I've been an XTAR products user now for almost 3 years. The first product I bought of theirs was a ANT MC1 Plus Micro USB Li-ion battery charger.
Note coffee stains!
I was in the market for a 18650 and a 16340 battery charger and this charger was recommended to me by an associate. Well he was right. It has and still is serving me well by charging my 18650's and 16340 batteries constantly. The build quality is absolutely spot on. This is a CHINESE hight tech company making quality products. They even use an anti counterfeit system to prevent, dare I say other unscrupulous Chinese companies trying to rip them off. Currently there appears to be 3 big Chinese manufacturers/players in the flashlight/torch scene, of these 3, XTAR for me, has the best range. Why? Well, I'm a diver and XTAR is the only one at present which is making a full range of proper diving torches. This to me tells me something. Everyone can make some IPX rated torch but not everyone can manufacture high quality proper depth rated dive torches (more on this later). If it's for diving it can handle any regular day to day abuse.
If you haven't yet heard of Shenzhen XTAR Electronics Co.Ltd, they are a company designing and manufacturing high tech lighting solutions for both above water and beneath the waves (dive torches and UW video lighting- hopefully I'll be testing out some dive lights later on this year!). They also produce batteries and very smart charging solutions. The company is headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong China, this is China's high tech region.
They don't try and hide the fact it's made in China. This signals to me a Chinese company who is actually proud of what they make.
Back view of the packaging of the Xtar VENUS WK16 EDC flashlight.
Products are professionally packaged and presented, with clear instructions on usage. IPX data (actual dept ratings) can be obtained from their web site. For example: this model, the VENUS WK16 features an IPX8 rating of 2m, more than enough for some serious EDC.
Specifications at a Glance
XTAR EDC type torch/flashlight, the VENUS WK16:
500 lumens maximum brightness- approximate burn time, 47 minutes.*
200 lumens burn time 3.16 hours*
10 lumens, burn time 13.6 hours* (enough for short duration cave trips. Although this torch would require some sort of 3rd party clamp to attach it to a helmet.
strobe function, 550 lumens burn time not specified and I figure it's going to be a long time!
The stated beam reach if you like is 125m and it is resistant to a drop force from 1.5m (the torch itself weighs 60gm with a battery (14500, 600 mAh 3.7V 2200Wh). KE=1/2mvsquared. Is a force of approximately =60/1000X0.5X9.8ms-2 , so that's about 0.3 of a Newton force it can withstand. Not a huge amount. The sensitive part will be the LED die, not the circuitry.
The torch itself features a CREE XP G3 LED with a run life of 50,000 hours and a quality "orange peel" reflector as shown below.
It can be stood upon it's rear end as well to help provide a kind of "room light" if used in a darkened room ( of course!)
What makes this small torch/flashlight stand out other than the build quality?
The fact it can run off several different battery types.
AA (Li-ion included), AA NiMH, and Li-ion rechargeable type 14500, as stated above). This then offers the user lots of options for powering this robust little torch. The Venus can be purchased by itself or as a kit which contains everything you need to get going such as an MC1 micro USB charger, USB cable, included 14500 Li-ion battery (600mAh), spare tail cap O-ring, lanyard cord and multi-language instruction manual.
I found sufficient O-ring grease had been applied to the O-ring. This is something I look for in products such as these. It's an important signal to me as to what kind of care has been taken during assembly of the product. Failure to properly grease the O-ring will lead to immediate failure of the product once it is submerged to any depth let alone it's stated IPX8 rated value (in this case 2m). The tail cap should be able to be removed smoothly and without "binding" and this particular torch satisfied that inspection by me. I also examined the O-ring with a hand lens and it was indeed fine. The crucial parts in such torches are all of the O-ring seals, other seals and the tail cap switch.
I would like to see a rating on the number of switching actuations the rear switch can endure before mechanical failure, however the product is warrantied for 24 months and to be repaired FOC, within this period should it fail due to a manufacturing fault/problem. I'm going to assume (it's a bad thing to make assumptions about ANYTHING) that if the torch is used once per day on each mode (4 of them) there are 10 button actuations to cycle through the 4 modes (it would be unlikely in reality that all four modes would be used per day), so that's 10X365X2= 7300 actuations per 24 months. The LED is said to be good for 50, 000 hours, that's 50,000/24hr=2000 days/365 days= approximately 5 year lifetime of constant use.
There are 4 lighting modes as described above. One switches between modes via a rear tail cap push button switch. One push to switch on; double push to switch between modes, the last mode accessed is held in memory. The VENUS WK16 can also be attached to ones belt or pocket via a removable pocket clip. The design of the torch body is such that it will resist rolling on a gently sloping surface due to flattened milled surfaces.
Over feel is one of sturdiness and it is easily held and provides a secure grip in the hand. The battery compartment is accessed via unscrewing the end tail cap (which of course has an O-ring seal to provide the IPX rating).
There are two lanyard holes
How about the build quality?
Gold coated contacts on the tail cap switch
Thermal management? The literature doesn't say but I'd say it must feature this, as this kind of circuitry for such high lumen outputs must be in order not to fry the LED's. I'll be testing tis out though and see how hot it actually gets, although there is no warning on this torch that the body will heat up. Usually, a good manufacturer will make this clear. (they in fact do on other much more powerful models).
The web site also states the torch is freeze proof ( I would say this could only be with a Li-ion battery and not using a regular AA due to the effects of low temperatures on the chemistry of regular AA cells.
The VENUS WK16 also features an anti polarity/short circuit protection. This is an absolute MUST for any LED torch, as it can be destroyed in a split second (I know, I've done this once and once only!) if the battery is inserted incorrectly; this torch/flashlight is protected against this happening.
So not much more to say here but I'll be putting this torch under the scrutiny of field usage very soon. But so far so good. It's easy to use, looks very well made, easily fits in your pockets, 550 lumens is in reality, very very bright. At 10 lumens, this is actually quite bright and I've used 10 lumen settings for caving. The best thing about this torch is its adaptability to varying power sources, so can be literally used anywhere around the globe.
The Small Print-PLEASE READ CAREFULLY IT'S IMPORTANT (NOT JUST FOR THIS TORCH/FLASHLIGHT BUT ALL TORCHES AND FLASHLIGHTS!
*These parameters are based upon the use of an XTAR 14500 800mAh battery. Note the supplied battery is only a 14500 600mAh (so I'm assuming this is a "freeby" battery as the company does not display the sale of a 600mAh version 14500 battery, only the 800mAh). So before setting out on some dark and lonely night or a quick venture into a cave (I'd recommend something different for caving such as a reliable headlamp at least water tight to 2 to 3m) know your run times for the power sources you intend to use.
Click Here for the Video Field Review
1/7/2020
Here is an update!
Went to use the torch today and heard a "rattle"???? OMG! The front glass was loose! How can this be? There must be a seal missing! The entire reflector is moving. It's just as well I didn't do my usual UW test! ie drop it attached to a coke bottle on a 2m cord for 30 minutes switched on! it would have failed. Clearly this is a manufacturing fault where a seal has either failed (it was not rattling when I got it). So it is under warranty. I've already written to XTAR directly to see what can be done.
BCT
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