Anyone buy the Armytek Tiara A1 or C1 yet?

[Labradford]

I have a C1. After buying 4 or 5 different Headlamps over the years that were not to my satisfaction, the C1 is here to stay. It's floody beam is perfect, has lots of power( providing one uses a rechargeable battery), simple operation (1 button to rule them all), decent strap that doesn't stretch out. This was my first Armytek purchase. It was a good first impression :twothumbs

 

[marcham]

Just got my Tiara A1 Pro. I've only had it 2 days but it's already my favorite flashlight. It's light, very bright, good flood for walking and close up work and great burn time.

A few things that would make it perfect :

-snap on lens color filters
-programmable brightness levels, like my predator pro
-an easier way to get it in and out of the headband
-better English in the owner's manual

 

[kj2]

Programmable brightness levels would be nice, as long they use the same way ZL does. Tried programming my Predator Pro numerous times and every time I fail. Got it back in factory settings now and will leave it. Love the light but hate the programming UI.

 

[Mountain]

Got my Tiara A1 the other day. Came with the headband/holder, pocket clip and 2 spare O rings. I've already used up 2 AA's through it. So I just put a order in at lighthound for 2 AW protected 14500's and a Ultrafire WF-139 charger. I think a $10 battery is worth an extra 400 lumens!

 

[Toolboxkid]

Got both on order, waiting 2-4 weeks now


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[Mountain]

Took all 4 weeks to get mine. Definitely looking forward to running those 14500's in it soon.

 

[StorminMatt]

Took all 4 weeks to get mine. Definitely looking forward to running those 14500's in it soon.

One thing to keep in mind about this light is that it has to be 'set' to run 14500s. It seems like it will run 14500s just fine without setting it to do so. But it appears that you have to set it to run 14500s in order to get the onboard overdischarge protection to work. Otherwise, it will overdischarge unprotected cells and draw protected cells down to the point that the protection kicks in (which is really not an optimal depth of discharge for a Li-Ion battery).

 

[skater1on1]

I'm looking to sell my Tiara A1 Pro Warm that I bought on 12/10/14 for a 2 day camping trip. Perfect condition and comes with a new Eneloop AA as a bonus! Text me if you're interested 480.779.8307

 

[d13avo]

I am still waiting for a C1 Pro which has been ages. Can't wait to receive it as all the reviews seem good.


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[D6859]

I think a $10 battery is worth an extra 400 lumens!

If I've understood correct, the headlamp puts out 550 lm OTF (out the front, Light output) with AA Eneloop or 14500 li-ion in it. The 950 lm in manual refers to LED lumens (theoretical output if heat loss and such are not regarded). So you don't get extra 400 lm changing the battery. Depending on your battery you might get better runtimes though as mhanlen has tested at the end of a video here.

I'm still considering ordering another Tiara as the company I ordered first one is selling them off for 35 euros (around $40).

 

[RedForest UK]

I get about 300 with eneloop and 600-650 with 14500 OTF.

 

[Mountain]

Your correct about having to choose your battery type but wrong about the lumens output. 1xAA is 550, 1x14500 is 950. Run time is the same. 30min for both. As stated per instruction booklet. Now weather or not those #'s are correct like RedForest UK stated below are a different story. We all know most companies inflate #'s to look good.

 

[D6859]

Your correct about having to choose your battery type but wrong about the lumens output. 1xAA is 550, 1x14500 is 950. Run time is the same. 30min for both. As stated per instruction booklet. Now weather or not those #'s are correct like RedForest UK stated below are a different story. We all know most companies inflate #'s to look good.

I coudn't notice such great change in output so I tested with both 14500 and AA. I tried taking pictures but unfortunately coudn't fix the exposure time with my camera. I can upload the picture if anyone is interested. Anyway, even in a small dark room the light doesn't get you blinded on either of the batteries. I think it should be obvious if the lumen output got doubled. Or is it just the floodyness of the headlamp that spreads the light around without you noticing it?

But hey, let's do some math: For AA, 1.2 V * 1900 mAh = 2.280 Wh. For Li-Ion, 3.7 V * 900 mAh = 3.330 Wh. The ratio Li-Ion/AA = 1.46. So if I'm right, in theory, changing the battery could give you a little less than 1/2 of the AA energy more. With same runtimes it won't double the lumens, though. [/THEORY]

 

[Trevtrain]

But hey, let's do some math: For AA, 1.2 V * 1900 mAh = 2.280 Wh. For Li-Ion, 3.7 V * 900 mAh = 3.330 Wh. The ratio Li-Ion/AA = 1.46. So if I'm right, in theory, changing the battery could give you a little less than 1/2 of the AA energy more. With same runtimes it won't double the lumens, though.

i read this and wondered too, doing the same rough mental arithmetic. However, boost circuits are known to be pretty inefficient so I thought that might have to be factored in when running from a 1.2V source.
Also, does that high setting on the 14500 include a timed step-down? Many vendors quote max setting with runtime figures derived from a level that drops significantly, often after about 30sec-3mins.

 

[RedForest UK]

One thing to keep in mind about this light is that it has to be 'set' to run 14500s. It seems like it will run 14500s just fine without setting it to do so. But it appears that you have to set it to run 14500s in order to get the onboard overdischarge protection to work. Otherwise, it will overdischarge unprotected cells and draw protected cells down to the point that the protection kicks in (which is really not an optimal depth of discharge for a Li-Ion battery).

That's odd. As far as I can tell this isn't the case for the non-pro version. I never set it to li-ion setting and it runs eneloops fine, but the low voltage warning kicks in at around 3v for 14500s too. If you read the non-pro manual there is also no mention of selecting battery type, unlike in the pro versions manual.

 

[D6859]

However, boost circuits are known to be pretty inefficient so I thought that might have to be factored in when running from a 1.2V source.

I was thinking about this too but Tiara seems to be very effiecient even when compared to many flashlights.

Also, does that high setting on the 14500 include a timed step-down? Many vendors quote max setting with runtime figures derived from a level that drops significantly, often after about 30sec-3mins.

Maybe it was the batteries I was using last night that weren't fresh from charger. In the video I referred to earlier you can see 14500 output gradually decrease. No step-down that I notice. It would be great to see real runtime charts.

 

[StorminMatt]

Also, does that high setting on the 14500 include a timed step-down? Many vendors quote max setting with runtime figures derived from a level that drops significantly, often after about 30sec-3mins.

According to the instructions, stepdowns are thermal rather than timer based. At least for the Pro.

 

[dansciurus]

Hey guys. I am going to buy the armytek tiara a1 warm. But before I do, can the bezel and lens be removed? I like to mod my lights with glow powder, and dislike sealed bezels. It is kind of the last con on my list. I have researched extensively, but have not found a single post about removinge the lens. If I can remove it, I will buy. If not, i might keep looking. Hoping someone can help me out and maybe see if its glued in or not. Thanks guys!

 

[Norm]

Dansciurs your newly started thead has been deleted as a duplicate of the post above - Norm

 

[dansciurus]

Thanks norm.