When you assemble the light, is it instantly turbo or does it ramp up first? Mine did the second after I dis- and re-assembled the switch, and I had to take it all apart and re-assemble carefully according to… There’s instructions somewhere, let me re-find them… The FW3A useful information thread
Firelight2, you were right, I resoldered the leds and problem was solved. I should check if leds are grounded sooner with a power supply . Thanks for help, as always nice advices here.
Very quick mod. Disassemble the switch, pull out the nubbin, install the o-ring. Reassemble.
The difference is absolutely amazing! The switch still has a nice distinct click, but now requires much more pressure to activate. This is the way it should have shipped out of the box!
I didn’t like those 3D printed diffusers made for the FW3A, so I looked around and found a 25.4mm one by Nitecore that fits perfectly. A good snug fit that is nicely secure.
Installed the aqua GITD optic insert. It’s an attractive color, but unfortunately doesn’t radiate as long as the green one. The saturation below is a bit washed out in the photo, but in person it’s richer. The stainless steel bezel is nicely finished, worth the $4 USD.
I was thinking of ordering this from Amazon but will try to find some local store. Even though it does not costs much, I hate to waste the remaining 99 and them taking space in my already overflowing drawer!
Did you remove the nubbin? Adding the o-ring without removing the nubbin doesn’t help.
Still… even with the o-ring mod there is still a risk of accidental activation. If you want to reduce the risk further you might want to try gluing a washer on the end of the light in addition to the o-ring mod.
Ah yes that explains it, it feels totally different now. When you say washer do you mean externally? I don’t want to add to it’s bulk, any other easy mod inside to help this?
I just did the washer mod for the switch on my FW3T and the difference seems like night and day. It is stiffer and seems clicky now. I can’t wait to see if it helps with accidental activations.
For the GITD insert, I started with the green. I liked the tint of the aqua better, so I got it. It looks nice, but it’s not as bright as the green. I took some photos. And actually, the photos make the aqua appear a little brighter than it is. Green is noticeably more radiant.
Approx. 3 hours later, it’s obvious green is still better. The aqua is still visible, barely. But both relative to tritium are dimmer.
Got some O-rings and modded two of my three FW3As. The third one has the original (and greatest) switch and with the O-ring it is way too firm.
I notice that the O-ring switches are a little bouncy now: sometimes clicking four times to lock out puts it in momentary mode (five clicks) instead. Putting it in momentary mode, I can see that occasionally it bounces when I release the switch.
I’m still carrying it with the O-ring and trying to slow down and be more deliberate about locking/unlocking. Because it’s way better than the unmodified switch. But the bounciness may eventually cause me to reinstall the nubbin.