TK's Emisar D4 review

If it was slightly more moddable(glue), and had access to a # of pre set levels I would buy this instantly. I like this so much I might just get it immediately upon restock anyways. Will be waiting for lumen readings from the XP-L version from whoever is willing to do it. Keep up the good work TK.

I wanna know what this entails.

Thank you very much for the lovely review. I’m ready to order whenever Hanks is ready. :smiley:

But in all honesty, I have the feeling that a fundamental function is missing: press and hold from off leads to last (memory) output. This is like the divine three of a flashlight, especially with an EDC; instant access to lowest, highest and memory from off. Maybe I have overlooked something?

If the ramping is anything like the ramping in the Q8 prototype3, I expect so because both were Tom’s doing, the speed can not be adjusted and it is fast, about 2 seconds. IMO it works so well and intuitive that it is as fast as setting mode levels in non-ramping flashlights.

Thanks for your review :+1:

Thanks for the very nice review, it has everything I wanted to know about the D4, in a well written way. :slight_smile:

Especially I like the famous Toykeeper UI diagram and clear UI description.

The UI as it is will totally do it for me :slight_smile: , but I agree with others that the UI would improve with a memory setting accessed by a short click from off (like in Narsil).

I’m still waiting for intl-outdoor to start selling it (the green one for me) and it would be nice if it is already an improved version.

One question: is it possible to see and estimate how thick the shelf is under the ledboard? (I hope for 2 or even better 3 or 4 mm).

Hmmm… I’m not familiar with the world of firmware and stuff… But is there a possibility that a new firmware is installed with the D4 that Hank is going to sell, and that this is the reason it’s not available yet?

Edit:

Hold on, isn’t this pretty much implied here?:

Thanks for the review. Mine should be here in a couple of days.

I’m thinking about changing the MCPCB to the new board Richard’s selling in his store and put in 219C D320. That should improve the beam and output.

Thanks for the review. I am excited to try the ramping UI in this light since I am sure it will be a while before the Q8 is available. I’m not to worried about not having preset levels so I know how much battery life I will get. When that might be an issue I will just ramp it up to the light level I NEED or throw an extra battery in my pocket. Sounds like a fun little light!

Thanks TK, you make me want the shorty green D4 that I was doing pretty good to resist. :stuck_out_tongue:

Thank you TK this is very useful.
Im liking this UI as is, Im not going to mess with it.

Good morning, all.

*yawn*

Some small updates:

  • My optics are not broken. It just has a slightly odd shape (a sprue?) and I took a bad picture.
  • The optics came out of my grey light easily, but the green one seems to be stuck. I’m not sure if it’s glue or a tight fit.
  • The MCPCB is not glued. It has only thermal grease and a shelf underneath.

I can’t make any promises, but I’m hoping for the same things. :slight_smile:

I got a message that I should have two unglued units on the way for testing and development. If the emitters are a different type, I’ll add measurements for them.

I don’t know the details of how this light was created, or the reasons behind any of its design choices. I can understand feeling a bit uncomfortable about not knowing runtimes though, since I feel the same way with my Jetbeam RRT01. Or at least, I used to feel that way about it. Eventually it stopped bothering me, since even on the RRT01 the runtimes have been plenty long enough for my purposes.

Regardless, I think this would appeal to more people if it had the option to use discrete modes and mode groups. Different people have different taste, and not everyone likes ramping. I hope it will be feasible to include more UI options in the future.

I don’t think this will lego with Astrolux parts. The threads are pretty different and I think the diameter may be different too. Sometimes Astrolux doesn’t even lego with itself.

A copper head might be nice, but I don’t think it is likely to happen. It already has a nice copper DTP board inside, and the heat spreads very quickly through the head. I could be wrong though; Hank could decide to do a copper version later.

Pretty much. But the S42 was a disaster, and the D4 is pretty nice. They’re not really comparable.

There will be more. I think MtnElectronics is getting more stock in a few days, and Intl-Outdoor will probably start selling it as soon as a few changes are complete.

The full ramp takes about 3 seconds, ish. Maybe 2.5? The speed isn’t adjustable, but it’s a comfortable speed and it doesn’t take long to reach any particular level. It’s about the same as Narsil.

There will be more Emisar lights. Hank already posted a teaser pic of the next one, a compact thrower. If I recall correctly, it should be similar to the BLF X6v2, but a bit shorter and with an e-switch and twice as much throw.

There may also be more Noctigon / Meteor lights in the future. Emisar and Noctigon are different brands with different product lines.

I feel the same way. Ideally, I would like “single click from off” to go to the memorized mode, not the lowest mode. Not everyone agrees about this though. I don’t know if it will happen or not.

The current method does at least mean it’s less likely to come on in a high mode in a bag or pocket, which can be important for something with this much power.

Exactly. It’s a decent UI, and different people have different taste. :slight_smile:

As soon as I take it apart, I’ll try to measure that. My digital calipers won’t fit, but maybe I can measure it with a camera.

If I understand correctly, that is correct.

I hope I can get the driver out today so I can make that happen sooner.

Great review of a great light TK :THUMBS-UP: .

Hank, we want:

From off:

• 1 click : turn on in last used mode.

TK, doesn't press and hold already start at the lowest mode setting?

These look awesome!!! :+1: :sunglasses: :+1:

When will they be available for purchase?

If those are prototypes and the design is still open to changes only things I’d suggest would be knurling on the 18650 battery tube and maybe some kind of raise ring around the button to reduce chance of accidental pocket activation.

For a ramping UI, something like DrJones lumodrv worked fairly well. Lumodrv had the following UI:

  • long click from off - minimum power, then starts ramping up.
  • Short click from off - last used mode
  • Click and hold from on - ramp up. Repeat to switch the direction of the ramp.
  • Double-click form off or on - turbo
  • Triple-click from off - 20%
  • Hidden strobe modes - ramp all the way to max, then continue holding for a couple seconds to access strobe modes.
  • Momentary mode - ramp down to min and continue holding. Light enters momentary mode (disconnect battery to exit).
  • Single click from on once light has been on 2 seconds - off

Lumodrv was almost perfect. But a few changes would be nice:

  • Ramping should set a memorized mode which could be accessed from a short click from off. This mode should not be overridden by using the moonlight or turbo shortcuts.
  • When clicking and holding to start in minimum power mode, it would be nice if the light paused for 1 second before starting to ramp up.
  • Turning off the light from on requires the light to have been on for 2 seconds. That is a bit long. Change to 1 second.

Yes, it does. That’s why I want a single click to go to a memorized mode instead — it doesn’t need two shortcuts to moon.

The D4 already does both of these. I think the timing is slightly shorter in both cases though — about 2/3rds of a second.

Another small update:

Protected cells likely won’t fit. It looks like the maximum cell length is about 67 mm.

I wanted to try an old protected NCR18650A for lulz, but it’s too big. So, use unprotected cells or short protected cells (with a high amp limit, at least 15-20A).

Dang! I can’t wait to get back home from this trip to start using my new D4 that Richard has sent! Understanding that I’m at the beach for a week oughta tell you that I’m excited to get my hands on my nichia/green light.

Thanks for all the info and for your thoughts. I’m not so worried about not having memory. I use my lights at all sorts of levels from very high to very low and not exactly knowing if I’ve last used it for reading and not disturbing the wife at night or used to to check for skunks at night when taking my pooches out to do their business could lead to some confusion.

All in all, this appears to be a high-tech and well thought out light for a very nice price. $35 is quite a bargain for all this performance (and cool looks to boot!).

That’s right! :sunglasses:
And this is just the D4 with 4 emitters… Can’t wait for the D7… :smiling_imp:

A little flashlight 1 on 1:

Green tint = bad
Green light = good

I think I’m gonna call it the Little Hulk. :smiley:

I did some thermal tests. Details in comment #1.

Short version: It gets too hot, because it takes too long to reach a stable state. I’ll be fixing that.

Hi TK, made some comments to your reply on RMM thread which I probably should have brought here instead, re: TM being non existent as far as I can tell.
I leave those there and delete them I guess in a couple hours to keep R’s thread clean, I don’t think he would interested to hear of any issues right now, or none issues, not sure really,
I know when I should turn down a light due to heat … ha ha ha, ouch…