Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum Flashlight Review
The Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight bring a spec bump (1400 lumens) and standard Arkfeld Pro features. The material is neat but the shape is better!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight product page.
Versions
It looks like there’s just one version of the Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight right now. And it’s olive green! Not black – unusual for a first edition!
Price
The Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight comes in a bundle at an introductory price of $119.99. That’s with the Olight Baton Turbo, which is an extraordinary light, and you should buy one! The Arkfeld Ultra alone is around $96.
What’s Included
- Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight
- Charging cable (Proprietary magnetic Olight MCC 0.5A/1A/2A version)
- Metal challenge coin
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight – like the other Arkfelds – has a very vapey feel… That doesn’t take away from the light, though – the Arkfeld Ultra 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.
Whatever the case about the battery, the build here is great. I love the anti-roll shape. Not only that but the Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight 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.
Having already disassembled my brown non-Pro version, I did not do so for the Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight version. You’re invited to check out the photos from that review, though. Here’s a link. (Note: I didn’t get too far with disassembly.)
Olight includes a metal challenge coin with the Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight. I only recall the coins with the Olight knives before, so this is sort of neat.
Size and Comps
4.72 x 1.06 x 0.63 in (120 x 27 x 16 mm)
4.20 oz / 119 g (Including Battery)
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+. The version you see below is a custom Convoy S2+ host that’s been laser engraved by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or just go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the light beside a 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!
Retention and Carry
The Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight still has the updated pocket clip, which is so much better than the first edition Arkfeld clip. This clip allows great deep carry and has a two-way option. I don’t care at all about the two-way, but I love the deeper carry.
Interestingly, the Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight does not have a lanyard hole in the pocket clip like some previous Arkfelds.
There’s a magnet in the tail, of course, because that’s how the charger connects. It’s also strong enough to hold the Ultra.
Power and Runtime
Olight states this as a “built-in 1500mAh Lithium Polymer Battery” and that’s perfectly logical. I was unable to gain any access to the LiPO but I did run a couple of output tests. There is a battery indicator below the switch and it does indicate when the voltage is low. The light finally shuts off, too.
Output is nice and stable for all but the first few minutes of Turbo and steps down at timed intervals. The light appears to have low voltage protection, too, but I wasn’t able to check the post-run voltage.
Only one position has a red LED.
That red position can also indicate in green, as seen below.
Charging
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.
The charger for this Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight is an MCC1A charger.
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 MCC charger.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1400 | 4m-121m | 1263 (0s) 1255 (30s) |
| High | 420 | 135m+12m | 357 |
| Med | 100 | 9h45m | 90 |
| Low | 15 | 55h | 14 |
| Moon | 1 | 11d | 0.8 |
Pulse Width Modulation
Nothing really to mention here. None of the modes seem to be using 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
There’s just one e-switch on the Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight. Surrounding that e-switch is a selector knob of sorts, which points to either white LED output, ultraviolet, or laser output. Functionally this is exactly the same as the Arkfeld Pro.
The e-switch isn’t proud at all. The selector has one nub that helps flip between outputs.
It’s a familiar user interface. The Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight e-switch is small and metal-covered. Action is good
Here’s a UI table! This only applies when the selector is in the LED position. For ultraviolet or laser 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 | Strobe (“Setting 1” – Default) Turbo (“Setting 2”) |
| Lockout | Click 10x+ and hold | Iterate between Setting 1 and Setting 2 (indicated by flashing twice) |
| Any | Triple click | Turbo (“Setting 1” – Default) Strobe (“Setting 2”) |
| 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 is more accurate. Any form of double click ends in Turbo or Strobe.
LED and Beam
Olight doesn’t state what emitter is in the Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight. 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 an ultraviolet emitter. In the middle (at the bottom of the photo below) is the laser output.
When you turn the light on, these indicator LEDs briefly indicate what the general charge state is.
This is the 3R laser version, but I believe some markets may get a different (possibly less powerful) laser. I am not sure how you’d be able to check, but probably start with your local laser laws.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The CCT claim is 5700K to 6700K and this emitter seems quite cooler than that claim. I measure it between 6400K and 6800K. The CRI is low, at around 72. I’m pleased to know that the Duv hovers right around the BBL, which means you’re less likely to feel that the beam is “greenish” (but it also definitely will not be pinkish.)
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!
Summary and Conclusion
The Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum flashlight is another great light, just like the Arkfeld and Arkfeld Pro etc. This being an “Ultra” you’d possibly expect more and we do get “O-aluminum” whatever that is, and a bit of a spec bump. All that is fine, and the Arkfeld (series) is still good. So if you need higher output, or just really like the green, go for it. Do buy the bundle though, because you do need the Baton Turbo!
The Big Table
| Olight Arkfeld Ultra O-aluminum Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Unstated |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $95.99 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | Proprietary Magnetic |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1400 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1255 (89.6% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 2.2 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 103 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 151lux @ 4.903m = 3630cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 120.5 (117% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 5700-6700 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6400-6800 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 I like
- Interesting shape!
- Good output
- 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
- Combining these two secondary output options is a very good move on Olight’s part
What I don’t like
- Very floody
- Low CRI
- Non-replaceable battery
- Proprietary charging (seriously, USB-C would be fantastic!)
Notes
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