[♛ FreemeGB] Fireflies PL47 Gen II 4*XP-L/ Nichia/ SST20 Hi CRI 21700 Right Angle Flashlight - ENDED

Got my xpl-hi pl47 last week but my sst-20 unit has not arrived. Ordered them about 2 hours apart. Hope it comes in this week.

May I ask which model you received?

Champagne yellow Nichia 219B-V1 R9080
That was using the Samsung cells I mentioned above. Those cells give me around 2500 lumens in my Sofirn C8F.

Which samsung cells did you use, specifically?

See post 1383 above.
Samsung INR21700-50E
Samsung IMR21700-30T

700 lumens less than max of 2500 with a 30T? Sheesh!

Well thats not awesome. Thats whoo. But not full-on awesome.

1800 turbo? Guess i thought there’d be a little more there. Wonder how the other emitters are fleshing out.

Im thinking they flashed a firmware that limits output for the 219Bs (thats what he has right?). Good choice to protect longevity of them IMO.

Didnt the 219B S41 get somewhere around 1400?

Got my shipping notice today for SST20

No, nowhere near. I probably had the very first S41 (still have it), and it was never that bright.

Puzzled where FF are getting these antique LEDs from, maybe they found an old reel in an abandoned warehouse somewhere.

The old FET+1 driver didn’t hold back either, even when constructed with the shoddiest components by Banggood/Manker. I really doubt that the modern FF one is actually any better, in the limit.

Maukka’s old numbers are here: Astrolux S41 measurements (Quad Nichia 219B, 18350/16340/18650)

I’d like to say that the tint is wondrous, like a fine glass of vintage wine, and that mine torch (S41, not this one) is a rare unrepeatable classic. But it is not. (Actually it is, you can’t buy the 219B version any more). Just ordinary. And you will be lucky to get even 1000 lumens out of four of these antique LEDs, for a few seconds, with a top cell. Then they will cook off. At least the S41 has a big chunk of copper to soak things up for a couple of minutes, and a crude, but worthy driver with no thermal management worth mentioning. This one does not. Quite predictable. So many better things already possible.

Well we have now had enough…

Myself and partner and a friend is RETURNING these back to firefly
2xCREE XPL HI V3 CW 6500K Max 5000lumens
1xCREE XPL HI V3 NW 5000K Max 5000lumens

My CW will not even get close to the 5000lm!! The following Headlamps out shine it Fenix Hl55, Nitecore HC 65 and HC30 Add to that the Aux leds have STOPPED even working. this is not good. Our friends doesn’t even work properly. She stick a battery in and once she turns it on she is stuck in what it comes on as button doesn’t even work… Only way to turn it off is to remove battery.

Now lets add further to he TERRIBLE issues with the headband and now the battery tubes being different diameters(NW version has the chamapage tube as can confirm same issue). Sent two head bands and charged us for them, sent them with magnets in the tail caps even though they confirmed they would be removed, Then the battery issue (crushing my button tops) It has made me loose ABSOLUTE FAITH in them as anything more than a paperweight and as a brand they will be avoided.

Sorry folks but as a brand I have nothing but distrust and a sore taste in my mouth.

So far i am very happy with mine :+1:

My PL47 XPL HI 5000k running a 40T has similar lumen output to my D4S XPL HI 5000k. The D4S does throw a bit further but it’s not substantial. Besides the included head strap not being adjustable to aim the light up and down, I have been very pleased with the light.

I’ll have to agree on that unfortunately. I was about to order the E07, but I didn’t. I bought the D4S instead. I think I made the right call doing that.

I had my PL47 with me to work today. Had it in my workpants and did some work, I looked at it after I quit for the day, and it had scuffed the anodizing lol. So the light scuffed the anodizing through a thick layer of fabric.
The anodizing is like paint. Very soft it seems. At least on mine…

Emisar annodizing on their first couple lights (IDK about the D4S, it seems to have a different texture) definitely wasn’t hardcoat either though, just cosmetic.

You didn’t accidently switch off the aux leds? PL47 has a few different aux led modes with 7 short clicks

Regards!

nope that are set to on…yet nolonger work… when the pl47 arrived the aux leds had been about 25% of the brightness of my partners pl47s aux led. FF has failed to even respond to direct emails regarding issue…

Jack take a long time if ever to respond to emails. He responds to PMs faster. Usually very responsive with PMs but sometimes take a long while too. Maybe vacation or business trip?

You could try to contact Lexel, since I think he is responsible for the driver, and aux led board design, and see if he knows what might have failed. Actually he’s responsible for the entire electronic design of all of these FF models AFAIK, and, I presume, also the tailoring of TK’s open-source firmware, because I suspect that if she had any involvement here, never-mind even token gesture funding, she would have let it be known.

If I have got Lexel, or TK’s involvement wrong, please could they let me know the true situation and I will edit, retract etc. any misinformation.

Fireflies sketch out then subcontract the metalwork, assemble (or get someone else to) the parts, use FreemeGB to promote the interest here before the product actually exists (with his cut), then distribute (late), as far as I know.

Sending out prototypes for review and evaluation, and feedback, by respected independents, in advance seems not to be their way, and the pre-order window is too short for any independent reporting back. Too much in a hurry to get orders in, and demanding/expecting a leap of faith by their first customers, based on over-promising.

It’s a borderline business model, even if you can keep all the plates spinning in the air, and the product is worthy. It’s only their second go at this, the ROT66 seems to be liked by some, though the ones who paid full price but got the first ones without the Aux LED board, and no retrofit kit in prospect, might be understandably annoyed.

Still, you all will have 3 years warranty, once they arrive. As long as you didn’t specify “no glue”. Good luck with that, and paying to send them back to China at your own cost if the warranty is required.

Also bear in mind that some people who have received (or even not received) shoddy products don’t like to talk about it publicly, perhaps feeling a little foolish, but just put it down to experience, write off the money, and learn not to be quite so trusting again.

I dont know what youre all so upset about, because i still cant find the headphone jack, and there is absolutely nothing in the manual about the gps.

My perspective, its a pretty nice light for 50$. I was probably within the 1st 20 people to own one, (err, which is to say 3).

I think that is pretty nifty. Even if i cant find that damn jack.

I dont know that it will replace my zebra for work, but that is a subjective issue not the fault of the light. I think i am just used to the mule type flood—gonna continue to play with them, though. I added 2 layers of dc fix —still feels a little bright in the middle, but i am pretty happy with my purchase, will find a use for them—neat little lights, weight difference is a wee bit heavier but a negligible difference. Headband is ill chosen. Clip seems small. Ui is Alot of fun.

[Edit: i normally wear a zebra headband w/o top strap. The pl47 feels quite comfortable with a zebra headband W/ top strap. Will have to re-examine wearabilty-thru-a-work day, seems much better with the top strap. So i will have to re-examine the practical bits: light dispersal/color. Weight. Runtime at useful levels. In a work environment. But i feel alot more optimstic after adding the top strap]

Perhaps, i have better expectation management, i suppose? 50 bucks to be first off the line of a completely unproven-possibly extraordinary mom and pop shop? Felt like a low risk high reward scenario. The very fact that something showed up in the mail that i could shovel some batteries into makes me happy. The fact that pink light comes out the end of it is gravy.

My 2 cents: if one wishes to have all of the benefits of a tried, tested and proven appliance. Buy that then.

No headphone jack. Seriously?