Armytek Predator Pro Review by Bmengineer |

The Product

Armtek sent me this light from their “tactical” product line, the Predator Pro Magnet USB. IT’s available in both cool or warm options with an XHP35 Hi. This light sits between the slimmer Dobermann and the (much) larger Barracuda in their lineup. The Predator isn’t a new light, but the addition of magnetic charging is.

Spoiler

As a pocketable thrower, there’s a lot to like about this light. The interface is simple, the button feels good, and it can fit in a pocket if you really want it to. Much like the Dobermann, this is exactly the sort of light I would enjoy having with me on a hike to peer further off into the distance than most headlamps will allow.

Physical Dimensions

The Predator Pro measures 156mm long, 41mm wide at the head, and 25mm along the body. It weighs 140g without a battery, 189g with the included cell.

Build

The light is made of aluminum with the chalky/grippy matte anodizing Armytek uses for all of their lights. It’s a pretty classic “flashlight” shape.

The head has some small cooling fin type cuts as well as some flat sections, but the depth doesn’t prevent the light from rolling around. The bezel is stainless steel, and extends well past to protect the glass cover.

The tail has a small lanyard hole and a few cuts for added grip. The tail switch is proud, making it easy to find and press. You can see the metal contacts on the switch and tail to enable the magnetic charging.

The threads at the head of the light are long and un-anodized. There are double o-rings to seal out water and dust, and a large brass spring for good contact with the cell.

The rear of the light has anodized threads with another double o-ring and spring. You can lock out the light by loosening the tail to prevent accidental activation.

What’s Included

The light shipped to me in a retail box with tons of info about the light.
Inside, you get:

The light with battery
A paracord-style lanyard
Rubber grip ring
Magnetic charger
Spare o-rings
Instructions
Pocket clip
Holster

Ergonomics and Retention

The light is comfortable in the hand and the grippy feel of the anodizing means it feels secure without any knurling. The tailswitch is easy to find and press as well.

I’m not a fan of the way the lanyard attaches. The lanyard itself is great, but the tiny lanyard hold in the tail of the light means it needs to attach to a clip, then to a small keyring, and then to the light. This creates a much more complicated attachment, and it gets pulled in to the magnetic tail and scuffs the surface of the light.

Modes and Interface

All features are controlled by the single tail switch and by tightening or loosening the head of the light.

Full press to turn the light on/off
Hold a half press for momentary use until released
Tighten the head fully for turbo mode
Loosen the head 1/8 turn to enable different modes, then half press to cycle through the modes

You can also enable/disable the strobe mode, or put it into a simplified “tactical mode” which only has turbo and strobe available.The UI is convenient and simple, without too many modes or confusing features. The lowest mode is advertised as 37 lumens and I prefer a lower moonlight mode on most lights, but I think this is fine for a larger light that’s geared towards use as a thrower.

Light Quality and Beam

This light uses a Cree XHP35 Hi in a smooth reflector. There’s a slight hole in the beam at very close distances, but it goes away at anything over ~1 meter and won’t be an issue in use.

Power and Runtime

The light is powered by a single 18650 cell.

Runtime was tested without cooling and with the included 3500 mAh cell. Runtimes match what was advertised very closely. The turbo mode sees a drastic step-down after a few moments, as expected, but the next highest level stayed constant for almost the entire test. The cell voltage was around 3V after each test was stopped.

Charging

The light uses the included magnetic charger to top up the battery. It connects to any USB-A power source. The charger blinks red while charging and turns green when complete.