[PART 1] Official BLF GT Group Buy thread. Group buy officially closed! Lights shipping.

[JasonWW]

TA, could the scattering on v1 be due to the older reflector?

The latest prototype has the smoother reflector and has a better beam. Coincidence?

[Texas_Ace]

@NikolaS

May I please ask for a picture of hotspot on the white wall at some lower level like 100 - 200 lumens range, and next to the other NW light you have.

I dont mind 4000K tint since XHP35 HI led cost around 5$ and should be easy swap, but it would be nice to see just as a reference …

BTW have you tried to measure cd with new reflector,and new led?

I posted some white wall shots of it earlier in this thread and in my separate thread here: I present you with Giggles, the most hardcore BLF thrower in the World.

I can try to get a comparison shot later.

I tried to measure the CD but my readings are never very good due to the city and the high humidity. They appeare to be around ~4% higher then my V1 numbers but they can vary a lot day to day depending on the conditions.

[Texas_Ace]

@JasonWW

TA, could the scattering on v1 be due to the older reflector?

The latest prototype has the smoother reflector and has a better beam. Coincidence?

I highly doubt it, only the blue wavelengths are being heavily scattered, the warmer wavelengths are almost unaffected it seems. That would be due to the tint, the reflector would have little effect on that.

Now the old reflector did seem to have a wider corona then the new reflector and that could be improved here but if you look at the beamshots you can see that even the old reflector did not get a lot of scatter from the corona, most of it was from the collimated beam, just like the new one.

If anything the more concentrated beam should make the scatter from the beam worse (aka, it glow brighter in the pictures) but the opposite is what is happening.

I have seen this before with other lights as well, going to warmer tint always nets me better long range performance by a significant margin.

@thslw8jg

I like the 4000K for Giggles, I modded all my throwers to 4000K 5D several years ago from the original cool white emitters. Definitely improved contrast and depth perception as well as reducing light scattering from the blue wavelength.

Just like that^

[Shelf_Queen]

IMHO, 4000K is the perfect color temperature for this exceptional light. It’s very pleasant to the human eye and it’ll add to the uniqueness of this thrower. :+1: :+1:

My LEMAX LX70 had 4250K and I absolutely loved it.

[The_Miller]

MARK
At lastlist updated and topic title changed

[The_Miller]

Just too good not to quote

@Texas_Ace

Condensed cliff notes version:

- New reflector is much improved, has some minor specs that don’t affect the beam that are already being worked on by lumintop

- Centering ring is good, just needs to be careful when installing

- Kurling on battery tube, fantastic, could not ask for more

- Lighted switch, 223ua of parasitic drain, about 3 years of standby time with 8 cells

- New Battery carriers are all metal now, double springs, much lower resistance and better design. The button top spring could use a brass or copper coating, needs arrows on all 4 rods

• Tailcap sticker for protection against reverse installed cell carriers could be improved but is acceptable as is if it had to, going to see if they can make a cutout to prevent the V+ from even being able to hit the tailcap, that would fix it

Overall I would say that Giggles is almost ready for approval with minor tweaks that would not need another prototype.

The last thing that needs to be settled is the LED. I am going to try to test those out later today or tomorrow.

Ok, here are my initial impressions of Giggles V2 as I start breaking it down.

The reflector is a massive improvement, while there is still some minor ringing when held close to a flat surface it is much much better then before. The surface smoothness is now good enough to go into production IMO. Not perfect but really good for such a large reflector at this price point. Further improvements would have minimal if any noticeable improvements to the beam.

There are some minor imperfections on the reflector, minor specs, looks like some dust got caught in the coating process, Lumintop has already confirmed that they are working to fix this for the production run. They are just cosmetic though, they are so small they would have no effect on the actual throw.

So how does this boil down to real world use? VOB still has the V1 prototype (I plan to send him the V2 proto once I am done with it so he can compare them on video), so I can’t compare them side by side. I am going off memory but the hotspot does seem more defined, kind of like the difference between a very mild orange peel and a SMO reflector.

I took some throw readings but due to the very high humidity in Texas my readings are never as good as others and they can vary by quite a bit depending on the day.

In this case it does seem to be averaging roughly ~5% higher than the V1 reflector, which is about what I would expect. Although this LED is different then the V1 so take these numbers with a grain of salt.

Overall I would give the reflector an A, still minor improvements to be made in getting rid of the specs but a passing grade none the less.

The new centering ring also appears to work good, although they will still need to make sure that the production versions are careful with the install. My LED had some minor damage to the silicone but luckily I checked it before tuning the light on and after cleaning it was fine. This is just from being removed and installed several times I am sure, this light has obviously been used for a lot of prototyping.

The next biggest change is the Kurling. All I can say is wow, it is amazing. Somehow it manages to add a surprising amount of grip without feeling abrasive. In fact it feels really good to hold. It also looks fantastic.

A+ on the kurling, could not ask for more.

The tailcap has an added sticker on the inside to provide electrical isolation from the cell carriers, it looks good as well. Not sure how well it will hold up over the long term though. Luckily even if it is missing it would not cause an issue unless the carriers are inserted backwards.

With the new carrier design I think the best option would be to make an indention in the tailcap to prevent the button top of the carrier from being able to contact the tailcap even if it was inserted backwards. There should be plenty of room and would be a simple fix.

It would be acceptable as is if needed though.

I think they forgot to install an o-ring in the tailcap ring, so it rattles a bit but that is just a prototype issue. This needs to be in the final version for sure.

Now for the carriers.

They are very nice, all metal construction and double springs this time.

The polarity protection is also very well done, I like the U shaped cutout, it makes it easier to insert and remove the cells. They did end up soldering the protection PCB to the base PCB for some reason. Not sure why they did this. It can be undone easily with a soldering iron through so not a problem for those that don’t want it. All you need is a $2 iron to do that.

Spring testing is very good as well. The losses in the spring > trace > contact for next cell is only around 40mv at full height (no compression of the springs). If I compress the springs that drops down to around 15mv at max compression (aka, if you used protected cells) or it looks like around 30mv at “normal” cell compression heights.

So voltage loss at 2.5A is less then 0.2v for all 4 springs. Much better then the first carrier.

The “button top spring” on the top of the carrier is not quite as good as the others but about the only improvement it could have is a copper/brass coating, otherwise the spring is about as good as it can get in the space it has. I measured about 75mv voltage drop for the complete connection from the bottom of the carrier to the top.

So grad total the voltage drop in a single carrier at 2.5A should be less then 0.3v and with springs compressed in actual use it should be closer to 0.2V.

That is perfectly acceptable and once again a passing A grade. A brass or copper coating on the button top spring would be nice to see. Also it needs arrows on each “rod” showing the correct way to insert the carrier.

This is the button top spring that could use a copper or brass coating:

The threads and all the other parts of the light are still just as good as the first prototype

The driver firmware appears to be the wrong version, it looks to be using the Q8 ramp table if I had to guess. This should be easily correctable, I am waiting for Tom to get back to me on what version I need to flash to it, otherwise the driver appears to work fine. I will test further once I have the correct firmware.

The indicator LED’s work good. I measured a total of 223ua of parasitic drain with the driver in sleep mode and the indicator LED on. This means that with both carriers full it will have around 3 years of standby time before draining the batteries. I think that is acceptable. It is also not nearly as bright as the Q8 which is nice for night time use. It can be adjusted by the end user by swapping a resistor if they wanted it brighter or they could switch to a clear cover.

Overall an A grade here, this is the most universal setup I can think of, brighter would drain more power then I would like and some people don’t like it that bright and dimmer would make it less useful in some cases.

It does not look quite this bright in person:

So overall this light is basically ready for approval. Just a few minor details to hash out.

Here are a some random pictures to keep you entertained while that happens:

[The_Miller]

@ImagioX1

Can I be lazy guys and some one tell me whether both group buys are over, so that I dont have to go back and read through the whole thread? Kinda interested in the light but can’t spend too much money at the moment. Thanks in advance!

The $150 is open and I don’t think there is a hard limit before production starts, so all who ask to be put on the list should get one for $150

@b1i1l1l1y1

Any update on the shorty tube being available for purchase?

No, sorry just no
It works with 4 cells and that extra lenght sure will be welcome when actually holding it.

@dthrckt

Wow, don’t visit often anymore. So glad I did. I’m at work - and that first post is so long. Could someone fill me in on how to get in on this?

PM, specify short or long? Price is $150 with $14 prepay?

List updated and you are added, about down payment, if it is needed you get a PM
Welcome back!

@zachary6227

I paid the $14 dollar deposit, and I am in the first 555, did I miss anything else?

Nope, this is a proto, not a production, when ordering begins, you will know

@BoxCarWillie

I do have a few questions:

1- Will my KeepPower (PC) 18650’s fit in the battery holders?
2- Will there be replacement parts, such as a reflector, battery holder, ect., in the event of an accident?
3- Will I have the option of choosing a certain bin for the XHP35-HI?

Thanks in advanced!

1 if button top YES, if same cells, married, mathed, it should be nice and safe to use.
2 don’t count on it, but in case of an accident, post here or PM me, and we will look into it
3 no it is what it is, a nice tint from a good bin

@Kendo

I want to be the first in australia to own one
Fingers crossed

No, sorry, Pomie has the shorty proto of MRsDNF, both Australian BLFers

[johny723]

The beamshots are awesome! When will it be available???

[Shelf_Queen]

@johny723

The beamshots are awesome! When will it be available???

Are we there yet, Dad?

[csteene]

I would like to be added to the list please

[hank]

Hey, someone PM me if I can sign up for the Jozz Surprise light eventually (design pictured above)

[CodyWolfeMusic]

Do you know of any lights with a similar 4,000k tint we can use as a small comparison?

[KawiBoy1428]

Great job with the new camera T/A, very impressive pic’s! :+1:

Wrecked that ratcoon’s evening/night out scavenging for sure!

Looking forward to Data and Specs from Lumintop’s side, seeing this is pretty near done to perfection? :+1:

[NikolaS]

Is it because different shooting setup(or camera) ,the old one with 3A tint looks 3x brighter?

[Texas_Ace]

@NikolaS

Is it because different shooting setup(or camera) ,the old one with 3A tint looks 3x brighter?

Yeah, that is simply due to the camera, I am still learning the settings and had almost everything on auto. I changed some settings to account for the extra light in the parking lot but forgot to undo them when we went to the much darker creek, so that show came out darker then it should have.

Take my word for it, it is just as bright as the V1.

You can see the sky is not as bright in yesterdays shot as well. The actual brightness should be between both of them, the V1 was a little overexposed and last nights a bit under exposed.

On top of that the beam itself looks a lot brighter because it is a cooler white LED and it is scattering more. Ideally you would not see the beam at all, that would mean all the light is making it to the target. The 4000k LED has less scatter that is for sure.

[Texas_Ace]

@CodyWolfeMusic

Do you know of any lights with a similar 4,000k tint we can use as a small comparison?

The 219B LED’s vary between 4000k and 4500k but they are also 90CRI so it is not a real fair comparison.

The 5A BLF A6 is one that comes to mind. Or any other 5A tint light. Most lights that are this tint are also high CRI, so they are usually nichia based.

[Texas_Ace]

@KawiBoy1428

p. Great job with the new camera T/A, very impressive pic’s! :+1:

Wrecked that ratcoon’s evening/night out scavenging for sure!

Looking forward to Data and Specs from Lumintop’s side, seeing this is pretty near done to perfection? :+1:

Yeah, I am really liking this camera after my trusty D80 died recently after 10 years of loyal service. It is VERY different then the D80 that is for sure. It just gets the pictures right most of the time without having to fiddle with it, it is great for that.

The raccoon was funny, it first stopped like it could not figure out why or how the sun suddenly came up, then it starts looking at us and we see it’s eyes glowing and then it decides it is time to get the heck out of dodge because aliens have obviously come down and plan to preform invasive examinations on it.

[DBSAR]

Looking forward to this light more & more! hope its available and have mine by June, to test it on an upcoming wilderness trip to some mountains.

[Joey_Adams]

I am of course still in but man too bad 3D can’t be located. I personally can’t reflow leds. I have a couple of floodier 4000k lights I find quite yellow. I guess if I am going to find out how much I like 4000k in a thrower, the most potent stock led flashlight on the market will be the way to test it. Looking forward to this monster

[keengeorge]

@Texas_Ace

@KawiBoy1428

p. Great job with the new camera T/A, very impressive pic’s!

Wrecked that ratcoon’s evening/night out scavenging for sure!

Looking forward to Data and Specs from Lumintop’s side, seeing this is pretty near done to perfection?

Yeah, I am really liking this camera after my trusty D80 died recently after 10 years of loyal service. It is VERY different then the D80 that is for sure. It just gets the pictures right most of the time without having to fiddle with it, it is great for that.

The raccoon was funny, it first stopped like it could not figure out why or how the sun suddenly came up, then it starts looking at us and we see it’s eyes glowing and then it decides it is time to get the heck out of dodge because aliens have obviously come down and plan to preform invasive examinations on it.

G'Day Texas_Ace,

Thank you Very Much for the Great pics and info re Giggles Proto V2.

Could you please tell us what camera you used?

Btw, I also support the choice of the 4000K LED.

The BLF A6 with the 5A 4000K XP-L LED has become my favourite EDC because of its tint.

Thank you Very Much,

Best Regards,

George