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The Advancedmart AA 0.5W flashlight is a small, simple,
convenient, and easily pocketable flashlight. It utilizes
a single AA cell in tandem with a boost circuit to power
a 0.5W LED for many hours. Available in silver or black
finish.
Body: The body of the light is made of aluminum
with ample checkering around the head and body for grip.
The checkering provides good grip but is not overly
abrasive. The tail is flat and the light can stand on
end if the keyring split-ring is removed from the small
hole on the edge of the tailcap. The tailcap is removable
and the battery can be loaded from either end of the
light. The head has an O-ring seal, but the tailcap
does not. Machining is good, but it does have a few
nicks and blemishes which seems to be the norm for the
current crop of relatively inexpensive Far-East made
lights.
Bezel/Head: The head of the light contains a
glass lens, a smooth reflector and a 0.5 Watt LED. Initially
I had reported that the lens was polycarbonate, but
a reader (who had their lens break after a drop) confirmed
that it is glass. The lens is recessed for protection.
Behind this assembly is the boost circuit which takes
the 1.5V from a single AA cell and increases the voltage
to the point necessary to drive the 0.5W LED.
Output: Output is in the form of a rather unusual
beam. With most lights you see a narrow central spot,
a wider corona around the central spot which is a little
dimmer, and then a very wide spillbeam. With this light
there is a medium-sized smooth central spot with absolutely
no discernible corona. Instead the goes right to the
dimmer spillbeam surrounding the spot. As is typical
of 0.5W lights, the beam is a little on the blue-purple
side of white.
Beam at one meter at target center
Runtime Plot: With just a single AA alkaline
cell you can expect almost 5 hours to 50% output and
about 9 hours before it has dropped to an almost unusable
level.
Runtime
completed with Tianqiu brand batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch: The switch is very simple. Tighten the
head for on, loosen for off. That's it. An O-ring provides
some resistance to twisting and there is a spring in
the tailcap to keep the cell from being overly compressed.
Seals / Water Resistance: Water resistance is
good, but there is no o-ring in the tailcap where it
attaches to the body. I'd still give it a "dunkable"
rating since the tailcap does connect tightly. A little
silicone grease on the tailcap threads will help prevent
the incidental entry of water into the light. If water
does get in, disassemble the light up as much as possible
without tools and let it dry before using again.
Ergonomics: It is lightweight, easy to handle,
and the checkering provides ample gripping surfaces.
The twist-head switch is very easy to operate and is
quite smooth.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries: A typical, easy to find AA alkaline
cell powers the light. No other cell type is mentioned
as acceptable, therefore using rechargeables or lithium
cells is at your own risk. To change out the battery
simply remove the head, drop out the old, and drop in
a new cell, positive up. Reattach the head and you're
ready to go.
Accessories: A split-ring keyring with swivel
is attached to the tail of the light and can be removed.
What I Liked: Small, compact, easy
to use, good output, good runtime, commonly available
battery, stands on end, uses only one battery (how many
times have you only been able to find 1 battery in the
drawer...).
What I Didn't Like: Nothing serious.
Picky Little Things: A few nicks
and scratches on tailcap. It looks like they happened
as part of the machining because they are anodized,
and the anodize process happens later. Also, the blue
tint of the LED causes slightly poorer color rendition
at the red end of the spectrum, but this is typical
of 0.5W LEDs.
Conclusions: The Advancedmart 0.5W
AA twist-head pocket light is a very passable flashlight.
Good for general use, you can take it camping, hiking,
throw it in your briefcase, bag, purse, or glovebox
and have reliable light when you need it. Batteries
are easy to find and the boost circuit gives you good
runtime before you'll need to replace the battery. Not
the smallest or the brightest, but a good light nonetheless.
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