Out of curiosity, how many units do they have to sell to make it worth producing a version with a different metal?
Will we get / have we gotten confirmation that the SST-20’s are, in fact, FA3 bin?
We have like half a dozen members or more with the ability to measure that. Bob said he will post it as soon as he gets his. I ordered a Copper SST-20 but I suspect Bob will probably get AL ones first.
Intriguing question, I always wonder that and never found/got an answer. Maybe Neal knows and is willing to tell us.
The FA3 bin should bring the hotspot tint almost on top of the BBL.
Anyone got an idea when the colorful ones will be for sale? I really want that blue!
I would assume such information is proprietary.
I doubt there is an actual number. It’s probably a combination of a lot of things besides total sales. You’ve got the rate of sales, plus the costs of production for these different materials, plus the perceived interest level in other materials from forums and such. They will probably see how a small batch of copper units will sale. If it’s good, then try other materials. So it’s probably not (2,000 sales = copper version), etc… Just my thoughts on it.
I mean, the actual number is pretty simply:
Units of new design sold * Margin per unit - Cost tooling - design cost = Profit (without taking into account time value)
If that number is higher than zero, it’s profitable (but they still might not do it).
The problem is that it can be hard to gauge that first variable.
I thought I really wanted the titanium one, but after a lot of thinking I realised that I preferred the look of the copper. I don’t actually own any copper lights yet, so I went and pulled the trigger. I didn’t even need the FW3A and now you folks have got me spending even more on an FW3C! Here’s hoping the SST-20s are FA3…
Lots of enablers here. 
Lumintop only has one version of the firmware. It doesn’t use different firmware for different emitters. So 219C and SST-20 go up to 100% FET power.
Not sure, but probably pretty soon I think.
I got two of the color samples today — purple and white. Both are just like they appear in the pictures. Purple looks really good, especially with a black clip installed. White is nice also, and has sort of a grainy texture. So I assume it uses a different process than regular anodizing. Like most white things, it may be difficult to keep clean.
Hopefully I can get some decent pictures tomorrow.
Lumintop change the optics to this , The beam is pretty though. smooth, and it has good color consistency.from Selene’s sample.
They already assembly to the FW3A, so if some one not accept this,let me know.
I also have 10507 optics and sapphire lens in sell.
so the new optic has a plastic lens on top? would reduce money and weight and might improve lumen output?
I like it.
the downside would be users can no longer replace the optic unless they buy a glass lens.
A sample of the new optic showed up today and I measured it. It seems to have no effect on total lumens, but the candelas are reduced to about 79% of the original 10511+glass design. It is more floody than 10511, but not quite as floody as 10508.
The new optic significantly reduces tint changes in different parts of the beam, so it looks like it’s a single color.
A first-batch FW3A weighs 51.9 g, while the new sample weighs 51.3 g. Not sure how much variance there is, but the new optic seems to eliminate about half a gram.
I haven’t tested waterproofing or heat tolerance or scratch resistance.
The MCPCB hasn’t changed, so Carclo optics should still fit. But the new optic replaces both the old optic and the glass, so people would need to buy a glass lens to install a standard Carclo optic. I’m not sure where to get a plain glass lens of the right size, or where the best places are to buy a 10511 optic, so links would probably help.
I just bought an FW3C and a 10507 optic from Neal the other day, but was unaware of these changes until now. Is the FW3C still using the glass lens, or will I need to order one of those sapphire ones too?
If so, is there any chance I can add one to my order before it ships? I really don’t want to pay shipping for one tiny item when I already have a bigger order waiting to go.
Darn it. That complicates plans to put trit drilled optics in a couple. Now I have to get new lenses, too.
Well this is disappointing. Didn’t think the cheapening would start so soon
Can we change our orders to just an MCPCB with the FA3 emitters then?
