AUNOC 1xAAAA LED FLASHLIGHT

Aunoc 1xAAAA cell LED Flashlight, retail $59.99 (www.lighthound.com...)
Manufactured by Aunoc (www.aunoc.com)
Last updated 11-18-07




This is a *VERY SMALL* LED flashlight that uses a single AAAA cell (yes, I typed "AAAA" - that was not an error!), and comes in a super durable #316 stainless steel body. It is waterproof - even submersible to approximately 264 feet.

It features a new Nichia NSPW500CS white LED; known to be the brightest 5mm LED that money can buy; and uses, yes, a single AAAA cell to power that LED with.

It comes packaged in a handsome metal gift tin.


I normally don't show flashlight packages, but this one is particularly handsome.


SIZE



Getting light is as easy as turning the head clockwise (as if tightening it) until it lights up; turn it the other way to plunge yourself back in darkness.

The Aunoc comes with a very small split ring attached to the tail. This is meant to be attached to larger keyrings, like what your house & car keys are probably already on; and for attachment to a lanyard to hang the Aunoc around your neck or around a nail or tree branch.



To get your Aunoc powered up and ready to face the world, unscrew the head until it comes off (don't worry about losing parts or bulbs), and drop the included Duracell Ultra AAAA cell in so the button end faces up. Screw the head back on, and you're finished.

Measures 89.9mA on my DMM's 400mA scale.




Photograph of the bezel, showing the white LED in there.

Because this is a loaner sample, I will not perform "The Toilet Test" or "The Smack Test" on it. That also means I won't try to throw it in a river, bash it against a steel rod or against the corner of a concrete stair, let my housemate's kitty cat's ghost tinkle on it, viciously slam it into a swing-top metal wastepaperbasket (being certain it hits the lid on the way in), run over it with a 400lb Rascal brand electric wheelchair, or perform other indecencies that a regular flashlight might have to go through. So this section of the web page will be significantly more bare than this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight I can keep, thrash, trash, use, and abuse. I'm sure the person who sent it would appreciate receiving it back with no dings on the side of the bezel or yucky old dried-up rat poo-poo inside the barrel.

Update 11-29-05: I have been given explicit written permission to perform "The Smack Test", which will probably take place tomorrow (Wednesday 11-30-05).

I administered that terrible smack test on it (ten whacks against the corner of a concrete stair; five whacks against the side of the tail and five whacks against the side of the bezel), and found the expected damage. There is some very minor gouging on the sides of the tail and bezel where it was struck. No optical or electrical malfunctions were detected.

The light produced is a bright white circular medium spot, with a slightly bluish area at the center; this is a perfectly normal beam configuration for this type of phosphor-based white LED, and is nothing whatsoever to be concerned about.



Beam photograph on the test target at 12".
Measures 45,400mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter, using the supplied Duracell Ultra cell.
This is a very high value considering just one LED and one cell of this size (AAAA) is used.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the LED in this flashlight.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was furnished as a loaner from Lighthound on 11-24-05, and was received on the afternoon of 11-29-05.

Product was made in Singapore. A product's country of origin really does matter to some people, which is why I published it on this web page.

Because this is a loaner, the more abusive tests will not be performed on it. I'm sure the person who sent it would appreciate receiving it back with no dings on the side of the bezel or rat pellets inside the barrel.


UPDATE: 01-04-06
One flashlight reviewer found that the contact in the head of the light was intermittent, but I have yet to find this to be the case with my sample.


UPDATE: 04-17-07
According to an email I received this morning:

FYI, I got an email from a fellow named Kenneth at Aunoc regarding the Aunoc AAAA and he told me "There will be a brighter 5mm toward the later part of this year."


UPDATE: 04-18-07
According to an email from the same person I received today:

1) The updated/brighter Aunoc AAAA will be released whenever Nichia releases the newer LED. Kenneth from Aunoc told me they mentioned the second half of the year...nothing more specific.

2) Aunoc is also "looking into" adding knurling....pretty vague, I know.


UPDATE: 04-18-07
According to an email from a person I received this morning:

"FYI, I got a note today from Aunoc that 'we are now using the new Nichia LED, NSPW500GS-K1 in the Aunoc AAAA and Aunoc 3A.'"


UPDATE: 11-18-07
Product has now failed almost completely.
It reportedly fell off my sister's keychain, and now no longer functions. I tried installing a known-new AAAA cell in it, and also attempted to agument the upper and lower contacts with small pieces of household aluminum foil, and still no joy.
I tested it on a laboratory PSU set to output 1.55 volts, and it failed to light up that way either.

I got it to work (by repeatedly smacking the side of the bezel against a hard surface) long enough to perform spectroscopy, but it flickers and is ***NOT*** reliable in this condition.

Because of this rather unexpected failure (a simple, short drop should not have killed it), I will be derating the product significantly.





PROS:
Bright little {vulgar term for one who initiates intercourse} for its size
Tough and durable case
Water-resistant and submersible to ~264 feet



CONS:
Battery it uses may be difficult to find in some locations
No knurling or other texturising on the barrel
(See 11-18-07 update) Failed the drop test rather miserably


    MANUFACTURER: Aunoc
    PRODUCT TYPE: Very small flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm white LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot with dimmer corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Twist bezel on/off
    CASE MATERIAL: #316 stainless steel
    BEZEL: Metal; LED recessed inside of it
    BATTERY: 1xAAAA cell
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 89.9mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, to 80 meters (~264 feet)
    ACCESSORIES: 1xAAAA cell, very small split-ring, stainless steel gift box
    SIZE: 67mm (2.65")L, 9.5mm (0.375")D
    WARRANTY: Unknown/TBA

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Aunoc 1xAAAA LED Flashlight * www.aunoc.com...






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