Flashlight Review: Wowtac A2 Headlamp
Kevin Felts 06.26.17
When Wowtac contacted me and asked if I would like to do a review of their Wowtac A2 headlamp, I was somewhat skeptical. Over the years, I have used a number of headlamps and wondered what the A2 offered that the others did not?
Even though the name may imply the A2 uses 2 AA batteries, it uses a single 18650 battery. My test sample came with a 3.6v, 9.35Wh, 2600mAH, USB rechargeable Wowtac brand name battery.
What makes the Wowtac A2 different than other headlamps on the market? The flashlight is detachable and can be used without the headgear. The 18650 battery ensures more lumens and longer battery life than the typical AAA batteries that most headlamps use.
Wowtac A2 Specifications
Lumen / estimated run time:
- Turbo: 550 lumens / 90 minutes.
- High: 210 lumens / 2.5 hours.
- Medium: 66 lumens / 12 hours.
- Low: 12 lumens / 4 days.
- Firefly: 0.3 lumens / 45 days.
Operation is by pushing the on/off button on the head of the light.
- Hold down – firefly.
- Push once to turn on, then hold down to cycle through low, medium and high.
- Double click the on/off button to turn on turbo.
The A2 has a memory setting that will go back to the last setting used, except it will not go back to firefly or turbo. Memory only works with low, medium or high.
The 18650 battery has a built in USB port for charging:
- When the battery is charging, a small led on the end of the battery shines red.
- When the battery is fully charged, another led will shone green.
Tests
Since the Wowtac A2 is a headlamp, some of the typical tests were excluded. It seemed reasonable that whatever may happen to the light may also happen to your head. I did not feel like driving nails with my head, or being drug behind an ATV, so those tests were excluded.
Drop – Without the headgear, the flashlight was held at a height of around four feet and dropped several times onto a railroad crosstie. It was dropped on the side and on the tailcap, but not on the head. The on/off switch is on the head. Dropping the light on the switch did not seem like a fair test.
What we look for in this test is to see if the flight flickers, and it did not.
Water – The A2 was submerged in water for around 30 minutes. It was then dried with a towel and opened. There were no signs of water inside the flashlight.
Beam – The flashlight has a nice beam with a defined inner and outer cone. The outer cone is around 90 degrees. So, while holding the light directly in front of you, the outer cone will shine at around 45 degrees on each side.
Final Thoughts
Whether used as a headlamp or as a handheld flashlight, the Wowtac A2 is wonderful. Of the flashlights that I have seen with the 18650 battery, this has to be one of the more compact. The angled head shaves a little bit off the overall length.
I like that it can be used with a headlamp or as a handheld flashlight.
Some type of red light option would be nice. A red light saves your night vision and does not blind your buddies.
It would be nice if the tailcap had a lanyard hole. One day the rubber part that holds the light to the headgear may break. So, a lanyard attachment would be nice.
As of June 25, 2017, the Wowtac A2 has a price of $19.99 on Amazon and is eligible for Prime shipping.
I give the Wowtac a score of 9.6 out of 10.
Full disclosure – Even though the Wowtac A2 was sent to me at no cost to myself, this does not influence my opinion. My reviews are fact based. The flashlight was subjected to various tests and used over the course of several days. In the case of the A2, it was used nightly for a week before writing the review.
