not fit.

 

[mmmflashlights]

I ordered the AK-16 from KaiDomain, just received it. I liked the idea of being able to use 14500, AA, and CR123 primaries all in the same light with only a 1mm diameter increase over the K-106. Putting a battery in it is a bit annoying though, as there is a spring in both the tailcap and the head - I had assumed, and would have preferred, a slightly longer AA shim and spring in the tailcap rather than having a shim and spring both front and back.

The switch in mine wasn't grounding the best, allowing a very slight flicker. I took out the switch and pushed out the ground contact more so that there'd be better contact with the tailcap body. Seems ok at this point.

Anyway, I had a couple of questions for owners of the K-106/AK16/etc.

1. How long does your light need to be off for it to retain the current output setting in 'memory'? Memory works on my AK-16, however the light needs to be off for about 8 seconds, if you turn it back on more quickly it will forward to the next output mode. It's a little annoying compared to my other lights which seem to set the 'memory' setting after just a couple of seconds. I saw one comment relating to memory, but I'd be interested in what other people have timed their lights at in terms of setting the 'memory' mode.

2. Has anyone been able to judge the approximate efficiency of this circuit, or at least had a good head-to-head test with another light with known efficiency charts? I am, like many others are, big on efficient circuits. Progammability is great, though being relatively efficient is at least as important for most. It seems to perform well from what I can tell, though I would be interested in any actual tests.

 

[pekcle]

mmmflashlights,

I have both the K-106 and the AK-16. I have the same behavior as you, with a long wait for memory to save on both of them. The more annoying thing is the 1 second delay before being able to switch modes after turning it on. I got my K-106 from DX and I get the impression that it is better fit and finish than the AK-16 from KD. My AK-16 acted up on day one. I can't run it on high for very long without it turning itself off. I noticed my AK-16 is brighter than my K-106, even though I threw an R2 in the K-106 (both running NIMH AA). By the way, are you able to access the tailcap on the AK-16? It doesn't seem as accessible as the K-106.

 

[mmmflashlights]

I have both the AK-16 & the K-109 (DX sent it instead of the K-106.......:shakehead ), between those two I can say that they are essentially identical in body, same threads and tailcap switch for example. The K-109 doesn't have a programmable circuit, has easier access to the tailcap switch, and a slightly better beam - my AK-16 has strange 'swirls' or artifacts around the hotspot for some reason, though not a big deal in use.

I'm guessing that the white plastic tailcap 'sleeve' in your K-106 is more like the one in my K-109, it is a lighter weight plastic and slips out fairly easily if you can get a knife edge or similar under the lip. The sleeve in my AK-16 is heavier plastic, and is a very tight fit. Once I got it out, I tried to file off around it a slight amount so that it wouldn't be such a tight fit. So while it was tougher to get out (thought it was glued in at first), it does come out. Not sure if you were talking about this or the entire tailcap assembly, which is ok to take off once I can start unthreading it.

I haven't tested my light for more than a couple of minutes on 'high' but it hasn't turned itself off as of yet. Are you holding the light when it turns off, or is it just sitting unused? If you don't have a multimeter, you should buy one (should be able to get at least a cheapo one for under $10). I wonder just how much current your AK-16 is drawing. At the moment I have mine set to draw about 40ma/350ma/1.1A at the 3 levels with NiMH.

I'm glad that at least the slow memory saving is normal apparently. Fit and finish seem fine to me, though as I said before I find the double spring design cheesy.

 

[romteb]

My AK-16 acted up on day one. I can't run it on high for very long without it turning itself off.

My guess is the protection is on, just tap the switch 3 times, if you get 2 flashes of light the protection is on, if you get one, it's off

I noticed my AK-16 is brighter than my K-106, even though I threw an R2 in the K-106 (both running NIMH AA).

If you can use li-ion your light will be much better, they are not so good on nimh.

By the way, are you able to access the tailcap on the AK-16? It doesn't seem as accessible as the K-106.

Unscrew the back off the light, you can use the underside of a mouse pad for grip.

 

[Egsise]

K-106 3-mode programmable runtimes.

 

[pekcle]

romteb,

Thanks for the offering suggestions. The protection is not on, it just cuts off regardless. I don't plan on using 14500 in my K-106. That's why I got the AK-16, since I have RCR123, though problem #1 is preventing me from doing so. I've gotten the tailcap off, but haven't been able to force the plastic part off. It's not as easy as on the K-106 where I just pushed the switch right through. A Fenix tailcap solved all the stiffness problems on the K-106.

It appears the problem with the AK-16 was overtightening the head (I didn't do it that hard, seriously!). Somehow, the edge of the pill and the body no longer made contact. The body must have spread the pill outward. At the moment, I threw a small piece of foil in and it seems to work just fine. I'll repair later.

Egsise,

That looks pretty good (good enough for me at least). Thanks for sharing.

UPDATE: I got the darn tailcap separated and put in a new one. Takes little force now to switch.

 

[mmmflashlights]

Thanks for the chart Egsise. Unfortunately, without a measured output to compare with another light, the data doesn't tell much.

pekcle, glad you solved some of your issues. Changing the switch is interesting to me, the switch in the light is a common style but seems particularly small and sensitive in these Akoray lights. Avoiding any flicker & getting good contact can be an issue with this flimsy little switch. Did you put in a Fenix switch, or are you just talking about putting in a different rubber 'button'?

 

[pekcle]

Did you put in a Fenix switch, or are you just talking about putting in a different rubber 'button'?

Just the tailcap/button, not the switch. It's too bad they put a crappy CREE in mine. The ring around the dome is browned and spotty. It gives a heavy, thick dark ring in my beam profile. But for now, I'm just glad it's working. Emitter swap should solve the issue later. :twothumbs

 

[xenonk]

Just the tailcap/button, not the switch. It's too bad they put a crappy CREE in mine. The ring around the dome is browned and spotty.

Looks like your dome collar's corroded. It may be possible to polish that to a mirror shine, but I wouldn't recommend it due to how small and fragile the emitter assembly is.