Olight ArkPro Stars and Stripes Flat Flashlight Evaluation

New from Olight is the Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight, a flat gentle with a number of emitter choices. It has flood, throw, laser, and UV! Learn on!

Official Specs and Options

Right here’s a referral hyperlink to the Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight product web page.

Variations

Of the Olight ArkPro particularly, it appears like there are six physique colours. Most of them provide solely cool white emitter choices, however at the very least one (matte black) is out there in impartial white and funky white, too. Sadly, the Matte Black I’ve right here just isn’t the impartial white model.

There are additionally two different ArkPro variants: ArkPro Lite and ArkPro Extremely. A type of two is extra Lite, the opposite is extra Extremely!

Worth

MSRP for the Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight is $99.99, however the introductory value (for an additional couple of weeks) is $79.99.

What’s Included

• Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight
• Charging base
• Handbook

Package deal and Handbook

Be aware that this guide is for all three variations of the ArkPro, and I don’t like that. I discovered the guide fairly exhausting to comply with! However I’m certain a ton of labor was put into it (that’s the one approach it may very well be so complicated).

Right here’s one little level in regards to the confusion. The picture under implies to me {that a} gentle may need all three choices. However that’s not the case. Solely among the ArkPro variations have a few of these three choices.

The entire ArkPros I’ve gotten for overview have these three stickers or covers that should be eliminated earlier than the primary use. In actual fact, you additionally want to connect the sunshine to a charging base (such because the one included) to activate the sunshine. I’m not certain you will get the sunshine to reenter this “activation wanted” state, but it surely’d be neat!

Construct High quality and Disassembly

The Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight is actually the identical as different ArkPro flashlights I’ve reviewed. Right here’s the Matte Black Cool White model, for instance, and the ArkPro Orange and ArkPro Silver. I did all recent testing for this model, and naturally new photographs to point out off the fandy imprint!

After all, there’s no cylindrical cell in there to rattle round or be eliminated, or no matter. The cell is 100% built-in. That’s good and unhealthy, after all. Constructing the cell in means Olight can get dependable efficiency, but it surely additionally means you’ll be able to’t change the cell when it wears out in numerous years.

Regardless of the case in regards to the battery, the construct right here is nice. I really like the anti-roll form. Not solely that, however the Olight ArkPro Matte Black cool white flashlight suits into the pocket the place I usually carry an 18650 gentle in a way more comfy approach.

I’ve already disassembled an Arkfeld, and I didn’t achieve this for the Olight ArkPro Matte Black cool white flashlight model. You’re invited to take a look at the photographs from that overview, although. Right here’s a hyperlink. (Be aware: I didn’t get too far with disassembly.)

Most notable about this model is the celebratory “250 YEARS / 1776 – 2026” textual content on the again.

Measurement and Comps

The Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight is 124mm x 27mm x 16mm and 115g.

Right here’s the sunshine in hand:

Right here’s the take a look at gentle with the venerable Convoy S2+. This can be a brass model, which is an effective bit heavier than aluminum, however has the identical dimensions: 24mm in diameter by 117.5mm in size.

Additionally within the photograph above, my Commonplace Reference Materials (SRM) flashlight is the Hanko Machine Works Trident, an 18350 gentle. Whereas I’ve not reviewed or examined the Gunner Grip model seen right here, I’ve examined a Hanko Machine Works Trident Complete Tesseract in brass. I really like the Trident, and it’s a hanging distinction to the cheap Convoy S2+, one other nice SRM.

Retention and Carry

The Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight has a two-way pocket clip, which is so significantly better than some earlier version Arkfeld-type lights. This clip permits nice deep carry and has a two-way choice. I don’t care in any respect in regards to the two-way, however I really like the deeper carry.

Curiously, the Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight does not have a lanyard gap within the pocket clip like some earlier Ark-type lights.

There’s a magnet within the tail as a result of that’s the best way the charger connects. It’s additionally robust sufficient to carry the ArkPro.

Energy and Runtime

Olight states this as a 2000mAh battery, and that’s completely logical. (A Reddit person has confirmed it, too.) I used to be unable to realize any entry to the LiPO, however I did run a few output exams. There’s a battery indicator surrounding the change, and it does point out when the voltage is low. The sunshine lastly shuts off, too.

The temperature strains in these charts are included as basic context, not exact measurements. The values characterize the vary (min to max) throughout testing, however shouldn’t be taken as precise readings. A temperature sensor just isn’t all the time connected to the bezel (and even the most popular spot, assuming that may very well be outlined). Even with splendid placement, too many variables have an effect on temperature to definitively state a particular max worth.

Charging

The Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight gives USB-C charging! The cost port is roofed by the identical sort of canopy we’ve seen lately on among the Oclip lights (for instance, the Oclip Professional).

The duvet feels metallic, and I would guess that the cost port is waterproof, because the hinged door doesn’t have any gaskets.

A second choice is out there for charging, too! Olight contains this proprietary MCC charger.

That works simply effective too, however with USB-C as an choice now, I don’t anticipate utilizing this charging base!

I solely examined charging with USB-C. USB-C charging works nice with A to C and C to C each. Charging completes in about 1.5 hours.

Modes

Pulse Width Modulation

Nothing actually to say right here. Not one of the modes appears to be utilizing PWM.

Click on right here to see a “baseline” – a chart with virtually no gentle hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has among the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so unhealthy that I used a put up about it to elucidate PWM! Listed below are a number of timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make evaluating this “worst” PWM gentle to the take a look at gentle simpler. That put up additionally explains why I didn’t take a look at the WF-602C on the standard 50us scale.

Person Interface and Operation

The Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight has two switches. Surrounding that e-switch is a selector knob of kinds, which factors to both white LED output, ultraviolet, or laser output. Functionally, that is precisely the identical because the Arkfeld Professional and Arkfeld Extremely.

One large and improbable replace is the symptoms, seen above. They’re in a hoop between the rotary and the e-switch. The left facet signifies the output stage, whereas the inexperienced proper facet signifies the cost standing. Not pictured, however there’s a bit of illuminated lock icon when the sunshine is put in lockout mode, too!

They are saying the LED e-switch is nice for thumb use, and I’m inclined to agree. There’s a properly sized pad space for my thumb to relaxation. The concave across the rotary helps with this, too.

The second e-switch is that this one on the facet. It operates (solely) the laser.

This solely applies when the selector is in both LED place. The person interface is similar for flood and spot LEDs. The person interface is admittedly the identical for UV and laser, too; it’s simply with a separate button.

^ Moon, Low, Medium, and Excessive are memorized. Turbo is memorized as Excessive.
^^ The guide doesn’t point out the timers so far as I can see.

LED and Beam

I used to be sure I’d seen someplace that Olight designed these emitters themselves, however I can’t discover that data now. I’m not completely certain it issues, since we are able to see the CRI and CCT within the subsequent part. These emitters have the perfect sort of optic for his or her function. The flood emitter has a shallow TIR, and the spot emitter (proper, under) has a deep, easy reflector.

LED Coloration Report (CRI and CCT)

The CCT for both emitter is cool white. Be aware that some physique colours (black, at the very least) do provide impartial white as an choice. The CRI can be low for each LEDs.

CCT (Correlated Coloration Temperature) refers back to the measurement of the colour look of sunshine, expressed in Kelvins (Okay), which signifies whether or not the sunshine is heat (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A decrease CCT (under 3000K) is taken into account heat gentle, whereas a better CCT (above 5000K) provides cooler, bluish gentle.

CRI (Coloration Rendering Index) is a measure of how precisely a lightweight supply renders colours compared to pure daylight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, larger CRI values point out that colours seem extra true to life and vibrant, just like how they might look below the solar.

Beamshots

These beamshots all the time have the next settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and guide 5000K publicity. These photographs are taken at flooring stage, and the beam hits the ceiling round 9 toes away.

That third row above is the LED on with the inexperienced laser on as properly.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b model) (affiliate hyperlink)

I hold the take a look at flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the suitable. These photographs are taken round 18 inches from the door.

I evaluate every little thing to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 as a result of it’s cheap and has the perfect tint!

Abstract and Conclusion

Say no matter you need in regards to the Olight Arkpro Stars and Stripes flat flashlight, but it surely’s positively a neat little gentle! The high-capacity battery is a welcome addition, as is a throw emitter. Having laser and UV nonetheless inbuilt is a bonus (specifically, that the laser has a devoted button)! I really like that there’s a impartial white choice. And eventually, I’m happy that the intro value appears to be a bit decrease than it has been in prior releases.

The Huge Desk

^ Measurement disclaimer:  Testing flashlights is my interest. I exploit hobbyist-level gear for testing, together with some I made myself. Strive to not get buried within the particulars of producer specs versus measurements recorded right here; A certain quantity of distinction (say, 10 or 15%) is completely cheap.

What I like

• The laser operation was moved out of the principle change
• USB-C charging
• Good throw channel
• Larger battery
• Little LED icons across the change
• Nice beam form on the spot emitter
• Impartial white obtainable (in some physique colours)

What I don’t like

• Constructed-in battery
• Excessive CCT
• Low CRI

Notes