Yep. The Kaidomain AR lens is better, giving up to 7-8% more brightness and making less tint shift for some reason, and when looking at the sides, there is such a cool blue effect on the lens.
Downside? The tint goes from 4790k to about 4930k, making it slightly cooler to the eyes.
Is anyone else having issues with the anodizing on the threads? My most used Q8 canāt reliably lock out now. Like all my other lights, Super Lube is used on the threads, and a few of those lights have been used many times more. Fortunately Narsil has an electronic lockout.
Of course this was coming at some point. A solution can be to electrically insulate the driver board from the body, it is quite easy: the driver rests on a all-anodised shelf, the only electrical contact is via the 2 screws. If you cut away the brass circuitry plating around the screws (both sides of the driver board), the driver is fully insulated and mechanical lock-out should work again (and now forever).
Nice idea. Plastic washers should work too and only require minor countersinking around the holes. At least thatās temporary in case an unacceptable output drops happens.
Probably not. That was mostly an idea of the Miller, but heās not very active anymore on the formum so I donāt think anybody is trying to pursue that.
Technically, the idea of a Q16 already exists, although only for the LEDs and modders, if we replace the stock XPLs with Luxeon MZs or XHP50.2s, since these are 4 die single package LEDs, meaning 4x4=16=Q16.
No, the Q8 team does not really exists anymore. That said, what is left of us still have some mail contact with the Q8 maker and they are planning (with permission of the Q8 team but without our initiative in the design anymore) to make new versions of the Q8.
Can you say what kind of changes theyāre planning? Iād love a tripod mount in the center of the tailcap so I could use an AOD-L diffuser and hang it light a lightbulb. Iād also appreciate more legit Cree emitters if the current can keep up, even to the extreme of going with an optic like the M43 and reducing the length of the head. Unfortunately that raises their cost when I suspect theyāre trying to reduce it.
I know of just one plan and Iām not sure if they will be happy if I post that here at this early stage. It is nowhere as extreme though as changing the length of the head and optics.
As for forum-originating design wishes, any design alteration needs some āBLF-consensusā to back it up before getting them to the manufacturer , in other words discussion time on the forum and a team that manages the discussion. And it needs the manufacturer to be willing to do as we please. With the manufacturer having their own ideas and Q8 team in retirement atm I do not see that happening.
The only involvement we have now is that the manufacturer actually informs us of new plans and asks the opinion of (what is leftover of) the Q8 team.
Iām still surprised they havenāt simply offered it with a cool white emitter. This seems like a very easy option for them to do.
I donāt think thereās anything they can do to improve the user interface or driver. Unless they want to make it cheaper and less powerful. :confounded:
With the cost and risk of developing new optics, that was a moonshot wish. It wouldāve been nice to have a light more comparable in size and output to the M43 with the UI of the Q8 though. Actually, Iād be okay with a mule and shortening the head since it wouldnāt have optics, but the market for mules seems to be tiny, which makes that a nonstarter. Iād still like them to ditch the flats on the battery tube. Itād speed production on a feature that does little to nothing.
Iād love to see them come up with accessories. While the AOD-L diffuser works, a silicone diffuser would be better in a few ways. The tailcap I want could be an accessory so that all Q8 owners wouldnāt have a longer light forced on them. Iāll have to see if my injection molding machine can handle a shot big enough for a diffuser so I can get at least one of those things.