Hi everyone I thought I'd start an Armytek Wizard/Pro thread for current owners and potential buyers. This can be a place to discuss our experience with the light, uses,questions, etc.
Let me start off this thread by sharing what I like about the light and what I think can be improved, just in case this might help a potential buyer. My review is a bit long, so skip to the part that you are interested in. My main point of comparison is my only other headlamp, a Petzl Tikka Plus 2:
What I like:
TINT: The thing I immediately noticed is 4000k Neutral White tint. My flashlights have all been cool white. For a headlamp, I don't think I can ever use a cool white tint after using this one. IMO the neutral/warm tint is perfect, not too yellow, and not too white, but spot on. It creates a psychologically warmer/positive atmosphere and is especially nice when I point the headlamp toward the ceiling.Cool white lights tend to give a more cold and eerie atmosphere.
BEAM PATTERN: I think Armytek struck the right balance between flood and focus. There is no defined hot spot, a good work area is nicely covered and it is not harsh on the eyes. At the same time it isn't overly floody to the point of having no throw,so I can see a good distance even on the lower settings. I often use the wizard for reading, and the light covers the entire reading area with main mode 1 (47lm) perfect for this use. My Petzl Tikka Plus 2 was terrible for reading because of the hot spot and not having just the right output mode.
CONSTANT BRIGHTNESS: I tested the light on a full battery all the way to almost empty, and each setting looked exactly the same from beginning to end. This is especially important to me because when I read, I want to ensure that the output mode I use is the same every time. My Tikka Plus 2 got really dim quite fast on the highest setting. When the battery can't handle the higher modes, it blinks 3 times and lowers the output. In such a case I just avoid using those higher modes and use the lower ones instead. I prefer this over the light just automatically dimming for me.
HEADBAND: High quality, attractive, soft and comfortable on the forehead even after extended use (your head may vary ) and the silicon holder allows for a complete 360 rotation without any annoying clicking. This is important because I find that there are numerous scenarios where being able to point the light precisely where I want is essential. I often like pointing the light toward the ceiling to create a nice ambient light while walking around the house, or pointing down so I don't blind the person in front of me, etc. I find this far superior to lights such as my tikka plus 2 that have a limited range and have predefined click positions to angle the light, which greatly limits the usefulness of the light. I prefer using the headband without the top piece because I find it just as comfortable, doesn't mess up my hair, and I can wear the light around my neck. Some have complained that the silicon holder breaks easily. I've removed the light 3-4 times without removing the tail cap, and the holder has no signs of tearing. I think you just have to be careful and use the right technique.
SWITCH/STATE INDICATION: The single button used to switch modes also blinks while off every 4 seconds. This makes it extremely easy to find it beside my bed or in a bag without guessing. It also gives me confidence that the light is functioning and ready to go, or locked out through the tail cap. It also doubles as a battery state indicator that will start blinking yellow or red when the battery is going low, so you never have to guess. I also think it looks cool and makes the light feel that it is of a higher quality . Some have complained the switch is too stiff, but I honestly have zero problems using it, and it is probably preferable as the button wears over time. I also think the switch is placed in the perfect location, because you can easily press the button like you're pinching your fingers together, rather than pressing the button and pushing the light to the side of your head. Some have worried that the placement of the button is not good for if you want to point the light up to the ceiling, but I can say the button is still easily accessible while the light is pointed up.
BUILD QUALITY: This is my first Armytek light. Love the matte anodizing and black color. The steel bezel around the lens and button are also a nice touch. Honeycomb lens feels and looks solid and attractive. Threads in the tail cap feel silky smooth, stiff spring, with double O rings and evenly lubricated for added water resistance.The light overall just looks and feels really high quality and the 10 year warranty builds confidence in its durability with the company standing behind their products.
USER INTERFACE: Within the first 5 minutes, I mastered and memorized the user interface. I could imagine this being challenging however if you own 50 different headlamps. The first 2 firefly modes are accessed while the light is off, which makes sense since you wouldn't want to cycle through brighter modes while trying to get to firefly. The highest output (1120 lm) is accessed by double clicking from any of the main modes and can be accessed momentary if desired.The 3 main modes are sandwiched in between and can easily be cycled through. I find it very logically to treat the firefly and turbo modes as special modes on either end. Overall I think it is intuitive and easy to grasp. I'll probably put easy detailed instructions on how to access each mode in a future post.
OUTPUTS/MODES: I think the variety of outputs are well spread, not redundant and cover almost all use cases. The firefly modes are super low and very useful for night adjusted eyes. I probably have no use at all for the fast strobe on a headlamp,but I could imagine the slower strobe would be good for signaling/warning. I also love how you have a battery voltage reader that can give you the precise voltage reading by flashing the main LED. If ever I would add another mode, I'd probably want a 25lm mode.
BATTERY LIFE: Battery life is superb. I stress tested the light by using it 1-3 hours each day on various outputs from high to low. It lasted about a week doing this. For my normal use, I expect it to last far longer. I use a 3400mah Nitecore battery.
What can be improved:
- This isn't a complaint about the wizard pro itself, but I'm not really happy about the light taking forever to ship from China despite being called a Canadian company and having to pay for shipping if you don't meet the minimum purchase. I live in Canada, and I wait just as long as anyone else to get this light. I think it would really help the company if they found a way to ship from North America.
- Clearer and more accurate instructions in the manual are key. Poor English, hard to understand instructions, inaccurate information on the manual make the company look very unprofessional, despite the light being of a very high quality. Hope someone from Armytek is listening here.
- My main complaint is that it is not an easy task to remove the light from the silicon holder. Aquick release function would make the light convenient to use as a handheld light with pocket clip. If they can add this feature without compromising the 360 rotation design, this light would easily become my EDC.
- Would be nice if it were a tad lighter. The light itself is feather light, but the battery adds a good amount of weight.
- I love half pressing on my flashlights for momentary on. Wonder if there would be a suitable way to implement this on the Wizard.
Overall I am very happy with this light and would recommend it in a heartbeat. I don't see myself buying any other headlamp in the future, except for maybe the Tiara C1.
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