Help us to improve Armytek tactical flashlights.

[ven]

Less writing on the lights.

+1

My last AT was the predator v2.5 pro which i do enjoy. Been tempted several times but quality is too hit/miss for me. The white writing just looks ridiculous and also puts me off the newer models. Shame, as its one of the nicest ano i have experienced , ruined with white print all over (subjective no doubt). But i do not want to read lots of info on the light that does not need to be there.

 

[texas cop]

I also dislike excessive logo's and printing on my lights.

 

[Chad Varnadore]

I agree. Excessive (gaudy) labeling gives the impression the company has their priorities misplaced on advertising for themselves. I dislike that about Mechanix gloves too. I feel that, if they won't me to advertise for them, they need to be paying me, not the other way around. But, at the end of the day, I still wear Mechanix, if they're quality made - some are, some aren't any better than basic Hardy gloves you can stock up on for $4pr when Harbor Freight puts them on sale several times per year.

 

[arKmm]

I find the UI too over complicated for tactical or LEO usage.

I'd suggest you'd probably get a lot of sales if you produced something designed squarely at the patrolman role requirements, using a UI similiar to the one on a Streamlight Stinger. Namely, quick access to full power, strobe, non-memory, and no more than 3 well spaced power modes. Nothing over the top, but designed to tempt the sales of officers who in previous years would have been using Maglites and Streamlights but are now looking elsewhere because those companies haven't kept up. Keep it simple. Also, it would need to be a form factor that could be held on a belt without discomfort. Using the barracuda as an example, the head size means it'd get in the way quite a bit of on a duty belt alongside LEO kit. Something the same sort of size as a Malkoff Wildcat or (to come back to it again) a Stinger. A high-power of 1500 at most (anything higher is gratuitous for normal work, and would generally be unsustainable for the critical run-times required), a medium of roughly 300 lumen for general work and long runtime, and a low of about 20 lumen for close-range stuff like reading IDs or writing. A rechargeable device would probably be preferable, with high-capacity batteries.

Yes, that's quite a load of specific requirements but if you were able to come out with the new go-to LEO light, you could look at not only a lot of private sales, but potentially government sales if you can do it right.

 

[Swedpat]

I discovered this thread today. This was indeed one of the best ideas ever by a manufacturer to simply ask the customers what they want!

Personally I have nothing against the writings on the lamp. I think it looks professional in some way.

Earlier it has been some Predators with very uncentered LEDs, it's a catastrophy on the beam in my opinion. I hope this issue is solved once for all.
My only complaint with my new Predators is the strobe mode which is placed between high and the lowest mode.
While it' not a serious problem it's annoying. IF a strobe mode is considered as necessary please make it hidden.

Otherwise I really like Armytek and also like the narrow 40deg spill with Predator and Barracuda. In some situations this really is ideal. Aimed bright illumination which does not blinds on the foreground or makes too much attention around the intended lluminated object.

And finally: you have marketed yourself as using true regulation, with FULL output until cells are almost empty.
Therefore: please abandon the misleading ANSI NEMA standard. We know that 1400lm for 1hour(specs for Predator XHP35) with a single 18650 is not yet close to possible today.

 

[Chad Varnadore]

SUGGESTION 1: Well, I just received my first Armytek, and I'm sad to say I'm already having doubts about the purchase. It's the Wizard Pro with XHP50, and I must say your illuminated magnetic charging indicator is not intuitive nor am I confident it'll even prove reliable enough to use. Expecting the battery to be all but drained, as most rechargeable batteries are when new, I attached the magnetic charger and it commenced blinking red, which I at first assumed to mean it's charging, as blinking red is a common charging indicator for many battery operated devices. Reading the instructions, I get to the part about charging - which probably should have come first, before the instructions for changing the battery, since it comes pre-installed - and it says blinking red means the cap needs to be unscrewed 1/4 turn for charging. So, I start to loosen the tailcap and it goes to green and then to solid red for all of a split second (seriously, if I'd blinked I would have missed it) and then back to green, which green indicates charging has finished. Well, I didn't think that could have been right, so I removed the battery and put it in a universal battery tester/charger, which showed it barely had any charge on the battery, as one would expect. I charged it in the tester/charger briefly, just to make sure the charger works properly with batteries that don't have a button top, as all my other 18650's have buttons on one end. Ten minutes later on fast charge mode, it shows progress, so the charger was clearly making the proper connection to both ends for an accurate reading. I put the battery back in the light to play with the magnetic charging some more. I also tried multiple USB devices, including one which is just a basic AC-USB wall adapter, which all produced the same results. Every time I got the tailcap turned just so that the red light would be stable, I would move it slightly and the light would turn green again. I finally thought I had it, then stood it on it's end on the desk and nope... green again. It seems you have to have the tailcap turned just the precise amount for the proper connection when magnetic charging, as such, I'll probably charge it externally in the Universal charger most of the time, like I do most of my other lights. I have a Klarus that uses magnetic charging too, and it isn't so finicky. Suggestion: if you're going to load up the outside with printing anyway, try printing something that's useful, like a white dot on the tailcap and one on the battery shaft that you align to know it's turned to the exact position required for charging. Or redesign the charging indicator light to not be green all the time, as the charging light is green even when the light isn't even attached, making it near impossible to distinguish between whether the light is green because the battery is actually fully charged, or because it doesn't have the proper connection and isn't charging at all.

SUGGESTION 2: Better consistency in your marketing: All of the literature I've read on this light, including what's published on Armytek's own site clearly shows the impact resistence as 10 meters. But the box for the light I received says it's only half that - 5 meters. I received the newer version of the Wizard Pro that features cooling fins in the design. Did adding the cooling fins negatively affect the impact resistance or did you do more testing and discover it wasn't living up to earlier expectations? Or is the box printed incorrectly? The lower rating isn't a deal breaker, as it's still over 3x what anybody else offers, but it's a fairly big difference nonetheless and implies a lack of trustworthiness in your claims, when you claim two different ratings.

SUGGESTION 3: Hire someone with better training in clearly conveying instructions, if not a better grasp of English in general. While most if the instructions were intelligible enough, some of the wording was awkward to an almost confusing degree. You did a better job than some Chinese made brands I've bought. But as there are no other languages anywhere on or in the package, the light was clearly produced only for English speaking customers. As such one might expect clearer wording.

I'm sure I'll have more to say once the light is charged and I've had a chance to use it.

 

[Going_Supernova]

Engrave "Made in the USA" on them. I don't even consider purchasing non-USA manufactured lights anymore.

 

[Chad Varnadore]

Engrave "Made in the USA" on them. I don't even consider purchasing non-USA manufactured lights anymore.

Sounds like that policy would not just limit the playing field, but almost eliminate it. Reminds me of a girl I met browsing the isles of a Harley Shop, where I bought my last bike. She said she bought all her clothes there. She was under the impression that Harley being an classic symbol of Americana, only sold US made products. I didn't have the heart to tell her to look at the tag the next time she bought a pair of $20 socks or a $60 t-shirt. According to the dealer who sold me my Softail, Harley even imports many of their bike parts. They only assemble them in Milwaukee, and they're a company that exploits Made in the USA like few others can. You're aware that Armytek is a Canadian manufacturer, right? The box the Wizard Pro came in specifically reads: "Developed in Canada. Components from Japan and USA. Assembled in own factory in China." Though there are a number of US distributors, I don't believe Armytek even has a physical presence in the US, which is one reason, being in NC, I'm leery of their 10 year warranty claim. Maybe that was your point? I don't know... Don't see it happening if so. Companies are moving out, not moving in.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

Engrave "Made in the USA" on them.

Why do you want them to lie?

From About ArmyTek
Let's start from the middle. Legally Armytek Optoelectronics Inc. was registered by Olga Khanoutin, the company's President, in the beginning of the 2010 in Ontario, Canada.
...
So what distinguishes us from other companies?
• Canadian manufacturer and own factory.
...
4. In 2009 we have made a strategically right decision to open an own factory in China.

It's a Canadian company that owns a factory in China. Not made in the USA.

I don't even consider purchasing non-USA manufactured lights anymore.

But you would if it were made elsewhere but just SAID they were made in the USA?

 

[Going_Supernova]

Why do you want them to lie?


It's a Canadian company that owns a factory in China. Not made in the USA.


But you would if it were made elsewhere but just SAID they were made in the USA?

No. I was tongue in cheek hinting that they should manufacture them in the USA. I guess my hint was too vague for the members of this forum.

 

[Chad Varnadore]

No. I was tongue in cheek hinting that they should manufacture them in the USA. I guess my hint was too vague for the members of this forum.

If Armytek makes the kind of quality products they claim, it would be awesome if they would open a US factory, more because it would give us more confidence in their warranty than in their QC. But business costs being far higher in the US than any other place in the world isn't much of an enticement, as long as they can still be represented in the US market through companies like amazon. They're even sold on Walmart's site, possibly through a third-party vendor though.

 

[Going_Supernova]

If Armytek makes the kind of quality products they claim, it would be awesome if they would open a US factory, more because it would give us more confidence in their warranty than in their QC. But business costs being far higher in the US than any other place in the world isn't much of an enticement, as long as they can still be represented in the US market through companies like amazon. They're even sold on Walmart's site, possibly through a third-party vendor though.

Hopefully the business situation will change very soon, and we can make America great again. Regardless, I'm buying made in USA products to support my fellow citizens and keep them employed. United we stand, divided we fall.

 

[arKmm]

If Armytek makes the kind of quality products they claim, it would be awesome if they would open a US factory, more because it would give us more confidence in their warranty than in their QC. But business costs being far higher in the US than any other place in the world isn't much of an enticement, as long as they can still be represented in the US market through companies like amazon. They're even sold on Walmart's site, possibly through a third-party vendor though.

Do remember there are other countries where the workmanship is just as good as the USA. While I can understand avoiding the cheap far-eastern market, you shouldn't dismiss everything that isn't from the USA. Canada, the UK, and New Zealand amongst others continue to manufacture to a very high standard, often beyond that of America, and returning goods is just as easy except for waiting an extra week on the shipping.

 

[Going_Supernova]

Do remember there are other countries where the workmanship is just as good as the USA. While I can understand avoiding the cheap far-eastern market, you shouldn't dismiss everything that isn't from the USA. Canada, the UK, and New Zealand amongst others continue to manufacture to a very high standard, often beyond that of America, and returning goods is just as easy except for waiting an extra week on the shipping.

I don't think anyone disputes that other nations can and do produce high quality products. The issue is the dissipation of US wealth and the decline of the USA in general due to importing goods that used to be produced here. At one time the USA was the the work shop of the world, and products marked "Made in the USA" were guaranteed to be of high quality and coveted worldwide. The USA exported goods and imported wealth, and that has totally reversed, and the USA has been and still is, hemorrhaging its wealth and has major economic problems as a consequence. Whereas the world is dependent on the US dollar, if the US dollar crashes, it will have tragic economic problems worldwide. Therefore, it is critical that the USA rebuild its economy, and begin rebuilding its wealth and dominance in exporting goods to the world. It is in the free-world's best interest that the USA regain the economic strength that it has lost to other nations.

 

[ssanasisredna]

Components from Japan and USA. Assembled in own factory in China."

- Some components may be from Japan and USA, but majority will be from China.

 

[Chad Varnadore]

Do remember there are other countries where the workmanship is just as good as the USA. While I can understand avoiding the cheap far-eastern market, you shouldn't dismiss everything that isn't from the USA. Canada, the UK, and New Zealand amongst others continue to manufacture to a very high standard, often beyond that of America, and returning goods is just as easy except for waiting an extra week on the shipping.

I think you meant to direct that at someone else. I never implied I thought manufacturing in the US ascribed to even slightly higher standards than other countries. Another poster inferred that, though I don't know that he meant it that way. In fact my personal opinion is that US manufacturing has declined in many, many industries over the past several decades, with the electronics industry being possibly chief among them. I don't know if the US coined the phrase "They don't make 'em like they used to." But it certainly gets used a lot here. Debatably, a lot of it has to do with US companies farming out replication overseas. But, I've seen plenty US, homegrown companies as it were, fail miserably in crucial areas of design, qc, and support too. Those that don't, usually charge a hefty premium for their products, many of which at their core are built off Asian platforms, like a $3000 (yes, thousand) dvd player I once reviewed from EAD, that was built off of a cheap Matsushita/Panasonic base model that sold for under $200. Of course Chinese manufacturing has also greatly improved in the same time period, especially for textiles, no doubt in large part due to so much of the worlds manufacturing going there. But the politics of it all are a lot more complicated than businesses putting profits ahead of national loyalty so, rather than go into that, I'll instead further clarify what I did actually say in the post you quoted, which was more on point to this topic:

I was saying that having a US Armytek plant would give US buyers greater peace of mind in Armytek's 10 year warranties. As is, being a Canadian vendor with no physical presence in the US, Armytek has absolutely no legal obligation to honor their 10 year warranty for any customer here, nor for any customer outside of Canada for that matter. I don't mean to infer that I think they're not on the up-and-up, but almost all of the praise I've read about their warranties came from reviewers. And being someone who has reviewed electronics in the past, professionally, I know firsthand that writers/reviewers for news outlets are given higher priority and greater consideration than Joe public. And I've already seen enough dissenting opinions about Armytek's warranty coverage from general consumers to be concerned should anything happen to my light, that filing a claim might prove anything but hassle free. I've also already found their online email pre-sale support perplexingly unhelpful at best, severely wanting at worst. I haven't tried calling to see if phone support might be any better though.

- Some components may be from Japan and USA, but majority will be from China.

Like I said, I was quoting what it says on the box my Wizard came in, verbatim. It did not mention any components being manufactured in China, only assembled there. That said, Armytek has already admitted one mistake on the box, so I suppose that could be another.

 

[Lumencrazy]

All Cree LED's are made in China. They do it better there.

 

[Chad Varnadore]

All Cree LED's are made in China. They do it better there.

Really? Both Cree's headquarters and research facilities being in NC, I assumed they were actually made there too. I figured Cree accounted for the "components from the US" part of Armytek's packaging. If they're actually made in China, and if that's the only part of their lights that they consider "from the US" that's very misleading. Not that being produced in China would change my interest in their lights. But knowing they deliberately fudged on their advertising would dramatically change my perception of the company's honesty/integrity.

Reminds me of Subway's olive oil packs: They have Olive oil pictured and promoted very prominently, but when you look at the fine print it says only 10% olive oil. If I were the maker of the other oil(s) that account for the primary ingredients I might be pissed at Subway for giving olive oil all the glory. :thinking:

 

[Chad Varnadore]

@Armytek: Having spent a while with your Wizard Magnet Pro headlamp, the light has been great, but with one extreme exception, that being the magnetic charging. It's essentially useless. You seriously need to work on that aspect of your design. I'd rather drop the charging and have a stronger magnet in the base, as the magnetic charging feature just isn't at all practical: In addition to be unreasonably slow - 12 hours plugged into an electrical wall outlet and it still wasn't fully charged!!!! (I have a Klarus with magnetic charging I charge the very same way and it charges within hours and charges completely every time) - the magnetic charger doesn't seem capable of fully charging the battery. Every time I've used it, I had to fiddle with it to get the light to stay red. Then after it finally turns green, it turns back red again at just a touch. But even when I was able to get it to stay turn green from red and stay green no-matter how I held the light, testing the battery on an external tester/charger showed it still wasn't fully charged. I didn't plan to use the magnetic charger at home. But it would have been useful to have on trips. But, as I rarely drive anywhere that takes 12+ hours to reach, it's of little use for even that. So, my suggestion is to majorly redesign the speed and reliability of your magnetic charging lights or drop the feature altogether. I personally hate the idea of paying a premium for a superfluous feature that works this badly.

 

[Lumencrazy]

Really? Both Cree's headquarters and research facilities being in NC, I assumed they were actually made there too. I figured Cree accounted for the "components from the US" part of Armytek's packaging. If they're actually made in China, and if that's the only part of their lights that they consider "from the US" that's very misleading. Not that being produced in China would change my interest in their lights. But knowing they deliberately fudged on their advertising would dramatically change my perception of the company's honesty/integrity.

Reminds me of Subway's olive oil packs: They have Olive oil pictured and promoted very prominently, but when you look at the fine print it says only 10% olive oil. If I were the maker of the other oil(s) that account for the primary ingredients I might be pissed at Subway for giving olive oil all the glory. :thinking:

Don't assume! you have the internet, read their annual report. They list their production facilities. Their NC facilities do not make LED's.