(prototype) the GT Mini

i’m in for 1 :slight_smile:

You must enlist in this thread DBSAR

Do we have an ETA on when info about the driver will be available? That will ultimately be the deciding factor for me. If it’s a FET+1, I’m not sure what this will offer over the D1S besides different styling. But if it uses a buck or buck/boost driver, that would give more stable output and also increased efficiency on intermediate modes. That would differentiate it from the D1S enough that I’d definitely be interested.

The price off the D1S and MiniGT is the same.
And a buck/boost driver costs more than a FET driver.
So I guess no.

This is also the group buy price, and the retail price will likely be higher, so it’s not completely unrealistic. Plus Lumintop has some recent experience with boost drivers with the ODL20C and ODF30, and buck drivers with the BLF GT. So I was just kinda hoping that they would be able to leverage that so I would have a reason to own both this and the D1S.

What is the expected throw in meters? I might be interested depending on how far it throws.

As of right now it just looks like a d1s where for $4.95 you can get a different look and a different microcontroller + firmware. If it had a non-group buy price of more than $40 but because of that was able to use a high power boost and xhp35 or something, or even just something different from 1+fet, it would be more attractive.

What light level do you want on your target?
0.25lux is seen as bright as full moon in a clear night. This is what ANSI use.
A more practical reach is normally between 1/2 and 1/3 of the ANSI reach.

You can calculate it from the candela value 135kcd for the MiniGT.

scr(135kcd/0.25lux) = throw in meter

I hear all these rationalizations and wonder if everybody has 7 of the same shirts, same pants, same shoes in their closet. . . then I realize probably most people actually want a light to do something different as they only have 2 or 3 anyway, but by the time you hit 200 lights in your possession you don’t care what it offers just that it looks different, you know you’ll make it offer what you’re looking for when it’s all said and done anyway. :smiley:

I USED to want something different, then I remember when I had 29 lights and was showing that last one to the neighbor his wife said “29! Geesh! How many lights do you NEED!?” and I immediately said… “30.” :wink:

It’s always about the NEXT one, not the last one. LOL

Amen

my wife says “Ah men!!!” :person_facepalming:

Good one chinooker!

Would you rather to wear the same shirt every day without washing? If not then you see how one light that can be used day after day is different. Also, there’s some people out here who actually care how good something comes from the start, rather than just buying the new shiny thing only to immediately rip the guts out. I would rather like to get one of these, if it’s not going to be identical to the d1s in basically every aspect. See, no matter what random thing I buy, whether it’s an oil lantern, a typewriter, or a flashlight, I expect it to work as well as possible. I don’t buy stuff to sit in a sealed case for 50 years, I buy it to use. So I’d like this to not only look different, but have its own niche.

spaceminions, nobody knows that better than I. All my lights are sitting ready to go with charged cells at all times. They get rotated. :wink:

I still do try to keep my lights fitting different roles, so when I’m going to use one I have to pick it for what it does, as it relates to what I’m going to be doing. When I go out, I usually carry at least 3, sometimes 5 or 6, to fit changing demands. :smiley:

Reminiscent of the old saying “Never bring a knife to a gunfight!” :wink:

I literally have 3 to 4 lights on my person all day every day, and my Texas Poker is around my neck virtually 24/7/365.

(And once in a while a light comes out of the box good enough to make even me leave it alone. Maybe not very often, but it does happen.)

Was that machined by Fred of Photon fanatics?

Yup. I don’t bring so many around with me; 2-3 is fine. I do want the out of the box item to be good enough it’s hard to criticize, and I think making this a mini xhp35 light like the bigger sibling could be a neat option.

Full details are here: Photon Fanatic Build, Ti Neck Light (Pic Heavy) *8-5-14 Upgrade*

Thanks TK. :wink:

Very interested with this one. 18650 form factor is perfect for me. 18350 would be awkward to handle with it’s big reflector.
I never like D1S for it’s linear driver and weird looks. I really hope this one uses constant current buck driver and XPL-HI, could be a great host for Nichia 119D.

- Clemence

A buck driver would be equally cool, yeah.