ok, so I went out on a limb and bought some Armytek flashlights .....

... they don't look real refined or anything but they are supposed to be tough. One is a 18650 type with like five modes from .2 lumen to 1050 lumens and not much else (no special modes). The other is an AA thing that pumps out 500 lumens on high and goes down to .15 lumens low but has strobe and an magnetic tail cap too.

Anyone here have an Armytek ??? .... I guess I should have asked first, but it was an ok deal so I snapped em up. :green:

I got a Barracuda and a A1 on clearance back in June for cheap and was impressed with the throw of the Barracuda. Since then I got another Barracuda limited and a predator. Both of those are weapons mountable and have allot of throw (especially the Barracuda). I also jumped on some of those illumn deals on them for gifts as well as some backups for my cabin. I also have a Tiara on the way for a AA headlamp. I'll compare with my Zebralight, but i suspect besides being more durable, i will be disappointed when taking the UI into account. If that is the case, the wife will get it to stop her from borrowing my headlamp

I like them because they are rugged and waterproof to a far better standard than other options, but they also have plenty of cons. i would prefer they didn't have the advertisment on them and the UI leave a lot to be desired. The UI isn't much of an issue for mounting to a weapon, but if used to move around, getting to low might require cycling through higher more visible modes. I found that Olight filters will work on the Barracuda, so i got a few red ones to account for that problem (as well as make it more capable for mounting). wish i had tuned onto them before the V3 wiped out the programming. I've been looking for one in the for sale part of this forum, but that has led to spending on other cool lights, so i need to hold back on that... . I'll probably gift the A1 as its rather basic and even though the other lights i have aren't as rugged, the UI on them are much better for what i need.

On another note, the Barracuda also makes a great spotlight, so the clearance one stays in my vehicle now.

Cool, I'll have to check those models out too. I was going to use mine for general purpose around the house or whatever. The UI is what I had problems getting info on, but you cleared it up... I hope I like em. I do like the fact that they have pretty beefy specs in regards to water and impact. Thanks for the info!

I am intrigued by the advertised toughness of many Armytek products. I think that is a niche Armytek should continue to exploit. At the high end, there are several manufacturers in that niche that sell expensive lights. There are few selling in the medium price range. That is an area where Armytek might become preeminent, if it is not already.

The problem is that could limit Armytek's acceptance and sales volume. It is one thing to be a general purpose flashlight manufacturer. It is another to specialize in super tough flashlights.

I like the fact that Armytek offers warm tints in addition to cool. I would like to see a few neutral offerings, as well.

As yet, I do not own any Armytek products.

Dont order from their site if over 200 dollars because duty fee in fine print. Havent had any luck with the 3 xpl hi models because of defects. Ask for a function check before they ship because armytek is hit or miss with quality control. I do have a partner and partner pro that wotk perfectly and would recommend

They have a subforum here if you need to talk to the Armytek reps for anything also. I have a Prime C1 and Prime C2 and I have been pretty happy with them. I am quite fond of the UI personally.

Not been brave enough to try a v3 out, must admit the predator and dobermann are very tempting .............but no, too many issues and not keen on the way handled(pre release etc which to me is a nonsense).

I took advantage of the new releases at the time and opted for a v2.5 for a reasonable amount. Now i think i could have chose better(picked a predator!) but decided on the viking pro instead not needing the throw and more geared towards spill. However from reading up it seems spill is similar yet the predator has far better throw. Still its a useful amount of light out of the business end, on the too cool side really but ok in use(should have gone warmer looking back). The UI i have 1/2 mastered, not really spent that much time being honest nor have the interest too at present.

Build, well out of other Chinese lights its well up there, very nice ano, potted head and just a quality/solid feel to it. No imperfections, well centred LED and a nice amount of accessories with a respectable holster. I like the head tight/loose(few mm of movement ) for groups 1 and 2,head tight on medium is enough and head loose , moonlight mode selected. Being a tough light , I bought it on the whim for a work light, however its stayed at home and prefer a more neutral tint for work.

Compared to other similar priced brands, i would from the lights i have put armytek a nudge ahead of Fenix, couple of nudges past the other's.



Have had the average clip(strong but not comfortable on the light) on/off a few times. Would say moderate to high effort to fit/remove and never marked the anodizing once. Be it most other brands i would be confident in saying it would have marked the light. Flip side of the matte ano would be that it easily attracts grease/oil.

Would i buy another.........most certainly, but not until i have confidence back and certain issues are addressed. Thats me though and my thoughts

I purchased an Armytek Predator Pro V3 XP-L High Intensity not too long ago which is advertised as limited edition. I really wanted to like this light but I returned it soon after receiving it for these reasons...

(1) About the worst part of this light was the beam. The hotspot was uneven, and the corona surrounding the hotspot was a mess. The beam gives you the impression the reflector isn't focused enough. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident as there are plenty of others who have reported the same issues in the Armytek subforum.

(2) The throw is nowhere near the advertised 540 meters. There's just no way, and if somehow there's light going that far, it's not manifesting itself in my eyes. At best, I'd say this things throws 380 meters. For a light of this form factor, that's about average. But given that the beam seems out of focus, I feel like the throw could have been so much better. I suspect the XP-L HI's they're using were either not originally HI models or they're very low quality. Again, I'm not the only one who's experienced this.

(3) This one sorta falls on me, but the method of mode selection is pretty bad. If the twist head method of mode selection suites you, then this shouldn't be a problem. I just didn't realize how awful it would be for my needs. But, the momentary press to change all 5 brightness levels must be universally loathed. I mean how awful would that be, having to keep cycling through the brightnesses with no memory unless you let the light park on a brightness level for a duration of time.

The reason I really wanted to like this light was because it had the best anodizing I have ever felt on a light and despite the atrocious beam, the overall build felt fantastic. But do I recommend it? Heck no.

I have 2 Armyteks. The Limited Edition Pred Pro V3 HI and the Limited Edition Dobermann Pro HI. I love them both. I have read through the AT section of the forum and have concluded that I got lucky. Both my AT's function perfectly. Best ano Ive ever seen. Best optics with the highest quality glare coat Ive seen on a production light. The profile out the PP is indeed unique having a thick yet defined corona around the hot spot but I have no problem with it. Both my AT's are BRIGHT and I left firefly 1 and strobe on. I like the UI it is like an improved version of what ET should be doing. The profile out the Dobermann takes some getting used to as it is hexagonal due to the Dobermanns tall crenelated bezel. The Dobermann Pro HI throws extremely well. Mode spacing on both lights I find well done. Both lights are IP68 rated which is awesome. Both lights came with very high quality sheaths.

The V3 and newer AT's have some characteristics that take getting used to such as when one reaches a certain temp the light will flash 4 times to let you know its stepping back on output until the light cools enough then output will rise again.

It is very unfortunate that I have read so many posts about defective Armyteks especially V3's and the Dobermann. I was going to get the Viking V3 Pro but after reading so many reports of what are essentially defective drivers I am to nervous to put down that kind of money for a light that may or may not function right.

AT's published specs for the PP HI are flat out bunk. 73k CD?? I knew when I bought the light that was not true. I will say it is an easy 45-50k which is still very good. The new bigger AT's can take 4 types of cells which is really cool. AT claims they are waterproof to an amazing 50 meters.

I actually like being able to press through the modes with the head loose, choose mode then tighten for full power. The head is easy to turn with one hand so going from full blast to a pre selected lower mode or strobe is quick and easy. The PP beam does not seem out of focus to me at all I feel AT designed the fat defined corona into it on purpose. The hot spot is in perfect focus and throws further than my TK32 which to me is always impressive.

The PP HI is at best a 435 meter light which is fine. I really like the firefly levels I use them a lot. I use second highest mode the most.

One thing I have noticed is that I use the new 3500mah 10amp GA cells in both my AT's. I believe these cells get the max performance out of both the lights. I cannot remember where I read it but the PP HI and DP HI are 4 amp lights? Whichever, the GA cells feed them both whatever they need to draw without breaking a sweat.

Still tempted by the V3 Viking Pro but I already have a T25C2 XP-L V3 that easily does the job as the Viking. The V3 is advertised at 40k CD. That is ridiculous. Even with its bigger reflector its still just an XP-L HD. 27k at the most even if it is driven at 4 amps on turbo. Im sure the profile is wider than my ET but still...

AT's marketing and website are awful. They release "pre release" versions of their lights that dont have some features that they advertise and do not denote these "pre release" lights from the ones advertised.

AT could so easily become one of the big 3 light manufacturers. I have concluded that their new metal capsule encased drivers while yes being advanced, they let defective ones still get put into their lights. They claim to test their lights before they leave the factory which is bunk.

There needs to be a V3.5 series with the kinks truly worked out as having read through the entire AT section of the forum getting a properly functioning V3 or newer AT is hit or miss way to often.

If you are interested in an AT get one of the old Predator Pro V2.5's. You still get the industries best ano and well sorted electronics and you can program them to the moon and back.

I had the Predator Pro v3 LE XP-L Hi since 3 weeks now. I really like it. I had an issue the first time I used it but never happend again. I would like to buy the Barracuda v2 Pro LE XP-L HI but after read a lot, many peoples reports problems with the brand. Many of them is the emitter that is not centered. Some is the UI. I don't want to risk receiving a default unit. They have a good service but you have to ship the light in China and you can receive another unit with problems. The sale and service dept should be located in Canada. They supposely have an office their. I don't know what they do in this country. When you go on their website, you clearly see Canada. Why? To confuse people?

I really want to thrust Armytek. I would like to buy it in a physical store near me. If you have problems, you return to the store and exchange for another one. When you buy something and you hope to receive a good working unit, it tells a lot. Hope they fix their quality issue.

I am still on the fence about the brand but tell yea what. I will head out in the woods for a 6-10 mile late night trail run and hike (hiking when the ground gets too squirrely to run over). Will take my new Tiara pro (version unknown because of no manual LOL!) and Standard Predator which had a manual however it wasn't accurate. All NW. No I am serious. It's 9:32. I will be back here before 12 am with luck so will show you the results.

over in the AT thread in the manufacturer forum someone put the Canadian address AT says is their factory/HQ into Google earth and what came back was the image of a couple of humble residential townhouses. The lights are made in China that is not in question. What I question is they say "made from American and Japanese" parts. Which parts? Their new V3 driver is enclosed in a metal capsule. Oooookay why not just pot the electronics instead? AT is suspiciously quiet about specific technical details on especially their newer lights. Why? They need to back up the "most technologically advanced flashlights in the world" claim with specific tech specs and some pics. They also need to start including manuals with their lights again. I still cannot find a manual online specific to my LE PP V3 Pro HI and that worries me. No ANSI charts no nothing just lists of claims. Can just find the online manual for the XB-H PP V3 Pro. Same for my LE DP HI Pro. Only manual found is for standard Dobermann Pro.

These new Armyteks obviously have high production costs as evidenced by the triple thick ano and class leading glass and glare coat. AT needs to totally revamp their site ala Fenix/Nitecore nice and illustrative complete with ANSI charts etc. They would sell more lights that way. AT's do sell especially the V3's and their new gen lights so it is not like they cannot afford to hire a pro web page designer. Hell I know a couple personally that could revamp the AT site far upscale from what it is in a couple of days.

Nyogel, why is AT the only supplier of Nyogel I can find?

To sum up AT is capable of leading the industry to a very good degree but their site is 2nd rate and their QC will apparently pass anything. They leave out essential basic technical details and ANSI charts. For now they just seem to be guessing specs first then actually testing 8 months after a lights release. They claim to have the best testing equipment. I would never buy directly from the AT site that means it gets shipped from China. Buy from GG like I did and I can simply deal with GG should I have an issue.

Don't get me wrong, my Barracuda is my goto light when i want to put some light on something far away. The old one required two 18650s, the new on can run on one, but at a reduced run time. Its smaller that way though and very portable . The one thing i like about the UI is that you can tighten it up and always run on high. This makes it a simple light to use in the car for spotting things on the side of the road, signal someone, etc.

Let me clarify on the UI. It is simple, a lot like some of my older lights, with a twist (pun intended). However for the price point, you'd think it would do more than cycle through modes in the "loosened" state. I hear about the older programming and think it may have been better, but then i feel let down by my "basic" programming i have in the models i own.



I agree that the distance and brightness are over rated. I read somewhere on here that Armytek doesn't even test their lights and instead go off what the specs are for the LEDs. Still, even with that, the newer Barracuda has a much tighter beam and can definitely outthrow the older one. For my purposes the only limiting factor is spotting distances, but for my purposes, even those of a weapon light, the throw on the Barracuda is more than sufficient even if it is below what is advertised. The Predator i'm wondering about, but since hog hunting will probably not require more than 100 yard shots, i'm not too concerned. I figure their throw figures are about double what they normally are in real life. You add that to what CelticCross stated and i question supporting such attitudes.

As i said, i really like their light for throw purposes. For normal lights requiring such durability, i have other options.

I, too, went looking for ANSI FL 1 data today. I could not find any on the Armytek web site. That does not mean that nothing is there. It means I did not find any for the several models I checked. In addition, I did not find any when I did a search with StartPage.com (a Google proxy that protects privacy).

That's disappointing.

MX421 said:

The old one required two 18650s, the new on can run on one, but at a reduced run time. Its smaller that way though and very portable .

Click to expand...

Are you sure? On their website it's written that it requires 2 * 18650. I think it comes with an extra tube that give you the choice for one or two cells. A long one for two cells and a shorter one for a single cell. If it comes with only one single tube, it's not a good option.

And I am back. Trail running with a pack is fun and the extra weight only adds more fun. Did around 6.5 miles in the dark and foggy woods. It feels more like late April than mid December.





Crazy throw. I will give the Predator that. XP-G in a good sized reflector




Just the light from the headlamp.



NW light on my trail shoes.



My funky shorts. LOL! Not sure if the NW fully captures the glory of them funky shorts.



Did I mention the crazy throw for what's not really all that big of a light.

I've been rockin' an old school Predator Pro v2.5 for more than 2.5 years. I have loved that light from day one, out of the box! I mean, what's not to love! This light lived up to, even exceeded, all of its initial hype. Form, function and performance - check, check and CHECK! 'Nuff said.

So when I got wind of a new, vastly improved Limited Edition Predator Pro v3 I was all over it like a cheap suit. I pulled the trigger and waited the requisite month for it to arrive. I swear, you'd have thought that I was 6 years old and it was Xmas morning when I was opening that long awaited package. I was so excited! And even though I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about all of that (imo) unnecessary white print marking up what was an otherwise beautiful anodizing job I told myself that that was something that could be easily overlooked once this baby was powered up and illuminating the night's sky with its (anticipated) laser focused XP-L HI beam of brightness and beauty.

So, post haste, a freshly charged naked Panasonic 3400mAh cell was chambered and I set about the task of making my first critical white wall comparison to its predecessor, the soon to be shelved PP v2.5. I clicked both lights on simultaneously. Both aimed at a not entirely white wall (more like an eggshell), but close enough for government work. I was prepared to be blown away by the PP LE v3. But nothing could have prepared me for the disappointment I actually did experience. As others have mentioned, the beam was poorly focused. The hotspot, instead of being "laser focused," was considerably larger than the v2.5 which really surprised me! To be fair, I really liked the tint. But sadly this new light never had an opportunity to light up anything other than a wall. It never saw the night's sky because shortly after that "white" wall experiment, and my subsequent disappointment, I came to realize that the strobe feature on the light did not function at all. It did work initially and then for whatever reason quit working entirely. It was at that point that the light was returned to its box and the return process was initiated. Then, even that process was not without disappointment. But...

I feel like I have already expended way too many words on a light that held such promise but could not deliver (not to me, at least). Bottom line: My Predator Pro v2.5 is a well-focused fantastic thrower, has superior programmability to almost anything on the market, and incorporates a UI that works very well for me. It's a real keeper! The Limited Edition Predator Pro XP-L HI could have been something really special. Sadly it was not. End of story.

Oh, one last detail. In case you're curious (like I was) just Google ArmyTek's Canadian business address. I'll make it easy for you:


Hmm??? Makes ya wonder, don't it???

Nice shop for building flashlight. Is it you that sent your defect predator in Canada?
If yes, at this address?

CelticCross74 said:

...........Still tempted by the V3 Viking Pro but I already have a T25C2 XP-L V3 that easily does the job as the Viking. The V3 is advertised at 40k CD. That is ridiculous. Even with its bigger reflector its still just an XP-L HD. 27k at the most even if it is driven at 4 amps on turbo. Im sure the profile is wider than my ET but still.........

Click to expand...

I have both of those lights. I'm tempted to sell the T25C2 XP-L HI over the Viking Pro V3. They are too similar in throw. The only advantage the T25C2 has is the beam is more neutral and the light has a smaller head........so maybe easier to pocket carry. Beam width on the Viking is a bit narrower and the hot spot is tighter. The T25C2 has an addition purplish light colored ring outside the spill beam. I really like the Vikings beam. Only wish it was more neutral. Specs on the viking V3 Pro throw is 34,200 and 33,100 on the T25C2.......too close on paper but in real life you're not going to tell much difference. So it boils down to beam color and aesthetics of how the light changes modes, operation, etc.

I purchased a Viking V3 non-pro and ended up returning it because it was no where close to operating as they said in the manual. Not sure if I got a bad one or the literature was wrong. One thing I have noticed about ArmyTek from all the comments is that its hit or miss on if you get a good one. Not sure what the percentage is because you only really hear about the problems. If you get a good one, then I think they are worth hanging onto.

Iam a armytek fan ! Prime c2 warm love ui, beam, build, toughness . I do need another.