Contents

• Pricing & Availability
• What comes in the box?
• Design & Construction
• Size & Measurements
• User Interface
• Emitter & Beam
• Mode Chart
• Runtime
• Driver & Regulation
• Switch
• Carry & Ergonomics
• Water & Impact Resistance
• Batteries & Charging
• Competition
• Conclusion

Pricing & Availability

Armytek sent this light in exchange for an honest review. Here is the official product page where you can see current pricing. Promo code “tacgriz” will get you 15% off all Armytek products.

What comes in the box?

The box is made of folded cardstock. It’s fully printed for retail with pictures and details about the light. Inside is a vacuum-formed plastic insert to hold the light and accessories in place.

• The light itself
• Battery (inside the light)
• User manual
• Magnetic USB charging cable
• Headband
• Pocket clip
• Spare O-rings

Design & Construction

Wizard WR has a utilitarian design with no aesthetic frills. It’s pure function over form.

I have one issue with the build quality. The anodizing is terrible. It’s matte and chalky, almost like ultra-high-grit sandpaper. When it gets scratched, it actually grinds material off the other object that gets deposited onto the flashlight and looks like a scratch until you clean it off. I took it to a Texas Flashlight Club meeting and most other people weren’t as bothered by it as I am, so take this with a grain of salt. It’s a far cry from the smooth anodizing you’ll find on other premium brands like Acebeam, Fenix, or Olight.

Size & Measurements

Olight Arkfeld Pro | Skilhunt H300 | Armytek Wizard WR | ESKilhunTE Mix-7 | Mini Maglite

Measurement	Measured (mm)
Bezel Diameter	23.0
Typical Head Thickness	24.7
Maximum Head Thickness	33.0
Length	112.1
Switch Diameter	12.5
Switch Proudness	1.6
Lens Thickness	u/m
Lens Diameter	u/m
Optic Diameter	u/m
Optic Height	u/m
MCPCB Size	u/m
Body Tube Diameter (internal)	19.2
Body Tube Diameter (maximum)	21.4
Body Tube Diameter (mode)	20.5
Body Tube Length	u/m
Ride Height (sticking out of pocket)	~2-6
Pocket Clip Space (for pants material)	4.6
Pocket Clip Space (at mouth)	~5
Pocket Clip Width	5.8
Pocket Clip Thickness	1.0
Pocket Clip Slot Width	5.7
Pocket Clip Slot Diameter	20.5
Tailcap Diameter	24.6
Tailcap Length	21.0
Driver Diameter	u/m
Included Battery Length	65.2
Included Battery Diameter	18.5

Weight with included battery: 110g
Headband weight: 54g

User Interface

This UI leaves a lot to be desired but you can make it work.

The actions are # of presses followed by a hold (H) or a release (C). So, “1C” is one click and release. “2H” is two clicks but you hold down the last one.

State	Action	Result
Off	1C	On (mode & color memory)
Off	1H	Firefly (color memory, mode memorized)
Off	2C	On and switch color (mode memory)
On	1C	Off
On	1H	Cycle Mode (Low > Med > High > Beacon* > Low, memorized)
On	2C	Switch color (mode memory)

What they got right:

• Clicking turns the light on/off and holding the button changes modes. That’s the way almost all e-switch flashlights should work. It’s intuitive and quick.
• There’s a firefly shortcut and it’s 1H from off, just like most other lights so it’s easy to remember.
• *You can disable the beacon mode. That’s critical because Armytek put it in the main mode rotation. To do so, loosen the tailcap, hold the button, tighten the tailcap, and loosen the tailcap again.

What they got wrong:

• No shortcuts to red. In most situations where you’d need red light, it’s important to be able to access it directly so you don’t “ruin your night vision”, draw attention to yourself, or bother others. Since this light
• 2C changes color. 2C is commonly used as a Turbo shortcut on most other E-switch lights and I really missed that here. Any light with more than one independent LED should really have a second switch to control channel/color switching. That way the main switch can be used for all the functions and shortcuts you usually expect.
• Moonlight is memorized. It has a dedicated shortcut, so it doesn’t need to be memorized. Accessing it will override your memorized mode.
• Beacon is in the main mode rotation (but it can be disabled, thankfully). That’s a terrible place for blinky modes to live. Normally, blinky modes are accessed via 3C from on or off. 3C does nothing on this model, so that’s where the beacon mode should live.
• The mode can change when you change color. If switching from one color to the other, it remembers the mode you used in that other color and will return to it. It would be better if it stayed on the same mode when changing colors so there isn’t a dramatic brightness change.
• The mode spacing is bad. More about that in the mode chart section.

Notes

• There is no electronic lockout, but there’s no need for it because mechanical lockout (loosening the tailcap) works great.
• The more multi-channel lights I test, the more I think the channel-selector needs to be a dedicated toggle switch.

Emitter & Beam

This light has four LEDs split into two channels. The two white LEDs are Cree XD16s (available in “white light” or “warm light”) and the two red LEDs are Cree XQEs. I chose the “warm light” version because I prefer a warmer color temperature in my headlamps. They have standard color rendering (~70 CRI), not high color rendering.

The beam is floody and diffused, no matter the color. There’s a vague hotspot, vague spill cutoff, and no artifacts. It doesn’t throw very far, but it’s the perfect beam for a headlamp. It doesn’t completely fill your vision with light, it just puts it where you need it so it doesn’t waste battery.

In the beamshots below, the basketball goal to the right of the hotspot is 39M away and the power pole in the center is 185M away.

Mode Chart

Disclaimer: All of my measurements are taken at turn-on. Lumen measurements were taken on a Texas Ace 3.5″ Lumen Tube. A candela measurement was taken at 10 meters with an Opple Light Master III on the highest brightness, and other candela figures were calculated relative to that. CRI, CCT, & DUV data were taken for each mode from a few feet away at the center of the hotspot with the Opple Light Master and Waveform DUV Calculator. Runtime tests were performed with the Ceilingbounce app on my smartphone. All of these tests were performed with a fully charged included battery unless otherwise specified. I cannot measure moonlight directly, so moonlight readings are calculated based on the brightness relative to the next-lowest mode. None of this is professional equipment, so take all of these measurements with a grain of salt.

Level	Lumens	Candela	Throw (Meters)	CRI (Ra)	Color Temp. (K)	DUV (Tint)
Turbo	1100	4200	130	66	3860	0.0073
Main2	380	1451	76	66	3710	0.0085
Main1	120	458	43	66	3670	0.0086
Firefly	0.5	N/M	N/M	65	3680	0.0098
Turbo (R)	380	N/M	N/M	Mono.	N/A	N/A
Main2 (R)	110	N/M	N/M	Mono.	N/A	N/A
Main1 (R)	28	N/M	N/M	Mono.	N/A	N/A
Firefly (R)	0.3	N/M	N/M	Mono.	N/A	N/A

Mode Spacing is quite poor. There’s a huge brightness jump between Firefly and Main1 modes, particularly on the white channel. There should be an additional mode between Firefly and Main 1. Alternatively/additionally, Main1 and Main2 should be reduced in brightness to even out the spacing.

Runtime

White light performance is respectable. Turbo lasts 1-2 minutes before stepdown and stable output is 500 lumens in still air. The output at all levels is extremely stable besides expected temperature and voltage stepdowns.

Thermal regulation is present and active. It’s not just timed step-downs. The light will adjust brightness based on ambient conditions to provide maximum performance without overheating.

LVP (Low Voltage Protection): This light has no form of low voltage protection. There’s none in the driver and none in the included battery. It steps down noticeably when the battery is low, but I don’t recommend letting the light run unattended. Protected cells will fit if they don’t have a USB port built-in.

Driver & Regulation

I’m not certain what kind of driver Armytek used in Wizard WR. I asked Armytek but my representative did not know the driver type. It appears to be of good quality because it’s well-regulated and must be efficient (because the sustained output is high).

This regulation performance is exactly what I like to see. It’s well regulated down to ~25% capacity remaining (~3.6V), but not perfectly regulated down to empty (~3V). That means it’s a good quality driver and the components are being pushed hard for maximum brightness. A light that doesn’t drop in output as battery drains is probably not being pushed hard on the highest mode.

Note: All regulation measurements are taken at turn-on so they do not reflect any thermal or low voltage step-downs that may occur. A value of 0 indicates low voltage shutoff immediately upon activation.

PWM: No PWM is visible to my eyes nor audible to my ears. My phone camera was able to pick up some flickering on Firefly, but I checked it with my Opple and it’s not PWM.

Parasitic Drain: 11 microamps. It will take 33 years to drain the included battery.

Switch

The switch is electronic and located on the side of the head. That’s ideal for headlamp use, but a bit awkward for handheld use. The switch is covered by a bright yellow rubber boot and it’s easy to find even in the dark. The action is both tactile and audible.

Carry & Ergonomics

Handheld ergonomics are so-so. It fits fine in my hand and I can use it, but the switch is a little awkward to access. Right-angle lights with the switch on the end usually work better as handhelds. The uncomfortable chalkboard anodizing is another “issue” for handheld use.

A pocket clip is included for carry and it works well. It’s a polished deep carry clip that fits both ways (bezel-up or bezel-down) and at two different heights (deep-carry or bezel-sticking-out). I didn’t have any trouble getting it in or out of my pocket smoothly using the included clip. Because of the rough anodizing, installing the clip feels like gauging the sides of the light and it will leave marks every time you install or remove it. It holds on extremely tight so it requires some needlenose pliers to remove without bending it.

An above-average headband is included for headlamp use. There’s a plastic bracket in the front that the light snaps in/out of fairly easily. There’s also a rubber loop you can hook around in front of the light to hold it extremely secure. The straps are elastic with some yellow stripes, but no retroreflectors or silicone grip pads like some other headbands. I can’t find a non-destructive way to remove the top strap and you cannot use the pocket clip and headband simultaneously.

Water & Impact Resistance

This is one area where Wizard WR wipes the floor with virtually all the competition. It has ten-meter impact & water resistance ratings for up to 5 hours, while most lights have a 1-2 meter impact & water resistance ratings for up to 30 minutes. It’s not dive-rated though, just to be clear. You can’t beat Armytek if you need a headlamp that can get dropped and submerged a lot.

Batteries & Charging

Wizard WR includes an unprotected, flat top, 3200mah, 18650 cell. Most protected button tops work too, but the ones with a USB charging port built in are probably too long.

Charging is facilitated by an included magnetic USB charging cable. It’s similar to Olight’s well-known magnetic charging system but isn’t compatible. The biggest difference is that Armytek’s implementation does not require proprietary batteries! To charge, you have to loosen the tailcap a bit and then snap on the magnetic puck.

When charging, an LED indicator will glow on the puck indicating the charging status. Red means charging, orange means the USB power source is too weak for fast charging and green means fully charged. The light cannot be used while charging.

Competition

Here are some lights in the same class and how they compare. None of these competitors can match the water & drop resistance of the Wizard.

Fenix HM61R V2:

• similar size, weight, design, and charging solution
• no warm white option and red doesn’t get nearly as bright
• direct shortcut to red mode and much better mode spacing
• smoother finish
• pocket clip and headband work together, but not deep carry
• switch on the end (better for handheld use, worse for headlamp use)

Emisar DW4 Dual-Channel: The enthusiast option

• dozens of emitter options (including SST20 Deep Red)
• RGB auxiliary LEDs
• several body colors are available
• advanced and customizable Anduril 2 firmware
• no headband but you can buy one here
• no battery nor charger included, only accepts unprotected flat-top batteries
• switch on the end (better for handheld use, worse for headlamp use)

Skilhunt H300/H300R: Get this if you don’t need red. It’s my favorite headlamp.

• Marginally less expensive but no red secondary LED
• Similar size, shape, and charging solution
• Superior headband and user interface
• The clip doesn’t interfere with the headband
• Much nicer anodizing
• Several emitter options are available (Nichia 144A is my favorite)

This section is not comprehensive. If I didn’t include a particular light here, it doesn’t mean it’s bad or doesn’t deserve to be here. I simply cannot list every possible competitor.

Conclusion

If you need that extreme 10M impact & water resistance rating in your angle light or headlamp and you need white and red light colors, look no further than Wizard WR. However, if you don’t need that extreme durability, I recommend looking at competing products. Many are more refined with better anodizing and more intuitive UIs.

Thanks to Armytek for sending me this light for review!