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

Oh, pourquoi pas?

Put my down for one more, a total of three?

can you put me down for another one, going to get the wifey one. Total of 2 for me please.

Not sure if this thread will be used to order by emitter choice or by number requested, but I would definitely like 1 more to be added to my name for a total of 2 with SST-20 as the emitters.

LOL, you haven’t been around here long huh?

You want it good, fast and budget? Go ahead, pick any two (out of three).

Please put me down for one of these.

Can’t wait!

Me too … 2 with SST-20 … please.

Add another for me, please!
That’s a total of 2, both with SST-20.

Mike

I’m leaning towards getting 2 as well (one of each). Please mark me down for another too, if it matters. Thanks. :slight_smile:

The following is from a relative noob's perspective.

Been lurking this thread since early on. This is my first group buy. I committed to a light back in the early 1,000's (count, not Year AD) IIRC. I did so mostly out of curiosity, with no expectations, so have not been disappointed with timing or anything else.

Fascinating process. The challenges have been well documented IMO, and the issues with dealing through multiple individuals across different cultures have been educational to watch.

Kudos to all involved who selflessly spend their own time & resources monitoring the details, keeping the thread updated, and in general shepherding the thing along to fruition. Thank You!

The discussion of emitters has been somewhat confusing to this writer, simply from lack of experience. Modding is still some time in my future, so I'd like to make a good choice on the initial order(s). Which brings up my question:

Could there be a synopsis added to post #1 that briefly describes the advantages and disadvantages of each emitter choice as related to this particular light/optics combination? Nothing fancy, just some indication of CRI, total lumens, current draw and relative throw per emitter. Runtime would be nice if only comparing basic modes but, the complexity would be daunting I suspect. Perhaps links to deeper info per-emitter could be included for educational purposes for those like myself who aren't well versed on the finer points of the emitters being proposed.

slmjim

I added an updated copy of the comparison used in the emitter poll:


Emitter Comparisons:

Price

Lumens

Throwiness

CRI

Beam

Heat

Cree XP-L HI

$36

2800?

70+

Luminus SST-20

$30

2400?

*

95+

Samsung LH351D

$30

2800?

*

90+

For price and heat, lower values are better. Throwiness depends on
personal needs and taste. For everything else, higher values are
better.

Throwiness is a rough measure of candelas per lumen. It’s the overall beam
shape. Even the throwiest option is not a thrower, because compact triples
are floody by nature. At a guess, the range here is about 2 to 4
cd/lm, and common reflector-based EDC-style lights are usually about
5 to 10.

Beam is the overall beam quality, like smoothness and color consistency.

More peppers makes thermal management harder, reduces the sustainable
brightness after step-down, and increases risk of damaging the emitters on
turbo.

Values indicate approximate performance in a Carclo 10511
optic using a FET for direct drive on 1x18650. These have not been
directly tested in the FW3A host, so this data is more of an educated
guess than a measurement.

All of the emitter types are good, but here is the worst part about each:

  • XP-L HI: Costs more. Medium CRI.

  • SST-20: Green at low levels.

  • LH351D: Super floody. Green at low levels. May be unobtainable.

Visual estimate of the floodiest option compared to a throwy option:

Actually, the heat should be the same for the LH351D and SST-20 since they have about the same forward voltage.

What is the need for adding that? The CRI for each LED is plainly listed. Am I missing something?

Sorry, mistake on my part.

And I think it should be clarified with the two high cri options (without getting into specifics of duv) that their color is not as well-described as green as it would be if they were a cooler temperature, regardless of whether you say lemongrass or just say “yellowish/greenish color”. To me, the sst20 comes across more yellow than green, as I have probably mentioned.

Thanks TK!

8000 posts :partying_face:

At last, a good laugh from this thread! Thanks caramba, any opportunity to use that old meme is a good one!
I heard that the light will get done quicker once the thread reaches 10k posts, I wonder if there’s any truth to that?

Same Vf, same amps, but SST-20 makes fewer lumens… so it should also make more heat.