Wowtac A2S Headlamp Review

Wowtac released the A2S, which almost doubles the output from the A2, increases throw, but retains the form factor of the headlamp.  Read on!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Wowtac A2S Headlamp product page.

Versions

As mentioned, this is revision 2 of the A2.  So there’s the original, which is available in NW and CW.  And the A2S is also available in NW and CW (seen here).

Price

The Wowtac A2S retails for $35.95 $29.99 on Amazon (referral link).

Wowtac just emailed me with a coupon to add in, too:  10ZeroAirA2S.
They also have a program going:  “LEAVE AN HONEST REVIEW FOR A5 ON AMAZON, qualified to get one FREE A1 flashlight or one 20% one-time coupon, suit for all our item, contact [email protected] to get in.  Their store: https://www.amazon.com/wowtac

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Short Review

This is a solid, inexpensive 18650 headlamp.  It performs well and meets its claims.  Also, it includes the needed cell and is available in NW.  I’d call it a good buy.

Long Review

The Big Table

Wowtac A2S
Emitter:	Cree XP-L (V6)
Price in USD at publication time:	$29.99 on amazon
Cell:	1×18650
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (A):	0.0001
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Chargetime
Power off Charge Port with no Cell?	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	1050
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1180 (112.4% of claim)^
Claimed Throw (m)	182
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	351lux @ 5.06m = 8987cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	189.6 (104.2% 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 A2S Headlamp
• Wowtac headband
• Wowtac USB rechargeable 18650 cell
• Charge cable (USB to micro-USB)
• Spare o-ring
• Manual

Package and Manual

Standard Wowtac package here.  Notice the “Technically Supported by Thrunite” – the box even is very much like Thrunite’s box.

Good manual.  Also, note on the manual the warranty:  Wowtac provides 2 years of maintenance service.

Build Quality and Disassembly

No complaints about build quality.  In particular, I like most of the knurling.  The tailcap, which must be removed for cell changes, has plenty of knurling and is large enough for a good grip.

The knurling on the body is fine too, but probably mostly superfluous since as a headlamp the light won’t most often be gripped here.

And the knurling on the head is completely superfluous because this part doesn’t even unscrew at all.  Well actually it does unscrew, but all it reveals is the electronic switch, so there’s no need to ever do this.  I’m very surprised there’s no thread lock here, actually.

The tailcap has a big spring, but no magnet.  Also note the threads on the body there – big beefy square-cut threads and not many of them.  Just around a turn and a half for removal.

The head has only a button for positive contact.

The cell tube is fully removable, and also reversible.  It works in either direction.  However, only one direction is sensible for headlamp use in the provided holder.

Size and Comps

Officially:
Weight:  108g (Battery Excluded)
Dimension:  106mm30mm23.5mm

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

And here’s the light beside my custom-engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light.  I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.

Retention and Carry

As this is a headlamp, there are no real other ways to carry it except the provided headstrap.  No pocket clip, no lanyard, no magnet, etc.  But the headstrap is good.

Above, you can see the correct cell tube orientation for use in the headstrap.  If you have the tube in the other direction, the head is cantilevered out too far and the balance is very wrong.

The headband is just stretchy material; there is no grippy part to hold it in place.

And the over-head part isn’t removable, either.

A quick note here… the button protrudes too much for headstanding.

Power and Runtime

Wowtac provides the necessary cell for running this light.  It’s a 3400mAh 18650, and has built-in micro-USB charging.

Here’s a runtime on Turbo.  Output beats the claim by a fair margin in my test.  The light steps down after a short (but respectable) while, and then finally ends with a warning from the main emitter (two flashes).

High output is essentially the same as Turbo but just starts at 450 lumens instead of stepping down to 450.

Both tests exhibit the two flash warnings of low voltage.  Bench power does indicate the light has LVP, too.

Charging

The included cell has built-in charging via a micro-USB port.  An appropriate cable is included.

Charging is at a very conservative 0.55A and takes around 7 hours to complete.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	1050	2.7h	1180	2.85
High	420	4.5h	433	1.15
Medium	126	14.7h	148	0.30
Low	24	4d	26	0.08
Firefly	0.3	59d	~	0.03

Pulse Width Modulation

Firefly and Turbo don’t have PWM, but the middle 3 modes do.  Note the timescale though – 50us.  That’s faster than I can notice by eye, so it’s likely to not be a concern for you either.

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.

User Interface and Operation

There’s a single switch for operating the A2S.  It’s a head e-switch.  The button is proud and has a bunch of grip.

The user interface is fine but there’s a bit of a quirk.  Sometimes the light goes from Medium back to Low, instead of going on to High.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click	On (Mode Memory (except Firefly and Turbo and SOS)
Off	Hold	Firefly
Off	Double Click	Turbo (really On, then Turbo)
On	Hold	Mode cycle (LMH) (excludes Firefly and Turbo and SOS)
Turbo	Double Click	SOS
On	Click	Off

LED and Beam

The emitter is a Cree XP-L HD.  The A2S has a smooth reflector, which is surprisingly deep.

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.

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

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!  As you can see, this is a very filled out category.  Nothing really competes on price, though!

Conclusion

What I like

• Great price (just $29.99 on amazon!)
• Full package, ready to roll
• Good build quality
• Tail cap design is exceptional
• Available in NW as well as CW.

What I don’t like

• PWM on middle modes

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Notes

• This light was provided by Wowtac for review. I was not paid to write this review.  Wowtac also has facebook!
• 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!
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