Please add me to the interest list for one please.
added at #819, Welcome to BLF!! 
In my opinion just one color per order and 4 tints to choose from would be an good solution/compromise. Everyone could get the CCT he wants.
With only two LEDs per CCT you can’t archive an evenly beam. It needs 4 LEDs per CCT to be perfect.
I’m intrested
The Samsung lh351d is not very expensive, at Digikey when ordering a reel it is 1.22 per led (cool white 70 cri, the high cri versions may be a bit more expensive). So 8 leds add up to about $10 worth of leds, I bet Thorfire gets them even cheaper. It is a significant part of production costs so 2warm/2cool may be more economical, but it is not impossible either.
Another option is doing what the whole lighting industry is doing for a good reason: skip the high power leds (which are developed for directed lighting which we are not doing here) and go with a whole bunch of midpower 3030 leds or 5730 leds. Cheaper per lumen, blending is even easier, ledboard is cheap (DTP not needed) and there’s plenty options for tint and high CRI.
Heck, you could use 3000K and 5000K Nichia Optisolis leds and beat everything existing in CRI.
Another reason for only using 4 LEDs is the intercompatiblity with the BLF Q8 MCPCB.
I would love easy MCPCB swaps.
got ya at #820 on the interest list
How about we let DBSAR continue down the road he has decided to travel with this light? Opinions are fine, (after all, this is one), but he has time, effort, and tangible results to show for his work. Impressive results at that.
Throwing suggestions out for lower power LED’s, or different numbers of them to make it easier for you to mod are kind of a slap in the face to the work he has done already. If you want a particular style of lantern, grab yourself a Q8 and have at it.
I’m quite happy with his intent to use 8 emitters, and having the ability to adjust the temp. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be on the list for four of them, (and possibly more before it’s in production).
I do not agree. The suggestions that I give are unrelated to the work that Den has done, his design ideas and field test have been very important for making a great BLF-lantern. But I think I can add genuine good ideas and think it is a chance missed if they have not at least been discussed in this thread.
I think BLF is all about freely and perhaps recklessly posting new ideas and then discuss them. It is how our present modding techniques have been invented and refined, and how the BLF designs take form.
Cost is definitely a factor we want to keep down.
I take everyone’s suggestions & ideas as important as it helps make the project better and more of what everyone want to have in a lantern when possible 
I have started the cross-section drawing to send to Thorfire and the specification perimeters for them to have a plan start to work on what they can do to make it into production.
Will this light need pointed batteries?
If you mean “button top” batteries, the answer is this is prefered. The positive contact is a trace on a circuit board, so the button top would make a sure connection here. I am hoping I can use old laptop pull batteries with the attached connection tabs foormed such that it will simulate a button top, we will see if that works or not.
That all sounds pretty reasonable. I’m glad I don’t really have to care what exactly the LEDs are, as long as they perform well enough.
I just made some things a few days ago which used a bunch of cheap LEDs, and it all turned out pretty okay. Granted, soldering on each pixel individually was a bit of a pain, but the overall effect is nice.
Anyway, when we’re farther in the process, send me a prototype and I’ll make it work.
Put me on the list for 1 at this time!
you are now 821 on the interest list
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So far the LH351D 4000K High-CRI LEDs are my favorites for a balance of efficiency, tint color, & CRI, Have not tested the 3000K 351Bs yet, but will be when i get to my east cast destination. Also adding a fourth 7135 AMC to the driver to increase output for testing. was curious if Samsung has the LH351D available in 5000K high CRI? (for that tint-blending option.
They do.
However, the only source I have found of 5000k 90CRI+ emitters in small quantities is Digikey.
Is there a reason you don’t want to go to a lower temperature like 3000k? To me if I’m camping I want something close to fire light and as warm as possible.
Candle/fire tints are around the 2000K range, I had one LED of that tint, but found it’s tint to be very yellow/orange, (close to that of a fire flame) and seemd to be somewhat not very efficient for higher outputs. I have a few Strawhat 5mm LEDs of the 2000K candle tint range that i swapped on some nightlights as they give that candle glow effect, but seems to be to yellow for a brighter lantern. 3000K is what is in the V1 prototype now.