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

I was joking when I suggested a black pocket clip would be contentious, but that generated a couple pages of discussion anyways, and now weā€™re fretting over the transformation of the light to include an engraved logo on the button cover

I also enthusiastically vote for a bare button if Lumintop can be talked into it for the group buy, but letā€™s not get carried away.

As far as I know the project history, the big changes were:

  • Tapered tube - Fritz reported this was a good change for use with a pocket clip.
  • Emitter evolution - XP-G2 > XP-G3 > voted XP-L HI + voted LH351D > SST-20. My take is the evolution was generally positive, except the change from LH351D to SST-20 has mixed pros and cons, and the response was muted as a result of that and widespread desire not to delay the light further.
  • No longer a bare or clear finish - this was intended to be part of the character of the light, so the most significant of the aesthetic changes. But it still is an aesthetic change.

And even those changes werenā€™t really that big. Itā€™s still:

  • Smaller than all but a handful of 18650 lights (eg - DQG Tiny, CNQG Beauty)
  • 1+7+FET driver
  • Triple emitter
  • Tail e-switch
  • Ramping UI (although changed from Narsil to Anduril)
  • Very affordable compared to its feature set

I recognize sometimes small changes add up to more than a given personā€™s interests may allow, so Iā€™m not surprised to see a handful of people drop out of the group buy. Overall, however, this still looks like an excellent fit for most of us.

:smiley: :smiley: :person_facepalming: Ooopsā€¦ my bad bansuri. It went right over my head. My apologiesā€¦ I will go back to that post & fix it.

Thank for informing this older fart (me) we are of the same opinion.

Take careā€¦. :beer:

Personally, I'm going to be happy with this light as long as it functions as intended. Put a bunny or a turd on the switch, I don't really care. I appreciate the work others (and not me) have put into the design and internals and if the manufacturer puts a pretty discreet logo somewhere on the light who am I to bitch about it? I haven't spent a dime yet and if I don't like it I don't have to buy it. But I will buy at least the two I've put on the list because it looks like it's going to be an absolute winner for an EDC light. Thank you again to everyone that spent their spare time to make this light happen, I appreciate you.

Mike

Again, not sure if our emitter choices are taken into consideration when posting on this thread for this purchase, but Iā€™d like to change to XPL-HI. 2 total. Thanks.

News update April 10, 11:20am +8gmt:

There will be NO Lumintop logo on the switch on group buy versions of the FW3A.

Thank you tatasal for the updates.

Will someone now be upset not to have the rabbit? :stuck_out_tongue:

I totally agree with your conclusion and the rest of your message i removed from the quote to avoid a long quote.

The initial project has externally changed significally for me, but those changes are not the main reason for my decision.
The main reason is that it was a BLF/TLF project made by lumintop. Lumintop is only the manufacturer but in no way it is a Lumintop flashlight.

Why would they put their logo on it while they could not conceptualize, design and manufacture such a flashlight on their own. Why would they take all the credits with their logo ?
If I will purchase the 4 units I asked for, the implicit message would be that Iā€™m accepting all those inabilities, their messes and above all the logo which is an unilateral change that IS not part of the project.
They canā€™t do whatever they want with this project that is not their.

They canā€™t put their logo on it while they canā€™t make this right on their own without assistance for every stages of the project !
Really, they canā€™t figure how to put a driver properly (proto4!) to make a functionnal flashlight ?

Without BLF contributors, Lumintop would still manufacture tacticool flashlights with mechanical clicky and stupid low, med, high, strobe, SOS user interface.

Jason asked me I was thankful to them for making it ? Certainly not, because they would have never think of it without the BLF/TLF team. It still doesnā€™t even exist in their mind to the point that they are unable to make it properly even when you serve them on a plate.
Iā€™m only thankful to the BLF/TLF team and most particulary to Fritz for the original design and to ToyKeeper (and Neal) for keeping the baby alive.
I donā€™t need or have to be thankful to a manufacturer that is only here to take the good ideas from a project to make profit and benefit of a transfer of technology. They should be thankful by respecting the project.

I will only buy it without logo OR if it has to have a logo : a TLF/BLF logo and/or a ToyKepper logo.
If the production version is manufactured with the Lumintop logo, Iā€™m asking to be removed definitely from the listā€¦even if I had tons of sandpaper and waterstones up to grit 30.000 to remove their logo.

My bad english doesnā€™t help but I hope that it is more understandable now.

I wanted the rabbitā€¦ā€¦ā€¦sniff :frowning:

Definitely not Tally-ho! :beer:

Yes, I am upset not to have the rabbit.

A few people drop out, 10 more sign up. :disguised_face: :student: :face_with_monocle:

This is where your wrong.

Your acting very entitled, like the world owes you something. I wish you would stop and realize that this is a group effort and Lumintop is the one investing tens of thousands of dollars to get this project into mass production.

Iā€™m acting like, but not considering itā€¦to a point that you have no idea.
NB : Lumintop would have spare some money before making and sending the proto4 just by using a ruler. :wink:

Is there a picture of the driver somewhere?

Will replacement drivers be available?

Yeah Tally-Ho, Jason is correct. You are totally wrong my friend. You have no money invested & are owed nothing.

I have curiosity based, but ultimately meaningless question, for those whose guesses are better educated than mine; how much do you think this light will sell for, retail, after the group buy has been fulfilled?

:open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: ā€¦ Whutā€¦. no bunny wabbit?? . :person_facepalming: . :person_facepalming:

I am totally crushed & must seek my safe spaceā€¦ā€¦ :weary:

But, before I do; I wish to file a formal protest with the FW3A Grievance Committee

While I am recovering from this shock in my safe space I shall fill out the form below & submit it when I am able to emerge & function once again.
.

.
.
PS: Thanks for the update tatasal. . :wink: . :beer:

It has been an interesting and exciting day, but we should perhaps step away and cool off for a while now that Bunnygate has been resolved. It sounds like people will probably be able to get a smooth tail or a bunny tail, depending on whether they order as part of the group buy or wait until afterward.

The only other news I have is that Neal is still looking for a good tint bin for SST-20. The FB4 J5 bin is in stock but it doesnā€™t look very good, so heā€™s still looking for something with lower duv (higher duv = more green, lower duv = more red). Ideally itā€™d be FA1, FA4, FD1, or FD4 in a J4 chromacity binā€¦ but that may be impossible to get. Hopefully it could at least be FA or FD something though, instead of a FB or FC bin.

Hereā€™s the image I sent to communicate which bins are desired:

ā€œBunnygateā€ ā€¦ā€¦ Thatā€™s the best one of the day TK. :+1:

Crazy I tell ya, crazy. Itā€™s out of control. My uncle saved his whole life to buy a Ferrari. Them Italian idiots put, FERRARI, right there on the back of it so everyone could see it. Can you imagine? Why would they want anyone to know who made it? Itā€™s almost like they wanted other people to buy one. I donā€™t know what they were thinking.