Wowtac A4 V2 Flashlight Review
Today I have the Wowtac A4 V2 flashlight. This is a single 26650 cell and smaller headlight. Read on for thoughts and testing!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Wowtac A4 V2 Flashlight product page (referral link), which is just an Amazon page for now! Wowtac doesn’t have this on their site.
Versions
Aside from the original A4, there are two versions of the A4 V2. Just difference in temperature, though – NW and CW. What I have here is the CW.
Price and Coupon
The list price on this A4 v2 is $49.99. I will also have a 10% off coupon, though, thanks to Wowtac! (when wowtac gets back to me, that is….) Wowtac went one better on the coupon! It’s 20% off! Here’s the code: 20A4Zeroair.
Also some other things Wowtac wants you to know specifically: The purchase price earns you 2 YEARS of maintenance service. There’s also an Amazon promo activity: Leave a video review for this A4 V2 on Amazon, and you’re qualified to get one FREE A1 flashlight or one 20% one-time coupon! Contact [email protected].
Wowtac’s Amazon store
Wowtac’s official site
Wowtac’s Facebook page
Short Review
Nice build quality, good UI, and a complete package make this a nice setup.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Wowtac A4 V2 | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XHP35 HI (CW) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $49.99 Amazon referral link. |
| Cell: | 1×26650 (included) |
| 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 modes. With cell: Lowest three modes. |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1895 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1982 (104.6% of claim)^ |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 564 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 2380lux @ 6.217m = 91990cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 606.6 (107.6% 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 V2 Flashlight
- Wowtac 5000mAh 26650
- Lanyard
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Spare charge port cover
- Charge cable (USB to micro-USB)
- Manual
Package and Manual
Typical package from Wowtac/Thrunite.
The manual is also typical. It’s a good manual.
Build Quality and Disassembly
Build quality is great.
I got the light dirty during photos – it ships very clean of course. 😛
The knurling is square and fairly grippy.
There are two springs on the tailcap, and the head end has a brass button.
The cell tube has anodized threads on one end and unanodized threads on the other. This means the cell tube is directional. Doesn’t matter much since there is no pocket clip area.
And for the record, the anodized threads go into the head, while the unanodized go on the tail, as seen below.
The tailcap has some very nice springs.
Size and Comps
Officially 123.5mm x 48mm x 32.5mm and inches, and 229g.
Retention and Carry
The only included way to carry this light is the lanyard, which attaches through a hole in the tailcap.
There is no pocket clip, no magnet, and no pouch.
Power and Runtime
A single 26650 runs the A4 V2. The proper cell is included – a 5000mAh flat top.
No complaints about the cell, and I’m very pleased Wowtac includes one.
Here’s a runtime on Turbo. The light easily meets the claimed output at 30s (and after), and once it steps down, the output is still a solid 1100 lumens (ie “High”). There’s a definitive low voltage cutoff, too.
High looks about the same, and also exhibits the same cutoff. High stays over 1000 lumens for almost 1.5 hours.
While the light is on, the switch indicates the cell charge level. The manual doesn’t state this, however. Generally, I expect this to follow the charge specification. Cell voltage is “okay” = solid blue. Needs charging = red.
Charging
The A4 V2 also has built-in charging, which happens over the micro-USB port in the head (or probably really the “neck” area). Interestingly, the charge port is not directly opposite the switch. This doesn’t mean anything functionally; it’s just something I can’t remember seeing. i.e., if the switch is at 12 o’clock, the charge port isn’t at 6 o’clock, but more of a 5ish.
Wowtac includes a charging cable too. USB to micro-USB.
Charging looks good and is quite fast. Of course, the 5000mAh 26650 can handle the ~2A current just fine.
Three hours to a full 5000mAh cell is good. While charging, the indicating switch is red. When the charge is complete, the switch turns blue. Purple flashing means abnormal charging.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1895 | 3m/148m | 1982 | 7.12 |
| High | 1058 | 8m/150m | 1134 | 2.50 |
| Medium | 208 | 12h | 225 | 0.33 |
| Low | 28 | 89h | 31 | 0.05 |
| Firefly | 0.5 | 208d | ~ | ~ |
Pulse Width Modulation
No PWM to speak of. I can’t really explain the ripple on the lower modes, but it’s 1) not visible, and 2) not PWM.
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.
The user interface is the same as what’s on the A6, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that.
Here’s a user interface 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) |
| On for some time (“a while”, 30ish seconds) | Hold | Low |
That’s the same user interface as other Wowtacs (A4, A5, and A6, for example) and also many Thrunites (TC20, for example). I love that fact mainly because I like the user interface in general – very simple but enough features, and easy to access low and high. And it saves me from writing the user interface section (my least favorite section to write!)
LED and Beam
The emitter here is a cool white Cree XHP35 HI. The reflector is just medium all the way. Not huge, not terribly deep, … but it provides a very good spot with the domeless emitter and smooth surface.
Beamshots
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 keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right here.
I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Meets specs easily
- Nice small size for a 600m throw light
- Complete package including 26650 cell
- NW is an option
What I don’t like
- I’d like one more carry option – pouch or belt clip – at least
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!
- Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!
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