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

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1378

18650 version i would say yes—will fit, absolutely.

Well the rings are silicone so stretch isnt really a problem. With a zl light i would have to replace a headband every couple of 6months because it would get all stretched out—but that is the fabric part. And That was the only time the light came out of the silicone holder. So, i was never in the habit of inserting and removing the light on a daily basis. The same will be true with a pl47. Takes a little doing to get it in so you probably will want to leave it there. But it doesnt seem over matched or exceeding capacity. It looks like 3/16-1/4” difference in diameter—> zl 603? pl47.

What i did notice right away was—i wear the zl without the top strap. Just headband part & lite. The pl47 without the top strap bounced around alot going up and down stairs. So i tried it with top strap and feels pretty secure. And comfy. Been wearing it for a few hours and pretty much forget it is there (pl47). That said, i have been wearing a headlamp for 10+hours a day for 15-20 years, so your experience may vary.

1379

You really do live in a different world. $50 is a LOT of money to splash out on, frankly, just an amusement, frivolity, that may end up un-used on a shelf with 100 or more other such things. (Even if it works to your satisfaction).

This was never going to be a dependable “working” torch, that was clear to me from the start.

As Christmas approaches my spare money instead goes to Trussell Trust foodbanks (I live in Mugsborough on Sea, look up the Ragged-Trousered Philanthropist) , and the Salvation Army.

Poverty and exploitation still exists in the fifth largest economy of the world, and conspicuous consumption, just because you can, is still regarded as distasteful here, by most. Not that you would know it, given the in-your-face conspicuous consumption still prevalent.

And there is so much worse going on. But certain political establishments and news channels are still in thrall to their lords and masters., and so, history repeats.

Sometimes a torch is just a torch, and a cigar is just a cigar, and better just to let things go, walk away, say nothing more, and cease the fanboy cheerleading, unless the supplier really deserves it and has something unique, perfected, and above all special, to offer, with service and backup to match. Or is trying really hard and wanting to do better.

I can’t blame FF for trying, and perhaps they have a vision, if so, share the roadmap please, and try to do better.

Actions usually speak louder than words. That said, everyone deserves a second chance. Expecting a third chance is pushing it.

1380

I gotta say, hmmmmm. I have been reading your comments as theyve progressed in this thread, even tried to assist and It occurs to me that your requirements outpaced a relatively green light/ company. Which is to say if you are using headlamps to crawl and climb thru caves you really have no place purchasing unproven equipment. Get an indestructable petzl or some such designed, and tested in the field by and for cavers and have at it.

You should not be using an untested light, period. An enthusiasts novelty light for that matter. Your life may depend on such a light. Seems silly that you were surprised by the trouble, that you have had. I would think any light that you buy should say bomb proof, because anything that goes wrong with it could be life or death.

1381

It’s easy to spend $30+ per person on a night at the movie, and sometimes the movie sucks.

You certainly have a mind for writing in the superlative in regards to flashlights though, could I suggest a voice recorder?

P.S. Freud was nuts

1382

Well that was a special experience. Thank you for that.

I budget for tools that i use as a part of my livelihood, guy with special feelings about me that doesnt know me.

I donot consider headlamps a frivolous expense as i use them 10+ hours a day, 7 days a week. The chance at a slightly better one is always an advantage, and worth every penny.

Thank you for your strong feelings, though. If 50 bucks is too much you shouldnt buy this light. You go in knowing that it is a risk. That is what is so puzzling to me about some of the comments here. It is an unproven light. You have to make this purchase knowing that it is a 50$ risk. People who do not have 50$ to lose simply should not buy unproven lights, or unproven anything frankly. How is this not obvious?

If you do not want to assume that risk you must wait. And see what others say. And then once again do a cost benefit analysis of what this light is worth. I will thank you not to preach to me about socioeconomics regarding flashlight purchases. For me it is a tool. Not a keychain or jewelry.

Please define “conspicuous consumption” for me. I would define it as articles of prestige or merit placed upon a shelf, not of utilitarian value but of intrinsic value or worth. And i would also consider that distasteful but would find it highly irregular to jam it in someones face.

Fanboy cheerleading. Wow, that was adorable. Now your just being a grumpy pants. Yes i want to give this light a fair shot because i want to like it because i just bought three of them. And so far the criticisms seem like those of fancy people—if you want to get right down to brass tacks.

[Edit: (i.e. criticisms…) the button is squishy, its not bright enough, my friends aux leds are brighter than mine, all of my batteries wont fit…wahhhhhhhh 1st world problems right? I didnot make one of those complaints.]

And you kind of went on a bit of a rant there. And all i wanted to say. Not jewelry. a TOOL. Used everyday. Because i make things. I work for a living. I am not a bad person.

Dude, lighten up. Youre perusing a thread about fancy flashlights and have the nerve to bust my balls for buying one? And my liking the light, because i can see myself using the light? And having the audacity to tell people that they should relax with the criticism for having been dissappointed with buying an unproven light?

I dont understand the problem. You just want to be mad, so fine. Grrr. Back.

1383

I dont even go out to the movies. Cant afford it.

1384

Lol thats a Joke… Petzl are not as indestructable as they USED to be… Almost all cavers I know nolonger use Petzl because they are not as good as they used to be.
I also use a headlamp for more than just caving too…

1385

I suspect the first words spoken by Tom Tom were “Bah Humbug” :smiling_imp:

1386

You seem to think $50 is ok to waste on an item… Well sorry it is not ok nor is poor quality control ok… If I want a cheap light that may only work for a while and the specs are overflated then I can spend less than £10 But I choose to believe a Firefly and trust his specs and quality control etc… OH dear that was a hell of a fail…Poor Communications, Lumens that don’t come close to what are advertised,failing light due to Aux leds dying which could be a sign of further faults, Damaged batteries due to no clarification how best to use and adapter,Have to agree about the squishy button,Different sized inner for the battery tubes and a head band that was not even close to fit for purpose… All these errode the confidance in the product and company…Thankfully used paypal to pay so will return them.

1387

My PL47 will be with me today. Black version with SST20. I will make measurements and describe them thoroughly. I wonder if the Lii 21700 will fit into the tube. After the bad start with ROT66 and the comments on PL47 read here, I am skeptical.

1388

For me it is 50$ well spend as the flashlight is working perfectly, guess you have been very unlucky with yours and i hope FF will sort it out.

1389

Why is this so hard. I did not say it was okay to waste 50$ on an item, i said anyone who spends 50$ on an unproven item thinks it is okay. For those of us who are impatient, and prone to risky lifestyles would probably take this chance. This is a decision. We are all grownups here i assume.

Here are the facts as plain as i can make it. Fireflies brought 1 light to market thru basically an enthusiast comment section. Then they brought a 2nd light to market thru the same channel. This was not a secret. Anyone here knows this. The only way you got to their website was thru this portal. In the unlikeliest event you made it there by google you should have done due diligence before handing over any money to an unknown company buried somehwere in the megacapital of this planets manufacturing industry —china. If you found them thru blf then you should have also done your due diligence. The only thing i found thru googling was blf threads on rot66. In fact, i discovered the pl47 mid-thread after learning about the acebeam h30 on skylumens website. $160 was more than i was willing to spend. To get a high cri light, btw. So i googled 21700 headlamp, because i thought maybe i could get some more runtime. And was curious to see where the market was as i hadnt checked in on lights in A while. Anyway, saw a pic of the pl47 mid-thread and started to follow and do my own due diligence. I personally decided that based on rot66 reviews and comments that as long as the light pushed light out its nose it was going to be a better value than the acebeam—simply for runtime with the slightly bigger battery. All of the emitter options were simply bonuses. To me that was worth 50 bucks. I figure i got my moneys worth. And i knew that going in.

As for others, they spend their money as they see fit. There was no history on this company other than maybe a connection to enogear which i have never heard of. They had one by most accounts a successful launch with the rot66, but if you read the thread there is the same whining all thru it just like this one. Which is to say people had problems. Some were not satisfied. this is the history we have of this company. Some people were not satisfied. Yet, with this information( because your 50$ is worth more to you than mine is to me, you also did your due diligence) people still chose caveat emptor, and jumped before there was enough information to warrant such a jump. or trust, or faith or whatever synonym you wish to use.

JUST COULD NOT WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON THE NEXT COOLEST GADGET. Might be something some of us can say. The careful ones, those whose 50$ needs to be better and more wisely used chose to wait and see how it turns out. Their risk equation is less averse. They will have the luxury of patience and can use those of us who enjoy taking risks—oh, like cavers and hmm, welders, and such as canaries in the coalmine. So those of us who took a chance without alot of information—even some of the information as negative, should have had the good sense to know we were taking a risk. I mean it was stated here over and over…group buy fancy discounts—so an unproven company can rollout a product to iron out the worms and bugs and such.

All of you who want to grrrrrr at me, do it to yourself. I didnt take your hand and click “pay now”.

Just stop it. They were an unknown. There will be bugs. I am the frigging new guy for forks sakes.

1390

My two are both good - got what I paid for

1391

From my point of view, it is a decent light. Manufacturer should pay a little bit more attention to a few details (like, I guess, being more gentle with already anodised hosts - anodisation defects indicate rough handling). Switch cover makes it not the most tactile but it works like it should. Also retaining rings are a bit wonky on my copy, would really like them to be pressed more evenly (actually would like them to be threaded…)
Battery compartment could be a millimeter or couple longer as my Liitokala 21700 fits but it’s a tight fit. I do have a dent on the positive end of my battery already but I can’t tell you if it is caused by the flashlight - I charge it in a charger that officially doesn’t support 21700 and fit is defo tighter then in PL47 so I’d blame the charger. I think I just need to pay more attention and worki it out what caused that dent.
Not gonna complain about the output of quad emiter, compact (78g) host being restricted by well designed software… I live in a dream world only during weekends and its only Wednesday here :smiley:
I believe Fireflies has all the potential to be a successful endeavour amond all of the low budget Chinese manufacturers IF they will listen to comments and criticism from the community. They only need to drop that chinglish slogan from the box and ditch that joke of a headband :wink:

1392

Mildlyangryjohnny :+1: :beer:

1393

PL47 arrived. First impressions …
Strange shape. The tube fits Lii40 and even has a minimum stock. Anodizing almost perfect, traces on the head. The edges could be smoother. The switch works perfectly, much better than on GTmini. It is a pity that you can not turn off the backlight. I turned off the AUX diodes because somehow I’m not doing these things. The centering of the LED minimally flies sideways. Contacts a bit dirty.

Let’s go to the data:
Dimensions 88x40mm
Weight with Lii40 150 grams
LED: SST-20
Color 3872K
What’s most important and many of you are waiting for this information, BIN, 5D2, so under the BBL line
Power consumption 9A
36W power
Lumen 2520
Descent down after 20 seconds reaching 1200 lumens
Lux 17090
Range 261m
Angle of 25 degrees so a minimum wider than D4S with HP-L HI.

Disadvantages:
Sharp edges of the head
Bad headband
It warms up very quickly, like D4 from Nichia
It crushes batteries 21700

Benefits:
Color, CRI, under BBL
Ui ramping
Power

1394

Thanks for the measurements! I’m only surprised that you got only 17k lux from it, I was expecting a bit more after using it for a few days.

What charged do you use though? I did put Sofirn into PL47 today and I did not notice any marks on the cell so I was blaming Liitokala charger (Lii-500) for the damage. I might obviously be wrong and it might be some minor impact of the flashlight to be enough to dent the cell.

1395

Nitecore SC4.
Do you have a bridged upper spring? Because in my company it is done and it has made it tight and hard.

1396

Thank you for the review !
You Are very correct about the sharp edges. Mine has sharp edges of the whole head.
So When grabbig the light from My pocket, it almost feels like the coolingfins Will cut up My fingers lol. Not a great feeling.

This is My first and only Fireflies light i think…
Maybe if they improve their quality alot, i will consider it.

1397

komeko, thanks for the first review ever with data for the Fireflies SST-20 4000k. Glad to know that it is indeed below the BBL. Do you have the DUV value at max output. How does tint compare to Cree 5A/5D?

I’m surprised this actually measures 2,520 at turn-on considering the 95 CRI emitters. I was expecting more like 2,000 and below. It’s unfortunate FF didn’t size the body a little larger to be compatible with a wider range of 21700 cells. I wouldn’t mind donating some 21700 to them so they can size their future 21700 lights right.