ArmyTek Crystal Flashlight Review And Field Test
Вставка
- Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
- This is a field test of the ArmyTek Crystal, featuring five lighting modes ranging from Firefly to Beacon. The White/Red model was tested in this review.
I was asked to review this light and do try to accommodate such requests whenever possible. The light has a wide variety of mounting options and includes both Red and White Beacons. So, I was personally interested in the light for possible use in wilderness Search and Rescue. I have frequent need for emergency and auxiliary lighting. These needs range from hot swapping headlamp batteries in the field to area lighting during the rescue phase of an operation.
The review was filmed on a wet, rainy, cold night at the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano, Texas. All segments were shot one-take (with no retakes) using an iPhone 14 Pro MAX.
If you would like to see additional tests or comparisons with this light, please leave a comment. As always, thanks very much for your time and thanks for watching the video.
#flashlight #headlamp #night #hiking #nighthiking #camping #outdoors #searchandrescue
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
01:41 Some Features
03;24 Operation
04:08 Backpack Mount - Low White
04:35 Backpack Mount - Medium White
04:55 Backpack Mount - High White
05:26 Beacon Mode - White
06:13 Solid Red - High
06:41 Beacon Mode - Red
07:08 Elevated Area Lighting
08:13 Path Following
09:11 Summary - Спорт
Rain was intermittent throughout the night. It took about three hours total to collect all the footage for this review as I was using an external mic to compensate for all the wind noise. That meant removing the protective cover and I also did not want to get water on the lens. So, I had to wait for breaks in the rain to record. I suspect the light got 1-2 hours of exposure to light rain throughout the night.
I honestly thought ArmyTek, given the name, was a cheap brand looking for quick buys from uninformed consumers. Blowing me away! Great field test, and thanks again!
They actually have a pretty decent rep, but I was skeptical of this particular light. I thought it would be useful as a beacon as I need those in night SAR all the time. So, no matter how the light performed, I figured. there was little downside into investing time in a review. Yeah, it blew me away too :). Thanks!!
Ive been following your channel for a while and your reviews about lights are by far the best ive seen. I actually didnt know that you covered this light and i recently ordered this as a rear bike light actually. Ill see how that works out but it seemed to be a capable, lightweight and small option for my gravelbike.
That being said, this review only supported me in my decision and im looking forward to testing this in the field so to speak. Keep it up
Thank you. That's an interesting use case. Please leave another comment on how it works for you.
@@L5-SAR just a heads up, ive received it and this is the perfect light for my use case, love everything about it, ticks all the boxes. Usb C would be nice but thats a small nitpick.
There is just one problem and its a bit of a deal breaker. When i charge it and dont use it for lets say a week, the battery will drain on its own and it will only give me the really low modes or be completely dead.
Now my return window has already passed and i wouldn't really mind ordering another one if i could be sure i just got a lemon here... there really are no alternatives on the market for something like this and i like armytek as a company.
Just wondering if anyone else has encountered this issue. I will order another one, gives me the excuse to order one in a different color i guess and if that one is the same i will have to send it back i guess.
@@mikeenslin3009 I've noticed parasitic drain, but not that bad. I also have a habit of constantly recharging everything in my kit on a regular basis. So, I may not have let it go for long enough to be noticeable. Thanks for the additional information.
@@mikeenslin3009 I just charged it while prepping for a review, tonight. It's been six nights since I last charged it. I was able to turn the unit on in High before charging and it took less than 15 minutes to fully charge. I completely charge all gear before every review as I treat it just like a SAR training or actual op. Thank you.
For those wondering about the head-high vs waist-high comment for path following, I did try to use the light as an improvised headlamp. Some of the issue might have been the dull environment because all of the rain, but there was so little contrast, the iPhone had a lot of trouble locking focus. So, the clip was unusable. I still liked it better at waist-high for path following. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the review. Although I had always heard good things about ArmyTek, I had not heard of the ArmyTek Crystal. Too bad about the micro-USB. Otherwise it looks like a very good alternative in this category. There are a couple red beacons mentioned in running videos to satisfy nighttime running requirements (esp urban) if one's headlamp does not have them built-in on the back, but I don't know their names of the top of my head. Olight has the Gober which is more of just a beacon or low level light at 4 lumens--BUT it does have USB C !!! 😉 [and some special applications as an Apple AirTag holder.]
Nightcore has a similar light to the ArmyTek, the first one is micro USB, but an enhanced power capacity model, the latter new to me, has USB C. [Verify if accuracy is important as I did not have time to double check the listing I saw.
Thanks for your comments. I'm in discussion with Nitecore about some products and will see what I can do about getting more of these types of lights into the review queue.
Hi, thanks for a review. What's wrong with the micro usb charging? Is it just slower or does it have some other downsides?
It's a hassle. I can get called into a SAR op on very short notice. I have six or seven headlamps and about twenty flashlights (along with other devices) that I try to keep topped off in order to choose a subset of this gear for a particular mission. I have a large charging station at home. I may also have to charge en-route in the truck. I have two USB slots and I can rig a third with a 12V->USB adapter. I may also have to charge in the field during a particularly long op. That means a set of cables for everything at home, in the truck, and in my ruck. I kept a micro USB around for my older GS Extreme Ear Pro and was so glad when the GS 2.0 came out with USB-C charging. Now, I'm now using this ArmyTek Crystal, so micro-USB is back ... times three :). I'd really like it if Apple went to USB-C for the iPhone, Until then, I have to keep up with USB-C, micro-USB, and Lightening cables. Times three ... tbanks :)