Armytek Wizard Pro Prototype Long-Term Testing

[Knight_Light]

Knight_Light, I also want to thank you for your very thorough review. Your review of the many positive qualities of the Wizard Pro, in conjunction with an exceptional sale they had during the 4th of July, caused me to buy one. I must admit that I did not realize Armytek was using theoretical values instead of OTF values, which is a small letdown for me. Nevertheless, it still seems to be a rock-solid light with an XM-L2 inside, so I am excited about my purchase, and excited to try it out! I am a hardcore caver, and I suspect the Wizard Pro will make an excellent addition to my headlamp arsenal. I already own a Zebralight H600w, so hopefully I'll be able to post some comparative beamshots next week for everyone. I realize it's a completely different tint, but perhaps pictures will still be useful for benchmarking beam characteristics. Thanks again Knight_Light!

You’re very welcome. You are going to enjoy this headlamp when you take it caving. I’ve taken it on a few small caving excursions already. The 250 lm level is awesome as it gives you 8 hours of runtime and lights things up fairly nicely. I probably don’t have to tell you this but be prepared to come back with a filthy headband. :) My suggestion is you actually order a 2nd​ headband if you can.

I know a lot of people think that I am not a fan of zebra light. In reality I own a H600 and think it is a good headlamp. For me the Armytek is really the next evolutionary step when it comes to headlamps in this market. I really would like to hear your thoughts on that subject as well since you now own both headlamps as well.

 

[Dubois]

I have a simple question that I'm not sure has been addressed. What is the point of a long term test of a prototype now that the production model has been launched? Surely it would be sensible for Knight Light to continue testing with the version that is available in the marketplace.

Or am I missing something?

 

[Knight_Light]

I have a simple question that I'm not sure has been addressed. What is the point of a long term test of a prototype now that the production model has been launched? Surely it would be sensible for Knight Light to continue testing with the version that is available in the marketplace.

Or am I missing something?

You actually bring up a very valid point. Armytek is actually supposed to be sending me out the production lights to continue with the testing.

 

[ArcticHighlander]

Thank you for acknowledging my efforts. What are your impressions of the light? If we put aside my opinions of the review and focus just on the 1st​ part of the review (which is factual in nature) is there anything that is not accurate or misleading?

I appreciate the OTF argument, I even agree with it. That is one of the reasons why I never made any claims to measured figures when it came to lumens and just stated that I was going with the manufacturer’s claims. There are other more technical based reviews that will follow that will give accurate numbers to this. My reviews are geared towards long-term use and long-term impressions of a particular product. Having said that, and having both lights the perceived respective output levels are fairly similar. Remember I made no comparisons in the 1st​ part of the review to any other light, all I did was state confirmed runtime tests at the specified levels (and my results differ from Armytek, keep that in mind).

As far as the differences between 2900 vs. 3100 battery it would probably be fairly negligible somewhere around 5%. You can definitely see the difference between 3100 and 3400 as only being 7.5 or so percent.

I ordered during the 4th of July sale and haven't received it yet. I expect it to arrive next week. I thought I'd charge up 2 new NCR18650B 3400mAh on my VP1 and compare the Armytek directly with my H600. I won't be able to give any objective comparisons of brightness since I don't have any way to do so. I expect this Armytek to be a bit warmer and floodier with a shorter spot throw than the H600. Do you know when or if Armytek plans to have OTF values listed? I too originally thought that the specs Armytek provided were OTF and was disappointed when I discovered otherwise. It does make me wonder if they are being deliberately misleading since up to now they have not provided that information and continue to use just LED emitter specs in their sales listings (without saying that they are just emitter specs).

 

[tony613]

Thanks to Knight_Light's review and opinions, I decided to take advantage of the July 4th additional reduction and ordered the Wizard Pro (70:120). Like some others, I too own, and very much like, the Zebralight H600w and was anticipating comparing the two lights. The shipping to the east coast of the US from China was very fast and my light arrived today, July 11th, ordered on July 5th. Unfortunately I only received the light; the 18650 battery and associated charger were missing from the shipment. I've already contacted armyTek's customer service so I'll be able to report first hand how well they resolve issues.

Like several others I assumed that armyTek's specs were OTF when I purchased so I was a little disappointed to find out otherwise.

The shipping company used was FedEX. Another lesson learned, at least in my case, was that I needed to sign for the package. I tracked the package using the provided tracking number but I wasn't aware that a signature was required so the package was not left at my door (I picked it up myself after work). I don't have a problem with this but thought I'd give a heads up to others so that they can avoid the same experience.

As far as some early impressions of the two lights side by side:

I've swapped (many times) the only 18650 battery I have available, an EagleTac 3100mAh, between the two lights and did some comparisons.

The beam profile of the Wizard is noticeably more "floody", and the H600w has a more noticeable hot spot. Because I only have one battery available I'm not going to comment on perceived brightness between the two lights. I'd prefer to have both of them powered simultaneously before commenting on that aspect (will probably swap batteries back and forth for those tests to see if there is a perceived difference). Even then I will not have any way to accurately measure the brightness; it will only be perception, and possibly photos.

One thing I notice about build is that the Wizard is more substantial than the H600w. This became apparent when doing the many swaps of the battery - there is more heft in the Wizard, but it is only slightly heavier. In winter I run with the H600w on my head so time will tell if the added weight is a distraction - gut reaction is I do not believe that it will be too heavy for my use.

The switch on my Wizard is much stiffer and requires a good deal more pressure than the H600w. I am used to and like the switch of the H600w but for full disclosure must also say that it has been accidentally activated in my pocket on multiple occasions - sometimes on high - and I definitely know it's on when my upper thigh begins to cook. I haven't carried the Wizard around yet but my impression is I don't believe accidental activation will happen in my pocket as often, if at all. I'm aware they can both be locked out from the tail cap, and that the armyTek has the feature that if the button is pressed continually, it will cycle through its modes and then stay off in case of accidental activation, and I verified this.

While running both at their highest setting for taking some photos, the H600w became noticeably warm to hot (by design, and no surprise), but was on for less than 3 minutes (the time at which my H600w automatically step down). With the same general use, the armyTek got slightly warm at the head but definitely not as warm as the H600w. Note this was definitely not a scientific test, nor was a timer used. It was an observation made while I simply went about swapping the battery, turning the lights on, shining them around, and taking a few photos - just putting the lights through their paces.

When I have multiple batteries available I'll try to take comparison photos and post the results, and I'll also report on armyTek's customer service. Fingers crossed on that one.

 

[toysareforboys]

Unfortunately I only received the light; the 18650 battery and associated charger were missing from the shipment. I've already contacted armyTek's customer service so I'll be able to report first hand how well they resolve issues.

The shipping company used was FedEX.

Let me know what they say, I also didn't receive the battery or charger.

Did you have to pay any customs fee's to FedEx when you picked up your package?

-Jamie M.

 

[tony613]

Let me know what they say, I also didn't receive the battery or charger.

Did you have to pay any customs fee's to FedEx when you picked up your package?

-Jamie M.

Sure, I will definitely post how the battery and charger issue goes. And no, thankfully no customs fees, but again I'm in the US, and I see you are in Canada so ...

 

[ArcticHighlander]

Let me know what they say, I also didn't receive the battery or charger
-Jamie M.

You had to be really careful when placing your order. If you just clicked on 'Add to Cart' at the top of the page you were ordering the light without the freebee battery and charger. You had to scroll way down to the bottom of the page past the freebees where it said 'Add all' (or something similar). It was very confusing (deliberately or not). At first I hit the top button and was wondering why I didn't see any indication that the battery & charger were being included. I deleted the order and went back to the page and tried again and the same thing happened. Then deleted order again and carefully examined the entire page and hit the 'Add all to cart' at the bottom. This time there was an indication that additional items were part of the order and if you clicked on it it showed the battery and charger were added in.

 

[ArcticHighlander]

By the way this is what Armytek said in their CP marketplace forum on 4/27/13 (POST #5): "In the near future we plan to write both LED/OTF lumens. We do not like ANSI lumens." That was about 2 & 1/2 months ago. I've posted there asking when/if they still plan to provide OTF specs.

 

[Knight_Light]

I ordered during the 4th of July sale and haven't received it yet. I expect it to arrive next week. I thought I'd charge up 2 new NCR18650B 3400mAh on my VP1 and compare the Armytek directly with my H600. I won't be able to give any objective comparisons of brightness since I don't have any way to do so. I expect this Armytek to be a bit warmer and floodier with a shorter spot throw than the H600. Do you know when or if Armytek plans to have OTF values listed? I too originally thought that the specs Armytek provided were OTF and was disappointed when I discovered otherwise. It does make me wonder if they are being deliberately misleading since up to now they have not provided that information and continue to use just LED emitter specs in their sales listings (without saying that they are just emitter specs).

I think you will find your predictions about the 2 lights to be quite accurate. As far as the whole OTF subject I never really had those discussions with them so I don’t know what where and when concerning the subject. To be honest with you OTF is kind of gimmicky as well. And if you notice a lot of manufacturers will put their own output ratings along with ANSI ratings which is even more confusing to the uneducated. Let’s face it if we really want a standardized way of somehow judging then lux @ 1 m and 25 m (or some other agreed-upon figure) would be the way to go, good luck trying to get companies on board with that one.

 

[Knight_Light]

One thing I notice about build is that the Wizard is more substantial than the H600w. This became apparent when doing the many swaps of the battery - there is more heft in the Wizard, but it is only slightly heavier. In winter I run with the H600w on my head so time will tell if the added weight is a distraction - gut reaction is I do not believe that it will be too heavy for my use.

I do on occasion run on the trails and I can tell you that the Wizard functions fairly well in that capacity. I don’t know your set up for the H600 but if you are not using a top strap the Wizard will perform better if you are using a modified head strap with a top strap on the H600 then they are about equal in terms of bounce.

While running both at their highest setting for taking some photos, the H600w became noticeably warm to hot (by design, and no surprise), but was on for less than 3 minutes (the time at which my H600w automatically step down). With the same general use, the armyTek got slightly warm at the head but definitely not as warm as the H600w. Note this was definitely not a scientific test, nor was a timer used. It was an observation made while I simply went about swapping the battery, turning the lights on, shining them around, and taking a few photos - just putting the lights through their paces.

The Armytek definitely dissipates heat a lot better. Having said that after about 10 minutes on Turbo the Armytek gets very hot, so be careful.

When I have multiple batteries available I'll try to take comparison photos and post the results, and I'll also report on armyTek's customer service. Fingers crossed on that one.

If I may make a suggestion, I would get the unprotected cells from fasttech.com (FASTTECH SKU 1141100) $15 for 2 batteries delivered. These are Panasonic NCR18650B 3400 mAh.

 

[InTheDark]

I think you will find your predictions about the 2 lights to be quite accurate. As far as the whole OTF subject I never really had those discussions with them so I don’t know what where and when concerning the subject. To be honest with you OTF is kind of gimmicky as well. And if you notice a lot of manufacturers will put their own output ratings along with ANSI ratings which is even more confusing to the uneducated. Let’s face it if we really want a standardized way of somehow judging then lux @ 1 m and 25 m (or some other agreed-upon figure) would be the way to go, good luck trying to get companies on board with that one.

Exactly. While it would be nice to have some sort of standard method of testing for all lights, for all practical purposes it's really not that important. I'm betting most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 750 and 1000 lumens anyway. There are other factors that contribute to the perceived brightness that the numbers themselves won't tell the whole story. That's why hands-on reviews such as this one are much more valuable than manufacturer spec sheets.

It's funny how almost every hobby eventually degrades into a numbers contest, it's the flashlight equivalent of bench racing. For those not familiar with the term, it's when people (seems to be mostly teenagers on the net who have never driven) argue over which car is the better/fastest based on hp, hp/weight ratio, or any other type of random parameter. In the photography world they're called measurebators, those people who have memorized the specs of every camera and why theirs is better, but who can't take a decent picture. When it comes down to real world use, all these numbers are just a rough baseline for comparison.

I'm still trying to comprehend why some people are buying 700+ lumen lights and griping about the sub-lumen light levels. If it's not low enough put some electrical tape over the lens and use the battery indicator light, or at that point, just turn off the light.

 

[markr6]

Exactly. While it would be nice to have some sort of standard method of testing for all lights, for all practical purposes it's really not that important. I'm betting most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 750 and 1000 lumens anyway. There are other factors that contribute to the perceived brightness that the numbers themselves won't tell the whole story. That's why hands-on reviews such as this one are much more valuable than manufacturer spec sheets.

It's funny how almost every hobby eventually degrades into a numbers contest, it's the flashlight equivalent of bench racing. For those not familiar with the term, it's when people (seems to be mostly teenagers on the net who have never driven) argue over which car is the better/fastest based on hp, hp/weight ratio, or any other type of random parameter. In the photography world they're called measurebators, those people who have memorized the specs of every camera and why theirs is better, but who can't take a decent picture. When it comes down to real world use, all these numbers are just a rough baseline for comparison.

I'm still trying to comprehend why some people are buying 700+ lumen lights and griping about the sub-lumen light levels. If it's not low enough put some electrical tape over the lens and use the battery indicator light, or at that point, just turn off the light.

I like it!! :clap:

 

[Knight_Light]

Exactly. While it would be nice to have some sort of standard method of testing for all lights, for all practical purposes it's really not that important. I'm betting most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 750 and 1000 lumens anyway. There are other factors that contribute to the perceived brightness that the numbers themselves won't tell the whole story. That's why hands-on reviews such as this one are much more valuable than manufacturer spec sheets.

You are 100% correct when you say that most people will not be able to tell the difference between 750 lm and 1000 lm if the lights are randomized and switched on one at a time (as brightness is perceived on a nonlinear level). But if you have the same 2 identical lights and one is set to a mode of 750 lm and the other one is also turned on but at 1000 lm most people will be able to tell which one is brighter.

It's funny how almost every hobby eventually degrades into a numbers contest, it's the flashlight equivalent of bench racing. For those not familiar with the term, it's when people (seems to be mostly teenagers on the net who have never driven) argue over which car is the better/fastest based on hp, hp/weight ratio, or any other type of random parameter. In the photography world they're called measurebators, those people who have memorized the specs of every camera and why theirs is better, but who can't take a decent picture. When it comes down to real world use, all these numbers are just a rough baseline for comparison.

You really hit it on the head with this. And there are so many more examples of this in every facet of life.

I'm still trying to comprehend why some people are buying 700+ lumen lights and griping about the sub-lumen light levels. If it's not low enough put some electrical tape over the lens and use the battery indicator light, or at that point, just turn off the light.

This statement I don’t know if I agree with. I think if you can have your cake and eat it, why not. I mean why wouldn’t you want to have a 700+ lumen light? Most of the time you don’t need it but for the 1% time that you may, even if it’s to impress your friends it’s nice to have.

And even though I still don’t understand how some people navigate the outdoors with sub lumen levels I still think they are nice to have. For instance I always like to leave my lights on all the time when I am doing outdoor activities, it makes it easier to find the light if you drop it into a pile of leaves or even when looking for it in your backpack.

Having said that, when I wake up after a long sleep the .5lm on the Armytek is bright enough to do things around the house, take the same light into an outdoor environment and to me it is almost useless for doing anything except for the earlier stated purpose of being utilized as a hybrid nightlight/beacon to locate the light. Nonetheless I won’t buy a light for the outdoors that doesn’t have a level less than 2 lm specifically for this purpose.

 

[Lampyridae]

What is that black thing between TIR optics and bezel? Is it O-ring used for sealing or what?

 

[spelunkik]

Here is a page that compares the Wizard Pro Limited Edition and Zebralight's SC600MKII:
http://www.taschenlampen-forum.de/armytek/26508-armytek-wizard-pro-limited-edition-beamshots.html

I think this is a great comparison, because this pits Zebralight's best single XM-L reflector light against Armytek's similarly tinted XM-L TIR headlamp. Obviously the SC600MKII can throw farther, but I think the Wizard Pro does a great job of compromising between throw and flood.

As I mentioned previously, my primary caving light is a Zebralight H600w. While it may be a phenomenal caving light, I have always wished there wasn't such a sharp contrast between light and dark past (greater than) the spill zone of 80°. I never liked this sharp border because it always made me feel like I had tunnel vision. I've grown to accept this, but I have never fully acclimated to it.

 

[InTheDark]

You are 100% correct when you say that most people will not be able to tell the difference between 750 lm and 1000 lm if the lights are randomized and switched on one at a time (as brightness is perceived on a linear level). But if you have the same 2 identical lights and one is set to a mode of 750 lm and the other one is also turned on but at 1000 lm most people will be able to tell which one is brighter.

Yes, I should clarify they might be able to tell the difference in a direct head to head comparison, all else being equal. But I was mainly referring to real world usage. Unless someone plans on carrying around their 700 lumen light, just so they can show everyone how their 1000 lumen light is brighter, I don't see it as being very important. Now put in different optics or reflectors, change the tint color, etc, and all bets are off, because most people will perceive a brighter/whiter hotspot as being "more light". Also, I'm not so sure brightness is percieved on a linear level, from what I understand it's more logrithmic which would make the difference between these two seem even smaller.

This statement I don’t know if I agree with. I think if you can have your cake and eat it, why not. I mean why wouldn’t you want to have a 700+ lumen light? Most of the time you don’t need it but for the 1% time that you may, even if it’s to impress your friends it’s nice to have.

And even though I still don’t understand how some people navigate the outdoors with sub lumen levels I still think they are nice to have. For instance I always like to leave my lights on all the time when I am doing outdoor activities, it makes it easier to find the light if you drop it into a pile of leaves or even when looking for it in your backpack.

Having said that, when I wake up after a long sleep the .5lm on the Armytek is bright enough to do things around the house, take the same light into an outdoor environment and to me it is almost useless for doing anything except for the earlier stated purpose of being utilized as a hybrid nightlight/beacon to locate the light. Nonetheless I won’t buy a light for the outdoors that doesn’t have a level less than 2 lm specifically for this purpose.

I think you misunderstood, I agree with you 100%, which is why I've been following your review in the first place. I'd love a 700 lumen light. If I could get a 10,000 lumen light I'd get it, the brighter the better. I was referring to the people that buy these high power lights and complaining that the sub lumen levels aren't low enough. It's like buying a Ferrari and complaining that it doesn't go slow enough to walk your arthritic dog from the car. When people are splitting hairs between 0.5 lumens, 1.4 lumens, or 2.795734943 lumens it gets a little ridiculous. I'm sure most of us can remember the time when you had only 2 choices in light level. On or off. The fact that I can even choose different levels keeps me happy enough.

EDIT: Forgot to add, I'd like to echo some of the other comments and thank you for the review. Even though I don't spend as much time on here as I used to, I still think CPF is a valuable resource specifically for the reviews such as these. I came here looking to find a replacement for my Spark ST6, and the Armytek looked promising. I'm still debating because even though I love all the features, the beam profile isn't really what I prefer.

 

[bradthebold]

My light just won't turn on sometimes. I'll go to use it, and nothing happens when I click or hold the button. Tightening the tailcap doesn't do anything. I have to unscrew the tailcap half way and least and screw it back on to get the light to work.

Also, when I put it in turbo mode now, it will blink 3 times and flash the warning signal that the voltage is too low. I thought this only came on at 3.1V? The voltage indicator in the light says 3.5V. It doesn't do it in any other mode.

 

[tony613]

My light just won't turn on sometimes. I'll go to use it, and nothing happens when I click or hold the button. Tightening the tailcap doesn't do anything. I have to unscrew the tailcap half way and least and screw it back on to get the light to work.

Also, when I put it in turbo mode now, it will blink 3 times and flash the warning signal that the voltage is too low. I thought this only came on at 3.1V? The voltage indicator in the light says 3.5V. It doesn't do it in any other mode.

I've had lights act strangely when batteries were not fully charged, and I've also read several threads with the similar symptoms. As a suggestion, perhaps you can try charging your battery completely and see how you do. I've also read threads where non-high quality batteries caused erratic behavior. I'm not saying you have a "cheap" battery; that is just for your information.

With respect to the light not turning on, when you press the switch, does the red led in the switch illuminate, or is it too staying dark? And when the light does illuminate, does the switch illuminate with it when depressed? Understanding the switch's behavior may shed some light on the problem, if you'll pardon the pun.

 

[toysareforboys]

Also, when I put it in turbo mode now, it will blink 3 times and flash the warning signal that the voltage is too low.

where non-high quality batteries caused erratic behavior.

This. Which battery are you using? How old is it? What charger are you using?

-Jamie M.