AKOray K-106 - awesome AA/14500 3-mode bargain - MINI REVIEW!

[DHart]

Seems I just can't find a resting place when it comes to acquiring new lights. And I'm finding that there are some true bargain lights that rival lights 2x, 3x, 4x the price. The Akoray K-106 is one of them! A gem of a find in the world of flashlights.

The latest one to arrive (just today) came in from DX in Hong Kong, the Akoray K-106, featuring a CREE XR-E Q5 emitter.

Input Voltage/Powering Options
Runs on anywhere from 0.7v - 4.5v; so you can feed it an alkaline, lithium, NiMH, or 14500 Li-Ion. The K-106 has 3-modes, each one programmable to any desired output level from high to low, or blink (varying rates), or strobe (varying rates), or SOS.

Build quality
The build quality is excellent. Threads are square-cut and very clean. Body is THICK (strong) and the bore is evenly centered. Double o-rings at the head mount. Threads were not lubed, but with the addition of a little Nyogel, threading is very nice and smooth.

Switch
Switch is a recessed reverse-clickie (so it can tailstand) and not at all likely to turn on inside a pocket. The switch requires pressing via finger-tip as it's fairly deeply set, although with a protruding boot replacement, it could be thumb press-able.

Modes
I'm not much of a fan of strobes or SOS generally, and pretty much never need a "Tokyo (or Shenzhen) light-show" from a flashlight. But I do like having strobe/SOS available if needed, so it's really nice to not have them in the regularly-used modes - that is if you don't want them there - they can be if you do!

Programming
I programmed mine (quick and easy to do, using BessieBenny's guide) to be simply three levels of output: high > medium > low. Though it could be programmed low > medium > high, or high > strobe > Low, or blink > high > SOS, or low > high > SOS... or any of a huge number of possible combinations... you get the idea. This is truly an incredibly versatile UI, especially considering the price!

Output
In a word: AWESOME! On high I recorded an EV of 4.8 in my standardized ceiling bounce test. This is virtually indistinguishable from the output level of the D10 R2 on 14500 and a Solarforce L2 R2 3.7v lamp driven by an 18650!

For reference, here are readings in my ceiling-bounce testing from other well known AA size lights:

Nitecore D10 R2 = 14500 Li-Ion ======= 4.9EV
Solarforce R2 3.7v lamp = 18650 ====== 4.9EV
Akoray K-106 Q5 = 14500 Li-Ion ======= 4.8EV
Romisen RC-N3 Q5 = RCR123 Li-Ion ===== 4.6EV
Liteflux LF3XT = RCR123 ============ 4.5EV
Lumapower ConneXion X2 = 14500 Li-Ion == 3.7EV
Akoray K-106 Q5 = Eneloop AA ======== 3.5EV
Lumapower ConneXion X2 = Eneloop ===== 3.4EV

Current Draw
Current draw on HIGH with 14500 is 1.1 amps. Clearly, on Li-Ion, the Akoray blows away the ConneXion X@ in output. And the ConneXion, being a three mode light - though NOT programmable - is a good comparison to the K-106. The AKOray at $20.89 (including shipping!) is half-the-price of the ConneXion X2 and blows it away in output, versatility, utility on Li-Ion. On an Eneloop, the output of the K-106 and the ConneXion X2 is close. Output levels can be changed while the light is ON by a soft press on the button, as opposed to the ConneXion X2, which must be turned off in order to select a different output level, then back on again.

No idea on runtime comparisons at this point... refer elsewhere for info on that.

Beam Color
The beam is nice; color is a very clean, cool-white beam as compared to the yellowish tint ConneXion X2 and D10 for example. Beam is a little ringy (very softly), but not bothersome, nor noticible on real-world subjects. It's a bright sunny day, so night time throw testing and beamshots will have to come later.

Finish Color
I should note the color of the finish on this light. It's gorgeous.. a satin-finished bronze color. I like it a lot. With this bronze color and Solarforce's new gunmetal and sand finishes, black flashlights are looking a bit boring to me lately. It's nice to see some flashlights in beautiful tones besides the same-old same-old black.

Summary
All in all, this is an incredible value at $20.89 including shipping..... a highly recommended AA-size light! (And I'd gladly give up my ConneXion X2 before giving up this Akoray... not even considering the K-106 is half the price of the ConneXion X2). I'm not aware of any other light with this potency and versatility in output range and powering choices at even 2x the price.

Here a link to some info provided by BessieBenny - which supported my decision to order this light.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2895765&postcount=333

Shipping time was 10 days from DX in Hong Kong to my mailbox in Washington State. Best $20.89 incl. shipping I've ever spent on a flashlight! :twothumbs

 

[Creecher]

Re: AKOray K-106 - awesome AA/14500 3-mode bargain!

Nice mini-review. So good in fact I decided I 'needed' one. DX don't list a K-106 at all. Well their shotgun style search engine didn't find one anyway. I just got a Romison and a Tank007, and the Akoray was next. I'm impressed with some of these cheapos, the Tank is very good.

If anyone finds one on there can you let me know? Thanks.

 

[DHart]

Re: AKOray K-106 - awesome AA/14500 3-mode bargain!

Creecher... the sku is 16607. This is a really wonderful light for a steal of a price!

 

[1dash1]

DHart:

Impressive performance on 14500 li-ion cell. Looks like a great buy! :thumbsup:

.


For those interested in further information on the AKOray line:

• AKOray AA & AAA Review
• AKOray K109 Review (CR/RCR123 model)

 

[s.c.]

I've a feeling this will be merged with the other Akoray threads, but I just wanted to share my praise for these lights.

I have a couple of the 106 and the 109 akorays, with two 103s on the way. I'm glad I have multiple 106s because one is a little cool but very bright, while the other isn't as bright but has a much warmer tint with an unusually large hotspot. Mine are all modded with protruding tailcaps for easier activation but at the expense of tailstanding. I find myself carrying an akoray much more often than my fenixes or my lf3xt.

They remind me of Jetbeam IBS lights: three fully programmable modes, red o-rings, and square cut threads. Its like a mini Jetbeam ST.

 

[DHart]

I've a feeling this will be merged with the other Akoray threads, but I just wanted to share my praise for these lights.

I have a couple of the 106 and the 109 akorays, with two 103s on the way. I'm glad I have multiple 106s because one is a little cool but very bright, while the other isn't as bright but has a much warmer tint with an unusually large hotspot. Mine are all modded with protruding tailcaps for easier activation but at the expense of tailstanding. I find myself carrying an akoray much more often than my fenixes or my lf3xt.

They remind me of Jetbeam IBS lights: three fully programmable modes, red o-rings, and square cut threads. Its like a mini Jetbeam ST.

s.c. I presume you just replaced the switch boot to get a protruding tailcap... can you direct me to the source/specs/sku of the replacement boot you are using?

With the experience of this 106, I know now that I won't be able to resist ordering a 109 and a 103! (must resist, must resist...)

 

[kramer5150]

Nice... thanks for posting this.
What would you say are 2-3 things you dislike about it?

 

[DHart]

kramer... ok... what I don't like about it.. hmmm.

Well, the clip is kinda floppy/wonky... so clip lovers may not be thrilled with the clip. Personally, I don't like clips and this one is removeable, so that negative isn't a big deal for me.

I would like to try a protruding switch boot to make switching on even easier... although the tailstanding ability is something I often use with some of my lights that can do that.

It's on the long-side for a AA light... about 1/3 inch longer than my D10 and very close to the length of the ConneXion X2.

I'm not sure if the finish is HA or not. If it isn't, that would mean it wil pick up marks more readily. For my usage, I'm really easy on my lights, so they rarely get marked up... so this isn't a biggie for me, though it might be for someone who is particularly rough on lights.

It's just a tad thicker than my other AA lights, making it ever so slightly bulkier... but not by much. The body walls are beefy thick on this light and even thickness all the way around (bored well centered). SO the ever so slight bulk is countered by being a stronger body.

A forward clickie would be nice to have, but not a deal breaker by any means.

Of course I wouldn't mind being able to ramp up/down while the light is in use (as can be done with the LF3XT and D10 for example)... but it's hard to complain about that when you can custom program three distinct levels and the total cost including shipping is under $21.

Obviously some of my nit picks can be viewed as positives as well.

So... that's about it; there's not much of any significance that I don't like about this light!

 

[NonSenCe]

finally got around to order one myself. been thinking about it for hmm.. 3 months or so.

now that i got left a bit more than the price in DX as store credit i just couldnt resist anymore.

uses AA batteries. simple 3 mode. programmable. and "FREE"! cant loose. :twothumbs

 

[TooManyGizmos]

OP ... DHart ,

.
No product was found relating to your search:Akoray K 106

Thats the search result - it's not on the site

SKU-16607 goes to a 6 mode light that is not programable


So what dang light are you trying to refer us to ?

.

 

[boomhauer]

Great review, thanks! I've got the K-102 and love it - it exudes quality. The only thing that could be a little better is that the clicky switch is a little vague, tactiley. But it is a forward clicky. For some reason, I thought the K-106 and K-109 were forward clickies, too.

Although not HA-III, the finish seems very durable - I've dropped/banged mine a couple times with no effect.

Next AKOray for me is probably the K-109 since I already have a couple of 1AA lights, and no single CR123. They should be practically equivalent - between the CR123 and the 14500 power sources. The trick with the 109 is to get it from KD in 3 modes and Q5 emitter.

 

[DHart]

OP ... DHart ,

.
No product was found relating to your search:Akoray K 106

Thats the search result - it's not on the site

SKU-16607 goes to a 6 mode light that is not programable


So what dang light are you trying to refer us to ?

.

Ah, sorry... I forgot to mention, the description on DX is 6-mode, but the light they ship is 3-mode programmable. Read the reviews lower on the page. It is sku 16670 for model K-106... you can see it says K-106 on the light.

The description says:

Akoray Cree Q5-WC 6-Mode Memory 200-Lumen LED Flashlight with Clip (1*AA/1*14500)

 

[s.c.]

s.c. I presume you just replaced the switch boot to get a protruding tailcap... can you direct me to the source/specs/sku of the replacement boot you are using?

I got them from shiningbeam. I believe they're 14 mm, they have a little stalk on the inside that needs to trimmed down. Its a tight fit, but it works. I think it looks much nicer and its much easier to operate.

Nice... thanks for posting this.
What would you say are 2-3 things you dislike about it?

I personally dislike the stock button (see above). It gets hot rather quickly on high. Finish is a little weak.

Well, the clip is kinda floppy/wonky... so clip lovers may not be thrilled with the clip. Personally, I don't like clips and this one is removeable, so that negative isn't a big deal for me.

I suggest taking off the clip and use a jet-flame lighter to slightly melt the plastic covering. It will form to the clip and create more friction. It will also help protect the finish.

OP ... DHart ,

.
No product was found relating to your search:Akoray K 106

Thats the search result - it's not on the site

SKU-16607 goes to a 6 mode light that is not programable


So what dang light are you trying to refer us to ?

.

The description on DX has not been updated. Mine have come from DX very recently and it is indeed the 3 mode. The 109, however, is still the 6 mode, but KD has the 3 mode version.

 

[wapkil]

I got them from shiningbeam. I believe they're 14 mm, they have a little stalk on the inside that needs to trimmed down. Its a tight fit, but it works. I think it looks much nicer and its much easier to operate.

The green GITD talicaps from DX also fit well (sku.5714). The black 14mm ones have the same size (sku.5742, maybe they are the same that you have) so should also be ok.

kramer... ok... what I don't like about it.. hmmm.

In my light it was difficult to set the output to the lowest level. I think I was never able to set it as low as it was programmed by the factory.

I also particularly disliked the fact that my K-106 died on me. It's converted to direct drive and screamingly bright now but taking out the circuit I lost all the fun with the modes programming :mecry:

 

[DHart]

s.c. I have a bag of assorted colors of 14mm boots from DX and initially tried to use one of them, but thought that they were too big and gave up on it. After your suggestion to use that size I just tried again and installed a nice black one in there no problem (also trimmed the center nub a bit). Now I can activate the light with my thumb! Cool!

I guess I need to order another K-106 now so I can have one that tailstands and one that's tacticool!

 

[s.c.]

s.c. I have a bag of assorted colors of 14mm boots from DX and initially tried to use one of them, but thought that they were too big and gave up on it. After your suggestion to use that size I just tried again and installed a nice black one in there no problem (also trimmed the center nub a bit). Now I can activate the light with my thumb! Cool!

I guess I need to order another K-106 now so I can have one that tailstands and one that's tacticool!

I look forward to your great photography skills showing off how good it looks with the textured black cap.

 

[Wiggle]

About the finish, it's not HAIII but it's decent. That said, mine has developed some light scratches (this was after it was dropped by me onto a pile of gravel). For the switch, I find it works fine even thumb-wise for me, but I have pointier thumbs than most people. My opinions are on k109 which I'm sure are still valid. I'm seriously thinking about getting the AA version as a gift, I just wonder if the programming will confuse people. I'm also becoming a huge fan of the programmability. Currently I find the 8L->60L->150L is working great.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

Thanks for the further explanation guys , I never read the dx reviews

If you program this light as low as it will go , does it go as low as a Lightflux LF3xt,LF5xt and also Nitecore D-10 ? ... ( 1 to 3 lumens )

That would be very nice.

Thanks ....

 

[s.c.]

Thanks for the further explanation guys , I never read the dx reviews

If you program this light as low as it will go , does it go as low as a Lightflux LF3xt,LF5xt and also Nitecore D-10 ? ... ( 1 to 3 lumens )

That would be very nice.

Thanks ....

No, I wish it went that low. Its definitely lower than my fenix pd20 on low. I think it might be capable of going lower, but I can never catch it on time; the ramping is much too quick.

 

[Wiggle]

Try clicking before the ramp.