Review: Wowtac A3 Flashlight
Kevin Felts 10.09.17
The Wowtac A3 is a handheld flashlight that uses a single 18650 battery. This is the third Wowtac flashlight to be reviewed here on AllOutdoor; the other two were the Wowtac A2S and the A2. Both of those are headlamps, but the light can be removed from the headgear and used as a handheld.
The A3 is different from the A2S and the A2 in that the A3 is zoomable. The head of the flashlight slides back and forth to change the beam from a spot to a flood.
Package Includes:
- Flashlight
- Rechargeable 2600 mAh battery
- Micro-UBS cable
- Belt clip
- Spare O-rings
No lanyard or carry pouch was included with my test sample.
Specifications
- Low: 16 lumens
- Medium: 65 lumens
- High: 220 lumens
- Turbo: 600 lumens
- Reading: 10 lumens
- Weight: 4.60 ounces with battery
- Length: 4 7/8 inches with head compressed, 5 5/16 inches with head extended.
- Price: As of October 8, 2017, $19.99 on Amazon, with Prime shipping.
The A3 is not waterproof, but can be exposed to rain.
Likes
- Opens up to a nice floodlight.
- One button for on/off and to change brightness settings. Some lights have an on/off button, then a separate button to change the settings.
- Rechargeable 18650 battery.
- Zoomable.
Dislikes
- The lanyard hole is too small (only about 1/16 inch in diameter).
- On/off button does not have an LED. The on/off button blends in almost perfectly with the flashlight body. Having an LED would help the user find the button.
- The flashlight does not cast a clear light. Even though the box is marked as cool white, just like the A2 and A2S, the beam is a different color than the other lights.
Wowtac A3 Final Thoughts
After using the new A3 for close to two weeks around the farm, I prefer the older A2/ A2S lights over this A3.
If you’re going to make the lanyard hole so tiny (1/16″), why even bother?
Get rid of the lanyard hole, add a battery-health LED on the on/off button, and change the LED so it casts a clearer light.
Overall, I like the A3, but in its current state it leaves a lot to be desired. This one will probably be sent to the hunting camp.
Is the A3 a bad flashlight? No, not at all. Is it worth $19.99? Yes, I think so.
I give it a final score of 8.5 out of 10.
Full Disclosure
I received the Wowtac A3 at no cost to myself. Even though the A3 was sent as a free sample, this does not affect my opinion.
