Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia Magnet USB (warm light)

I n t r o d u c t i o n
I've chosen to live a minimal lifestyle. Even though Im residing in a good sized house in suburbia, I act as if I'm outdoors, opting not to heat the whole house in the winter nor to use air conditioning in the summer, etc. I call this "camping-in."

The only artificial source of light I had been using at the house was a headlamp (aside from a little light that comes in from nearby streetlamps and from neighbors' outdoor lighting). For years that headlamp from another brand that uses one 18650 cell was my stalwart companion. always either on my head or someplace nearby. I began thinking I should get a backup headlamp since I depend so much on it.

However, the company making the other brand headlamp has cut back on the number of flashlights and headlamps it makes, and was out-of-stock of the one that I liked to use. It turns out that was only temporarily, but I didn't know that and panicked, hastily concluding I should check out headlamps from other manufacturers despite my high level of satisfaction with the headlamp I had.

T h e R e v i e w
I wanted the backup to be something similar to what I had. The Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia checked many of the boxes.

□ The light used an 18650 battery.
□ The light outwardly resembled the light I had (more on that below.)
□ The cost of the light was roughly the same, especially considering the Armytek came with a battery while the one I had required a separate battery purchase.
□ The light has a slew of modes. Not as many as the light I have already, but close. It has the low lumen modes that are important to me when reading and doing most activities around the house. It has a fast, bright strobe which makes feel more secure knowing I can use it tactically if necessary. And it has many modes in-between.
□ Super-important: it has a high CRI like the light I had already. I like the idea of being able to hold the sun in my hand so to speak. There's abundant natural light in the house from the sun during the day, and a high CRI headlamp makes for a seamless transition from a mostly sunlit area to a mostly or entirely headlamp lit area.
□ The flood/spill is similar to the light I had. That light has a frosted lens, while the Armytek achieves the near same effect with a TIR lens which seems almost magical. Maybe that's why they call this light series Armytek Wizards.

What I've found is that this Nichia headlamp also has lots of extras I'm beginning to find essential.

The headlamp holder for the headband is terrific. The light can be removed with little effort or hassle and reinserted literally in a snap. As I mentioned above, the Armytek light resembles the headlamp I already have. What is neat is that that headlamp also fits in the Armytek lamp holder. Sweet! Because while I originally wanted the Armytek as a backup light, it has now become a "co-light": I switch off between wearing the two headlamps.

The Armytek comes with an integrated charger. This is a great convenience. The battery can be charged within a few hours. Even with this quick charging, it's a "gentle" charge, starting out with a little current, building up to around an amp, then easing off the current at the end.

Another nice feature is being able to follow the battery level by the cored LEDs flashing in the switch. The magnet in the base is a nice touch, too, making it easy to attach the light to something when using the light more as a regular flashlight.

Like I said, I could go on for awhile about well this light performs. I'll wind down for now, and just add that I bought a second one of these Nichia lights because of the light's versatility. I now have three headlamps. I've become almost civilized!