FW3A, a TLF/BLF EDC flashlight - SST-20 available, coupon codes public

This is the result of a relatively broken voting method called plurality voting. It does not capture more complex real-world preferences like “I prefer 5000K, but I wouldn’t be upset with 4500 or 4000, both of which I strongly prefer to 3500, but even that is better than 6500”.

There are voting systems that do capture such preferences, and TK will be using one for the poll.

I don’t know how to vote. Not sure where this email box is that I’m supposed to put my username…feeling kinda lost. :slight_smile:

The actual poll isn’t live yet.

Hi all,

here are some quick pictures of the second FW3A prototype!




Generally, I feel like the build quality is really great. I also like the beam a lot although there are now XP-G3s in use.
I’ll provide a little more feedback within the next few days since I’m in the middle of moving to another apartment.

I hope you still like the light although it differs partly from the initial design.

Looks real good Fritz. Still hoping for a more raw finish but the design looks much better than in earlier pictures.

Important for me is the emitter efficiency - output vs heat for a given current.

The Emisar D4 with 219s is honestly the dumbest and least usable light I own, it gets hot so quickly, then throttles down to the output of a 1xAAA keychain light. A silly party trick of a flashlight. Ramping is also fun initially but I am done with it now, I prefer discrete levels.

Naturally a hot rod triple in tiny package will get hot but since it is not possible to win the “max lumens” in tiny package title (D4 already wins it), the aim for FW3A should be to win the “practical & usable lumens” in tiny package title.

Thank you!

Definitely!

To solve this we must go to a ballottage with the two most voted

Instant Runoff Voting would work and the winner would take 51% or more at that point.

I like that!

well said, I resemble those remarks

lol, did I make a math error?
spin it any way you like, thats what stats are for

Im starting to think you’re part of the Vocal Minority that does not care about High CRI, thinks Low R9 is a fair trade for throw, and calls 5000k “neutral”.

While I resemble the Silent Majority, that Loves High CRI and wont settle for Low R9. And we all know that 4000k is the One True Neutral…

Something tells me you might not agree.:slight_smile:

anyway, its just Nude Gnus, a fun way to pass the time waiting for the New and Improved FW3A to materialize from the ether, with the Ultimate EDC LED for High Cri Throw.

Not to be confused with the 2004 60 lumen HDS Ultimate EDC XRGT

flashback to more gNude Gnus
http://outdoors.magazine.free.fr/spip.php?article248
“This light is computer controlled- the brightness is regulated, the temperature of the light is monitored and automatically kept at a safe level…

this line of lights has a fabulously pure white tint (GT= Guaranteed tint) and improved runtime over previous models by 50% (XR= extended runtime). Luxeon LED emitters are never identical in efficiency, brightness or tint due to slight manufacturing variances. Luxeon LEDs used in handheld lighting are very rarely “pure” white but often give off a slight green, blue, or purple tint. The LEDs placed in the XRGT lights are hand-selected for both tint and efficiency.

Believe it or not, the maximum brightness of the Ultimate 60 has greater throw than the incandescent. That’s a tremendous amount of light for one 123A battery to sustain, and though I initially doubted the advertised runtime of 30 minutes, a test revealed a runtime of approximately 35 minutes.“

The Silent Majority has spoken the OneTruth!

I would say Yes, thats absolutely Brilliant :slight_smile:

totally agree, which is why I have more than one light, and often buy lights knowing the LED will be swapped

TK’s page says she’ll be using the Schulze Condorcet method. This is a different ranked-choice algorithm that places emphasis on the order of preference and allows two or more options to be given the same rank. That is to say you could have a ranking like this:

1. 219C

  1. LH351D
  2. XP-L HI
  3. XP-G2
  4. XP-G3

If you’re the last vote, here are some possible conditions before your vote is counted, and the result:

  • LH351D is tied with XP-L HI, XP-G2 or XP-G3: LH351D wins
  • LH351D is tied with 219C: tie is not broken
  • XP-L HI is tied with XP-G2 or XP-G3: XP-L HI wins

jon_slider is a useful jester who has stimulated some insight into how TK’s poll might work.

Once it goes live.

Meanwhile some food for thought:

Kruithof curve - Wikipedia which matches my personal experience, and mine eyes. And explains why good CRI is important.

That’s why I will be voting for 4000K high CRI efficient Samsung LEDs, hopefully the exact version, and choice of optic, (I look to Djozz for advice since I have no experience here) will make a great all-round EDC.

This will never be a blaster or thrower, please make it well rounded (I don’t mean the horrid tapers :frowning: ) and actually useful. I’ve already got enough things that do the other work.

Edit: And I am bored with Cree and Nichia stuff, I’ve got plenty of these and would like to see something different.

Edit2: Sorry Fritz, it still looks chubby to me, far from your svelte original. As for the bead blast :person_facepalming:

Some small remarks.

I would machine a small optical groove between the smooth bezel and the first knurling to give it the same look as the transition from the knurling to the battery tube.

Maybe some minimal crenellations would look good and be functional when standing the light on the bezel.

I vote for the high cri 4000 K or 4500 K variant.

There is precious little metal there, any cosmetic titivation would just add weakness. The only places where excess metal is available for sculpturing are … well you know my thoughts. Less is more.

I was hoping for the more raw hand made look that the original had way back in post 1. Without that we lose what makes this different from other mass machined lights. We seem to have forgotten the whole point of this.

Please make that TWO for me - especially at the $30.00 price point! I just realized that the proposed length of the FW3A 18650 flashlight is slightly less that the length of my current EDC 14500 flashlight. Therefore, I could use the same belt holster and have the same "low-profile" ease of carry. I really like this flashlight and want to get a spare up front. Thanks again!

Mostly off-topic, but just a quick note… Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) is kind of terrible for single-winner elections. In the form of Single Transferrable Vote (STV) it can work well for proportional representation in elections with many winners, but IRV, the single-winner version, is very chaotic and doesn’t behave well. It collects a rich set of preference data on each ballot, then intentionally ignores most of those preferences.

I generally try to stick to systems which satisfy the Condorcet criterion: If a candidate would win a 1-on-1 vote against every other candidate, they should win.

This is madness.

An attempt to impose some sort of “democracy” on the design of a torch ?

Then further noise about what a particular sort of democracy means, with algorithms ?

I’ve lead several over £20,000,000 projects as Engineering Manager and can assure you that “democracy” never came into it.

Whereas listening to the discipline experts, facilitating, summarising, then taking a view, making a decision and pulling the teams together works.

Surely there is someone in the team who can absorb our chatter, condense it, summarise, propose a few scenarios, review with the manufacturer if they are not on the team then make a decision and get on with it.

Otherwise it’s just a bunch of egos blowing hot air and achieving nothing. Slowly. Wasting opportunity, time to market, and potentially over-taken by superior products from wily and agile manufacturers.

I’d be exasperated if I was the manufacturer and had to deal with this nonsense.

Sorry if I sound grumpy, but I am.