If I understand correctly, the button location is probably the single biggest difference between the FW3A and the Emisar D4. Also one of the most sensitive to personal taste. Side switch or rear switch may be enough to determine which one a person chooses.
I think the FW3A has several nice advantages though… things which aren’t really a matter of taste:
Three-channel driver with regulated modes up to about 3 Amps (instead of 350 mA).
Less tint shift and higher efficiency between ~150 lm and ~1500 lm.
Clip nicely integrated into the design and included by default.
Rounder beam (no pinwheel pattern).
More flexible / powerful interface.
Button somewhat easier to find in the dark, and easier to press when hot.
Lower price, probably.
Meanwhile, the D4 has some advantages too:
4 emitters instead of 3, so higher maximum brightness.
Bigger heat sink for higher sustainable output level.
More tint/emitter choices available.
More host colors available.
Works with 18650, 18500, or 18350. (possibly also 14500 and 16340 with a spacer)
Choice of two optics.
Is already possible to acquire.
Between the two, I suspect I’ll probably like the FW3A a bit more, but it’s a close call. For me, I think the FW3A’s clip and 3-channel driver and tail switch may outweigh the D4’s higher brightness and bigger variety. Won’t know until I try one though.
You can only hold a tailswitch in dagger or cigar/ette mode
I quit smoking in 1995 and don’t want memories of that experience
and Psycho scared the shite out of me
I tend to agree.
However this picture is very distorted - close up with a wide angle lens. I can’t even figure where head and tail are… The light looks ‘fatter’ then what we have previously seen too.
I hope we get to see some picts of the samples Lumintop sent a few days ago.
That clip is for me unusable, I have to replace it.
I need a clip parallel to to the tube and it had to be straight not pointy.
It is completely rubbish to add a magnet on.
Honestly, I’m just waiting for the finished product to decide if I will buy it or not. Right now I’m 50/50. So I’ll wait and see what the Team comes up with. No premature decisions.
That’s interesting. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone express that preference before. Why does the clip need to be parallel to the body instead of slanted, with straight edges instead of getting narrower from base to tip?
In his post, joechina mentioned attaching a magnet to the clip. I assume he wants the magnet and light parallel to each other for easily attaching to a ferrous surface.
I use Armytek clips with magnets on my Zebralight headlamps. I guess it would sometimes be helpful on a flashlight too, but I grab a 90° light when I need a magnetic worklight.
In fact, I use Armytek clips on lots of lights.
FWIW, I really like the styling of the FW3A and its clip. I have recently come to appreciate ‘captive’ pocket clips after installing the Solarforce L2 clips on my Emisars, as suggested by TK.
Depending on the FW3A’s tube diameter, maybe joechina could swap a Solarforce L2 clip onto it? They are very square and parallel.
I like all the changes shown in Toy Keepers post #1774 vs the OP picture. Both the clip and the body curve….but that is just my preference and opinion.
For a magnetic attachment, I generally put a magnet on a headlamp’s clip. This lets me aim the light at absolutely any angle since it rotates on two axes. I almost never use a magnet on non-angled lights though.