Astrolux FT02 Flashlight Review

The Astrolux FT02 is an 18650 flashlight that runs a single 21700 and has a Cree XHP35 HI. The indicating e-switch rounds out the package.

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Astrolux FT02 Flashlight product page. That’s a referral link.

Versions

There is only one body option for this light, but it’s available with two emitter temperatures: Cool White, and Neutral White. The one I have here is NW.

Price

Currently, this light goes for $52.99 at BangGood.com. There’s been a coupon price but I think the coupon price (at the time) is higher than the current price of the light anyway.

Short Review

This is a fun light and performs fairly well. I think the specifications are all written for the CW, so the throw and output of the NW are a little below spec, but still, this light throws ~750m, and the onboard charging works well. Also, I think throwers sized for 21700 make great sense.

Long Review

The Big Table

Astrolux FT02 Flashlight
Emitter:	Cree XHP35 HI (4000K-4500K (NW))
Price in USD at publication time:	$52.99
Cell:	21700
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?	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	2215
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1603 (72.4% of claim)^
Claimed Throw (m)	848
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	3750lux @ 6.097m = 139400cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	746.7 (88.1% of claim)^
All my Astrolux 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

Astrolux FT02 Flashlight
Lanyard
Spare o-rings (2)
21700 to 18650 adapter
Manual

Package and Manual

The box is a common Astrolux box. A photo is silver embossed on the front, and the short end has a light-specific sticker, too.

Build Quality and Disassembly

A black Astrolux FT02 flashlight stands upright on a wooden surface, featuring a textured grip, a side button, and visible branding on the base. The background is softly blurred.

A black, heavy-duty flashlight stands upright on a wooden surface with a blurred outdoor background. The flashlight features a textured grip and a wide, ridged head.

A black, heavy-duty flashlight stands upright on a wooden surface with a blurred background. The flashlight has a textured grip and a rubber cover over the charging port.

A black, metal flashlight stands upright on a wooden surface. The flashlight has a textured grip and a large head, with ridges and grooves for added grip and heat dissipation. The background is out of focus.

There’s nothing outstanding to mention about the FT02. It’s a well-built, solid light.

Taking the light apart minimally, you can see that the cell tube removes fully from the body. For scale (not included) is a Molicel 21700 (reviewed here).

The tailcap has a big, thick, and double spring – very thick and lots of spring. The head does not have a spring at all, but has a broad brass button.

The head has some deep cooling fins.

The cell tube is directional, with the head end being bigger and unanodized. The tail end is anodized for easy mechanical lockout. Also, both ends have square-cut threads. To be honest the threads on this light are very nice.

The knurling is also very nice!

The tailcap threads are lightly lubed, but not overly so.

Size and Comps

Officially:

Weight: 258g (without battery)
Size: 154mm x 58.5mm (Length x Diameter)

A black Astrolux FT02 flashlight is placed on top of a two-dollar bill, showing the flashlight’s size in comparison, on a weathered wooden surface.

A black plastic cup is placed upside down on the left side of a U.S. two-dollar bill, both resting on a weathered wooden surface.

A black Astrolux FT02 flashlight is placed vertically on a wooden surface, positioned in front of a U.S. two-dollar bill for size comparison.

It’s not a small light, but it’s right-sized to be a 21700 thrower.

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light.

I have said it before and it’s still true: 21700 lights are a great size in hand. Maybe not perfect for pocket carry, but then who would carry this light in a pocket anyway?

A person’s hand holding a black Astrolux FT02 flashlight against a blurred outdoor background of brown and green grass.

A close-up of a hand holding a black Astrolux FT02 flashlight outdoors, with a thumb pressing the side button. The background is blurred and grassy.

A person holding a black Astrolux FT02 flashlight upright against a blurred outdoor background.

Retention and Carry

Not much is included for carry of this light. There’s no nylon pouch, for example, and no pocket clip. There is a lanyard, which attaches only on the tailcap.

I understand no pocket clip, but a nylon pouch would be a great addition to this package.

Power and Runtime

I tested this light exclusively with a 21700 cell. I used a flat top unprotected cell. The flat-top works fine (even though the light has a big brass button on the positive end) and the unprotected is also fine – the light has LVP. But any type of cell would work.

I tested the light two ways…. since it has a ramping user interface and no steps, I tested both ways to access Turbo. So the runtime are (or should be) the same, but Turbo was entered different ways. On some ramping lights, double click is Turbo turbo, but the top of the ramp is not quite Turbo.

The runtime is as expected. The stepdown occurs quickly, but much later than stated in the manual, which is good. Total output is well below spec, but again, I think that’s probably a matter of this being the NW version – CW is very likely to perform at a much higher output and throw. Unfortunate that the specs don’t account for this and state actual results, though.

This runtime is a Double Click to Turbo runtime.

The other runtime is also Turbo, but this was entered by ramping all the way up to Turbo.

The results are practically the same.

Also included in the package is an adapter that will allow the use of 18650 cells.

It’s just a short plastic sleeve with a bit of aluminum on one end. The manual says “(Please use it for negative way of the 18650 battery)” which I take to mean that this should go on the negative end. (But you won’t hurt anything using it either way, I think.)

A rolled-up piece of white paper lies on its side on a weathered wooden surface, with the focus on the open end of the paper and the background blurred.

A cylindrical object with a flat, metallic end is lying horizontally on a weathered wooden surface, photographed from the end-on perspective with a shallow depth of field.

The FT02 has built-in charging, facilitated by a micro-USB port opposite the switch.

Below are two charge tests. Yes two – the tests are so reliable that they overlap almost exactly. Charging is decent at around 1.3A during CC. The CV phase takes quite a long time to finally terminate, but charging does shut off completely when the cell reaches 4.2V.

Pulse Width Modulation

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

Moon, middelish, Turbo. PWM is not present on any mode! Yay!

Oscilloscope display showing a mostly flat yellow waveform, minimal signal variation. The screen labels include HOLD, Waiting, 1V DC, 1ns, AUTO, Int, and -0.04V. Blue grid background.

Oscilloscope screen displaying a mostly flat yellow waveform near the top, grid lines, and on-screen text including “HOLD,” “Holdoff,” “1ns,” “1V DC,” and “AUTO Int -0.04V.”

An oscilloscope screen displays a flat green waveform at the top, with the status showing HOLD in red and Waiting in yellow. The horizontal scale is set to 1 ms, and the vertical scale is 1V DC.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch on the FT02. It’s a side e-switch, with an indicator feature. The only indication color is green. The switch is clicky and easy to find and is overall a good switch.

A close-up of a black Astrolux FT02 flashlight standing upright on a wooden surface, showing the power button and part of the textured grip.

A close-up of a black flashlight labeled “ASTROLUX FT02” resting on a wooden surface, standing upright on its lens end. The power button with a green light is visible on the flashlights side.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (Mode Memory)
Any	Double Click	Turbo
Off	Hold	Moonlight
On	Hold	Ramp (Up or Down, Click again for the other direction)
Turbo	Double Click	Strobe
Strobe	Click	Off
Off	Triple Click	Battery Check (indicated on switch)^
Off	Four Clicks	Lockout (Switch blinks 4x)
Lockout	Four Clicks	Unlock (Switch blinks 4x)
Strobe	Click	Off
Off	Five Clicks	Activate Momentary (Click for momentary) (Unscrew tailcap to turn off)
Off	Six Clicks	Breathing Switch (another 6 clicks to turn Breathing off)

^ Battery indicator:

0%-20% One blink
20%-40% Two blinks
40%-60% Three blinks
60%-80% Four blinks
80%-100% Five blinks

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	2215	80m	1603	6.6
Low	–	–	–	0.09

LED and Beam

The emitter here is a Cree XHP35 HI – quickly becoming one of my favorite emitters, and certainly is for a throw light. The emitter benefits from a smooth reflector, which is wide and deep, providing better throw.

A black flashlight is turned on and lying on its side, shining light across a weathered wooden surface.

A black flashlight with a textured grip lies on a weathered wooden surface, with its lens facing the camera. The background is out of focus.

These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away. This is just a sampling of the outputs along the ramp.

A bright white circular light appears in the center of a dark background, with a faint yellowish glow radiating outward.

A bright white light source appears in the center of the image, surrounded by a soft yellow halo that gradually fades into a dark background. The overall effect is a glowing circular gradient.

A circular bright light source in the center of the image, creating a halo effect with fading intensity towards the edges against a dark background.

A bright white light source in the center creates a circular glow with a yellowish gradient, fading outward to a darker background.

A bright circular light source is centered in the image, creating a gradient halo effect that fades from yellowish white in the center to darker shades at the edges. The background is dark and the surroundings are indistinct.

A bright circular light source is centered against a plain background, creating a gradient effect that fades from white in the center to a darker shade at the edges.

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

The NW here on this FT02 is quite warm, but in person doesn’t look quite so yellow as in the photo.

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Random Comparisons and Competitive Options

Here’s a link to a relevantly filtered page on parametrek.com. I use that site a lot! There is some competition until the throw characteristics are used – and at that point there’s only one competitor – the Acebeam T27. I am sure that’s a fine light, but it’s also 3x the price of this Astrolux.

Conclusion

What I like

NW is an option
Great throw
Overall nice package with charging included
Good use of the indicating e-switch
Nice use of 21700 cell – great in-hand feel

What I don’t like

Doesn’t hit the specs on throw or output (which again could be because the specs are for the CW version, but that should be handled)

Notes

This light was provided by BangGood for review. I was not paid to write this review.
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