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This tiny little stainless steel flashlight is made
by Aunoc.com.
It is minuscule, runs on a single AAAA cell, is all
stainless steel, and produces great output for its size.
It arrives in a brushed stainless steel presentation
case with a foam padding. Unfortunately, despite the
work that went into its beautiful appearance, the positive
contact inside the head seems to be rather unreliable
and resulted in frequent flickering or failure to turn
on with the sample provided.
Body: The body of the Aunoc is basically a very
small stainless steel tube. On one end you have the
threaded head, and on the other you have a permanently
installed tailcap with a keychain attachment. The body
is very well machined and has a brushed finish. You
will find the Aunoc name etched on both the head and
the body.
Bezel/Head: The head of the light contains the
single 5mm LED which is used to produce light. It appears
to be epoxied in place and is recessed inside the bezel
to protect the LED from impacts.
Output: The white light produced by the LED
is a high color temperature and produces good color
rendition weighted toward the blue end of the spectrum.
A slight bluish tint is detectable when compared against
a near sunlight-white source. Output is in the form
of a fairly typical single-5mm wide spot pattern with
a smooth bluish center fading out toward the edges.
For its size, the Aunoc does produce a very good amount
of light.
Beam at one meter at target center.
Runtime Plot: The runtime plot reveals that
there seems to be a DC-DC voltage boost circuit in use
to increase the output from the single AAAA cell to
the appropriate level for a 5mm LED. Since the AAAA
cell is so small and carries so little energy storage,
do not expect long continuous runtimes. Instead, this
light is perfect for short uses, as is typical for a
keychain light.
Runtime
completed with Energizer brand batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch: The head of the light serves as the
switch. Tighten for on, loosen for off. On the back
side of the head there is a spring and two tiny wires
which rest below the spring. These two tiny wires are
the positive contact for the light and feed the electricity
to the boost circuit. Unfortunately they did not make
good contact in the sample tested and sometimes the
light would flicker and not light, or it would not light
at all. I tried removing the spring (easy to do) and
repositioning the wires and reinstalling the spring,
but I could not find a combination that resulted in
a reliable contact.
Seals / Water Resistance: An O-ring seal protects
the head of the light, the LED is epoxied in place and
the tailcap is permanently installed. It is advertised
as having a 40 meter depth rating and could be used
for diving. You don't need to worry about this little
light getting wet. However, if it does gets wet inside,
just disassemble as much a possible without tools and
let it dry before using again.
Ergonomics: Despite the fact that it is brushed
stainless steel it really isn't slippery. People with
larger hands or with trouble gripping may find it tricky
to operate this light, but otherwise it is a perfect
size for keychain use.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries:
To change out the batteries: unscrew the head, drop
out the old AAAA cell, place in a new cell observing
proper polarity. Reattach the head and you're ready
to go. AAAA cells can be a little difficult to find,
but they are becoming more popular.
Accessories: No additional accessories are included
with the light.
What I Liked: Waterproof, Tough/impact
resistant, OK battery life, Bright, Easy battery change,
Lightweight, Very nice appearance.
What I Didn't Like: Unreliable
contact in head of light.
Picky Little Things: Nothing, really.
Conclusions: A beautifully designed
light, with great output for its size and small enough
to go with you everywhere. Unfortunately the unreliable
positive contact in the head of the light really hurts
the rating. A simple solder nub contact like that in
the Arc AAA would have been perfect, but the current
"two tiny wires pressed against a spring"
connection makes it look as though inadequate thought
went into the long-term reliability of the design.
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