@teacher, that’s what I said, but I think the price difference should’ve been even larger.
Anyone else have problems with the discount code today?
OK…. :+1: …. But as far as jacking up the price of the XP-L HI “to slightly subsidize the SST-20 version with a good optic and a lens”……
To me that would not be acceptable. Let the SST-20 Version pay it’s own way. No sense in punishing those of us who like, or even prefer; the XP-L HI. We want the “good optic & lens” also remember.
ymmv
No more cost saving ideas please!
Well at least the new optic looks like it is a good match for the ruff MCPCB.
I believe the new optic setup is a bad move.
In theory the new optic should produce slightly higher lumens. No light is being lost from a lens. It’s all going through the one optic.
However, it’s not surprising that we here on this forum much prefer the glass lens (for scratch resistance) combined with the flexibility of being able to swap in any Carclo optic.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind if they added the new lens, but only as an option. Maybe get a $2 discount if you opt for their lens instead of the Carclo.
At least be able to purchase the glass lens as an option
I would never accept a plastic lens.
Not on a light like this.
If they want to mess up this light before it even ramped up, they can do this…
But I will no longer buy it…
It’s incredible with what type of problems Neal has to cope with…
Hope he gets them sorted out and this great flashlight restored to its original design…
They did this with the Tool AAA already. It’s some unknown osram emitter and pebbled TIR now like the EDC01. Updated the marketing after the fact and called it by the same name.
12 June I ordered a FW3A 7A
13 June I ordered a FW3A SST-20 4000K
The 7A model & other stuff was shipped 14 June.
The SST-20 model is waiting to be fulfilled
Now today we get notification from Lumintop of an optic change & the elimination of the AR coated lens.
As far as I am concerned, this is a ridiculous move on the part of Lumintop at this early stage of the ‘FW3A Game’……
It not only makes Lumintop look extremely bad, but it puts Neal in a bad position…. through no fault of his own.
I am guessing my 7A version may well be as advertised when I purchased it…. Carclo optic & AR coated lens. Hopefully anyway……
But it sounds like the SST-20 version, from what I have read this morning; will not be as advertised when I bought it. It will have a “new optic” that will replace the Carclo optic & AR coated lens.
This…… (IMO) is no way to do business Lumintop. Notification of a crappy change in a product should come before the “crappy change”…… not after.
If indeed my SST-20 version has no Carclo optic & AR coated lens…. I will be very unpleased with Lumintop.
Bottom line & end of story.
Doing away with the Carclo optic & Ar coated lens as a cost cutting measure is a bad move.
Notification after the change is an inexcusably bad move by Lumintop… as far as I am concerned.
Heck, it would have been much better to announce a slight price increase & keep the Carclo with AR coated lens.
Disappointing, to say the least. As others have said, I should have bought a couple more early, but didn’t due to emitter options, and indecision. I hope I’m wrong, but further cheapening will probably occur, or is occurring. I bought optics already to switch out, but I will only buy more flashlights if I can find proper lenses to fit. I am not interested in any with this new optic.
Looks like the discount is gone. I should have gotten the XPL-Hi version. :(
If Toyota would do this with their cars, they would end up selling Ladas and no longer Toyotas!
Thank you TK, the blue and maybe the white are my picks. I thought I wanted the copper but it’s apparently only raw Polished finish without a coating so I think I’ll be too hard on the light and it’ll end up looking natty
Gosh and now reading about he changes to the lens and optic setup it’s a bit of a downer that I gifted 3 of the 4 I ordered, should have kept the originals and gifted the new models haha
This sucks. I hope I can add an optic and lens to my existing (pre)order.
Aye, I’m in the same boat and I sent Neal an email about this. Might be a good idea for you to do the same.
BLF A6 - actually got better with time (double springs)
BLF Q8 - long term reliable product (Sofirn gave us new LED options too)
FW3A - 1 month in and ???
Maybe Thorfire/Sofirn would be interested in a group buy for a popular, relatively easy to manufacture design… they even have LH351Ds.
In theory the new optic should produce slightly higher lumens. No light is being lost from a lens. It’s all going through the one optic.
However, it’s not surprising that we here on this forum much prefer the glass lens (for scratch resistance) combined with the flexibility of being able to swap in any Carclo optic.
… snip …….
TK verifies that no lumens are lost, but candela is indeed reduced.
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 t…
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.
Maybe Thorfire/Sofirn would be interested in a group buy for a popular, relatively easy to manufacture design… they even have LH351Ds.
Agreed. Or maybe BLF should talk to Gene Malkoff: I know he has been toying with a programmable light. Yes, it would be over $100, but . . . Oh, I’m kidding. Maybe.
Chuck
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.
TK, were you able to see if there were any other quiet changes, like to the driver or switch assembly?