OWLTAC is a flashlight company that has started a Kickstarter campaign for what they claim is the first dual independent, selective battery powered flashlight, the A1T Endure. The A1T features an aircraft grade 6061-T6 aluminum body with type III hard anodizing, concealed o-rings, a belt clip, and lanyard holes. It is IPX5 certified, and drop rated to 1m.
The most unique feature of the A1T is its dual-battery operation. Powered by two CR123A batteries, the A1T only draws from one battery at a time, allowing the user to switch to the second battery when needed via a toggle switch; this feature has been compared to an independent backup battery on an aircraft system The A1T outputs 200 lumens for 1 hour on a single CR123A on the max setting, and 16 hours on the 20 lumens low setting; the above image represents the run time with two batteries.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/451008586/owltac-a1t-endure-flashlight-with-selective-batter
Tags: Kickstarter, OWLTAC
I wonder if the designer drives an old XJ6.
that is not gona help much at all. first the lumens and runtime on a single or double cr123 is low, compared to a single 1865. and the mechanism and battery magazine makes it to complex. better carry a spare 1865 cell in an watertight carrier.
It’s actually a great idea if you are an aircraft crewmember. It give you that redundancy, you don’t want to be trying to find spares batteries at night while you are flying. Lumens are good enough for what we do. It’s a safety feature like we have on our NVG’s. I want one.
Makes sense. I’m fairly certain a few of the people involved work for Customs’ Air and Marine branch.
Yes, but the one flashlight can break or be lost. The best place to carry your required spare batteries is…inside another accessible flashlight!
This strikes me as a complete gimmick. What’s the purpose of this over a longer runtime?
If you want a warning when you’re halfway, you could program the driver to flash the light when the voltage drops to a certain point.
It’s also yet another made in China light. I’ll stick to buying lights made in developed Western countries.
Wat? I want 500 lumens for 1 hour, if not I’m changing the battery
one can have a light ND and completely drain the first battery, but be able switch to the second. That’s slick.
I assume the battery swap does not compromise the water resistant integrity of the light. That’s handy in the rain or spray.
Yes, carrying a second light does almost the same thing. Of coarse, one doesn’t have to stop carrying a second light just because they carry this light.
200 lumens for only 1 hour? I’m using a Duracell Durabeam and at 500 lumens I get 7 hours run-time. Going to a lower power setting of 250 lumens, I get 35 hours. And it too is using a CREE LED.
Surely these folks can do better…
You have to watch what some companies published on their products. I have a friend with one of those Duracell flashlights that the package specified it had 800 lumens but my Streamlight flashlight with 220 lumens was brighter. Based on that I think 200 lumens it’s really not bad.
It’s not the lumens versus run-time issue that interests me with this flashlight, it’s the being able to select the other battery when one dies. I typically carry two or three flashlights of various sizes which takes up space. I like the idea of carrying just one. Yes, it is made in China, but look closely at some so called American made products and you might find that some pieces and parts are made in China as well.
Better to carry a 2nd flashlight like someone said. Then you have real redundancy.
I carry a small 1xcr123 flashlight in my pocket as edc, and I keep a two cell in my car. I use these items. Sometimes I use them a lot, sometimes I don’t. I do not change my battery after every use. How long has it been since I last changed the battery in my pocket light? my car light? I’m not sure. I honestly don’t know if they’re at 50%, 70%, maybe 20%. This light allows me to have a second battery built in with a quick switch so I can continue about my business and change the spare when I’m done.
Do I carry spare batteries and a backup light on my load out gear? Yeah, of f*&CKing course I do. Do I carry spare batteries in my jeans when I go to the grocery store… no. And I don’t plan on doing so either. This doesn’t strike me as a great “tactical” light, but it seems to be an awesome utility light concept.