Olight Arkfeld Ultraviolet Cool White Flashlight Review
Olight has released a cool white Arkfeld flashlight with ultraviolet! This rectangular light has built-in charging and a one-mode UV output!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a ShareASale link to the Olight Arkfeld ultraviolet cool white flashlight product page.
Versions
We’re up to officially “many” versions of the Olight Arkfeld flashlight and they’re available in at least five body colors. A cool white (as seen here) and neutral white emitter option are available – in the case of the specific topic at hand, both have ultraviolet secondary emitters. A green laser (in place of the UV) is also an option on other models. The five body colors are Black, OD Green, Desert Tan, Blue, and Orange (seen here).
Price
The Olight Arkfeld ultraviolet flashlight in orange comes in at $58.98 (referral link). Looks like MSRP is $79.99, so now is a good time to get one! Here’s my ShareASale link for the Olight Arkfeld flashlight ultraviolet combo.
Note that there are at least a couple of kit options. One of those is for the Olight Gober. That’s the same (but not the same) as I’ve tested before. For free, it’s hard to beat!
Short Review
The Olight Arkfeld flashlight ultraviolet combo is a neat little light! I would still say it’s basically an S2R Baton II with a built-in LiPO in a very friendly and anti-roll shape. If you’re someone who routinely needs ultraviolet, then it’s a nice bonus! I’m pleased that Olight is now offering neutral white emitters, but this cool white will be great for those wanting something above 5000K.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Olight Arkfeld UV | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Probably Osram P9 (Cool white (5700K-6700K)) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $59.98 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Warning and off |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | Proprietary Magnetic |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | All modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 908 (90.8% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 2.2 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 85 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 114lux @ 4.636m = 2450cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 99.0 (116.5% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 5700-6700 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5800-6800 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Olight |
| All my Olight 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
- Olight Arkfeld ultraviolet cool white flashlight
- Charging cable (Proprietary magnetic Olight MCC 0.5A/1A/2A version)
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Olight Arkfeld Ultraviolet Cool White Flashlight Build Quality and Disassembly
If you like Vapes, this is the Olight for you. The Olight Arkfeld flashlight ultraviolet combo has a very vapey feel… Or maybe that’s just my opinion. That doesn’t take away from the light, though – the Arkfeld has a very robust feel. It’s solid.
Of course, there’s no cylindrical cell in there to rattle around or be removed, or whatever. The cell is 100% built-in. That’s good and bad of course. Building the cell in means Olight can get reliable performance, but it also means you can’t change the cell when it wears out in a number of years.
One of at least two changes on this ultraviolet (UV) Arkfeld is this design on the sides. This was a great decision. Not only does it look great, but it adds a good bit of useful grip, too!
I didn’t disassemble the Arkfeld!
Whatever the case about the battery (which is almost certainly a LiPO of some capacity), the built here is great. I love the very anti-roll shape. Not only that, but the Olight Arkfeld flashlight slips into the pocket where I normally carry an 18650 light in a much more comfortable way. It’s approximately the same width as my wallet, depending on if I’m carrying my AmEx Gold or not.
Size and Comps
Weight: 3.07 oz (87 g)
Height: 0.59 in (15 mm)
Length: 4.33 in (110 mm)
Width: 0.98 in (25 mm)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light.
Also above on the left is a new feature light!! Laulima Metal Craft sent this Todai in tumbled aluminum for some size comparison photos like the ones above. Laulima has a bunch of incredible items. I’ve tested one (the Laulima Metal Craft Hoku) (the official site for Hoku is here) that was a Friend Fund Friday review. I was impressed enough by that Hoku that I bought a Laulima Metal Craft Diamond Slim (also in tumbled aluminum) (review is upcoming!) These lights by Laulima have impeccable build quality and not only that, they’re quite configurable. There are some (great, actually) default configurations, but Joshua Dawson (of Laulima Metal Craft) is open to ideas and emitter options and the like. I haven’t reviewed this Todai, but I have to say, it feels absolutely fantastic and I love it thus far. (Notably, I love how warm and eggy those emitters look through the TIR.)
Retention and Carry
Here’s the second change (of two or more I mentioned above) to the Olight Arkfeld ultraviolet cool white flashlight. The pocket clip! This updated pocket clip is so much better than the previous one. And I liked the previous one just fine! This clip allows great deep carry, as well as having a two-way option. I don’t care at all about the two-way, but I love the deeper carry.
Not only that, but this clip also offers a hole suitable for a lanyard! Two advancements in one clip!
The only other way to retain the Arkfeld is with the magnetic base. While mostly for charging, the magnet is strong enough to hold the light in place, too.
Power and Runtime
Olight states this as a “Built-in 1050mAh Lithium Polymer Battery” and that’s perfectly logical. I was unable to gain any access to the LiPO but did run a couple of output tests. There is a battery indicator below the switch and it indicated when the voltage is low. The light finally shuts off, too. Output is nice and flat, even there at the start at around 900 lumens. That’s 3 or 4 minutes at around 900 lumens…
Below you can see the battery indicator – just one red. That’s what it looks like when the battery is low OR what it shows when the light is locked out.
When unlocked and mostly charged, you’ll see the green indicators as below.
Charging the Olight Arkfeld ultraviolet cool white flashlight
There’s also on-board charging, by way of a magnetic charge base and a magnetic charge connector in the tail (both parts are magnetic!). The charging base is the common Olight MCC, which can charge at 1A. This is a slight change from previous Arkfeld kits – they shipped with the 1A/1.5A/2A versions.
Charging looks pretty good. The max rate is around 0.9A. I would guess the LiPO could handle way more, so I’d love to see this utilize the full capability of a 2A MCC charger.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1000+300 | 4m+110m | |
| High | 300+60 | 126m+34m | |
| Med | 60 | 11h50m | |
| Low | 15 | 41h | |
| Moon | 1 | 8d |
Pulse Width Modulation
Nothing really to mention here. None of the modes seem to be using PWM.
For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find. I’m adding multiple timescales, comparing them to the test light will be easier. Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, which is 50 microseconds (50us). 10ms. 5ms. 2ms. 1ms. 0.5ms. 0.2ms. In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line. I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM.
User Interface and Operation
There’s just one e-switch on the Olight Arkfeld flashlight ultraviolet combo. Surrounding that e-switch is a selector knob of sorts, which points to either white LED output or ultraviolet output.
The e-switch isn’t proud at all. The selector has two nubs that help flip between outputs.
All of that said, the user interface is basically the same as the Olight S2R Baton II, which I’ve covered before.
When you turn the light on, these indicator LEDs briefly indicate what the general charge state is.
Here’s a UI table! This only applies when the selector is in the LED position. For ultraviolet output, the switch is simply on/off.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (mode memory)^ |
| On | Hold (release at desired mode) | Mode cycle (L, M, H) (no Moon or Turbo) |
| Off | Hold | Moonlight |
| Any | Double click | Turbo |
| Any | Triple click | Strobe |
| Strobe | Click | Off |
| Strobe | Hold | Previous Mode |
| Off | Long hold (past Moonlight) | Lockout (indicated by a single red line on the battery indicator)^ |
| Lockout | Hold | Unlock to Moonlight |
| On | Click then Click and Hold (quickly)^^ | Timer (Single blink: 3 minutes, Double blink: 9 minutes) |
| Timer | Click then Click and Hold (quickly)^^ | Switch between 3- and 9-minute timers. |
^ Moon, Low, Medium, and High are memorized. Turbo is memorized as High.
^^ The manual states this as “Double click and hold” but I think “Click then Click and Hold” quickly. Any form of double click ends in Turbo or Strobe.
LED and Beam
Olight doesn’t state what emitter is in the Arkfeld flashlight ultraviolet combo. I would guess it’s an Osram P9, but it doesn’t matter too much since we’ll see a characterization of the emitter below.
The emitter is in a small TIR, and beside that is a ultraviolet emitter.
Olight does state what the emitter CCT for this cool white light is though: 5700K- 6700K.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The CCT claim is 5700K to 5700K and this emitter just about hits that mark. I measure it between 5800K and 6800K. The CRI is mid to low, at around 78. More disappointingly though, is that the Duv is well above the BBL, demonstrating that the output is a bit greenish.
Olight also offers a neutral white version of this light!
Beamshots
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 KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Interesting shape!
- Good output
- Meets throw specifications
- The ultraviolet option is neat (and also easy to avoid)
- User interface will be very familiar to anyone with a Baton
- Slips into “the 18650 spot” in a pocket with more comfort than an 18650 light
- Neutral white option
What I don’t like
- Very floody
- Mid to low CRI
- Non-replaceable battery
- Proprietary charging (seriously, USB-C would be fantastic!)
Notes
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