Absolutely true: garbage in, garbage out 
That is why Fenix is the number 1 choice for this project as they have a track record for building reliable stuff.
If that option does not work out, I am sure there is enough expertise in the international flashlight enthusiast comminity to design a driver that is at least as reliable as the one in the Fenix E01. If not by just simply cloning it.
I am no electrical engineer, perhaps someone could chime in to explain how to build uber-reliable (flashlight) driver boards. I am certain though that potting by encapsulation makes circuits able to better withstand environmental stress such as vibration, temperature shock, moist.
But if you pot them they will eventually grow to become big and strong electronics.
Bring it on 
Wellā¦. good luck convincing them of that. Most of the smaller chinese flashlight makers chase lumens instead. None of them want to make 1xAAA lights under 30 lumens. The Manker Boney was one of the last ones.
Iāve looked quite extensively for cheap dim single mode 1xAA and 1xAAA lights with good runtime. I want something that I can give away in blackouts and emergencies. They donāt exist. The closest thing are those 9 LED 3xAAA cheapos. It will be more than a simple LED swap to make it happen
The major brands still have them. Jetbeam NE01. Klarus Mi02. Sunwayman R01A. Fenix E01. Nitecore T0. Led Lenser P2BM. Nextorch K00. But most of these are on the way out. I donāt think theyāll be too open to making a limited run. Just guessing but the big appeal to producing these lights is that the design hasnāt needed to be changed or updated in a decade.
Like I said: this is not a technical hack, this is a hack at the level of the flashlight industry.
Flashaholics unite and let us make this happen 
One thing that might help this project would be the larger quantities. If we can get the right design, I can imagine people ordering 4 or 5 to toss in go bags and cars all over the place. Not many people need more than one Q8, so the overall quantity could be higher. Maybe even work out a ābulk discountā? Not sure.
At the end of the day if Fenix doesnāt bite, it could be hard to make this happen.
I would be interested!
Klarusā Mi02 would be a good backup option. Plan C would be a custom light, and Iād have to guess between Lumintop, Manker, or Thorfire, but I think it might be harder to get a cheap fully potted light if this route is taken.
I love the whole idea but I would go on the AA path. Since thatās something that has almost never been done, then manufacturers might jump in.
Anyway, AA or AAA, I would buy one for sure.
I went with the 5600K. Iām on the list for 1 but I know I would buy at least 2.
Para pointed out on Reddit that it has been done for AA (minus the Yuji mod) with the Gerber Infinity Ultra.
By the way, if this does happen Iāll be in for one. I would probably prefer AA over AAA, but either way.
Yes, the Gerber is the copy of the old CMG. Also there as been some custom bodies for Arc AAA but still, itās a rare animalā¦
12 years ago, we were going crazy for those on the āāotherāā forumā¦
I agree that the appeal of producing these is the minimal resources it takes to keep doing so.
Still, if thereās enough people interested in the idea, I think itās worth trying. The worst I could see happening is we spend some time discussing it, and Fenix doesnāt even respond to the solicitation, so we never know if they even seriously considered it.
Hopefully this is purely a drop-in replacement for the Nichia GS (I think the E01 is current controlled, and 5mm LEDās are fairly standardized, so it should be), in which case, it should be a matter of coordinating with Yuji for packaging that fits their assembly process, and a little distribution oversight to keep the specials from getting mixed up with the regular production.
By the way, my understanding is there are two official Fenix distributors in the US (who import the lights and wholesale them to the retailers): Fenix Store and Fenix Lighting.
Fenix Store sponsors a manufacturer-specific sub-forum on CPF they have stayed somewhat active in.
If nobody on BLF has any experience dealing directly with Fenix, then once the list has grown a little, I can volunteer to reach out to Fenix Store to find out if they can be of any assistance in this request. Iām unsure whether this is a better route on the whole than going straight to the parent company in Shenzhen, but itās an option.
I bought the E01vn with the 3200k Yuji from Vinh just to see how this emitter looks like, and while the tint is much better than Cree 3000k that Iāve seen, it is still above the BBL whereas Nichia 219B, E21A, and Optisolis is at or below the BBL. My 3000k 219B has better tint, less yellow and more rosy.
organizing an interest list at CPF might be an option, although as I understood BLF is for the ābudgetā lights, whereas the people at CPF would probably just buy an HDS. Nonetheless an High CRI Fenix E01 might be a nice cheap backup light for an HDS
Anybody here has connections with the German Taschenlampeforum to gauge interest thwre?
Like bmengineer said critical mass will be a critical factor.
People on CPF have recently paid $40 or so for a Vinh modded E01 with a Yuji. If you can reach your price point youāll see huge interest there
Just throwing this out, but would an AA be more practical? Still very compact, but with more capacity and uses a more common cell type. Also more likely to share cells with GPS devices for camping. Iām also a bit worried that the AAA might have too much of an overlap with the BLF 348 as a BLF special high CRI single mode light.