Wowtac A6 Flashlight Review
Wowtac released the A6, a short 18650 flashlight. It has a short reflector and a Luminus SST-40. Read on for some testing!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Wowtac A6 Flashlight product page. Wowtac also offers 2 years of maintenance service!
Versions
There is just one body of the A6, but it’s available with two temperature emitters: CW and NW. The version seen here is CW.
Price and Coupon
The Wowtac A6 is available on amazon.com for $29.99 (that’s a referral link). I’ll have a 10% off coupon shortly, I think!
Short Review
This is a fun light, and particularly nice because it’s not very big for an 18650 light! That the package includes a cell and is only $30 makes it a good deal.
Long Review
The Big Table
Wowtac A6 Wowtac’s Facebook page |
|
---|---|
Emitter: | Luminus SST-40 (CW) |
Price in USD at publication time: | $29.99 and is available on amazon.com |
Cell: | 1×18650 |
Turbo Runtime | High Runtime |
LVP? | Yes |
Switch Type: | E-Switch |
Quiescent Current (A): | 0.00001 |
On-Board Charging? | Yes |
Chargetime | |
Power off Charge Port with no Cell? | 2 Lowest modes (with or without cell) |
Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1460 |
Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1465 (100.3% of claim)^ |
Claimed Throw (m) | 174 |
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 360lux @ 5.036m = 9130cd |
Throw (Calculated) (m) | 191.1 (109.8% 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 A6 Flashlight
- Wowtac 2600mAh 18650
- Charge cable (USB to micro-USB)
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Spare charge port cover
- Pocket clip
- Manual
Package and Manual
Typical Wowtac/Thrunite package. The box indicates if you have CW or NW too.
The manual is included in 4 languages.
Build Quality and Disassembly
Typical build quality for a Wowtac – the quality is good.
One thing I note immediately when holding this light is that the knurling is quite aggressive. It doesn’t tear the skin, but it’s very grippy.
Even (or particularly) the tailcap has plenty of knurling. This is needful for easy cell swaps. You might never need to remove the cap though since you can charge the cell inside the light.
The tailcap has a spring but no magnet. The head has a deep brass button, which allows for use of any type of cell.
The cell tube is not reversible.
That means the pocket clip can only face one direction since there’s a spot for it only on the tail end.
The anodized threads mean locking the light out is easy – just a very small twist is all it takes. Standby drain on this light is very low though.
The threads are extremely smooth – square-cut and anodized. Even smooth enough to allow one-handed unscrewing.
Size and Comps
Officially:
Dimension:98.5mm26.5mm23.5mm
Weight: 96g (excluding battery)
This is a small 18650 light. Not the smallest, but it’s on the same order as the smallest.
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
The only means for carrying the A6 is the included clip, which ships unattached.
The clip fits only on the tail end of a cell tube that isn’t reversible. This means the light can be bezel down carry only.
Friction fit clips aren’t my favorite but this one is very sturdy, and also nice quality.
If you have your own lanyard, you may attach it through the tailcap. The pocket clip too has a couple of openings that could accept a lanyard.
Since the clip isn’t reversible, the light can’t be used as a hatlight.
Power and Runtime
The A6 is powered by a single 18650 cell. A proper cell for this application is included. It’s a 2600mAh cell.
The included cell is a button top, but any type 18650 with reasonable discharge capability will work fine.
I performed a couple of runtimes. Turbo first – The A6 holds turbo for around a minute and a half, then steps down very dramatically. Temperature spikes but doesn’t seem to get very high. There’s not a lot of mass in the A6. The A6 does hit the claimed output at 30s, which is good.
High output is exactly the same as turbo after turbo steps down. The output looks to track cell voltage on the way down. The A6 does shut off, but the shut off voltage is low (in the 2.6V range.)
Charging
The A6 also has built-in charging, via a micro-USB port in the head. The port is sealed with a press-in rubber cover. A spare is provided.
An appropriate cable is included, too. USB to micro-USB.
Here are a couple of charge tests. Looks like the light charges at around 1A. I used two different USB sources – it looks like the MC3000 USB out isn’t providing clean current. When the A6 has a good supply, the CC phase is 1A steady.
Modes and Currents
Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turbo | 1460 | 2m+210m | 1465 | 3.12 |
High | 400 | 3.5h | 432 | 0.96 |
Medium | 80 | 16h | 110 | 0.18 |
Low | 12 | 104h | 27 | 0.05 |
Firefly | 0.5 | 104d | ~ | ~ |
Pulse Width Modulation
PWM is visible on the scope on the middle three modes. It’s not terribly bad PWM though.
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
This Wowtac has a single side switch, which is an indicating e-switch. There are two emitters, displaying red and blue. The cover is clear silicone, and a little low and hard to find for my tastes – I prefer these side switches to be a bit proud like on the A4.
Here’s a UI table!
State | Action | Result |
---|---|---|
Off | Click | On (memory, LMH only) |
Off | Hold | Firefly |
Any | Double Click | Turbo |
Turbo | Double Click | Strobe |
On | Click | Off |
On | Hold | Mode cycle (LMH only) |
That’s the same UI as other Wowtacs (A4 and A5 for example) and also many Thrunites (TC20 for example).
LED and Beam
Wowtac has opted for a Luminus SST-40 for the A6. Mine’s CW but NW is also (or will also be) available. I’d prefer NW but CW is what I have on my bench, so….
The reflector is very shallow and broad and has an orange peel texture.
As you’d expect on this light with this setup, the beam has a bunch of flood, but still maintains a defined hotspot.
These beamshots are always with 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 keep the test flashlight on the left, and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.
I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Low-cost complete package
- Small size
- Hits specs
- Output lasts for longer than “gaming FL1”
What I don’t like
- CW – I’d love to see how the NW version is in person
- The knurling is a bit aggressive for me
- Stepdown from Turbo is dramatic
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!
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If the CW is this green is it safe to say the NW is even greener?
I purchased 3 of these.
All 3 had the same problem.
The light randomly skips high mode and will go from medium to low.
I’ve documented this with video and contacted wowtac multiple time over a few months and have gotten ZERO response from them.
Buyer Beware!
I grabbed a couple of these around black Friday for about $20 on amazon. They often drop to $25. They’re a fun light to mod.
The NW I got was pretty green. Replaced it with a 219c.
Emitter swaps (16mm MCPCB) are very easy once you overcome the thread locked bezel.
TIRs meant for the Convoy S2+ fit with a little sanding of the base of the lens.
Since the tailcap comes off, you can actually cut down the body tube to accommodate a smaller battery. With a little bit of file work you can then epoxy the tailcap back on. I’m running an 18500 and the light is a pinch shorter than an S2+ with an 18350.
The Wowtac emitters are virtually the same as the Thrunites. I don’t like their NW versions at all, way too much green shift. The CW versions are pretty good, my A6 is a clean white at high and turbo with slight green on low medium and moon. I use the A6 a lot as a work flashlight, it serves me well there. Wowtac/Thrunite is the only brand I can think of where I take the CW over the NW, I just can’t get over how bad the green is on NW.
Yeah for the longest time Wowtac boxes had some Thrunite branding, too.