Vitchelo V800 Review
Cons: Very poor for close proximity use, narrow beam
Manufacturer: Vitchelo
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Vitchelo V800 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | |||
| Price | $15.99 at Amazon | $39.95 at REI | $29 List | $19.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $19.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Good battery life, bright spot mode beam | Excellent spot light capability, wide evenly lit flood beam, above average in most ways | Good performance for the price, 94 meter beam throw, easy to use | Super easy to use, inexpensive, solid performance, compact, and reliable | Lightweight, small size, excellent flood beam, great price |
| Cons | Very poor for close proximity use, narrow beam | Below average battery life, claimed battery life is wildly misleading, single button hard to use, lame waterproofing | Average in most ways | Good but not great spot beam for trail finding, slightly below average flood beam optics | Too weak a beam for trail finding or distance viewing |
| Bottom Line | A below average performer overall, not recommended | A quality, durable, and bright light that hits the sweet spot for most people's needs, despite dubious marketing claims | The Yalumi is a good light, at a good price, that provides basic functionality | For $20, the Tikkina offers impressive performance at a great price, that will meet most people's needs | Offers great close proximity lighting at a budget price |
| Rating Categories | Vitchelo V800 | Black Diamond Spot | Yalumi LED 140-Lumen | Petzl Tikkina | Black Diamond Astro |
| Trail Finding (35%) | |||||
| Close Proximity (20%) | |||||
| Battery Life (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Vitchelo V800 | Black Diamond Spot | Yalumi LED 140-Lumen | Petzl Tikkina | Black Diamond Astro |
| Measured Beam Distance | 134 m | 94 m | 94 m | 62 m | 38 m |
| Claimed Distance | 110 m | 80 m | 90 m | 55 m | 35 m |
| Measured High Mode Run-time (ANSI) | 4.1 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 4.3 hrs | 3.5 hrs | 4.8 hrs |
| Claimed High Mode Run-time | Not specified | 30 hrs | Not specified | 60 hrs | 20 hrs |
| Measured Low Mode Run-time | 191 hrs | 9.7 hrs | 47 hrs | 223 hrs | 95 hrs |
| Claimed Low Mode Run-time | 120 hrs | 175 hrs | 100 hrs | 220 hrs | 80 hrs |
| Measured Weight | 3.2 oz, 92 g | 3.1 oz, 89 g | 2.7 oz, 77 g | 2.9 oz, 83 g | 3 oz, 86 g |
| Battery Type | 3 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA |
| Water Resistance | IPX 6 (Resists powerful jets) | Splash proof (dubious IPX8 claim) | IPX4 splash proof | IPX4 splash proof | IPX4 splash proof |
| Manuf Claimed Lumens | 168 lumens | 300 lumens | 140 lumens | 150 lumens | 150 lumens |
| Beam Type | flood/spot | flood/spot | flood/spot | flood | flood, dimmable |
| Red Light | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| On Switch Lock | no | yes | no | no | yes |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Vitchelo is a light that is intriguing due to pretty high user-ratings on sites like Amazon, but we found it fell way short of our expectations when we put it through extensive testing side by side competing products.
Likes
The Vitchelo is an easy to use light that offers a beam that shines a long distance. But, that beam distance looks better on paper than it is in practice, because the V800 gains that long distance with optics that create an overly narrow spot beam that feels like you are looking down a narrow tunnel.
The comparison below shows the Vitchelo on the left versus the Black Diamond Spot. The Vitchelo actually shines a longer distance, but we'd much prefer the wider and more evenly lit beam of the Spot and other competitors.
The Vitchelo's other strong suit is battery life, where it held up well in our close-proximity test, and performed above average in our test on the high setting.
Unfortunately, this is another pyrrhic victory for the Vitchelo, because while battery life is excellent in the low setting, the optics are terrible for close-proximity use and we found this one of the least desirable lights to use around the camp.
Dislikes
Our biggest issue with the Vitchelo is poor optics — the beam is overly hot in the center and just too darn narrow — and this problem is most noticable when the V800 is used around camp in the low-level lighting. A wide and evenly lit beam is what we want around camp or in the tent, and the V800 offers an overly narrow spot.
As illustrated in the chart above, the V800 is one of our least favorite lights for use around camp. But, the problems with the optics don't stop for use at close proximity; it also degrades use for trail finding.
The narrow beam of the Vitchelo is much less useful when viewing distance, such as trail finding, than competing lights because the beam is just too narrow, providing a view like looking through a tube.
Conclusion
There is really nothing about the Vitchelo that is sufficiently compelling to justify buying it when there are so many competing products that offer better performance and value. This is not a light we'd recommend to a friend.
— RJ Spurrier