Short Description:

AT1600L, AT1300LS, AT1602LS - Photos courtesy of Aitec. Used with permission.

The AT1600L (3-AA, side switch), AT1300LS (3-AA, tail switch), and AT1602LS (3-AAA, tail switch) are made by Aitec Co.,Ltd and are intended to be general purpose flashlights for a variety of users. Aitec is a manufacturer of flashlights and provides lights to retailers in a variety of configurations.

There are plenty of options available for this series of lights (which includes several other battery configurations and switching options.) The body is available in blue, black, silver or red. The LEDs are available in blue, green, red, yellow, white, and UV. The lights can be obtained with 3, 4, or 6 LEDs in the head. (The samples received all had 6 LEDs in the head.)

The lights themselves are made from machined aircraft aluminum which has been anodized for corrosion resistance and color. All of the lights had slight cosmetic blemishes to the anodize. They are all opened by unscrewing the tailcap to replace the batteries. The side switch models have a flat tailcap which allows them to stand on end. Both the side switch and the tail switch models have a hole on or near the tailcap for the attachment of a lanyard (included with the AT1300LS sample and presumably available for any model). The body has gentle wave-like ribs for improved grip and the tail switch models have grooves around the tailcap for ease of removal. A slight latitudinal microtexture can be felt on the entire length of the body which also helps with grip. The head of the light has a step-like series of rings for cosmetic appearance. The side-switch models have a rubber switch in a slight recess while the tailcap switch models have a rubber switch in a silver ring on the end. Both provide an audible click when operated. All are sealed with O-ring for water resistance at each point of potential entry.

Detailed Information:

The Aitec Co. LED lights look like ordinary, run of the mill LED lights, and that's exactly what they are, if you consider LED lights to be "run of the mill". At the time of this review LED lights are just really starting to hit the mainstream with the advent of Energizer and Dorcy LED lights seen in common places such as Wal-Mart stores around the country. These Aitec lights are another iteration of LED lights designed for the mainstream market. Aitec manufacturers lights for retail sale and they are rather generic in appearance. I believe they can be re-labeled for other companies by request and as a matter of fact the red 3AA light is labeled "Swiss Force Light" while the blue 3AA is labeled "Aitec Lite". The closest comparison I can make is that these are the "Mag-Light" of LED lights. Good quality aluminum bodies, good output, very water resistant, fairly durable, and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Aitec can also make lights of different designs by request for retailers/wholesalers.

The body of the Aitec 6 LED lights are all type II anodized machined aircraft aluminum. The anodize does have a few minor blemishes on each of the models reviewed, but nothing worse than what would happen after the first couple of times you drop in in your gravel driveway. The anodize is removed or masked off in areas where electrical contact must occur, but the inside is also anodized to protect against corrosion. The head not designed to be removable, and the bezel is sealed. The tailcap sports a nice silver spring on the inside for contact with the negative battery terminal. The side switch tailcap model has an interesting cone shaped protrusion inside of an outer ring. The light can stand on end. There is a hole in the side of the tailcap for the attachment of a lanyard if desired. The tail switch tailcap has a protruding rubber cap inside of a silver ring which covers the switch. On the side of the tailcap is a hole in a slightly different configuration for the attachment of a lanyard.

The body has a very fine texture of tiny ridges which help with gripping the lights. There is a wavy pattern to the body which makes it very comfortable in the hand.

The bezel consists of simply 6 white LEDs inside a reflector with 6 cutout holes in which the LEDs rest. All of this is protected behind a plastic lens. I was able to take apart the head of one of the lights and found that the LEDs rest on a circuit board with surface mount resistors to protect them from excessive current. The glue holding the head together can in some cases be overcome with the application of a great deal of force, and this reveals well machined threads and O-ring which seal every part of the light.

The switches in both models provide firm and solid feedback. They are protected by rubber covers in both models and produce an audible click. The side mount switch is in a slight recess in the aluminum body.

In the samples provided, two took AA batteries and one took AAA batteries. It appears that the AAA battery model uses the same diameter body as the AA models, but a plastic tube has been inserted into the body tube to make up for the smaller diameter of the AAA batteries. Runtime is unknown, but I would expect it to be in multiples of ten.

Output is pretty much what I have come to expect from multi-LED lights. A generally soft bluish flood of light with some artifacts around the very far edges of the beam produced by the reflector.

What I Liked: Water resistant, Impact resistant, LEDs don't "blow" like incandescent bulbs, Long battery life (expected), Good output, Easy battery change, Lightweight

What I Didn't Like: Nothing significant

Other Things I Noticed: Slight blemishes in anodize, but nothing to be concerned about.

Conclusions: Good solid general purpose LED lights. A worthwhile product which should be able to withstand "toolbox duty" as well or better than any of those other popular aluminum flashlights out on the market. Add to the fact that LEDs produce a smooth light and won't fail like an incandescent bulb and you have a great set of lights. For general close to medium range use.

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