Gift Glow A1 Reflector Flashlight Review
The Gift Glow A1 flashlight has two versions – one uses a reflector and the other uses a TIR. Here’s testing on the longer option. Check out all the knurling!
Official Specs and Features
There’s not really an official page. This light is purchased through the maker on Facebook.
Versions
There are two versions of the Gift Glow A1 flashlight. The one seen here uses a reflector, but there’s a TIR version too. Both are single-emitter lights. The reflector version is a bit longer, but otherwise, they are basically the same.
Price
Either edition of the Gift Glow A1 flashlight sells for $199, but a $35 shipping fee is required. So this is basically a $234 flashlight.
Short Review
I sort of went into this knowing I would love the Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight. I love knurling. I love Cree XP-L HI emitters. The McClicky is great. This user interface is fine. I even like 16340-sized lights just fine, too! Basically, everything about this light was lining up for it to be perfect for me. And it really is. I love it. I might like some other driver in it, but I think that’d be fairly simple to change, anyway. It’s costly, at $200ish, but it’s very well built. And it’s titanium!
Long Review
The Big Table
| Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XP-L HI (Reflector head) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $199.00 |
| Cell: | 1×16340 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | No |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | (No claim was made as far as I can tell) |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 920 |
| Candela per Lumen | 13.38 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | (No claim was made as far as I can tell) |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 187lux @ 4.75m = 4219cd^^ |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 129.9^^ |
| Claimed CCT | 5000 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 4900-5500 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Gift Glow |
| All my Gift Glow 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.
^^ It’s very important to mention up front that this light had visibly and clearly stepped down at 30 seconds, so while this reading is consistent with other readings on this site, it’s misleading in that the light initially throws much farther than the stated measure.
What’s Included
- Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight
- Spare o-rings (4, 2 types)
- Gift Glow patch
- Cleaning cloth
Package and Manual
There is no manual.
Build Quality and Disassembly
I stated it above but let me say it again here for the record (and probably many more times below.) I love knurling. I love this knurling, too. It’s very good. Extremely consistent, a nice depth, and great for good grip on the Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight.
Now whether this is knurling or some milled diamond pattern I guess is a different discussion. This is probably a milled diamond texture and not a rolled knurling pattern. Functionally that’s irrelevant, but if you want to make the distinction, please go ahead and do so. Practically I love holding this light because of the [milling or knurling] on the body, and I don’t care which it is.
You can see in the photos below just how consistent the pattern is. Not that this is an inexpensive light, but this pattern is better than the same design we see on other much more costly lights (like most HDS lights!)
The pocket clip on this light is also interesting, but more on that below.
More on those two “extra” holes below, too!
As I said above, it should be fairly straightforward to change the driver in the Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight if you wish to do so. What’s used by default is good, but is also just held in place by a brass retaining ring, and it all screws together. One important but not heavily promoted feature of the A1 is that the thread connection is a standard E-Series connection! That means other E-Series heads will fit on the body and that the head will fit on other E-Series bodies. Many Surefire lights use this E-Series configuration. Malkoff does too. Oveready has some parts that are E-Series.
The switch used here is a McClicky, and so there’s a McClicky spring inside the cell tube.
Size and Comps
Weight: 78g without battery
Size: 83mm (length)
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 is 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. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
I did happen to also get the TIR version of this light. In fact, I bought the TIR version and Gift Glow was kind enough to include the reflector head for review purposes. The difference between the two is quite surprising!
Retention and Carry
Only a pocket clip is included for carry of the Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight. The screw-in pocket clip uses two TORX screws.
The clip design seems to be unique to this flashlight. However, I think the screw holes are standard spacing, and despite the fact that the screws look to be parallel to each other, I do think they go straight into the tailcap (which is exactly how most pocket clip screws work.) So I think you could swap this clip for some other, if you wanted.
While this clip is not decorative, it is extremely functional. Note at right, above, that the clip doesn’t touch the body. That’s good; there’s no cheese grater effect when using the clip.
Those two holes look like “other pocket clip holes” but they are not. They aren’t even threaded! These are likely (or could be used as) lanyard holes. I do like that there’s two of them, and also that the rim of the light edge isn’t broken, but these holes could be a good bit closer together!
Power and Runtime
The body that’s included on the Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight is a single 16340 cell body. Again, this is an e-series flashlight, so you can get all sorts of body sizes, and run the light with any number of cell types! (I’d stick to single cells though, as I don’t think the driver is meant to handle more than 4.2V).
The cell goes into the light in the usual way – positive end toward the head. Both ends have springs, so you should be able to use any type of 16340 cell (flat or button).
Below are a few runtimes; the highest three of 7 modes.
The light did not seem to shut off (necessarily) but it switches to such a low output that I didn’t even include it on the right side of the graph. It’ll run at that low output for ages and you can tell that doubly so by the ending voltage stated in the charts above.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | – | – | 1565 (0s) 920 (30s) |
8.08 |
| 6 | – | – | 860 (0s) 634 (30s) |
3.36 |
| 5 | – | – | 357 (0s) 322 (30s) |
1.09 |
| 4 | – | – | 200 | 0.53 |
| 3 | – | – | 64 | 0.15 |
| 2 | – | – | 9.4 | 0.02 |
| 1 | – | – | 0.4 | [low] |
Pulse Width Modulation
Every level except Turbo uses 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, so it’ll be easier to compare to the test light. 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 too.
User Interface and Operation
A single mechanical switch controls the Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight. This switch is a McClicky, and there’s a black rubber cover over it. This cover has my least favorite feature of the light: a radioactive symbol. With all the other knurling, a standard knurled switch cover would match so nicely!
The switch cover does not protrude.
Action is deep and clicky. Since it’s a forward clicky, momentary output is possible (but changing modes while the light is on is not).
My impression of the BLF A6 A17DD FET+1 driver is that it’s really made for reverse clicky lights. As such, I can’t really say how you do some things that the diver should do. For example, while it’s possible to get into programming mode and set things like mode group (one or two) or mode memory (on or off), I can’t get into some other features of the driver, like batt check and strobe.
Here’s a UI table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Lowest output or mode memory, if enabled) |
| On | Click | Off |
| Off | Tap | Momentary output and mode advance (ascending) |
| Off | Tap 19x+ (until light stops turning on) | Enter programming mode^ |
^ Here’s what ToyKeeper says about the BLF A6 driver. All of this worked fine for me on this forward clicky light.
The way it works is the light will blink twice for each option, then pause for a bit before moving to the next option. Turn the light off between the two blinks to toggle that option.
The available options are:
– Mode group: 7 modes or 4 modes:
Group 1: moon, low, med1, med2, high1, high2, turbo
Group 2: low, med, high, turbo– Mode memory toggle
LED and Beam
One of the things I liked so much about the Gift Glow A1 reflector flashlight is that is uses a Cree XP-L HI emitter. Yes, there are newer (and maybe better) emitters, but I have a long love affair with the Cree XP-L HI emitter. This one is 5000K. And of course, being that this is the reflector version, the light has a reflector. There’s a bit of texture on it.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The claimed CCT of 5000K is about spot on. It does range a bit from the low modes to the highest mode, but still very much within the neutral range. CRI is low but not the lowest. It’s acceptable; a Nichia 519a emitter in this light would really be optimal, though.
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.
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
- Knurling! (or milling, whatever it is)
- E-Series (I didn’t push that info too heavily but I actually love that aspect of this light
- Great reflector shaped output (nice tight hotspot and a “flashlighty” spill)
- Full titanium construction
- Very great pocket clip
- Should be very easy to modify (reflector, driver)
What I don’t like
- 16340 and not 18350. If Gift Glow ever makes an 18350 version of this light, I’ll probably have to buy that, too!
- Cost…. though this is a titanium light, $200 (or $234 really) is heavy.
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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