iTP A3 EOS - Your long term good/bad experience

Hey People .. What Is Up?

I got an iTP A3 EOS Upgraded on order because i heard it's insanely bright with 10440's. Since it seems to be a best-selling keychain flashlight you may wanna share your opinions on your samples (incl Olight i3, IlluminaTi, Maratac AAA):

+ Has it ever died on you (and what was the problem and could you fix it)?
+ Have you been experiencing any kind of typical issue, e.g. loosening of head/threads, dropped and broken lens, wear and tear of keychain attachment point, ..?
+ How ugly has got the tear off of the anodizing (got some pix :naughty?
+ Any 10440's stories to share? (Which exact cell model do you use, and how do you make them fit? Protected cells are too long.)
+ (All rambling, all the time...)

Thanks and best regards!

~

My short and simple experience .....

I got 4 of the single mode ITP A3 version a couple years ago ,

Always used Eneloop or alkaline batteries ( never 10440 )


All 4 of them died within a year .


The 3-mode versions may hold up better ? I don't know .
(and I'm not going to find out)

~

TooManyGizmos said:

All 4 of them died within a year .

Click to expand...

thanks for letting us know.

OlightTM will repair or replace, at its option and without charge, any product or part which is found to be defective under normal use and service within 24 months counting from the date of purchasing with proof of purchase.

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did you ask for FREE warranty procedures?

I had an iTP A3 for a month. I never tried 10440's in it, just alkies and eneloops. After a month of use on my keychain, I really loved it (such a high output from a keychain light was a big step from my previous Arc AAA!), then the hed fell off somewhere and I never found it. Since then I've been using my Sunwayman R01A because the threads on the head are very secure.

I have the Maratac AAA which seems to be a clone of the ItP 3 mode. It's held up nicely since I got it, through water, abuse, and 10440 use.

kreisler said:

thanks for letting us know.

did you ask for FREE warranty procedures?

Click to expand...

~

Yes ... they were repaired by ITP two times ......

and kept failing after that .

I got tired of having to return em' to where I bought em' .....
and where I bought em' got tired of returning em' to ITP .

I asked that they be replaced for new ones - ITP refused .
( thats what the seller said where I was returning em' )

I was not happy that they were not replaced .
I had to look for something more reliable .

I gave up on ITP A3's.

~

I gave one of the Upgrades to both of my daughters, my wife, and my brother. They all carry them on their key chains and yes the anodizing wears off on the high parts - sorry no pictures. My oldest daughter (19 years old) manages to break almost anything in her possession (goes through one cell phone per year) broke hers within 6 months. I have no idea what broke, it just stopped working. The rest are still working as far as I know. If my oldest breaks her replacement A3 then I am giving her an LD01 to see how that holds up under her torture testing.

I've got my iTP A3 EOS upgraded for about a year now (I believe). I carry it frequently and have only used alkalines (I got my Eneloops later). So far this light has never failed me. Only once I experienced that the head had loosened itself in my pocket, but I never had that happen again since. Nice light and decent quality in my opinion. In my case the anodizing does not show a lot of wear yet, although I carried and used it a lot.

I have one but in SS and carry it all the time on my keyring. Have had it for a year and a half now and it has never failed. Wife a daughter have same lite and have had no issues so far. I think it's a good light.

i use mostly nimh eneloops or similar in mine. (back up has energizer lithium, friends and family has alkaline or the lithium in them) i dont use and need the 10440.

got 4 in my own use..
one in work keys.. used all the time.
one is backup in my edc bag. used time to time. mostly its sparebattery carrier
one is my "in teeth" work light with heatwrap for softening the bite surface. used often.
one is my general walking around the house light as its tiny so i hardly notice its around.

my dad "stole" my SS version, he likes it as its robust and shiny. used time to time. (couple times a week)
my mom has one in her purse. used alot she says.
my sister has two, one with dog leash other in her purse/keys. (used alot as the batteries are always empty. haha)

then i have given/sold 6-8 away to friends..

one has been lost/stolen of them all others are still considered WOW by the users..

only one of all these has had some problems.. my dads Stainless buzzes when in use.. others are dead silent. it works ok but it makes a sound and the pwm is slightly more visible in it.

other negatives:
i dont trust the pocket clip (the SS version is more sturdy than the regualr versions.) have had two of the clips come loose and flying off after bending in tight spot.. so in my users that actually do see pocket/collar time with pocket clip i have either SS clip or heatshrinkelectric wrap over the clip and the body.

and the keychain attachment, the round one that one squeezes to open it.. i dont trust it. so i changed them all to more normal ones.. the claw-spring lock version works ok.

the pwm is visible in the models i have (maybe they have upgraded it since.. all mine are year old atleast)

I have an Itp A3 covert model which I bought from a supplier who had a canceled US government contract.I bought it via the Netherlands but the light was sent from the US.I use it every day as my edc,I run it on generally eneloop or duraloop but if none available pop an alkie in it.

Never had an issue with it,always ready for work and it has been dropped umpteen times.I also bought the A1 and A2 as well and same with them but the A1 can be a bit bad tempered in mode switching at times.

The Itp is far right(note no markings at all on body)

the others on your pic (thanks everybody for your posts!) look kinda interesting too. the nextorch looks even smaller than the A3, and the other one has a clicky??
woah.

how do these two compare against the A3?

kreisler said:

Hey People .. What Is Up?

I got an iTP A3 EOS Upgraded on order because i heard it's insanely bright with 10440's. Since it seems to be a best-selling keychain flashlight you may wanna share your opinions on your samples (incl Olight i3):

+ Has it ever died on you (and what was the problem and could you fix it)?
+ Have you been experiencing any kind of typical issue, e.g. loosening of head/threads, dropped and broken lens, wear and tear of keychain attachment point, ..?
+ How ugly has got the tear off of the anodizing (got some pix :naughty?
+ Any 10440's stories to share? (Which exact cell model do you use, and how do you make them fit? Protected cells are too long.)
+ (All rambling, all the time...)

Thanks and best regards!

Click to expand...

I use protected 10440's in mine, it's a bit tight though! It's impressive on the 10440 that's for sure.

ive had my A3 for over a year. its usually on my sisters keys, i have a fenix e05 on mine.

so far no problems with either one. i think ive changed the split-rings on both of them to beefier ones.
i only use lithium AAA in them, and still on its first cells, if not, second cell at most.

the anodizing on the Itp has held up much better. and after looking at them, its probably because of its knurling, or lack of it.
the edges, and corners show alot of wear, but compared to the E05 its not much at all.

the last pic of yours shows some wear and tear at the keychain hole, would you agree?

kreisler said:

the last pic of yours shows some wear and tear at the keychain hole, would you agree?

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yes.
looking at it some more, one side of the hole is alittle wider than the other too.
looks like the aluminium around the hole has been pulled alittle by the split ring.

the hole attachment point isnt the beefiest. but im not worried about it breaking. when i tug on the liight, the split ring will give out before the the attachment hole does.

kreisler said:

the others on your pic (thanks everybody for your posts!) look kinda interesting too. the nextorch looks even smaller than the A3, and the other one has a clicky??
woah.

how do these two compare against the A3?

Click to expand...

The Nextorch is one of my favourites as in real it is a classy looking light,that comes out with me when I go out for a meal or a drink with my lady,plus I tend to use it as night light to find the bathroom at night.The one that looks like a clicky is in fact a twisty,good little light and cheap,sold in the big shed outlets in the UK.I bought my son a AA cell version for taking his dogs out at night,he is still on the same battery after a year.

I have an itp upgraded and I have never been wowed by the output but I only use Eneloops. I don't know what lumins I am supposed to get but judgings from others I think light may be under performing. It has always worked but twisties are not my fav and in a light this small, it takes two hands to operate.

I am thinking about getting a Streamlight Microstream but it is only rated at 20 lumins. The new SL Stylus Pro is rated at 48 lumins and I have been super happy with it. If the MS got the same upgrade, I would buy for sure.

I have the upgraded version that I bought about 3 months ago. Never leaves my side and rides in my shirt pocket. It is so small and light weight that my wife hasn't noticed it was in my shirt pocket and twice it has gone through the washer and both times it survived without any ill effect at all. I use it several times every day. I ground off the nipple key chain attachment so I can tailstand it. I use it for my night light when getting ready for bed and it's perfect for this purpose. I liked it so much that I bought a couple more and also a H01 headlamp. It's been a great little light and I highly recommend it.

I have one in the drawer, my 10440 was to long to be used with my light, it was a great light for about 12 month then one day whilst in use, switched off and it's never come back on since :/ for the money though, not bad

EDIT: I currently use my SS LD01 on a 10440, an older version with an ugly tint and beam pattern but bright enough and TOUGH, SS doesn't wear like ano does