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

I’m dumbfounded that people actually care this much about keyboards. Who knew?

Hahaha…just when I was about to take a shower and I read this…thanks, you just made my day today!

frank, can you imagine how many computer geeks gape in disbelief that ANYONE would care about a flashlight? :wink:

Yes, kind of. Ever seen a braille typewriter?

There are also steno chording keyboards, used mostly for increasing speed while writing down speech real-time:

It’s another big enthusiast community. There’s a tier system and everything.

I wonder how the iceberg tiers would look for flashlights…

Agreed, its the tilde placement on regular full size and TKL boards that puzzles me. That key could be very commonly used for some people for all I know however.

Edit: Oh man that iceberg chart. Too real. Flashlights saved me from mech keyboards, but they didn’t save my wallet. And now I’m getting practice soldering sooo…

So… Here’s a first stab at a flashlight iceberg tier system:

Muggle:

  • Flashlight phone app
  • Plastic
  • Walmart, Harbor Freight, dollar stores
  • Zoomies, showerhead lights
  • 8000K
  • Alkaline
  • 10+ lm

Fan:

  • Camping/hiking stores
  • Petzl, Black Diamond, Streamlight
  • Headlamps, keychains
  • Maglite, Fenix
  • UltraFire, clones
  • 6500K
  • NiMH
  • 100+ lm

Enthusiast:

  • Olight, Zebralight, Nitecore, Thrunite, Armytek, Klarus, SureFire
  • Cree
  • Aluminum
  • Illumn
  • EDC
  • Neutral white
  • Ceiling bounce
  • Facebook groups, /r/flashlight
  • CR123A
  • 1000+ lm

Weird:

  • Lumintop, Sofirn, Acebeam, Manker, Imalent, Rofis, Astrolux
  • Banggood, Fasttech, Gearbest, Aliexpress
  • Nichia
  • Candelas
  • BLF, TLF, CPF, Fonarevka
  • Emisar, Convoy, Fireflies
  • BLF A6
  • X6, C8, compact throwers
  • Group buys
  • CRI
  • DMM
  • Integrating box/tube
  • Soldering iron
  • Mtn Electronics, Intl-Outdoor
  • Triples, quads
  • 18650, 16340, 14500
  • 3000+ lm

Creepy:

  • Okluma, Sinner, McGizmo, Hanko, Oveready, Sigma
  • Skull clips
  • RGB
  • Copper, brass, titanium
  • BLF GT, dedicated throwers
  • Logging DMM
  • Integrating sphere
  • Hot air reflow
  • Flashing firmware
  • Building from parts
  • 5000+ posts
  • 21700, 26650, 18350, 10440
  • 10000+ lm

Irredeemable:

  • DEFT-X
  • Mokune gane
  • Modding drivers
  • Modding firmware
  • Completing the O-L competition
  • Running a store for enthusiasts
  • 26350, 18500, 14250
  • 30000+ lm

Fallen:

  • Hosted a group buy
  • Running a store for modders
  • Writing new firmware
  • Oshpark, Eagle / KiCAD / DipTrace
  • Machining your own hosts
  • Having your own flashlight brand

Guess I’m at the creepy level ha!!! :person_facepalming:

Hmmmm, looks like I’m a tri-breed; a Creepy Weird Enthusiast. :smiley:

CWE for short. :wink:

Under “Fallen” I think we need “Hosted a Group Buy.” :smiley:

Good one Yourrid!! So true…… :wink:

Weird, Creepy, with a touch of Irredeemable

Sounds really bad

Ascended: Are blind

:frowning:

It’s a first draft. I was mostly wondering whether people think the categories make sense, whether anything seems to be missing or extra, whether any items are in the wrong place, etc.

As is, there is probably too much detail to put things into an image. And I’m not sure things are really in the right places.

In particular, I was really tempted to make “Flashlight phone app” its own category… either above Muggle or perhaps way down at the bottom as “Ascended”.

I jumped from Enthusiast to Irredeemable by buying a cheap soldering station with hot air.
ADDED:
No, actually my first flashlight was Creepy. Because it used 10440.

I would add that westerners who use Taobao are Creepy.
Also I find 21700 not more weird than 14500. Actually I bought my first 26350 and 10250 before 14500, is that unusual?

Let's see what I am...

Looks like I'm mostly a weird enthusiast.

Maybe you were just marching too far ahead of the music :wink:

But I also have some 26350’s just sitting in a drawer. Maybe it’s time for a coming-out?

We all are unique snowflakes (i machined my own FL and assembled it with a hand wired driver before i even got a 100lm) but the Tier settings are very good as is imho.

(but i +1 the “Hosted a Group Buy.” Fallen :)) )

Updated the tiers a little. Still not sure how the different battery types should be categorized.

18650 ships with many of the “enthusiast” brands’ onboard-charging products, so I think it goes there. Acebeam bundles 21700s with several of their lights, so again, they probably go in the same category.

Where does writing a phone app for testing flashlights go?