FW3A
F Fritz
W Works/Werke
3 triple
A Aluminium

A compact, ergonomic, feature-packed EDC-style light.

Current status (2019-06-12): The SST-20 version is available to order now, and the tint bin is FA3.

The coupon codes at Neal’s Gadgets are “NDFW3A” and “BLFFW3C”. These work for the aluminum version (FW3A) and the copper version (FW3C), respectively.

Proto4 units have been reviewed:

• Maukka’s results: full review, initial notes
• ToyKeeper’s results: pictures, initial notes
• Bluzie’s results: on TLF

To sign up: No need. Just order what you want. The interest list is closed and not necessary any more.

A pic of proto4, photographed by Maukka. Click to see full review:

A word of warning for BLF specials:
The BLF part is done by BLFers who do it in their spare time, despite they may seem professionals and the work they do is at professional level, BLF is not our full time job. So give us a break and relax if thing are not going as fast as you want.
Nothing is sure so expect waiting:
- Waiting for news and updates.
- Waiting for the project to come to fruition.
- Waiting till the result can finally be ordered.
- And then waiting for arrival at your home, shipping from China can take a long time.
So relax, enjoy the many other facets of BLF while you wait and remember:
It is done when it is done

Computer renders of the light:
Original design in bare aluminum:

Updated design with bead-blasted surface and light grey anodizing:

The production model is expected to be like this second picture, only in dark grey.

The FW3A is a collaboration between TLF (Germany) and BLF (global). Fritz15 made a small triple flashlight on his lathe. TLF reacted very positively and at first a small hand made batch would be pursued. But this elegant design screams for a wider audience, so it became something bigger.

An unusual feature is the electronic tail switch. This allows the light to do much fancier things than a clicky switch, yet retains the ergonomic benefits of a clicky tail switch.

Team

• Fritz15: Design
• Tommy TLF: General TLF communication
• DEL: Driver
• Tom E: Firmware (originally), driver
• ToyKeeper: Firmware / UI, BLF gardening
• The Miller: General BLF communication
• pepinfaxera: Interest list management
• MRsDNF: Early prototyping
• Neal: Retail service, coordination with Lumintop
• Lumintop: Manufacturing

The FW3A

Small elegant EDC triple flashlight designed by Fritz15

• Runs on a single 18650 battery.
• 92.5 × 25.5 mm: Unusually small for an 18650 light — about the size of a SK-68 (1xAA).
• Battery size: 18mm x 65mm (66mm maximum). Protected cells won’t fit.
• Tail e-switch.
• Wide range from ~0.3 lm to ~2800 lm.
• Regulated output up to ~900 lm.
• Fancy yet easy UI.
• Nice clip firmly attached.
• Good ergonomics.

It’s meant to be a good all-around EDC light, something to be used heavily.

Second prototype:

First prototype:

Size reference:

Size and color reference (the production model is dark grey, in the center):

Looks

The original plan was clear anodized aluminum complete with the original machining marks, but after three rounds of prototypes this did not happen. The attempts did not turn out as desired. So, based on forum feedback, the plan is to do dark grey anodizing instead. It is also possible that a bare unanodized version could be made later, but this remains to be determined.

No marking/logo for a clean look

Custom-designed stainless steel clip

Machined steel button on the tail:

Pricing

Target $30 including shipping, manufacturer can decide own pricing afterwards.
Maybe $36 if XP-L HI emitters are used.
Not fixed yet!

Emitters

3 pieces 3535 footprint
XP-L HI 3D (~4875K), SST-20 4000K 95CRI, or maybe Samsung LH351D 4000K 90CRI (if it can be obtained)
LEDs mounted on DTP triple star

Emitter Comparisons:

	Price	Lumens	Throwiness	CRI	Beam	Heat
Cree XP-L HI	$36	2800?	****	70+	****
Luminus SST-20	$30	2400?	*****	95+	****
Samsung LH351D	$30	2800?	*	90+	****

For price and heat, lower values are better. Throwiness depends on personal needs and taste. For everything else, higher values are better.

Throwiness is a rough measure of candelas per lumen. It’s the overall beam shape. Even the throwiest option is not a thrower, because compact triples are floody by nature. At a guess, the range here is about 2 to 4 cd/lm, and common reflector-based EDC-style lights are usually about 5 to 10.

Beam is the overall beam quality, like smoothness and color consistency.

More peppers makes thermal management harder, reduces the sustainable brightness after step-down, and increases risk of damaging the emitters on turbo.

Values indicate approximate performance in a Carclo 10511 optic using a FET for direct drive on 1×18650. These have not been directly tested in the FW3A host, so this data is more of an educated guess than a measurement.

All of the emitter types are good, but here is the worst part about each:

• XP-L HI: Costs more. Medium CRI.
• SST-20: Green at low levels.
• LH351D: Super floody. Green at low levels. May be unobtainable.

Visual estimate of the floodiest option compared to a throwy option:

Internals

Integrated LED shelf for good thermal dissipation.

Driver retainer ring.

Threads square or trapezoidal (not triangular) for connection head and body

Electronic switch in tail with stainless steel button

Double tube to connect the electronic switch to the driver

Optics

Triple TIR optics http://www.carclo-optics.com/optic-10511 , easily replaced with other common models if desired.
Glass AR coated lens 23.0 mm x 1.5 mm (original spec was 2.25mm thick)

More info in post #3 below.

Protective

O-rings at lens, bezel, both ends of body tube, clip (to keep it from spinning), and inner tube (to isolate it from the outer tube). Button uses rubber boot internally to block water ingress, with metal cap on the outside. Set of spare O-rings in box.

Smooth thermal regulation to avoid overheating. However, turbo is a burst mode only, and the user should use it only for short periods instead of relying on thermal regulation to prevent heat damage. Full turbo is powerful enough to start fires in just a few seconds, especially when aimed at dark-colored materials.

Packaging

Cardboard with protective foam:

Quality Control

Lights made as specified and agreed upon.
Samples as specified and agreed upon for the team before the go is given for actual production.
All lights tested before shipping to spot and fix problems and avoid DOA. (turn on, ramp up and down, if not working properly factory fixes problems so all receive a good working light.)

TLF BLF cooperation

This light is a joint project between TLF and BLF.

For German speakers, use the TLF threads:

• Discussion
• Interest list

For English speakers, use this thread, right here on BLF.

FAQ

When will it be available?

• Orders began on 2019-04-26.

How can I get one? What is the ordering process and payment method?

• The interest list is closed, so if you didn’t get a private message with purchase instructions, it’s too late now. But it can still be purchased at retail price through Neal’s shop, and should also be available later from Lumintop.

Will there be a 18350 version / 18350 tube?

• No. The entire back half of the light would need to be redesigned/replaced.

Will there be an empty host version?

• Probably not. The only components which aren’t custom are the LEDs and optic.

Can I buy spare parts, like an extra driver or clip?

• Not yet determined.

How does the FW3A compare to the Emisar D4?

• FW3A advantages: Slightly smaller, lighter, nicer clip, metal tail switch, higher regulated modes, cheaper (probably), much fancier firmware.
• D4 advantages: Sturdier, more emitter/optic/host choices, rubber side switch, higher turbo modes, available from mid-2017, also comes in throwy D1/D1S flavors.

Old News

2019-05-19: Neal reports that all orders have shipped, except for a couple orders with address problems. He’s contacting people individually about that. There is no news about SST-20 yet, but Neal will make sure people know about it when it’s ready.

2019-05-08: Orders which haven’t shipped yet may be delayed a bit. Neal and his wife are having a baby and he texted from the hospital to let us know he won’t be at work for a little while.

2019-04-28: The interest list is closed so no more requests are being accepted. Orders are still in progress. The SST-20 4000K version should be available to order soon. Shipping for most orders should start on May 8.

2019-04-26: Ordering starts today! Details are posted here and quoted below:

Quote:

Some info about the ordering process… Sorry for the short notice! I thought we would have more warning before ordering was ready to start.

The plan is:

At around the following time when Bluzie and I are both available…

• 19:00 UTC
  • 12:00 west coast US
  • 15:00 east coast US
  • 16:00 Sao Paulo
  • 20:00 London
  • 21:00 TLF/Berlin
  • 03:00 Beijing
  • 05:00 Australia
  • 07:00 NZ

… people should start receiving private messages on BLF and TLF with the order URL and coupon codes. On BLF, the message should come from “FW3A Team”.

Messages will be spread out over time, so it will probably take 24 to 48 hours to get through the entire interest list. This is to make it easier for people early on the list to order before people later on the list.

After you receive the message, follow the link to Neal’s shop and order the items you want. Please do not post any coupon codes in public though, for at least a week afterward.

If you want to make your ordering process go faster, it may help to create an account on Neal’s site first.

2019-04-22: Production samples have started to arrive, and results so far look good. If nothing goes wrong, sales should start soon.

2019-04-11: Production samples are being sent to one person at TLF and two people at BLF for final testing, and then hopefully sales will start. Some extra details…

• Estimated price is $36 for XP-L HI, or $30 for other emitters.
• Emitters are XP-L HI 3D (~4875K) for now, and then probably SST-20 4000K 95CRI soon, and with any luck, also LH351D later.
• The lights are Aircraft Grey in color. (medium grey with a slight hint of blue)
• Group buy lights should be entirely free of markings and logos. After the group buy, Lumintop will probably sell a branded version with their bunny logo on the tail.
• Unanodized bare aluminum might happen later, but this isn’t determined yet.

2019-01-31: Proto4 had an issue with the driver cavity being too small. Needs to be fixed before production.

2019-01-29: Proto4 samples have started to arrive.

2019-01-28: Production samples begin to arrive tomorrow for testing/review. Production should start within days, if things go well.

2018-11-28: Trying to get production started.

2018-09-17: Third (final?) prototypes arrived, waiting for test results from Fritz and Cawi.

2018-06-22: Second prototypes tested, emitter poll results collected, sending in feedback for host changes and emitter type(s). Only a few product details left to finish before production.

Poll (2018-06-08): Voting is open for emitter details: (results: the top choices were XP-L HI 3D and LH351D 4000K)

• Vote: Emitter type
• Vote: Color temperature

2018-06-08: Second prototypes arrived, many things are fixed, only a few things left to finish.

2018-06-03: Lumintop made a second prototype, hoping it’ll arrive soon for testing.

Poll (2018-04-19): What UI style do you want for muggle mode?
Results (2018-06-03): By popular choice, smooth ramp is now implemented for muggle mode.

1. Smooth ramp (Condorcet winner: wins contests with all other choices)
2. 3-mode Baton (loses to Smooth ramp by 66–36)
3. 1-mode (loses to Smooth ramp by 71–31, loses to 3-mode Baton by 63–31)
4. None (loses to Smooth ramp by 72–34, loses to 1-mode by 57–38)
5. 3-mode clicky (loses to Smooth ramp by 80–22, loses to None by 51–47)

2018-04-17: Waiting on Lumintop to make second set of prototypes based on feedback from first batch.

2018-02-22: “FW3A Team” account created, thread ownership changed, so now updates can be posted again.

2018-12-xx: The first round of LT prototypes arrived. Details are posted in the thread around that time, and also a little bit in the OP.

2017-11-ish: The Miller is taking some time away from BLF to deal with real-life matters. Tom E has also been too busy to be on BLF much. ToyKeeper is filling in for both… for Tom since 2017-11, and for The Miller since 2018-04.

2017-07-20: Exciting news!
http://budgetlightforum.com/comment/1155360#comment-1155360
With the active support from Neal we finally found a new partner for our project and the progress is far enough to reveal the name: Lumintop

Change Log

2019-04-28: The interest list has been closed.
2019-04-26: Orders have started. Only a day or so left to get on the interest list.
2019-04-11: Updates in post #1 and #3.
2019-03-31: Added emitter comparison table.
2019-02-25: Updated lumen specs based on maukka’s measurements
2019-01-31: Added production sample pics, and links to reviews
2018-11-28: First post updated to reflect recent news.
2018-10-05: Current status updated. Not sure what the status is for the latest prototypes.
2018-06-22: Updated spec for optics and O-rings, added note about thermal regulation. Moved emitter type polls down to old news.
2018-06-08: Proto2 info added/updated.
2018-06-03: Updated FAQ, closed muggle mode poll, second prototype confirmed to exist (via potato pics), filled in some missing “old news”.
2018-04-24: Added newer model render with tapered tube.
2018-04-19: Muggle mode poll created.
2018-04-17: First post updated, small FAQ added.
2018-04-05: Moved interest list to its own first-page post.
2018-04-03: Added firmware/UI info to its own first-page post.
… (some team changes happened) …
06.05.2017: ordering of triples and optics for some testing
06.05.2017: revision of the driver draft with Tom and DEL
04.05.2017: publication of the project