This is the Armytek ELF C1 USB-C in cool white with the "PCB" emitter. It has a nice tint in the cool white beam, USB-C charging, amazing moonlight mode, matte rubber-like anodizing, one of the highest water/impact resistances I've seen on a flashlight, lamp mode and much more!

This is a **repost**, because I didn't like the format of the previous review, so I went back to the old one with the "th picture" to help find the picture about an specific topic, and, for some reason, some pictures didn't got uploaded to the original post.

**• My opinion:**

This flashlight is really awesome and super high quality, I was surprised at how good the anodizing and built quality are. The LED is also pretty good and powerful, especially as it has a beautiful tint for a cool white LED. The moonlights modes are also pretty dim, making them perfect for using at night. One of the things that caught my attention the most was the extremely good resistance ratings this flashlight has, 10m underwater and 10m impacts is awesome resistance, as it's fully potted you don't have to worry much about damaging it.

I really don't have much to criticize on this flashlight, it's almost perfect on everything it does. It's one of the few flashlight I can recommend without hesitation, awesome flashlight. 



**• Pros:**

\- Awesome clean cool white (around 5700K)

\- Great water and impact resistance (10m underwater and 10m drops)

\- Fully internally potted components and USB-C port

\- Battery indicator and state indicator (helps find it in the dark)

\- Type III hard anodizing with a matte rubber-like texture

\- Very high quality headband



**• Cons:**

\- The flashlight holder on the headband seems fragile

\- Memorizes moonlight modes\*

 

**• Box contents \[10th picture\]**

\- ELF C1

\- Armytek Headband

\- Stainless-steel clip

\- USB-C charging cable

\- Extra O-ring

\- Warranty cards

\- Instructions manual

 

**• Price**

**Coupons:** 

**- LMP15**

The Armytek ELF C1 USB-C is currently priced at **$55.00** on the [Armytek official store](https://armytek.com/flashlights/models/elf/armytek-elf-c1-usb-c-white/).



**• Special features (Lamp mode):** The ELF C1 can operate in what they call “lamp mode”. It is essentially using the flashlight without a battery and connected to a power source. To access this mode, you only need to remove the battery and connect the USB-C cable with a powerbank or even a phone charger. On “Lamp mode” you can only access Firefly1, Firefly2 and Main1 (low). A useful feature, especially in emergencies, but not the feature I liked the most. 



**• Acessories:** The **headband** is superb quality, no complaints on it, feels very high quality and durable and also has a nice design. The **flashlight holder** on the headband is made of plastic and I think it could be more resistant, it seems a little fragile, but holds the flashlight well. The **stainless-steel clip** is very sturdy and useful and is kinda deep carry.



**• Body and build quality**

**Colors/Material Options:** The ELF C1 is only available in aluminum with a black type III matte hard anodizing. The ELF C1 is available in **cool** and warm white. The version featured in the review is cool white.

**Material:** The main body is made of Aluminum, probably 6061 or 6063, Armytek does not specify it. The bezel is made of stainless-steel. The button and USB-C are covered by yellow rubber covers.

**Main body:** The main body is very clean, there is not much knurling because the anodizing is already matte and has a rubbery feel on the hands, this already makes it very grippy, even without knurling. The anodizing is so hard that it can file my nails a little when I try to scratch it. The only “Knurling” are 2 rings on the battery tube to secure the clip in place.

**Threads:** The threads are trapezoidal and anodized; this means this light features mechanical lockout by untwisting a little the tail cap. **\[11th picture\]**

**Clip:** The clip is made of stainless-steel and attaches to the battery tube very tight.

**Tail stand and rolling:** The ELF C1 can easily tail stand and also head stand as the LED is on the side. The flashlight does not roll much because it has some straight sides on the head, they serve to accommodate the clip better.

**AUX lights:** The main button has AUX lights under the yellow rubber cap, it’s not RGB, it can light up green, orange and red! The AUX lights serve to indicate the battery level, which is a must-have feature for most flashlights IMO, but it also can show a temperature warning if the flashlight is too hot. It also has a feature they call “state indicator”, in which the AUX LEDs will blink every 4 seconds, even when the flashlight is off, indicating the battery level and helping find the flashlight in the dark even if it’s not turned on. **\[12th picture\]**

**Battery level indicator:**

|AUX (flashes)|Battery Level|
|:-|:-|
||
|Green (every 4s)|\>25%|
|Orange (every 2s)|25%-10%|
|Red (every 1s)|<10%|

**Temperature indicator:** Is also featured in this light and I explained it more on the "Temperature Control" section.

**Water Resistance:** It has IP68 ingress protection rating, a lot of flashlights have this rating, but the ELF C1 has a big difference, most flashlights are tested to be 1m or 2m underwater for 1 hour, the ELF C1 is tested to be in **10m submersion for 5h!** This is absolutely AMAZING water resistance. The USB-C is covered by a yellow rubber cover, but it is also internally potted to prevent water ingress even without the rubber cap. 

**Impact Resistance:** I usually don’t talk much about impact resistance, but this flashlight Is advertised to have all the components internally potted, and to resist 10m impacts! This is awesome impact resistance.

**Buttons:** The ELF C1 has a single e-switch that is covered by a yellow rubber button.

**Battery contact:** Contact is made with the battery by 2 gold plated springs, this makes the flashlight more resistant to impacts as the springs absorb the shock and prevent it from damaging the driver and battery. **\[13th picture\]**

**Bezel:** This flashlight has a smooth stainless-steel bezel, it is not easily removable and I could not get it open, apparently, it’s sealed to prevent water ingress and also to prevent opening it.

**Magnets:** It has strong magnets on the tail cap. **\[14th picture\]**

**Size comparison:** Manker E05 II on the left and Convoy S2+ on the right. **\[15th picture\]**

 

**• Weight and size**

**Weight:**

\-With battery: 79.4g

\-Without battery: 55.5g

\-Battery (Armytek 18350): 24.0g

**Size:** **32.9mm** (head diameter) / **24.3mm** (tail diameter) x **78.7mm** (height)

 

**• Battery, runtime, and charging**

**Battery:** The ELF C1 is powered by a single 18350 Li-ion cell, the package includes an Armytek branded cell with 900mAh, and they say it’s made by leading manufacturers (e.g. Samsung, Sanyo, Sony, Molicel…). Any 18350 can be used, just be sure it meets CDR requirements. **\[16th picture\]**

**Battery Indicator:** The flashlight features battery indicator on the main button AUX. It will blink every 2 seconds if the flashlight is ON, and you can enable a “always ON” battery indicator which blinks every 4 seconds when the flashlight is OFF, this is called by them “state indicator” and also helps to find the flashlight in the dark.

**Charging:** Charging is pretty easy on this flashlight as it features a potted USB-C port on the opposite side of where the LED is. A yellow rubber cap covers the USB-C, but it’s fully internally potted for maximum water ingress protection. **\[17th picture\]**

**Low Voltage Warning:** The AUX light will blink red when the battery voltage is too low, also the main white light will be flashing.

**Reverse Polarity Protection:** it features reverse polarity protection, so don’t worry if you insert the battery by the wrong side.

 

**• Modes, Runtimes, Throw, Candela:**

**Modes:** The ELF C1 has 6 brightness modes total. It has a FANTASTIC 0.11 lumen moonlight mode, I wish it was just a little bit dimmer, but it’s already pretty good, it also has a secondary moonlight mode with 2 lumens which is also nice. The turbo mode reaches around 1000 lumens and is very powerful.

The advertised mode specs are as follows:

|Mode|Brightness (lumens)|Runtime|
|:-|:-|:-|
||
|Turbo|1000-530 lumens|4min-52min|
|Main3 (High)|500 lumens|1h11min|
|Main2 (Medium)|220 lumens|3h|
|Main1 (low)|40 lumens|15h|
|Firefly2|2 lumens|192h (8 days)|
|Firefly1|0.11 lumen|1440h (60 days)|

**Throw:** The flashlight is pretty focused on being a floody light, so the beam is very wide and the hotspot is very diffused, still it manages to throw a good 70-100m.

**Mode Memory:** The ELF C1 memorizes the last mode used, including “Firefly” modes and “Turbo”. I think it should not memorize “Firefly” because you already have a simple shortcut to it, by holding the main button when it’s OFF.

**Turbo:** Turbo mode reaches 1000 lumens for around 3 to 4 minutes before it heats too much and steps down to prevent driver and LED damage, they advertise after 4 minutes it still maintains 530 lumens. Very powerful for such a tiny light.

**Moonlight:** It has 2 moonlight modes that are called “Firefly1” and “Firefly2”. The first one is absolutely fantastic, it has around 0.11 lumen and lasts 60 days always ON, it’s pretty dim and awesome for not blinding yourself at night. The second firefly mode is also pretty good, I prefer the first one, but it’s also pretty nice to have more options.

**Blinkies:** It has no blinking mode, which is a good thing IMO, it’s a work light, not a tactical one.

 

**• Emitter, reflector and CRI:**

**Emitter:** The LED is pretty good, Its cool white, but has no blueish or greenish tint, just a clean cool white. It seems to be around 5700K, not the usual 6500K, also CRI looks to be better than most cool white flashlights I own. Armytek does not state which LED it’s used on the ELF C1, they call it “PCB” on their website. However, it’s been found by other enthusiasts that it actually uses the **Samsung LH351D** , probably in 5700K. It’s an awesome LED and a real upgrade from most brands that use way “worse” emitters with low CRI and blueish/greenish tint. Previous versions seem to have used the Cree XP-L emitter. **\[18th picture\]**

**Lens:** The TIR lens is covered by anti-reflexive coated hardened glass.

**Reflector/TIR:** It features a floody beaded TIR lens in front of the LED.

**Beam profile:** The beam is very floody and doesn't have a well defined hotspot, perfect for close up work. **\[19th picture\]**

**CRI:** The Samsung LH351D emitter in 5700K can be 70 or 80 CRI, which isn't the best CRI, but really better than most cool white low CRI LEDs most brands use.  

**• Beamshots Camera settings:**

\- 18mm lens 1" F8 ISO800

\- (The trees at the back are at a distance of around 100m)

**\[20th picture\] -** ELF C1 USB-C - "High" mode

The ELF C1 is not a throwy flashlight, it's for close work, so it's impressive that it can throw at around 100m.

I always try to match what my eyes can see on the beamshots, so camera settings may vary.

 

**• Driver and UI**

**Driver:** The driver is not stated anywhere I could find, but I’m sure it’s something pretty good as well. Probably a high-quality buck driver. It would not make sense to make a flashlight with this outstanding quality and use a bad driver.

**UI:** The UI is pretty straight forward. One click turns it ON/OFF. When it’s ON you can hold the button to cycle between the main modes (low, medium, high). From OFF if you hold the main button it will go to Firefly1 mode of 0.11 lumen, if you keep holding it will go to Firefly2 of 2 lumens, keep holding and it will go to the main modes. From ON or OFF double clicking will access “Turbo” with 1000 lumens.

**Timer mode:** You can also activate a timer to keep the flashlight ON for a determined amount of time, to do this unscrew the tailcap until the light turns OFF and while the flashlight is off, press the button and tighten the tailcap while keeping the button pressed until the main light starts flashing. After this you have 3 options to choose:

1 click - 2 minutes

2 clicks - 5 minutes

3+ clicks - 10 minutes

The flashlight will blink the amount of clicks you made to confirm the action. To disable this and go back to normal mode unscrew the tailcap until it disconnects while the flash-light is off, press the button, release it and screw in the tailcap.

**State Indicator:** The state indicator will blink every 4 seconds and indicate the battery level when the flashlight is OFF, helping you to find it in the dark. To active it \]unscrew the tailcap a little bit while the flashlight is off, press the button and keeping the button pressed, screw the tailcap back in. The flashlight memorizes that you enabled this mode.

**Temperature Control:** This flashlight features active real-time temperature control, few flashlights actually feature this, as it’s way more complicated and expensive to do than normal temperature control; the flashlight will always measure the temperature of the driver when it’s ON and it will dynamically adjust the brightness to prevent overheating. The flash will also indicate when the flashlight is getting too warm, around 58°C (136.4°F) by flashing the main button AUX in orange 3 times every 2 seconds, at critical levels it will flash red 3 times every second.

**Lockout:** The light features only mechanical lockout by untwisting the tail cap a little. There is no electronic lockout.



A special thanks to **Anastasia** and **Armytek** for sending this flashlight for me to review!

\*I am not being paid to do this review, everything here is my honest opinion.

**Thank you for reading my review** ❤️

[Review] Armytek ELF C1 USB-C: Heavy duty right-angle flashlight with amazing tint!