Wowtac A4 Flashlight Review

The Wowtac A4 is a two-cell (18650×2) flashlight with a single Cree XHP35 HI emitter. This is a great handheld thrower! Read on!

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Wowtac A4 Flashlight product page.

Versions

The box indicates there could be two tints, NW and CW, but I can’t find any NW for sale, nor is it listed on the website. My review sample is CW.

Price

The price is $40 on amazon.com.

Short Review

This is a good performer of a light, with a couple of build issues that can be easily addressed. The two-up cells allow for a large knurled area and great grip.

Long Review

The Big Table

Wowtac A4
Emitter:	Cree XHP35 HI
Price in USD at publication time:	$40.00 on amazon (referral link)
Cell:	2×18650
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (A):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Chargetime
Power off Charge Port with no Cell?	?
Claimed Lumens (lm)	2000
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1740 (87% of claim)^
Claimed Throw (m)	750
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	2923lux @ 6.533m = 124754cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	706.4 (94.2% of claim)^
All my Wowtac reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What’s Included

Wowtac A4 Flashlight
Spare o-rings (2)
Spare rubber switch
Manual

I received (and will mini-review) two Wowtac 18650 cells, but they are not included with the package.

Package and Manual

Wowtac ships their lights in a cardboard box, with minimal printing.

A rectangular brown cardboard box with WOWTAC printed in large letters, a barcode label, and Technically Supported By ThruNite text, resting on weathered wooden boards.

A brown WOWTAC product box sits on a wooden surface. The box displays company information, model options with A4 CW checked, and icons indicating battery status, certifications, and “Made in China.”

The light and parts are in custom cut foam, and ship very safely. The light is even in a thin plastic bag.

The manual is very thorough and includes all the needful information. It’s also small and not huge and folded out, which I also appreciate. (And it’s not really pink, just bad photo processing on my part. Sorry!)

Build Quality and Disassembly

This is a striking light. No, not tactically striking. But it’s a touch unusual in that the body is all knurling, with almost no other features. (This is something I like, for what that’s worth).

Externally, it’s well built. The head has a nice mass for cooling, and the anodizing is good.

A black WOWTAC A4 flashlight is standing upright on a weathered wooden surface with a blurred wooden structure in the background.

A black, textured flashlight stands upright on a weathered wooden surface with a blurred wooden structure in the background. The flashlight is centered in the image.

A large, black flashlight with a textured handle stands upright on a wooden surface outdoors, with an out-of-focus wooden wall in the background. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM is visible on the left side.

A large black flashlight with a textured handle stands upright on a wooden surface, with a blurred wooden structure in the background. The words “ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM” are faintly visible along the left side.

Here are the three main parts – the cell tube separates completely from the head and tail. Notably, the cell tube requires the use of two cells – there is no option.

The tailcap has a nice thick spring, and the head is a brass button.

From the step above, it’s not possible to remove the driver. It appears that there are at least two more sections of the head. One houses the reflector, one houses the switch, and one is the contact point for the cell tube. I was unable to separate those pieces.

The bezel and reflector, on the other hand, separate very easily. Just unscrew the bezel, and the rest taps out.

This leads me to my biggest concern with this light. The MCPCB is being held down by one screw. The other screw hole is empty and misaligned. This doesn’t affect the centering of the LED (there’s a centering ring included). And by itself isn’t necessarily a concern. But notice the screw (at the 10 o’clock position). That screw 1) isn’t screwed all the way in and 2) is screwed in at the wrong angle. (ie, probably cross-threaded). So likely during use, this screw will come out of its place, and possibly bounce around the head. I doubt it’d end up shorting anything, but I don’t want to press my luck.

It’s worth noting that other reviewers didn’t find this in their light. Their lights have properly screwed down MCPCBs, and no issues in this regard. Also, this brings up the worthwhile point that reviewers aren’t getting cherry-picked lights. 🙂

The cell tube is reversible, with unanodized, square threads on both ends.

A close-up of a cylindrical black object with a textured grip and exposed silver threads at the top, positioned vertically against a blurred brown background. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM is visible on the left side.

A close-up of a cylindrical, textured black metal object with visible silver threading at the top, shown against a blurred brown background. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM appears vertically on the left.

The second build quality issue I have is that the o-rings on the cell tube are just a shade too big, or maybe too thick. One of them is large enough that it stretches out when the parts are tightened, and eventually has cut just a little bit.

Size

Officially 201mm x 58mm x 26.5mm, and weighing 240g (without cells).

A two-dollar bill lies flat on a wooden surface with a black circular object, possibly a stamp or magnifier, partially covering the left side of the bill.

A black flashlight is placed vertically on weathered wooden boards next to a U.S. two-dollar bill, showing a size comparison between the flashlight and the bill.

It’s not a small light. The closest thing I had on hand that really compares is the Convoy L2. The reflector is similar in diameter, but much shallower.

Two black flashlights stand upright on a wooden surface. The flashlight on the left is shorter and slimmer, while the flashlight on the right is taller and has a thicker, textured grip.

Two flashlights are shown lying on a wooden surface, facing the camera. The flashlight on the left has a smooth, silver reflector, while the one on the right has a larger, ridged black bezel and a yellow reflector.

Retention

Really the only option for carry here is a lanyard, and a lanyard is not included. So, basically, this light is intended to be carried in hand, or in a bag.

The knurled grip is important enough for holding the light that it’s worth mentioning in it’s own right. It’s very grippy, but not too aggressive.

Power

The A4 is powered by two 18650 cells, which are in series. Any type 18650 will work, but they need to be a bit long. Wowtac provided two cells for this review. These cells have built-in charging, via a micro-USB port on the positive terminal. This makes them longer than “18650” and so very well suited for this light. (And with max amperage at around 2.6A, just about any reputable 18650 will be capable of running this light.)

Two WOWTAC USB rechargeable 18650 Li-ion batteries in original packaging are placed side by side on a weathered wooden surface. Both packages are unopened and labeled for high drain devices.

Two WOWTAC 18650 Li-ion batteries in plastic packaging are shown side by side on a wooden surface; the left package is viewed from the back, and the right from the front, displaying battery details and instructions.

Two black and red rechargeable batteries labeled 3400mAh and USB Rechargeable lie next to their packaging, which shows product features and charging instructions on a wooden surface.

Below, see the micro-USB port for charging the cell.

Otherwise, the cells are standard 18650 cells.

A single cylindrical battery with a black and red label is lying on its side on a weathered wooden surface, with the positive terminal facing the camera.

A single AA battery with a red ring around the flat end lies on a wooden surface, with the background out of focus.

Besides an unprotected flat top 18650, it’s easy to see how long the cells are.

I did do a bit of testing with other cells, and cells like the brown one above will work, provided you add a few mm worth of magnets between them. There is no problem with contact, except that they must be long enough to fill the light.

I tested the light on Turbo and High. Turbo exhibits a quick drop from the highest output, to an intermediate shoulder, before dropping down to the output of High for the remainder of the runtime.

I measure 30 seconds at around 1750 lumens. The light is rated at 2000 lumens. My measurement is within around 10% of claimed, so I’ll call it close enough.

Output on high is absolutely flat until the light shuts off.

The light has an indicating switch, which will give some levels of warning regarding cell voltage. First off, the switch stays lit blue during operation, except on the lowest mode. When the cells get low (around 6.6V series), the switch will turn red (“power is less than 20%”). When the cells get lower (around 5.85V series), the switch fades in and out of red slowly. And when the cells get very low (around 5.17V series), the switch will flash red quickly (“power is less than 10%”). And finally, the light will shut off (also around 5.17V). Those test results are with a bench power. In reality, the light shuts off at a much higher voltage than that (around 3.1V per cell) in actual use.

Charging

I logged the charging of each of the two cells used, too. This is from around 3.1V, so it’s expected that they won’t show the full 3400mAh capacity. The charging circuit looks to charge in an appropriate manner, with a long CC phase at around 0.7A. That’s a little “slow” but slow is typically better for cells anyway.

User Interface and Operation

This Wowtac has a single side switch, which is an indicating e-switch. As you can see, right in the center is a dot, which can display red and blue. The switch is a standard Wowtac switch (and also exactly like Thrunite switches). Low action, very positive click, and no squeak. It’s also metal (maybe coated plastic, but it feels like real metal). It’s a nice switch!

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (memory, LMH only)
Off	Hold	“Reading”
Any	Double Click	Turbo
Turbo	Double Click	Strobe
On	Click	Off
On	Hold	Mode cycle (LMH only)

Yes, that user interface is exactly the same as on the Thrunite TC20 (and possibly others). Yes, Thrunite and Wowtac are related – it even says so on some of the older boxes. “Technical assistance provided by Thrunite.” This is good; Thrunite makes good products!

Modes

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	2000	150m	1729	2.60
High	950	165m	1068	0.91
Medium	180	9h	200	0.11
Low	22	62h	22	~
Reading	0.5	41d	–	~

LED and Beam

The Wowtac A4 has a Cree XHP35 HI emitter. Great choice for the light, since it’s considered a thrower, and has a smooth reflector.

The reflector is surprisingly shallow, and the emitter sits in a quarter sized plastic centering ring.

The beam is mostly spot, with a small amount of spill

A nearly black image with faint, barely visible details and the text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM written vertically along the left side.

A dim, circular light source glows in the center of a dark background. The image has a watermark on the left side that reads ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM in vertical text.

A bright circular light source is at the center of a dark background, creating a gradual halo effect. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM is vertically aligned on the left side.

A bright circular spotlight is projected onto a plain wall with a ceiling light fixture partially visible at the top. The words ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM are along the left side.

A circular, bright white light shines on a white wall, creating a halo effect. A ceiling lamp with spheres is partially visible at the top, and the text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM appears on the left side.

Below, note that the blue indicating switch is on in this Turbo shot.

A wooden fence at night is illuminated by a narrow beam of light, creating a bright spot on the fence while the surrounding area remains dark. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM appears vertically along the left side.

A wooden fence is dimly illuminated by a flashlight beam at night, with the surrounding area in darkness. The words ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM are visible along the left edge of the image.

A dark backyard at night is illuminated by a flashlight, highlighting a blue and yellow plastic play structure near a wooden fence. The rest of the yard is barely visible. The text ZEROAIR.WORDPRESS.COM is on the left side.

A flashlight is shining a beam of light onto a textured surface in a dark setting. The flashlight itself is mostly in shadow. zeroair.wordpress.com is written vertically along the left side.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.

Random Comparisons and Competitive Options

Here’s a relevantly filtered page on parametrek.com. Certainly some compelling options here, including two from Armytek (same model, but warm and neutral tint). That’s the Barracuda Pro v2. I believe it lacks an indicating switch, and is around 3 times the cost of the A4. The Fenix TK47 might be interesting, too. It also lacks an indicating switch.

There’s a 26650 light worth comparing too, because they likely share parts! The Thrunite Catapult V6, which I’ve reviewed has essentially the same head, but with a 26650 body. Same throw rating, but the Catapult V6 bests it’s rating, at 768m. It’s a worthy comparison, but around 50% more cost.

Two other similar lights are the Emisar D1S, and the new Lumintop BLF GT Mini. These are both great lights. I reviewed the D1S here and I’m generally satisfied. If you need a single 18650 light instead of the 2-up like the A4 here, it’s a worthy contender. And I like the GT Mini even more, but my testing isn’t proving it’s throw measure (I need to spend some more time on that one.)

Conclusion

What I like

The grip is great
Good choice of emitter and overall build
The user interface is pretty solid
Indicating switch

What I don’t like

MCPCB isn’t screwed down properly. (Missing one screw, cross threaded the other).
O-rings are too big and end up getting torn
Throw not quite hitting specs
No good way to carry the light (no pouch/belt clip)

Notes

This light was provided by Wowtac for review. I was not paid to write this review.
This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!
Please support me on Patreon! I deeply appreciate your support!