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

Then they are not terribly good.

The seams indicate variable current density, probably due to being tightly stacked in square formation and over-cooked.

Boiling them up in dark grey dye may cover this up.

No problem with that decision. But don’t expect much durability from the ano, if this is what has happened.

Better, find a finisher who can do a clear hard anodise properly.

Put me down for 1 please.

Thanks.

Thanks ToyKeeper for cleaning up the Post #1 and the title :wink:
I mean…thank you for “gardening” the thread :wink:

Glad to see we have a new status in the first post.

I’ve spec’d dark grey hard anodizing for parts I’ve designed before. It may not have quite the same charm as bare aluminum, but it is a nice look and fell all the same, and very durable.

I’m definitely not going to get worked up about a cosmetic change, especially since I could see it providing a functional benefit to the reliability of the electrical isolation of the tube that provides the tailswitch continuity.

Longtime lurker (remember when Surefire was the bee’s knees?) glad to see the community collaborations resulting in the best designs today. Down for one please!

This is what It should look like. Grey is so blah

I actually really like the grey. I thought that the pictures in the main post were just weird lighting. The one thing I will say is that I think you guys could have done a much better job of sharing that change sooner as it seems like this is catching a lot of people by surprise but the decision was apparently made months ago. I’m really hoping that the good LH351Ds can be found quickly as I’m still pretty excited about this light.

Well, it ain’t gonna look like that & your opinion of grey is… your opinion. :+1:

Looking forward to the FW3A!!!

Thanks TK for keeping us updated the best you can. :+1:

This was talked about a lot roughly 5 months ago. I’m guessing some people don’t really follow the thread and those that do might have forgotten about it. At least no one has seemed surprised about the sloping angle on the battery tube. :wink:

I did forget why they are bead blasting it. Did the finish not look nice when anodized without bead blasting? The combo of dark grey and no bead blasting might look sweet.

/\ … Bottom line is whatever they do, if it is done correctly; will look just fine.

It may not please everyone because of personal taste…. but it will be fine if done correctly.

Agreed, and being completely honest, while the shiny bare aluminum does look nice, the color/ano is not a big deal to me whatsoever. I’m excited about the firmware and size.

You didn’t forget. It’s just that nobody here knows. For a lot of things, like the bead-blasting, I don’t have any more information than anyone else here. There has been a distinct lack of communication for quite a while. I try not to complain about it in public, but it’s pretty frustrating.

Most of the questions I haven’t answered are because I don’t have the answers.

This look was quite unlikely, because it is a rendering from a CAD program:
The schininess is different in real live and knurling also.

The team aimed for the look from the clear Convoys.

I sure like the latest move towards the dark grey, bead-blasted finish. :arrow_right:

On the other hand, will this light have ‘momentary ON’ ?

I like the new title as well.

Yes. Give it 5 fast clicks from Off and you go in to momentary mode.

I believe you break battery contact to get out of momentary mode.

@ JasonWW: Nice! After going into momentary on mode, will the switch have some more functions, like, a full click, etc. while in that momentary ON mode, or will that be its only function/mode?

I can’t decipher the illustration.

I can’t wait for this. I’m not interested in any of the nonsense politics in this thread… I just hope production starts soon :slight_smile:

Both the “updated design with bead-blasted surface and light grey anodizing” and 2nd prototype photo look great.

Please put me on the interest list. Can’t wait to order one!