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The BW01 is a single AA flashlight with a Luxeon III
LED and Mad Max Plus regulator/boost circuit inside.
It is intended for intermittent use as a general purpose
pocket flashlight. The key design element was the ability
to use an AA alkaline cell which is readily available
almost anywhere in the world. The maker created this
light in response to a need they had while in the military
for a small but bright pocket light. They found that
lights running on 123A cells were not appropriate due
to the lack of availability of 123A cells in various
regions.
This is a small-manufacturing-run light made by a private
individual. As a result, only about 500 are available
for purchase.
Body: The body utilizes a one-piece design,
without a separation just beneath the head. This results
in a more durable light with fewer possible points of
water entry. The aluminum parts are type III anodized
to military specifications (advertised). The entire
body has a slight texture for grip, and there is a ring
of knurling around the head and tailcap. The tailcap
has four holes for the attachment of lanyards and is
flat on the bottom, which allows it to stand on end.
Bezel/Head: In the front of the light you will
find the bezel ring and seal, a AR coated glass lens,
and a 17mm IMS reflector. Unless you had chosen to get
the light with a Fraen lens which gives a tighter beam.
Output: The white light produced by the LED
in this particular sample has a slight purplish tint
which is detectable immediately. For some reason, my
camera doesn't pick this tint up well, as seen in the
picture below, but it was obvious. To make sure it wasn't
just me, I asked a third party observer to characterize
the color of the light coming from the LED, and they
immediately said "purple". Yours may have
a slightly different tint. In practical use, the tinting
isn't noticeable after a few moments.
Beam at one meter at target center
Runtime Plot: Yikes! Only 18 minutes on a regular
alkaline cell during a continuous runtime. The maker
recommends the light be used in an intermittent fashion
and also recommends the use of L91 Lithium AA cells
if available.
Runtime
completed with Rayovac brand batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Here's the Lithium AA cell runtime. Not
much good news here either. I would have expected around
3 hours regulated. Instead we get just over an hour.
Runtime
completed with Rayovac brand batteries. More information
on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch: The tailcap is the switch. Twist for
on and off. Due to the shape of the light, you can grip
the tailcap in your palm with your little finger and
ring finger and twist the head with your index finger
and thumb, allowing for one-hand operation.
Seals / Water Resistance: Dual O-rings protect
the tail and a seal protects the glass lens. The maker
gives it a 25m water resistance rating. By the looks
of it, I'm willing to bet that it would handle everything
but serious diving.
If it gets wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible
without tools and let it dry before using again.
Ergonomics: It is very small and pocketable.
Easy to operate.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries: A single alkaline cell will power
the light. This light can run, per the maker, on AA
alkaline, lithium, NiMH, or even a 3V lithium AA cell,
but the later is used at your own risk. Based on the
short runtime with alkalines, I would recommend lithium
AA or rechargeables. Just unscrew the tailcap to access
the battery and drop in a new cell, positive first.
Accessories: The light can be purchased without
LED so you can do-it-yourself, and can be purchased
with a fraen lens instead of a reflector if you want
t tighter beam with less sidespill.
What I Liked: Waterproof, Tough/impact
resistant, Good output, Easy battery change, Lightweight,
Stands up, AR coated glass lens, Type III anodize, Solid
body design.
What I Didn't Like: Short runtime
on alkalines
Picky Little Things: Annoying purplish
tint on the particular sample I received - yours will
be different.
Conclusions: A simple, straightforward,
no-nonsense, robust little AA powered pocket light.
The design of the body is very good. I really wanted
to like this light, but I was disappointed by the very
short runtime when using an alkaline AA and also the
tint of the LED. Perhaps I'm a bit overly critical about
the LED, but after having seen so many good tinted LEDs,
I found this one to be too far from "pure white"
for my liking. Luckily, due to the design, if you are
a do-it-yourselfer you can install your own LED. The
short runtime with an alkaline cell is the most serious
issue for this light. There are several 1AA cell lights
that start at the same or better output as this light,
but run for 3-4 times as long (to 50% output) on a single
AA alkaline cell.
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