Anyone buy the Armytek Tiara A1 or C1 yet?

I ordered the Pro model of each last week. I sure hope it's not the same disaster as the Wizard Pro from last year.

just arrived today, what was the "disaster" last year? I have the wizard pro, no issues.

just got the pro c1 warm

What do you guys think of them so far?

Also, did they change anything about the switch feel since the Wizard Pro? I have a WP – I like it a lot overall but the switch button (the clicky itself, not the silicone cover) is too small and requires a touch more force than I'd like.

I just received my tiar a1 pro yesterday. I don't have anything with a similar switch but find with a little practice it is fairly easy to use. It is very bright on eneloops - don't yet have any 14500 to try out in it.

It came with two tailcaps - one magnetic and one not. The manual was not included but it is on armyteks site anyway.

So far very impressed with the modes and the build. Tailcap threading is as good or better than any I have had.

John.

Beacon of Light said:

I ordered the Pro model of each last week. I sure hope it's not the same disaster as the Wizard Pro from last year.

Click to expand...

Please tell us about your "disaster" Wizard Pro...

For those that have them in hand, I'd be curious to hear comparisons between the Tiaras and equivalent Zebralight lamps (if you have experience with them).

Thanks.

Read the thread for the Wizard Pro from 2013. Some highlights were the color indicators were wrong colors, some lights were unable to turn on after a glitch which was able to be recreated on any Wizard Pro by tapping it hard and it would fail to turn on. IIRC there were also reports of this turning off without turning back on even without tapping it hard on one end. The temperature shut off was buggy or inaccurate. Temp protection would step down too soon. Those are the problems off the top of my head but the real disaster is the way they handled the replacements as they were working on a v1.5 which had a better UI that most people preferred but as of today v1.5 is not available. It was told it would have been available I guess Aug or September 2013 and delays kept pushing it back and then it was on the back burner from Armytek since they released these new lights and sort of kicked the v1.5 Wizard Pro can down the road.

beast1210 said:

just arrived today, what was the "disaster" last year? I have the wizard pro, no issues.

Click to expand...

read post #8

kj75 said:

Please tell us about your "disaster" Wizard Pro...

Click to expand...

Ok so I spent about an hour with both the Tiara A1 Pro and C1 Pro and the levels for firefly are off between the two even though they are supposed to have the same lumens per mode. If I had to guess the A1 is closer to the truth. The .1 lumens on the A1 looks right but the C1 looks like .01 lumens. The 2 lumen mode on the A1 looks lower than 2 lumens as it is lower lumens than the lowest firefly on the Wizard Pro which is supposed to be .5 lumens. The C1 on the 2nd firefly mode (2 lumens) is just a hair bit brighter than the .1 lumen mode of the A1 and it is MUCH lower than the .5 lumen firefly of the Wizard Pro. The 3rd mode or low mode is 12 lumens and both the A1 and C1 look the same here. The rest of the modes are pretty spot on between those two.

I am waiting to see others comments on this as the C1 lows (I can't believe I of all people will be complaining about this) of the firefly modes are too low and then the huge jump to 12 lumens is blinding almost. So my approx guestimation for the C1 run like this:

C1 Pro - .01 lumens / .2 lumens / 12 lumens....

The A1 seems more useable at:

A1 Pro - .1 lumens / 2 lumens / 12 lumens....

Did I receive a defective C1 Pro model? Lumen specs should be the same as A1 Pro but are not. What's up with that?

I still prefer the 7 lumen mode of the Wizard Pro as it's not a HUGE jump from .5 lumens.

My wish would be if they lowered the 3rd level a bit to be around 7 like the WP. The levels would seem more balanced at:

.1 lumens / 2 lumens / 7 lumens / 75 lumens / 250 lumens / 750 lumens instead of:

.1 lumens / 2 lumens / 12 lumens / 85 lumens / 250 lumens / 750 lumens.

Also I received no instructions which is a bummer considering the Wizard Pro's came with instructions (albeit the written instructions were different than the online instructions which were the more correct of the two).

Another problem I noticed after reading the instructions online is there is no mention of how to check for battery voltage as it IS listed as a feature on the specs for the Tiara Pro. One of the features I use often is this battery level check on my Wizard Pro and an important reason I decided to buy both the A1 and C1 Pro.

I also didn't receive a non-magnetic tailcap on both the A1 or the C1. It just had the magnetic one already installed on the headlamp. The only extra parts were 2 o-rings and a clip in a sealed bag on both A1 and C1. What's up with that?

So, I have concerns that there are still problems considering I didn't get the extra tailcaps, the modes on the C1 is off on firefly modes, no printed instructions, and the battery voltage meter was advertised but not mentioned in the instructions which to me is bait and switch.

Armytek had a year to "get it right" this time with their launch of the Tiaras, but it doesn't seem much different or better than the Wizard Pro launch. I notice Zebralight never seems to have these issues when they release new lights and their specs are always spot on and the lumen levels are consistent even between different models. I have quite a bit of experience with Zebralight as I own over 10 Zebralight models now.

same exact switch, which I'm not really a fan of but I've accepted it.

StudFreeman said:

What do you guys think of them so far?

Also, did they change anything about the switch feel since the Wizard Pro? I have a WP – I like it a lot overall but the switch button (the clicky itself, not the silicone cover) is too small and requires a touch more force than I'd like.

Click to expand...

Tiara A1/C1 Pro comparison beamshots

A1 .1 lumen ----------------------------------------- C1 .1 lumen



A1 2 lumen ----------------------------------------------C1 2 lumen



A1 12 lumens ------------------------------------------C1 12 lumens



Compare my Armytek Wizard Pro model:

Wizard .5 lumens ---------------------------------------Wizard 7 lumens

Wizard 30 lumens

Beacon of Light:

The online pdf instructions -page 2 - show that the battery check is part of the strobe modes. They are accessed by turning the light on and then pressing the switch 4 times quickly. The two strobe modes are then sorted through by pressing and holding the switch.

It may be necessary to program the light for the battery type first - as per page one instructions (under Initial Service).

It's too bad you didn't get the extra tailcap. I did notice that the magnetic tailcap has a slot that looks like it is meant for a coin (to remove the magnet). I did try this however was reluctant to put a lot of force on it and it did not come apart.

I've noticed that my light gives the proper voltage with two newer duraloops however does not with an old and tired eneloop (in this case it shows 1.8 volts for the battery when it is 1.2+ volts on my multimeter).

John.

I should add that the lowest two (moonlight) modes on mine are quite useful - seems strange that the C1 is so much different.

John.

I've been playing with the voltage display and found that it didn't work properly with a decent duraloop when freshly put into the light. However after running the light on high for a minute or so it worked as expected. Seems that to get a decent reading the light should be on for a little bit immediately before going into the voltage reading mode.

John.

Got my Tiara yesterday, and immediately went looking for reviews. This is my first post here, but I've read many amazingly detailed reviews, and was surprised to learn that the light has just come out (I never get in early on anything!).

Yep, battery check is third strobe mode. First set of blinks is the voltage value before the decimal point, second set is the value after the decimal point (e.g. 3 blinks then 7 blinks is 3.7V). Clever.

I too only got the magnetic tail cap, and I did open it with a coin (opened reasonably easily). The screw in part of the cap is, disappointingly, plastic, so I won't be messing with it that much (it has a laughably pinhole-sized bit through which it might be possible to thread some dental floss as a lanyard) . The magnet is bigger than I thought it'd be: it's a bit smaller than the diameter of the tail cap, and about 4mm thick. I assume the non-magnetic tail cap is about 8mm shorter, I'm sorry I didn't get one with the light, but I didn't read anywhere that I would get two caps (only here).

I have behind the glass what looks like either the arc of a crack in the glass, or perhaps some thin black metal/plastic sticking out into the beam cast by the LED. It doesn't seem to affect the beam pattern (I'm no expert), but it does mar the perfection of this brand new light

The light certainly is a lot larger than my Zebralight SC52, and quite a bit heavier. Not too large or heavy for me, but more than I thought it'd be (I was going buy a Wizard before spotting the Tiara, so I'm grateful I didn't, size wise). I do like how bright it can be with a 14500 in it!

The buckle arrangement of the head strap is different from that described in the manual, but it was simple to figure it out (just strange that there would be that discrepancy).

Lastly, I am spoiled by the easy use of the SC52 button, the Tiara's button requires substantially more force.

Cheers!

Chas

jcs0001 said:

Beacon of Light:

The online pdf instructions -page 2 - show that the battery check is part of the strobe modes. They are accessed by turning the light on and then pressing the switch 4 times quickly. The two strobe modes are then sorted through by pressing and holding the switch.

It may be necessary to program the light for the battery type first - as per page one instructions (under Initial Service).

It's too bad you didn't get the extra tailcap. I did notice that the magnetic tailcap has a slot that looks like it is meant for a coin (to remove the magnet). I did try this however was reluctant to put a lot of force on it and it did not come apart.

I've noticed that my light gives the proper voltage with two newer duraloops however does not with an old and tired eneloop (in this case it shows 1.8 volts for the battery when it is 1.2+ volts on my multimeter).

John.

Click to expand...

Chas:

I bought mine directly from Armytek - wonder if that has anything to do with the two tailcaps?

Have you tried it with a 14500? I'm waiting to get a couple that are on order. As far as I know only the highest mode is different than with an aa battery - should be interesting to see.

John.

I bought mine directly from Armytek too! Mine was drop-shipped direct from China though, was yours? I also got a gold bezel, wonder if that has anything to do with it (a semi-custom build, vs. a "standard" build?).

I've only tried it with a 14500, 950 lumens is very bright! Well worth it

Cheers!

Chas

jcs0001 said:

Chas:

I bought mine directly from Armytek - wonder if that has anything to do with the two tailcaps?

Have you tried it with a 14500? I'm waiting to get a couple that are on order. As far as I know only the highest mode is different than with an aa battery - should be interesting to see.

John.

Click to expand...

jcs0001 said:

Beacon of Light:

The online pdf instructions -page 2 - show that the battery check is part of the strobe modes. They are accessed by turning the light on and then pressing the switch 4 times quickly. The two strobe modes are then sorted through by pressing and holding the switch.

It may be necessary to program the light for the battery type first - as per page one instructions (under Initial Service).

It's too bad you didn't get the extra tailcap. I did notice that the magnetic tailcap has a slot that looks like it is meant for a coin (to remove the magnet). I did try this however was reluctant to put a lot of force on it and it did not come apart.

I've noticed that my light gives the proper voltage with two newer duraloops however does not with an old and tired eneloop (in this case it shows 1.8 volts for the battery when it is 1.2+ volts on my multimeter).

John.

Click to expand...

John thanks for the heads up. I didn't notice there was a second page on the PDF manual. I tried the voltage meter and it works. My fresh off the charger Eneloop also reads 1.8v which is strange. I'm still at a loss as to the C1 Pro having much lower firefly modes than the A1. Does anyone that have both the A1 and C1 notice this as well? Like I said the firefly modes are unusable on the C1 and the A1 is much better.

I do have Tiara C1 Pro WW, also brought it directly from Armytek. I've got only one tail cap with magnet. Compared with my Wizard Pro and other several lights, all modes of my sample seem correct.
I've order another A1 Pro WW from HKE, now it is on the way. I'll report back when the A1 arrive.