Flashlight Armytek Viking Pro Magnet USB
The Viking Pro multipurpose tactical flashlight with USB/magnetic recharging system, distributed by Armytek GmbH, carries on the Company’s tradition of top quality, high performance illumination tools at a competitive price
GUNSweek.com readers should be familiar with the Armytek brand, manufacturer and distributor of high-performance illumination instruments for commercial and professional users.
Armytek flashlights are engineered and manufactured in China, in a plant that is owned and controlled directly by the Company: this allows Armytek to have direct control over manufacturing and quality control, and to make extensive use of high-quality components sourced from Japan and the United States.
The Armytek Viking Pro Magnet USB flashlight is one of the most powerful entries in the Armytek product line to date; conceived for hunting (where night hunting is legally allowed) as well as for utility, tactical, and duty purposes, the Viking Pro is a magnetically-charged flashlight built around a 6061-T6 aluminum alloy body coated in a special black matte anti-abrasive finish which also improves gripping and makes the flashlight virtually slip-proof in almost all conditions, even without knurled or otherwise rough surfaces.
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Under this point of view, the Viking Pro is very similar to the Predator Pro, another Armytek tactical flashlight, albeit significantly more powerful than the latter, with a maximum output of 2200 Lumen and a peak throw of 288 meters (approx. 315b yards); the light cone has a 40-degrees angle and a central 11-degrees hotspot, which translates into a 20 mt / 21.8 yds diameter hotspot at 100 meters (109.3 yds).
The Armytek Viking Pro flashlight is available in a white light and a warm light version; the latter offers 7% less output and 3% less range than the white light version, and has no strobe feature, but on the other hand is more efficient and better conveys the natural color of objects in rainy and foggy conditions and reduces eye fatigue under prolonged use.
The LED of the Armytek Viking Pro flashlight is embedded in a precision-designed and precision-manufactured reflector, protected by an anti-reflective coated tempered glass lens and by a black tungsten-coated steel strike bezel, which prevents damage to the lens in case of impacts and allows the use of the Viking Pro flashlight as a blunt defense tool or a glass breaker if need be.
The head has been designed to provide better heat dissipation, and additional electronics protect the LED from overheating by automatically reducing output level if the temperature exceeds °58C (°136F). The Armytek Viking Pro will withstand sharp shifts in environmental temperature, working on a -40°C/+40°C (-40°F/+104°F) temperature range; it is also IP68 certified to withstand immersion in water up to 25 meters (82 feet) in depth for five hours, and high-velocity impact from drops up to 25 m / 82 ft of height.
The flashlight is powered by a single issued 18650 3500mAh rechargeable battery; the battery compartment is insulated and protected by a set of sturdy springs against impacts and recoil, making the Viking Pro useful as a gun-mounted flashlight. The battery is recharged magnetically through a ring located at the bottom of the flashlight, around the activation button; a magnetic USB charger is provided from factory, allowing the Viking Pro to be recharged from standard power outlets, hand-held electronic devices, power banks, or vehicles.
It will take three hours and forty minutes to fully charge a battery, which will provide up to 32 hours of runtime. The battery charger uses three colored LEDs to signal battery status: a red light signals that the battery is charging, a green light signals that the battery is fully loaded, while a blinking orange light signals either low power source voltage or bad contact. The Armytek Viking Pro also has a low power indicator that will activate automatically when the flashlight is turned on, as the brightness will drop under 25% of the rated value for the given selected mode, and the LED will flash twice every thirty seconds.
The activation tail button of the Viking Pro is electronic, protected against short circuits, and twenty times more durable than a standard mechanical switch. The activation button is two-stage – half-press for momentary activation, full pressure for constant activation – while the flashlight head can be unscrewed and tightened to navigate between the two available types of operation, those being respectively hunting type (offering five output modes by default, with the possibility to set an optional additional mode) and tactical type (four fast-switching modes, including an instant-access strobe mode).
The use of the twistable head to navigate the available modes is probably the only drawback of the Armytek lights design, as it may result confusing and hard to familiarize for some users; a dedicated, separate button would be a far superior choice. On the plus side, the operation is well illustrated by the user manual, and the flashlight will memorize the last selected mode for easier access.
The Armytek Viking Pro tactical flashlight is 16 centimeters (6.29”) long overall, and weighs in at barely 185 grams (6.52 oz) with battery, which makes it very comfortable to carry. Each Armytek Viking Pro comes issued from factory with a battery and its magnetic USB charger; a reversible steel belt clip; a black nylon cordura belt holster; a slip-on silicone grip; a green wrist lanyard; and two spare O-rings. A set of green, red and blue filters, six different mounts for firearms, and a remote activation switch are sold separately.
The Armytek Viking Pro Magnet USB tactical flashlight can be purchased directly on the official Armytek web-shop, or any other Armytek dealer worldwide.
Just like a firearm, a high-precision illumination instrument such as an Armytek flashlight relies heavily on its power source to provide a high level of performance and to ensure a long service life.
Armytek flashlights are powered by 18650 3500 mAh and other types of rechargeable batteries, and the market is choke full of rechargeable batteries, of different types, coming in all variants and, most importantly, all prices.
But there’s a catch, and an important one: a lot of aftermarket batteries – particularly the cheaper ones – may not always be capable to guarantee the necessary levels of performance and safety required by high-amperage devices such as Armytek flashlights.
It is by no means common to see flashlights – including some manufactured by well-known companies – overheat to the point of explosion; but when that happens, an overwhelming majority of cases is tied to the use of inadequate batteries. Even not going as far as turning your flashlight into a finger-popper, however, a low-quality battery can cause all sorts of damage, from frying your LED and electronics to shorting the switch.
When dealing with high-amperage devices is thus always best to employ protected batteries such as those sold by Armytek and featuring a built-in printed circuit board that protects against full discharge, short-circuit and overcharge, as well as a safety vent with a thermal cut-off, protecting your device from overheating.
Armytek also manufactures a series of multi-purpose battery chargers with numerous plug/power cord options, compatible with various types of battery, with an intelligent automatic detection function for battery type, spare charge level and optimal power intensity; Armytek’s chargers will self-shutdown when a full recharge is complete, and offer an advanced auto-detection system for defective batteries, primary batteries, and reverse polarity, and can be manually set for tension level and for the actions to undertake when a defective battery is detected.