Build quality of Armytek against SF/ Malkoff ??? Picky opinion please ...

ryankan1

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 18, 2006
Messages
15
Hey guys,

I just got the Fenix PD35. Disappointed with the build quality...

Before buying I've been reading reviews and watching video reviews of the light and found nothing but praise for both the light itself as well as for the BUILD QUALITY. I guess different people have different standards that they consider high quality?

So what I am trying to find out is the build quality of armytek light relative to Solarforce P1D, Fenix PD35, SF 9P, Malkoff MD2, Maglite.

As a baseline, when I first held a Maglite, I felt quality. Then came the Surefire. I thought it was the best flashlight I've held in my hands! Then came the Malkoff MD2. Wow! It blew the Surefire experience out of the water.

Then Solarforce P1D ... felt like a cheap piece of toy. Same goes to the fenix PD35 ...

So would I be disappointed with an armytek, or delighted?

Thanks guys!

Ryan

ps- looking at the Viking Pro
 

kj2

Flashaholic
Joined
May 22, 2010
Messages
8,082
Location
The Netherlands
Most of my lights are Fenix and non of them feel cheap or bad to me. But everyone looks different on that ;)
I also have two ArmyTek lights. A Predator Pro and Barracuda. Both feel great and holding the ArmyTek lights, I can feel the metal is thicker than other lights I have.
The ArmyTek coating really gives you the feeling of quality.
 
Last edited:

ryankan1

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 18, 2006
Messages
15
Most of my lights are Fenix and non of them feel cheap or bad to me. But everyone looks different on that ;)
I also have two ArmyTek lights. A Predator Pro and Barracuda. Both feel great and holding the ArmyTek lights, I can feel the metal is thicker than other lights I have.
The ArmyTek coating really gives you the feeling of quality.

Looks like a good sign!

No offence at all if you feel like Fenix is great. Most of my friends felt the same way when they try my lights. For me, especially when tightening or removing the tail cap or the head, it just does not feel as solid or as smooth as SF or Malkoff, or even Maglites. There is this certain feel of roughness. It's hard to explain though :p

With the SF and Malkoff, it's buttery smooth ...

Thanks!
Ryan
 

UpstandingCitizen

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Messages
238
Looks like a good sign!

No offence at all if you feel like Fenix is great. Most of my friends felt the same way when they try my lights. For me, especially when tightening or removing the tail cap or the head, it just does not feel as solid or as smooth as SF or Malkoff, or even Maglites. There is this certain feel of roughness. It's hard to explain though :p

With the SF and Malkoff, it's buttery smooth ...

Thanks!
Ryan

Maybe you just need to clean and lube the threads?
 

Labrador72

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
1,851
Location
European Union
Not sure about the tailcap of the PD35 specifically but Fenix usually have pretty good build quality. As KJ2 said it's all relative: I took a couple of Surefire in the hand once and they felt like they had another quality level altogether - if you want something closer to that in terms of build quality from Fenix you'd have to look at their TK series. That doesn't mean Fenix lights are poor quality - to the contrary I find them a few notches better than other lights I have such as Klarus and Nitecore.

Also it all needs to be considered within the same price range. What makes Fenix lights attractive is not the same build quality as Surefire but the fact that they offer 18650 compatibility, several modes, good runtimes, latest LEDs and for their price range they offer, in my opinion, very good quality and good customer service. I don't think they are on the same level as Surefire though. I'm actually waiting for my first SF - a first generation 6PX and I'm curious to do a more hands-on comparison to see the differences. I don't have an Armytek so can't say anything about their quality in relation to SF but by all accounts Armytek lights are well built.
 
Last edited:

ryankan1

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 18, 2006
Messages
15
With what? For me NyoGel and standard silicone grease are worlds apart.

Nyogel 760G, with instructions from:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?126645-Comprehensive-Grease-and-Lube-Thread

Let's just say that I know how to do basic maintenance on the lights shall we? This isn't a thread for that debate. Everything is relative, so if I had crappy technique and my Fenix & Solarforce is 70% of its full potential, my Malkoff and SF are also 70% of its potential, as I use the same technique on them. Relatively, they still feel better.

Question is, will armytek be closer to SF/ Malkoff OR Fenix/ Solarforce?

:)
 

oKtosiTe

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
974
Location
Sweden
Nyogel 760G, with instructions from:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?126645-Comprehensive-Grease-and-Lube-Thread

Let's just say that I know how to do basic maintenance on the lights shall we? This isn't a thread for that debate. Everything is relative, so if I had crappy technique and my Fenix & Solarforce is 70% of its full potential, my Malkoff and SF are also 70% of its potential, as I use the same technique on them. Relatively, they still feel better.

Question is, will armytek be closer to SF/ Malkoff OR Fenix/ Solarforce?

:)

Sure, sure. I just had to ask—some lights come pre-lubed and some don't.
 

CarpentryHero

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 4, 2010
Messages
3,096
Location
Edmonton
I have two Armytek lights, they are good, really good but they aren't in the league of Surefire/Malkoff/Elzetta/HDS

For or me to really know how satisfied with an Armytek you'll be, I'd need to know what model of light your looking at?
The Partner series is budget, where as the Predator Pro would be the higher end.

i do agree with kj2 Armytek does feel better than the middle of the road lights.

Fenix is more of the Eagletac/Jetbeam/Nitecore/Sunwayman grouping for quality and at a reasonable price.
I like Fenix lights a lot the quality is good, modes, UI well thought out, battery options of different models are well thought out, and the output is competative.

Wait till you start looking at McGizmo and other custom lights ;)
 

caddylover

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 15, 2014
Messages
1,146
Location
Burbank, CA
I have the armytek barracuda, great light, very well built. Also, have a Fenix RC40, well built as well.
 

KeeblerElf

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 4, 2012
Messages
218
My Armytek Predator feels just as high-quality to me as my Malkoff and HDS lights.

The Armytek coating, in my opinion, seems to be of the highest quality out of the three manufacturers (it's very thick and grippy - it actually makes a great nail file).

The HDS threads are probably the smoothest of the three, and I would say Armytek and Malkoff are a tie there.

The Armytek switch also feels quite nice to me; I may prefer it over the McClicky (and it is different altogether from the electronic switch used by HDS).

Just one person's opinion!
 

ryankan1

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 18, 2006
Messages
15
I have two Armytek lights, they are good, really good but they aren't in the league of Surefire/Malkoff/Elzetta/HDS

For or me to really know how satisfied with an Armytek you'll be, I'd need to know what model of light your looking at?
The Partner series is budget, where as the Predator Pro would be the higher end.

i do agree with kj2 Armytek does feel better than the middle of the road lights.

Fenix is more of the Eagletac/Jetbeam/Nitecore/Sunwayman grouping for quality and at a reasonable price.
I like Fenix lights a lot the quality is good, modes, UI well thought out, battery options of different models are well thought out, and the output is competative.

Wait till you start looking at McGizmo and other custom lights ;)

Im looking at the Viking pro.
 

CarpentryHero

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 4, 2010
Messages
3,096
Location
Edmonton
I think the Viking Pro is one of their better made lights, have you read a review from someone like Selfbuilt ? He also does YouTube videos on occasion which is almost as good as handling the light before you buy (listening to the cap being threaded)
 

twl

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 20, 2005
Messages
1,565
Location
TN
Oh, come on!
It's not even in the same galaxy with a Malkoff or HDS.

Aside from being much better in every possible facet of construction and operation, the Malkoff and HDS actually have proper thermal design(gasp! Imagine that!) without any need for stepping down the output to avoid burning up the LED from poor design.
It's a lot cheaper to program the chip to turn the light down lower, and slap the guts into a housing that they don't have to worry about fit and function, than it is to make a proper flashlight design with thermal pathways in the design.
All the mass produced Chinese lights do this, so they can slap them out by the millions at low manufacturing cost, and charge a lot of money for them over here in the US.

The whole comparison is just silly, IMO.
There is no comparison.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it's reality.
I don't mean to offend anyone, so just call it "my opinion".
 
Last edited:

Wiggle

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
1,280
Location
Halifax, NS
I can't speak to Malkoff or HDS but I do own a Predator Pro 2.5 and have previously owned a Surefire C2 HA. Predator has equal or better build quality than the C2 HA IMO. The threading was just as good, anodizing is similar durability and grippier. I did like the C2 grip ring better though, Armytek one is a little soft for my liking.

Regarding the thermal design, it's just as good as any other light I've used. It overdrives the XP-G2 LED but even when running full output on flat regulation (which can be done contrary to the above post) it doesn't overheat, it spreads the heat throughout the head and body quite well. Not to mention the quality of the lens and reflector are top grade. Does the Malkoff design not use drop-ins? That doesn't seem like an ideal thermal design.

twl, I'm curious which Armytek light did you have a bad experience with?
 
Last edited:

MBentz

Enlightened
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
500
Location
Folsom, CA
I personally think Armytek makes the only made in China flashlights that compare to SureFire's build quality. I don't own any Malkoff flashlights, but I do own quite a few of his modules so I cannot make that comparison.

I've had many different Chinese manufactured lights, and only Armytek and Eagletac have been consistently good in terms of build quality. After these two companies there seems to be a big drop in terms how good a light feels in my hands.
 

KeeblerElf

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 4, 2012
Messages
218
Oh, come on!
It's not even in the same galaxy with a Malkoff or HDS.

Aside from being much better in every possible facet of construction and operation, the Malkoff and HDS actually have proper thermal design(gasp! Imagine that!) without any need for stepping down the output to avoid burning up the LED from poor design.
It's a lot cheaper to program the chip to turn the light down lower, and slap the guts into a housing that they don't have to worry about fit and function, than it is to make a proper flashlight design with thermal pathways in the design.
All the mass produced Chinese lights do this, so they can slap them out by the millions at low manufacturing cost, and charge a lot of money for them over here in the US.

The whole comparison is just silly, IMO.
There is no comparison.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it's reality.
I don't mean to offend anyone, so just call it "my opinion".

Let's agree to disagree. Here are some facts to back up my viewpoint. I'll use selfbuilt's review of the Viking Pro (and I'll try to focus most of my comments on that model, if I can), as that's the light under consideration by the OP. I hope this (brief) comparison is useful to the OP. The Viking Pro review can be found here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?366051

First, let's address the claim that Armytek doesn't have proper thermal design, and has a "need for stepping down the output to avoid burning up the LED from poor design." Simply check any of the regulated-runtime graphs in the review to see that this claim is plainly false. (To be fair, selfbuilt reported some strange behavior for 2 x CR123 primaries on the Viking Pro, where he observed STEP regulation when FULL regulation was selected. I'm not sure if he came up with an explanation for this, but if FULL regulation is important for use with 2 x CR123, then this light may not be a good choice. But to say that there is a "need for stepping down the output to avoid burning up the LED from poor design" is clearly false, as the light is shown to be perfectly capable of FULL regulation, with no signs of damage to the light.)

Next, let's address the claim that Malkoff and HDS are "much better in every possible facet of construction and operation."

Let's talk about operation first in terms of UI. The claim about operation (UI) seems silly to me, as Armytek's Pro models (including the Viking Pro) can be programmed to have a staggering range of settings. In fact, it is possible to copy exactly Malkoff's "tighten head for high, loosen head for low" UI. If the user doesn't like using head twists to change modes (not just lines - or sets of modes), simply opt for the Basic version instead of the Pro for a no-nonsense UI without any complications. If the quote refers to Malkoff's 361 UI, for example, then the Basic Armytek models offer a similar UI in the head-loosened state. As for the HDS's UI - that's another beast altogether. It's true that the Viking Pro doesn't have anything similar to the Rotary, for example. Other than the rotary, however, the Pro models are able to be customized to arguably the same extent as any other HDS (each has features the other doesn't, and both have tons of options!).

The next part of operation - things like how a light feels in the hand, how fluidly the UI itself works for a particular user, etc. - is largely subjective; I'll just say that I have no qualms with any of these manufacturers.

If you look at operation in terms of performance - things like output and efficiency - the Viking or Predator is going to blow many of Malkoff's offerings out of the water in terms of both total output and lumen-hours, and Malkoff simply does not offer anything with the throw of the Predator (including the Hound Dog, to my eye - though that may change if he offers an MT-G2 version in the near future!). If you further restrict yourself to the same size class, Malkoff will have trouble keeping up with the Viking in terms of both output and efficiency. See selfbuilt's review for specific comparisons between the Viking Pro and other well-known lights in a similar size class. At the other end of the spectrum, the Viking Pro claims 130 days of runtime on its lowest setting, which I believe outlasts current HDS low settings (of course, this isn't a very fair comparison - 3400mAh vs 1500mAh - but I believe the Viking's lowest setting runs for several times as long as the HDS's lowest setting) and many of Malkoff's stock options (maybe a 361 on low with a high/low ring would be in the ballpark?).

If you include, say, durability in the discussion of performance, then all three brands are known to stand up to some pretty heavy abuse. I believe torture test videos are available online for all of these manufacturers.

Finally, as far as construction goes, this is largely going to be subjective (as will part of the operation of the light - preferring electronic vs clicky switches, for example). Armytek offers thicker coatings on their lights, and pots the electronics (just as Malkoff and HDS do). As I said before, Armytek lights FEEL very high-quality to me when I hold them - just as much so as Malkoff and HDS lights - but this is clearly an opinion (for what it's worth, selfbuilt also comments that Armytek's lights seem to be of high build quality). There are probably too many design implementations in HDS lights to even discuss, and I would imagine that a detailed analysis would leave HDS as the clear winner in terms of thoughtfulness of the design - over both Malkoff and Armytek. (If you go to Armytek's website, navigate to the Viking Pro, and click on the Specifications tab, you'll see that Armytek really has put a lot of thought into the design - it's obvious from all the features they list.)

The rest of the post seems to be subjective comments about the light based on its location of manufacture. I don't think there's any point in attempting to address that part of the post.

For what it's worth, I own lights from all three of these manufacturers - and will continue to do so! But I want to make sure that the OP has accurate information in order to make an informed decision.
 
Top