Atactical A1 Flashlight Review
Kevin Felts 02.07.17
Atactical is a new player in the flashlight market. Their first offering, the Atactical A1, makes a wonderful first impression.
My flashlight reviews usually consist of freezing the flashlight in a block of ice, driving nails with it, running it over with tractor, and dropping it. Sometimes I try something new, such as throwing it behind a moving truck with a string attached.
The purpose is to subject the flashlight to a range of tests, but just short of abusing it. If something is abused, it will break. I do not want to break the flashlight, just subject it to a harsh real world test.
Features
- Strobe 550 lumens / estimated run time 4 hrs.
- Turbo 550 lumens / estimated run time 3.3 hrs.
- High 200 lumens / estimated run time 5.5 hrs.
- Medium 63 lumens / estimated run time 19 hrs.
- Low 10 lumens / estimated run time 5.5 days.
- Impact resistant: 1.5 meters.
- 5 3/3 inches long.
- 1 inch in diameter.
- Aircraft-grade aluminum body.
- Belt clip.
- Micro-usb cable is included.
Lanyard – The A1 does not come with a lanyard, which is fine with me. The vast majority of factory provided lanyards are cheaply made. I would rather take a piece of trot-line string or 550 cord and make my own lanyard. The lanyard holes are around 1/4 long and 1/8 inch tall.
Rechargeable – The battery of the Atactical A1 is rechargeable. Unlike other rechargeable flashlights, the battery is fitted with a micro-usb plug. Insert micro-usb cord, plug the other end into a computer, wall outlet, or anything designed to charge usb devices, and the battery starts to charge. There is a very small LED in the end of the battery that indicates that it is charging.
Freeze Test
The Atactical A1 was turned on and set to its lowest brightness setting. It was then placed in a jug, covered with an inch of water, and put in a deep freezer set to -12 degrees Fahrenheit for 17 hours.
The flashlight is frozen to see if the electronics will work in sub-zero conditions, and they did. As the water froze, the o-rings held tight and there was no water inside the flashlight.
Water Test
After the flashlight and jug were removed from the deep freezer, they were set out in the sunlight to thaw.
Once thawed, the Atactical A1 was left in the water for another full 24 hours. So the flashlight was frozen for 17 hours, then left in the water for another full 24 hours, for a total of 41 hours either frozen or submerged in water.
Hammer Test
This is one of my favorite flashlight tests. The Atactical A1 was taped to a framing hammer, then used to drive three 12 penny nails through a 2×4.
The purpose of the hammer test is to see if anything will break loose inside the flashlight. Will the sudden stop of the swing cause anything to break?
The A1 passed the hammer test with flying colors.
Tractor Test
Rather than running over the flashlight with a truck or car, I use a Massey Ferguson 231 tractor.
Here on the farm, there is a dirt road going to the back field. The road is a mix of dirt and rocks. The bezel was placed on a rock, then the flashlight was run over several times. After each pass, the flashlight was repositioned so the bezel was on top of a small rock.
For the last test, the tail cap was placed on the rock. In this position, the bezel was driven into the dirt from the weight of the tractor.
What I am looking for is if the bezel bends and the glass beaks or if the flashlight bends. For a split second, the entire weight of the tractor is placed on the middle of the flashlight while only being supported on each end.
Besides some scratches, the Atactical A1 worked perfectly.
Drop Test
The last and final test is a drop test from around 4 feet to a solid surface. In this case, we used a rail road cross tie as the hard surface.
During the drop test, the A1 performed perfectly.
Atactical A1 Final Thoughts
Overall, I was impressed with the quality, workmanship, and durability of the Atactical A1.
The current price, as of January 30th 2017, is $19.99 at Amazon. To me, that is a great value. Even if this flashlight was in the $30-$40 price range, it would still be a great buy.
