AKOray K-106 - awesome AA/14500 3-mode bargain - MINI REVIEW!
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brted
Enlightened
Old4570 - Thanks for the link to your review. How does it work with a 16340? I guess you add a spacer? Does a 14500 rattle?
Gryffin - How long ago did you get yours from KD? If I order the one with ProductID=6974, is that what you have? KD says it has infinite variable brightness, so does that mean it is programmable too? The thing stopping me from getting the Akoray is I'm not sure it will really be programmable, and I'm not sure it will be as bright as some people say. Also some seem very bluish. Does yours have a bluish tint?
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march.brown
Flashlight Enthusiast
I ordered a Nkoray K-106 but was sent the identical Trustfire F20 ... It is the five mode with memory ... It is really the nicest little torch you could wish to own ... I am not interested in setting the output level down to a couple of lumens, so for me it is perfect the way it is ... I really cannot understand why people would want to spend mega-bucks on a posh make when something like this is so good ... DX had them on sale for $13-90 including postage ... It is the ideal pocket torch and it is so easy to carry another AA battery if needed ... I think I've talked myself into buying another one.
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old4570
Flashlight Enthusiast
No , 16340 goes right in , no spacers .. [ Designed for 16340 / 14500 / AA ]
No rattle , there is a plastic sleeve top and bottom for the longer AA 14500 to hold them in place , actually if you shake it with the CR123A/16340 there is a slight rattle .
Got mine a couple months ago.
Yeah, it's programmable; I set mine to ~10% > ~50% > 100%, no strobes or SOS. The other folks here are right, it's tough to get REALLY low as it ramps up from zero, but the programming is very easy.
As far as brightness, it's got great output, but doesn't throw as well as some, like my Quark AA Tactical. I don't mind, though; I carry it for EDC work, almost always up close where I'd rather light up more than a 3" circle. Heck, like I said, I even put a (removeable) diffuser on it.
Oh, and the tint on mine is good. Not a fashionable warm white, but definitely NOT bluish.
brted
Enlightened
Thanks for the info. I'm glad to hear about the tint. Did you get the K-106 or the AK-16 like old4570 got?
I lost my K-106 some time ago, and haven't gotten a new one yet; I was thinking about the AK-16, but I'm hoping it would also be usable with 17500, or better yet 18500 cells. (Obviously this would require removal of the plastic centering sleeves, but I can do that. 😉) Any chance you could check the tube ID?
old4570
Flashlight Enthusiast
17mm ID
I largely agree with you. It is my emergency torch, and I used it last night when a colleague alerted me to a slow puncture on one of my car tyres. Without the torch it would have been impossible to check it and tricky to pump it up. But premium brand units do provide maybe 50% more output and that might be worth the money to some. And of course these Chinese dealers seem to supply units with slight changes to the interface/behaviour as time goes by. It is pot luck. And I see nothing in the cheap units that can match a premium 2 x AA torch. The fact that the AK-106 is type II hard anodising, hence slightly softer than type III is unimportant to me. (My Fenix torch even arrived with chips in the surface.)
Note: I meant 50% more runtime.
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Egsise
Banned
Output or runtime.
With +50% more runtime theres no need to carry spare battery...
march.brown
Flashlight Enthusiast
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The Nkoray K-106 only costs $13-90 including postage ... Mine has five preset modes and memory and suits me perfectly as an EDC ... At this price, I certainly don't mind carrying one spare battery ... The K-106 with its one spare battery will have a better run time than even the most super expensive single AA torch even if the efficiency is double that of the K-106.
Bear in mind that the K-106 is only a tiny slim EDC torch ... If I need a proper torch, I would also carry a Solarforce L2 which still fits into my pocket particularly with the smooth bezel.
There will also (always) be at least one torch in the glove compartment of the car ... Probably the Saik SA-8 plus an even cheaper one.
The EDC is great for things like "looking for dog biscuits under the furniture" or "looking under the car seats for Grandchildrens sticky sweets" or even for checking car tyres in the dark (as per LeifUK).
I certainly don't need a mega-expensive torch for these simple non-combat situations.
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shark_za
Enlightened
In the LED section, one of the stickys is programmable guide.
First one is Akoray.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2970972&postcount=42
I got mine yesterday and I'm suitably impressed.
Great value for the money.
I ordered mine with the packaged blue Trustfire 14500's in that set with charger. Quick and I got the one I wanted, my best Chinese shopping yet.
All the good mentioned in this article are valid, the only bad I have is the torch head is super light, this nothingness feeling makes me think its not as well made as others. Heatsinking and other durability?
This is purely subjective and I am seriously biased as I got a Leatherman Serac S3 this weekend. That is built like a tank, stainless head and all.
Low weight is a positive for EDC though.
The other negative is the beam profile, I have been spoilt and this has a few rings.
I got at least 5 lumen low, its really nice for late at night and it blasts away at full power with the 14500's.
On low the rings are not visible and on high its so bright who cares ! :twothumbs
For the record, mine works with both 14500 and AA, square threads, orange tailcap, dual o-ring, bought off KD as the combo pack.
First one is Akoray.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2970972&postcount=42
I got mine yesterday and I'm suitably impressed.
Great value for the money.
I ordered mine with the packaged blue Trustfire 14500's in that set with charger. Quick and I got the one I wanted, my best Chinese shopping yet.
All the good mentioned in this article are valid, the only bad I have is the torch head is super light, this nothingness feeling makes me think its not as well made as others. Heatsinking and other durability?
This is purely subjective and I am seriously biased as I got a Leatherman Serac S3 this weekend. That is built like a tank, stainless head and all.
Low weight is a positive for EDC though.
The other negative is the beam profile, I have been spoilt and this has a few rings.
I got at least 5 lumen low, its really nice for late at night and it blasts away at full power with the 14500's.
On low the rings are not visible and on high its so bright who cares ! :twothumbs
For the record, mine works with both 14500 and AA, square threads, orange tailcap, dual o-ring, bought off KD as the combo pack.
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RepProdigious
Enlightened
For some pics on this, check my k109/ak16 thread (106 should basically be the same). Post 91 in that thread shows how the bigger button 'fits' assuming the 106 has the same sized hole.....
The body and tail section unscrew and after that you can wedge the plastic out of the bottom and disassemble everything!
HarveyRich
Enlightened
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I have an Akoray k-105, which must be an older model. Anyone have an idea of how this compares to the k-106? Mine is programmable in 3 modes and takes 14500 batteries as well. When I compare it on high with 14500 batteries to my Quark MiNi AA also on 14500 batteries, the Quark is much brighter. The MiNi AA is also considerably smaller: dimensions are 3.1 in x .69 in, while my Akoray is 3.84 in x .82 in.
The Akoray is programmable (the clickie is very tight) , while the Quark only has three twisty modes (I actually like the twisty format). So, a second question is: is it worth my while to get the updated models of the Akoray, the k-106 or the k-16?
The Akoray is programmable (the clickie is very tight) , while the Quark only has three twisty modes (I actually like the twisty format). So, a second question is: is it worth my while to get the updated models of the Akoray, the k-106 or the k-16?
Thanks I should be able to figure it out from there. Much appreciated. I dont know if this even qualifies as a mod but its my first either way.
M52 POWER!
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2009
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- 27
The driver in this 3 mode programmable flashlight is worth $20 alone. If anybody has a source for JUST the driver please let me know!!
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