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

I have Faith that this Flashlight will be Built to the Best Specs posted by everyone involved before the Holidays! I’m still in for 2 and will probably wish that I had put down 4 after I get One in my hands. :+1:
I’d be willing to Bet it will happen soon and when it does it’ll be Quick!

Perhaps it’s because “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say it”

Which is not my way, as you know.

I hope that I am wrong, but it’s been a couple of weeks now.

Yeh, we all hope you are wrong but I have to admit the silence does seem odd :question:

From memory tk mentioned issues with durability/longevity of the sleeve and shorting issues. Maybe that explains the delay in feedback :question:

Sux being left in the dark but it’s so close :frowning: :expressionless:

There’s no such thing as this for a flashaholic :sunglasses:
:smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Lol, didn’t even cross my mind when I wrote that :laughing: :person_facepalming:

Man im getting so antsy for these guys. I love my PFlexPro triple, but I want a shorter eswitch model and this is perfect, especially with the firmware direction its heading.

Ive been eyeballing some Zebralights as of late, but im holding out for this guy considering I can get 3 for the price of 1 Zebra, and im sure the beam pattern will be more desirable.

If possible id like to up my interest to 2 lights if there will be multiple emitter options. Hopefully the LH351 wins over the Nichias

1x LH351D (High CRI)
1x XPL-HI (Throw)

I think balanced discussion is good, I would definitely like to hear more about your concerns. What do you think about the design is out of date or potentially unreliable?

* crickets *

(waiting on third prototype test results from Fritz and Cawi)


- TK

:+1: … Amen to that…… :person_facepalming:

.
Memo to Neal: Send prototype to TK next time. :wink:

Amen to that too :smiley: :arrow_right:

I don’t want to come across as being overly negative, but my concerns are primarily about the mechanical design, which was the whole point of this “special elegant … flashlight” in the first place.

Putting the e-switch in the tailcap, with the co-axial inner tube for signalling, will require great precision and consistency in manufacture. Long-term reliability of this arrangement will depend on this. Even the design of the tail switch concerns me, if it is to be a bespoke assembly, rather than using a known-good component. Making reliable switches is not easy, though they appear superficially simple.

I have no idea how the design has progressed since the first rendering was shown in the first post. But the original concept may have become diluted:

“For a lot of us mere mortals, seeing the cool things machinists make on their lathe is just a dream.
Hence the finish of the FW3A will be clear anodizing, no sanding/beadblasting before anodization.
The idea is to give all the chance to have a light looking like it came of a lathe with the protection of anodizing.
(surface finish details are still being worked out though)”

I have confidence that DEL’s driver will be good, and admire the x1, xn 7135, plus FET, architecture. I’d like to see more of this sort of thing.

As I have confidence that TK’s firmware will deliver, preferably fine-tuned to the characteristics of the production LEDs.

Both have been ready for a long time.

It is however disappointing how long this has dragged on, the gestation period of an elephant, or two humans. So far.

In business this just won’t do, workers have to work and be paid, and bring up their families, factories have to keep their machinery running profitably, production slots booked, workers trained, test procedures and equipment in place, marketeers have to market, distributors have to commit to buying stock and be prepared to service warranties, supply chains have to be ready, long-lead and critical components procured, commodity items checked, in case the buyers need special instructions to make sure they get the right ones, Bills Of Materials signed off, firmware committed so the MCUs can be factory-flashed before delivery (mucking about with clips or even pogo pins at the last minute is not an efficient option, except maybe for first-batch)

Designers have to be competent, productive, and motivated to sign off each project, on-time (that means having a plan), with confidence (or be prepared to can them, if it isn’t going to work), then look forward to moving on to the next one.

Otherwise it looks more like a hobby, perhaps where the process, and finessing, is more interesting than the end result.

Meanwhile time moves on, and other interesting things appear, for example the latest Fireflies torch is piquing my interest.

I have been informed that Lumintop are ready to go, just waiting on TLF people and intermediaries to validate the design. Which is a serious decision, not to be rushed.

Fingers crossed that all is well.

Glad you’ve got it all worked out!

Lumintop has been super busy this last year. They’ve released the GT, the GT70, GT Mini, ODF30, ODF30C, OC20L, Tool AA v2, plus some more I’m not aware of. So they have been busy.

To make it perfectly clear, I understand that Lumintop have been doing their very best, with the designs provided to them.

And are as keen as the rest of us to see this happen.

I respect them highly.

But it seems some key people involved (not BLF) are just rather dilatory. Maybe even out-of-their-depth.

Which is, frankly, inexcusable, if trust is to be earned, and you start off on a project of this scale.

The CPF Italia Cometa comes to mind as how not to do it (but that also involved treachery too).

Walking away from difficulties does not work, if that is what is happening. I sincerely hope not.

BLF used to be able to do this sort of stuff brilliantly, but the brightest and best managers, and engineers, have mostly given up, whilst commercialism has flourished but design originality less so.

Wither BLF ?

I’ll give it one month more, then I’ll be out, if the silence continues to be deafening.

We don’t get crickets, or cicadas in the UK, but the dawn chorus is beautiful if you live in the countryside, as I do. Even at this time of year, but in the spring, blissful.

Fortunately I have a permanent invite to a cottage in SW France (Lot-et-Garonne) where cicadas, lizards, bats, raptors, bees, etc. still seem to live in harmony, and the night sky is dark. No streetlamps.

It is now the hunting season, so I expect to have to gather up some bewildered young dogs most days and return them to the headquarters.

Wear a lot of blaze-orange too, if going for a walk. These guys (and gals) are not very observant.

Yep, makes perfect sense. It’s the only possible explanation.

:confounded:

This is in fact a hobby for most or all of the BLF/TLF people involved. They’re working for free and giving a design and a bunch of interested customers to Lumintop, who will then profit from it. They’re presumably OK with that because they want to live in a world that has the FW3A in it, for which the rest of us should be grateful.

YES! +1 This. :+1:

Not sure about that. Fritz has always known the value of his personal creations, and priced them accordingly.

As do other skilled people, it is not a one-way street, there is give and take, which is down to negotiation.

Nothing comes from nothing, and neither should it.

However if you have a more pressing, and rewarding, day-job, which you want to hold down, priorities naturally change.

I’ve even benefited from this, for some mediocre contributions behind the scenes, which might have saved going down a wrong direction. Enough to buy a few nice torches afterwards. and it was freely given by an honourable company, and passed on to me by the Project Manager.

The world is not black and white, just shades of grey.

But, excellence can prevail, eventually, if backers have faith and customers recognise it, and are prepared to pay perhaps a little bit more for it. And it really is excellent. Otherwise mediocrity will prevail.

Accept that skilled people can command some reward for their efforts, and should. Frankly if this stuff was given away for free it would be an insult to professionals. This is now a business, not a hobby, particularly for the manufacturers who have to take the chances and do the serious work.

You are at number #1100 .

Two more?
Two in total if there multiple emitter options.

You are at numbers #1100 and #1575 .

How many flashlights do you want in total? … x … units?

He means 2 lights total.