Review: ITP A6 Polestar and A3 EOS SS

This is my first review in quite a few years as I've had to step away from lights for a while when my wife got pregnant. I made the bad mistake of browsing a few of the vendors I once frequented and CPF one day and what do you know, I ended up buying a light that weekend! I didn't find many A6 reviews so I thought I'd put a quick one up.

I picked up a Christmas giftset of ITP lights that included the A6 Polestar and A3 EOS Stainless Steel lights. I didn't need another AAA light, but the price was hard to resist.

First, the A6 Polestar. The Christmas giftset box is nice...a sturdy cardbox box that's nicely decorated. It would make an impressive gift. When I first saw the A6 in person, it's smaller than I expected. It's not the most attractive light (doesn't have that uber-aggressive should_be_mounted_on_a_50_cal_machine_gun look), but it's a decent looking light. The machining and anodizing is excellent. The tailcap threads are a bit rough and could use some lubrication. The head is glued on so no access to the electronics or emitter. The A6 takes 6xAA batteries via a clear battery holder. The holder doesn't inspire awe in it's quality, but it seems to work fine thus far (had it a few days now). The positive battery contact is a simple metal tab bent over to contact the battery holder's top nub. Nothing fancy, but it should hold up decently over time. The bottom spring has good tension, so it should keep the contact there as the metal tab loses some tension. The reflector is OP (same one used in the Olight M31), but even with the texturing, the donut hole is ever present. I could see it even outdoors lighting up a neighbors large tree in the distance. It is somewhat annoying, but really won't affect it's actual usage.

The switch is a reverse clicky (I prefer forward clickies), but it works fine. The UI is simple...click the light on and press again and hold to scroll through the modes (low-med-high-strobe). It's effective and simple and works well with the reverse clicky. The con with this is you have to go through a 700 lumen strobe before getting back to low and you can't change modes without first tuning on the light. With 6 alkaline AAs in it, the A6 has a good heft. My wife commented that it's heavy, but she's used to the lithium-powered lights I have. One of the reasons I wanted the A6 was because it took non-lithium-size batteries.

The A6 is rated at 700 LED lumens with a Cree MC-E. Tests I've found on the web have shown approx. 450 OTF lumens, which fits in with the approx. 35% loss (due to reflector, lens, and heat non-idealities). It's an impressive amount of light, though I wasn't as awestruck as I had expected to be (this is my first 700 lumen light). Indoors, using it in ceiling bounce, it works great to light up just about any small to medium size room. Enough light to read comfortably. Outdoors, it puts out plenty of light and has quite good throw to show you anything you need to see. The tint is white as far as I can tell.

Overall, it's a nice, very bright light at an excellent price. ITP is Olight's entry level brand (the documentation even says Olight Technology Company) and you can easily see where cost-savings were taken, but the light is still well made and performs well. A great buy IMO.

A3 EOS Upgrade Stainless Steel - It's quite heavy for a AAA light being SS, but the heft also gives it a feeling of sturdiness and toughness. Machining and finish is excellent, except for where the clip is attached. Once I removed the clip, there are scratches on the surface hidden by the clip. Nothing super noticeable, but fine scratches. Likely due to the clip. The head is the only removeable part and it threads on easily. The bottom of the A3 has a protruded point to mount the keychain. This prevents the A3 from being used as a standalone candle. I would've much prefered moving the keychain mount to allow tailstand ability. The clip has very little tension, so I wouldn't use it with confidence. It will likely fall into your pocket during the day (so make sure you clip the light to the inside of your pocket).

The UI is a simple twist. The "upgrade" version has 3 modes, in this order: Med, Low, High. There is no memory (which is a negative), so the light always starts in Med. Med is a decent amount of light for a small AAA, so it's a useful level. However, I prefer high most of the time, so I have to cycle through every time I turn the light on. Low is very low, which I like to conserve battery. The beam is smooth, slightly on the warm side. Output on high is rated at 80 LED lumens. Not sure if it makes it to 80 (about 50 OTF lumens) as it doesn't seem that bright, but that may be due to my eyes being so used to brighter lights now (I remember the days when the 30 OTF lumen Nuwai QIIIs were the beez kneez). But it's plenty bright for a keychain AAA light.

If I were to buy the A3 separately, I likely wouldn't choose the SS version. The additional weight is a con for a keychain light. I also believe the SS version costs more. The lack of memory is a negative for me. The lack of tailstand is also a big negative for me. I've used my Fenix AAA light before in tailstand candlemode when power went out and we needed just a small amount of light for a good period of time. I'd rather just sit it on a table than hold it constantly. It's a well made light, but a few areas weren't thought out quite so well. For the price, it's a great buy. But for a little more, I think there's better options.

I miss my A6

sold it for cheaper than I should've.... really didn't fit in "my stable" that well.(edc, never--- backpacking, yeah right--- dog walks, I use my edc)

it would probably be collecting dust, while being a eneloop storage container, but I still wish I had it for some reason.("side click" and big flood comes to mind)

I am surprised you found the 09 xmas set. I got 2 earlier this year and played with them.


The A6 Polestar is a great light for beginners. It is smaller than a 2C maglite and certainly produces a heck of a lot of light in a nice floody pattern. I was surprised how well it fits in the hand with no huge reflector head and relatively light weight (with NiMH batteries).

It is one of the few 'good' lights that use a side-switch vs the tactical clicky.
I wasnt crazy about the battery holder. The gold contact is not glued down well at all, though it has physical restraints from shorting out. Of course, I managed to do it when it popped up and shorted when I put batteries in it. I saw the smoke and pulled it out fast! I then glued down each of the 'removable' gold contacts to prevent it from happening again.

The polestar is one of the cheapest ways to get a high-lumen light without requiring special batteries. The only real competition is the double-the-price Fenix TK40/45. 72 bucks is already a hard sell for a light, but it is within major gift-giving range for someone close.

I agree that the strobe was unnecessary and distracting. If it was omitted or hidden that would be better.


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I like the itp A3. The 3 modes are well spaced out and it produces a nice amount of light. It is solid, and the twisty ensures it won't accidently come on. It is also one of the most affordable lights and is a great gift due to a simple UI, and ability to use a normal battery. Though I recommend a Ultimate Lithium (primary, not rechargable) for no-leak and extra runtime.

Aluminum is probably the best bet at 1/2 the weight. Stainless steel is a lot more durable though and looks a lot nicer to me. Though it is possible to get different colors nowdays on the A3.

You can't really complain about no-tailstand for a keychain light which is marketed as such in my opinion. If it IS on your keychain, no light will tailstand anyways no matter what the design. Though on the other hand, any light WILL tailstand if you mess with it for a minute or two.

There are a few lights that have the ring attachment on the side. This allows them to tailstand when by-themselves. BUT, it also makes them off-balance when used on a keychain as intended which will cause some torque and 'pull' when on the keys.
Hence, I think it is a smart move to put the keychain attachment on the bottom center. Then remove the Clip.

If you are using as an EDC not on keychain, then I can see the tailstand thing being a limitation.

I finally charged up all my Eneloops (geez the stock Sanyo charger is sloooooow!) and the A6 is brighter than on alkalines (I expected that, but couldn't confirm it until now). I like the nice middle-ground of flood and throw that the A6 provides. Outside, it lights up objects at a far distance while still lighting up everything else in my path with a good amount of light. The medium level is perfect for most uses and I like how low is really quite low. While it's also an oddball in my collection, I like it a lot.

I agree, the A3's levels really are nicely done. Considering it's output (all my previous AAA lights were very low output), I might switch off between keychain and EDC.

The Christmas set is a great value...2 excellent lights for $70 shipped...can't beat that IMO.

Nice review, jsr. Thanks !!! :thumbsup:

I also purchased the same set at the same price; what a value !

I like this light a lot, and the A6 has become my ENDW light. (Every Night Dog-Walking )It is a near ideal ENDW flashlight, since the MCE throws out ~500L OTF of very floody beam. It is a great wall-of-light flashlight, takes AAs, and fits my back pocket very well. I have large hands, and it grips similarly to a single 18650 light in smaller paws. It is dimensionally smaller than I had estimated from forum pics, since I own few of the comparison lights in the review pics.

Some minuses, in my humble opinion:

1) I was VERY surprised, especially after reading every review I could - here and elsewhere- how LITTLE throw this light has. :huh:
The hotspot is almost completely gone by 100 feet or so. I can't distinguish any differential illumination between the center and the spill area in a non-reflective, wooded setting. I'm sure it would be a different story shining it on a white building or movie screen, but in the woods, it's gone.

The TK40 has almost as much spill, but DETROYS the A6 on hotspot throw. I would carry the TK40, but it is exactly 1.2 skoshes too large for my jeans pocket.

2) The perfectly-placed side button is WAY too small. The feel is a bit odd, and the clicks less than satisfying. I like a CLICK in my clickys. :duh2:

3) The nearly unavoidable strobe. The TK40's hidden strobe is far superior UI in this respect. I have gotten used to untwisting the tailcap to return to LOW level from HIGH, because it takes too long to cycle through the strobe feature using the button press method.

4) The finish is a bit slick, and gets downright slippery during wet operation. A handmade lanyard has solved most droppage concerns, or one may use the supplied adjustable clip tether.

5) The (new, revised style) battery carrier sometimes hangs up a bit during re-installation into the body, and the threads were a bit gritty as shipped.

These are all acceptable 'issues' to me, and are fairly minor to repair or work around, especially at this pricepoint. This is 70-75% of a TK40 for ~half of the price. The TK40 is a better overall product, and should be for the $$$.

Some pluses, once again IMHO:

1) Value, as mentioned above. This is a quality light, no question.

2) Quality. The finish, while just a tad uneven on the tailcap of my particular example, is noticeably more durable than all of my *Fire lights to date.

3) It is a nice, bright MCE light that takes AAs. I already own more of this battery format than all others put together, as well as the associated single-channel chargers. I picked up the TK40, my first Fenix, for this very reason.

4) IT CAME WITH AN iTP A3 Upgrade ED STAINLESS STEEL FOR (almost) FREE !!! This is also a great light for the value, and had I paid full retail for it, I would not have been disappointed. At ten bucks more for the kit vs. just the A6, I'm ecstatic. :thumbsup:

To recap, this package is a fantastic deal for those not looking for a thrower. It was serendipitous that I wanted a nearly pure flood; I was going to order a pure flood light before the A6 landed, and now don't need to.

I hope this info helps. Please remember that this is all my opinion, gathered from my personal experiences and use. YMMV.

Great info too Chicago!
I agree with all your points. I too was looking for more of a floody light and the A6 fit the bill well. In a wooded area, most lights disappear into the dark. You really need a lot of throw to get any distance in those areas. In the urban environment, the throw is perfectly fine with the A6. It's now my I_don't_feel_like_turning_on_the_lights light because the switches in my house aren't where you want them to be (i.e. right when you enter the room). Plus, some of my circuits are messed up and tend to blow out my lightbulbs easily (damn crappy house wiring).