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

Look, we are all in here because we want to actually buy this light based on whats been posted. It doesnt matter if nobody has spent any money, we just ask for an update since june last year nothing of the maker of the light or design guy has posted an update whats going on with the project alive or not, where are they how long are we supposed to wait for something that maybe will not happen perhaps? Then it would be better imo come clean say sorry light is scrapped due to personal problems etc…. dont u agree ?

I understand a months silence isnt anything to panic about, but its been 6 months now isnt that already long enough to not wanting an update whats going on ? Again it doesnt take more then a minute to login and write short whats up, silence in the long run is never a good sign last time i checked.

No. I don’t think anyone owes us a damn thing unless we have put money or design time down…Heck, if I was Fritz and got bored or sick of the project the entitlement mentality would have made me want to give the finger to the whole thing. It’s up to Lumintop now when and whether they are going to make the thing……I don’t understand what Fritz even has to do with in anymore at this point.

Just for perspective, some people have been on the list for this flashlight a year longer than you have been a member here.

Really? Does membership in the original BLF forum not count? 10 or so years ago? Besides what does that have to do with anything?

Only people who know Fritz or/and have worked with him + those involved in the project (who have given of their time for the project) should comment about what Fritz should do or shouldn’t do.
The rest of us should shut their mouth about him because if we are pissed off by someone who walked out for 6 months without saying anything, he probably has a good reason even if it is not a good reason for us. Show some decency and empathy guys !!! and less selfish interest for a good that we are eager to add to our collection.
Not to mention the gratitude you could show for what has been done so far by Fritz and the rest of the TLF/BLF team instead of venting your frustration on Fritz.
Do you really need a scapegoat for venting your frustration ? :person_facepalming:

All the more since tatasal gave a proof that the project isn’t completely dead.

You’ll understand when you chill out and think about it.

Tundraotto, it has to do with the fact that some people have been waiting a lot longer than you. While perhaps nothing is owed to them, a bit of frustration is understandable, given the silence.

I don’t like it at-all.

It could not be further from “engineering purity”, or what was first promised.

But if these photos are of something real, that might one-day actually get made, rather than just a play around with different anodisation dyes, that is of interest. So tatasal, spill the beans please, and explain what’s going on.

Oh, and quickly send a few out to the designers, development testers and respected reviewers first, before expecting the rest of us to stump up our $30, delivered. (Never going to hit that price IMO, nor should it be compromised in trying to do so).

Perhaps future projects need to come with the following disclaimer: “No refunds on emotional investments!” :wink:

Indeed, Fritz and whoever else is MIA or AWOL regarding this project should empathize with the 1000+ who are hoping and waiting for this project to take off.

Look, the point that nobody owes anything has already been made, and nobody disagrees with that.
But there’s reason for disappointment too, which you can read in the comments.

Always funny how people feel the need to complain about people who complain…
:wink:

Hi guys,

Rest assured those photos are the latest, and that the FW3A project is very much alive and well .

As to member Fritz, we have never pm’ed each other.

Meanwhile, chill and :beer:

Good to hear, thanks for the update.
Too early for a beer right now though.

Usually I don’t agree with much you say, nothing personal and I’m sure you’re a good person IRL but we just seem to about always have differing opinions on most things however in this case I couldn’t agree more!

I’ve been in love with the clear or even no ano design goal since I heard about this project but I’d still be willing to accept a normal light gray, if what’s shown in that pic is what I receive I’ll be in my shop removing the ano before I even load a battery in the thing…

List updated in post #4. 1272 people, 1792 lights… plus ~400 on TLF.


- TK

I just searched and had no luck. Someone, I think TK, mentioned different optics that could easily be switched in and out, for more throw, different beam patterns, or whatnot. Does anyone know where I can find this info?

:beer: :beer: :beer: :sunglasses:
Thank you!!!

Thank you!!! :+1:
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BTW, for those that meet the criteria on its post#1, and didn’t “entered” yet, I’m running a GAW here for this light when it becomes available :wink:

Found 3 posts, maybe it was one of these?

Thanks!

… any week now.

… I hope.

Neal got what was supposed to be the final prototype, but he said something vague about having issues, and hasn’t really answered my questions about it. So if my guess is correct, he’s working out whatever-it-was with Lumintop.

Neal also sent some pictures, but they’re the same ones tatasal posted. I’ll put them up again in another comment.

That already happened, basically. Fritz designed the light and doesn’t really have any more tasks to do. I think he has just been too busy to stay involved, so I’ve been filling in. Most of what is left depends on Neal, me, and whoever is willing to help at TLF. But at the moment, every pending task depends on Neal.

Complaining about things which can be fixed is one thing. It’s arguably productive, especially when it comes in the form of a bug report with a patch. But complaining about things which can’t be fixed, or just tossing negativity into the ether, mostly just drags people down.

For example, it’s unhealthy to the community when someone spends more than a year posting an average of 2+ comments per day (and not much else) which all have more or less the same negative message:

Sir, I understand that it is your constitutional right to poop on the floor of a public forum every morning after coffee, but… could you not?

Yeah… sometimes I have to wait until I can set aside an entire afternoon. Far too often, BLF is like a job that I don’t get paid for. In the past, I’ve intentionally avoided running any projects like this, but when everyone else disappeared I kinda got stuck with it.

Well, yes. You’re completely correct. But communication has been the primary ongoing issue for this project. I would have set things up differently if it had been my project, but it’s way too late to restart the whole thing with more-communicative team members. So it’s going to continue to be difficult until the light is finally shipped. Maybe even after that too, depending on how much Neal invests into customer support services.

I understand that it’s frustrating, and it’s more frustrating for me than for most, but it’s not something which can be fixed so we all just have to deal with it until it’s over. And, unfortunately, complaining about unfixable issues only makes things worse. It makes life more unpleasant for everyone involved while adding nothing useful or insightful. Of course, that will happen anyway, but I really appreciate the people who refrain from doing so or who try to make things easier while we wait.

Thanks for clearing that up. It gets a little old fighting pessimistic speculation, unfounded claims, FUD, inflammatory posts, and other disinformation. So it’s really nice to have help. :slight_smile:

As above, thank you. :slight_smile:

I may have to put that in the first post. :slight_smile:

Any standard Carclo triple optic of the right size should work, such as the ones sold at MtnElectronics. This includes 10507, 10511, 10508, 10509, and 10510. The 10507 optic makes the most throw, but also makes virtually every emitter look ugly. So the default is 10511 because it provides the most throw available without causing strong beam artifacts. It can also be polished to increase throw, while still producing a nicer-looking beam than 10507.

So, Neal sent me pictures of proto4. It was meant to be the final prototype, but he said something vague about it not working right and is presumably trying to work that out with Lumintop. I’ll probably also send another firmware update, in case there’s still time to use it… but I don’t know if it’s too late or not.

Here are the pictures Neal sent: