Product Review: Wisdom Light 4A In Use Review

Huge thanks and shoutout to Tommy Yeung and his amazing crew at WISDOM for sending me this 4A Mining Light to tryout in the States for caving! They are looking to merge to the North American Market with their products, and all I can say is WOW! Visit their site by clicking this link: http://www.wisdom.hk/
In addition, Joe Hill from Northwest Mine Supply in Wallace, ID is the official distributor for WISDOM and will be more than happy to set you up with their lights! You can visit them by clicking this link: https://nwminesupply.com/

In today's video, we will actually be taking the Wisdom 4A Lamp into a cave and actually using it! I have the lamp hard-mounted to my helmet and it served as my primary lamp for the entirety of the trip. That being said, I used the light on the High setting, at 533Lm/25,000Lux outputs, and the light performed flawlessly. Never once did the light step down in intensity, NOR did it overheat. Since the twin 18650 batteries aren't stressed by operating a large lumen LED, heat buildup is of no concern. In addition, the housing is a very strong polycarbonate, which is permanently sealed to give it the IP68 rating and its 50-meter water depth rating.
This does bring up some concerns, however, and that is the fact that the batteries are permanently sealed and cannot be changed by the user. If you are a project caver, or your in-cave trips last a long time, this light may not be the best for you. For most recreational cavers who are looking for a good, robust and bright light, and their trips don't last a long time, then this 4A lamp is ideal!
WISDOM 4A Lamp Hits/Misses
HITS
Solid construction
MagnaCharge technology*
Low heat build-up
Reflector design to allow large Lux output
Tilt-Adjustable steel/nickel alloy clip
50-Meter water depth rating
Low price

MISSES
For project cavers or long-duration cavers, permanent sealed batteries pose a problem
MagnaCharge technology*
Compared to competition, low Lm outputs
Somewhat unknown branding compared to ElSpelio, NiteCore or Zebra

*I put the MagnaCharge on both because, for the HITS, it is really nice that there are no compartment doors for the batteries and no possibility of a charge port leaking water into the body of the lamp. It makes for quick and easy charging of the lamp.
It is in the MISSES because for project cavers especially, this can cause a slight distortion in the readings of a magnetic compass for directional heading recordings. In addition, the fact that the batteries are permanently sealed means that a project or long-duration caver cannot use the light past the operational run time unless they pack a battery pack that can recharge the lamp multiple times. Since it is 7000mAh, one would need at least a 15,000mAh pack in order to get multiple charges off the pack. These can be quite bulky and add considerable weight to a trip pack.

In conclusion; for me personally, this light is more than meets the eye. Its low lumen/high lux outputs make this light both extremely bright, appearing to be double the lumens it really is, and with low outputs, means low thermal buildup. Since the lamp remains cool, the batteries don't suffer and aren't overworked. This light never stepped down during the duration of the 4 hour trip and as a result, remained constant, even to the end. Keep in mind that the lamp remained in the HIGH position for the entirety of the trip. Even in Medium, with a secondary lamp, it is more than enough, since the 235 lumens emits 12,000 lux output, and that results in an incredible, yet untested by me, 13 hour runtime!
In conclusion, if you are a recreational caver, take a look at the Wisdom 4A lamp. You may be surprised at what you find!


Caves are a delicate ecosystem and utmost care must be practiced while visiting. Caves, either on private property or not, MUST be treated with care and respect! When visiting caves on private property, advanced permission MUST be granted and any and all waivers MUST be filled out and signed before entering! Please respect cave owners and their property with utmost respect. Good cave owner relations help keep caves open! Always remember to bring a helmet with fixed light sources, and three additional sources of light with spare batteries for all sources! Never use spray paint to mark trails inside a cave!
Please Always Remember:
Leave Nothing But Footprints
Take Nothing But Pictures
Kill Nothing But Time
Caves are delicate and potentially dangerous places. For more information on wild caving, vertical caving techniques, and cave survey, visit the National Speleological Society website:
https://caves.org
To find a local grotto (caving club) visit:
https://caves.org/committee/i-o/grott...