Richie086
Enlightened
Hi folks,
I like many of the high end LED flashlights being produced these days, but sometimes I like the idea of purchasing some of the older type LED flashlights, SSC-P7 or MC-E, because they're still nice bright lights and fairly compact in size, not to mention ridiculously low prices that are easy on the wallet.
From the title, you can see this one goes back a few years, but I've been wanting one for months, so I made the plunge of $45.25 and picked one up from the famous, or infamous, mail order company many of us purchase from, SKU 14451.
Unless I was just lucky, it seems they've really stepped up their game quite a bit. Naturally it was still shipped in the typical plastic shipping envelope, but the flashlight itself was inside a box and very well bubble wrapped, so I was able to acquire a truly flawless in fit and finish Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 2 mode flashlight.
Prior to turning it on for the first time, I took it apart to check things out. The tail cap switch had a really nice feel to it and the spring inside the cap (no piston spring) was tight and otherwise seemed perfect. I unscrewed the bezel, removed the reflector, and unscrewed the LED/pill assembly, which is screwed into the throat of the body.
The + and - wires were perfectly soldered to the star using sufficient solder and as shiny as chrome. In fact, I couldn't have done the job better myself and was quite surprised to see this level of quality on a flashlight at such a low cost. I added some Arctic Silver 5 to the threads to help dissipate heat, which should be very good with the heat sink screwed into the throat, reassembled it, installed 2*18650's and everything worked perfectly.
The threads on the tail cap were exceptional.
Just a size comparison for anyone that has never taken a look at the Aurora.
From bottom to top, Aurora, Ultrafire WF-500, and ThruNite Catapult V2 XM-L.
Left to right - ThruNite Catapult V2 XM-L, Aurora, Ultrafire WF-500 w/5*Cree R2 1200-Lumen Drop-in.
Below are some outdoor beam shots. Camera was set to 4 sec - 2.8, distance
was 60 feet to the shrubs. All flashlights were fully charged and set to high mode only.
Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen 2-Mode Flashlight (2*18650)
The only flashlight in my arsenal comparable to the Aurora is my MagicShine Diving Cree MC-E (K-WC) 3-Mode 640-700 Lumen LED Flashlight. The Aurora
is on the left. The MagicShine has a slightly more floody beam than the Aurora.
Just for kicks, I put the Aurora up against my Ultrafire WF-500 w/5*Cree R2 1200-Lumen Drop-in. So far, in this size flashlight, nothing has been able to touch this Ultrafire. In case you can't tell, the Aurora is on the left.
I like many of the high end LED flashlights being produced these days, but sometimes I like the idea of purchasing some of the older type LED flashlights, SSC-P7 or MC-E, because they're still nice bright lights and fairly compact in size, not to mention ridiculously low prices that are easy on the wallet.
From the title, you can see this one goes back a few years, but I've been wanting one for months, so I made the plunge of $45.25 and picked one up from the famous, or infamous, mail order company many of us purchase from, SKU 14451.
Unless I was just lucky, it seems they've really stepped up their game quite a bit. Naturally it was still shipped in the typical plastic shipping envelope, but the flashlight itself was inside a box and very well bubble wrapped, so I was able to acquire a truly flawless in fit and finish Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 2 mode flashlight.
Prior to turning it on for the first time, I took it apart to check things out. The tail cap switch had a really nice feel to it and the spring inside the cap (no piston spring) was tight and otherwise seemed perfect. I unscrewed the bezel, removed the reflector, and unscrewed the LED/pill assembly, which is screwed into the throat of the body.
The + and - wires were perfectly soldered to the star using sufficient solder and as shiny as chrome. In fact, I couldn't have done the job better myself and was quite surprised to see this level of quality on a flashlight at such a low cost. I added some Arctic Silver 5 to the threads to help dissipate heat, which should be very good with the heat sink screwed into the throat, reassembled it, installed 2*18650's and everything worked perfectly.
The threads on the tail cap were exceptional.
Just a size comparison for anyone that has never taken a look at the Aurora.
From bottom to top, Aurora, Ultrafire WF-500, and ThruNite Catapult V2 XM-L.
Left to right - ThruNite Catapult V2 XM-L, Aurora, Ultrafire WF-500 w/5*Cree R2 1200-Lumen Drop-in.
Below are some outdoor beam shots. Camera was set to 4 sec - 2.8, distance
was 60 feet to the shrubs. All flashlights were fully charged and set to high mode only.
Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen 2-Mode Flashlight (2*18650)
The only flashlight in my arsenal comparable to the Aurora is my MagicShine Diving Cree MC-E (K-WC) 3-Mode 640-700 Lumen LED Flashlight. The Aurora
is on the left. The MagicShine has a slightly more floody beam than the Aurora.
Just for kicks, I put the Aurora up against my Ultrafire WF-500 w/5*Cree R2 1200-Lumen Drop-in. So far, in this size flashlight, nothing has been able to touch this Ultrafire. In case you can't tell, the Aurora is on the left.
