Update: my 1aa light package has been "un-lost" so I have it now. The other package is still missing.

The light itself is very lightweight and cheap. I guess it is ok as an emergency light but it doesn't seem durable enough for regular use. Weight is about 18.5g for the light by itself, 6.5g for the headband (about 12mm wide), 31g including the minimal cardboard box that it came in. I can post photos if anyone wants to see them. According to the box, the light is 100 lumens.

Figuring out how to insert the battery was confusing. The light is in a little bracket that you can pry off with your fingers, and after that, there is a battery cover that slides off. It seems to me there is a possibility of breaking little parts while doing this, but it should be ok if you are careful. The switch is a clicky pushbutton on top of the light underneath a membrane cover that looks reasonably sealed, but the battery compartment sealing is not that great.

I'm hesitant to suggest inserting the battery before putting the light into a kit, since it's a microprocessor light that may have parasitic current drain even when switched off. I'll try to measure this if I get a chance. Doing this in every kit before shipping would add maybe a minute to the assembly time for each kit, but would allow the light to be tested, and the waterproofing could be improved with a bit of tape or clear nail polish as someone suggested.

The light does have virtues for use in a semi-mass-produced emergency kit. It is cheap and lightweight and uses the most common battery in the world, with tons more energy than the coin cells in the old light. With an L91 lithium AA it is around 40g weight, maybe 10g more than a coin cell light. Its reliability probably isn't great, but the kit contains a second light (Photon Freedom) that can serve as a backup. If the Freedom includes the little mounting clip, then it can be used as a headlamp too, bu clipping it to the AA light or its headband.

I'll put in a battery and test the light later, and maybe write a little more of a review, but for the original purpose of including it in a kit, I think it is worth a look. Doug, you can order one from the link I gave, or I don't mind donating this one to ETS if you want to evaluate it. It might be a week or so before I can send it out though, so it may be about as quick to order from AliEx. I think it took about 12 days to reach my mailbox from them.


Edited by paulr (10/26/21 03:26 PM)