A rotary pot switch would be mechanical, right? They tend to get ‘dirty’ and not work well over time unless maintained with a good cleaner.
DO NOT WANT. Honestly. I plan on my LT1 being used for at least a decade.
Who is going to fund software development over that period of time? How many “smart” devices out there today are sitting in the bin because the software wasn’t updated / isn’t compatible with newer operating systems? Not to mention how buggy many smartphone apps are these days.
Chances are, if I’m using my LT1, there’s no power for miles. Burning up electrons to avoid getting out of the chair doesn’t sound appealing to me.
If you want that sort of stuff, go take a look at Mr Beams Netbeams thingy.
1 Thank
Great review. I guess you used a drone?
Thank you, yes I used a drone. So I operated the drone and the lantern at the same time. This shows that the basic UI of the lantern is very good. My complaint is that the UI blocks the lantern from unleashing its full potential.
Maybe you’d like to give gramma a lantern. Maybe to keep on its lowest setting as a nightlight, crank it up slightly to be able to walk to the can without turning on all the lights along the way.
I can picture gramma being overwhelmed by having to control-alt-doubleclick’n’hold just to adjust the brightness.
“Oh, c’mon, gramma! Even an ape could use it! So who’s smarter, you or the ape?”
“Uhh, how big of an ape?”
I can imagine and imagine it unecessary.
Maybe. But If you look into the BLF LT1 half of the functions are not really necessary. And half of the functions are on top of it basically out of reach unless you have patience and the manual at hand. You have all that potential that is already there in a high tech fully electronic light that runs a software but the interface is just not there. It is like having a big engine but a weak transmission and flat tires.
The design of the LT and programming of the software were done for free by people who could have spent that time on other things, and clearly it was a substantial amount of time on top of that. It’s easy to ask for improvements/changes but who’s going to compensate people for their time and effort? Given that you feel these changes are must-haves are you willing to spent time/effort/money on making it happen?
Right, I could and do without much of what is available with my LT1’s. But, they are hidden or far enough out of the way that they don’t bother me and having them there did not really increase the cost as Anduril was mature firmware by the time the LT1 was ready to be produced in prototype form.
I really do not see any advantage to using technology (Bluetooth) just because it is available. But then I do not have a Smart TV, nor any SmartHome devices other than a single Fugoo bluetooth speaker and a Ecobee thermostat. I do have a smartphone but only gave up my very dependable flip phone three years ago, and mainly because I wanted some map and GPS functions I didn’t have.
If one wants a tech filled item, one is welcome to purchase or design one. However, I prefer to have a choice of more simple devices as well. So, there is nothing wrong with LT1, version 1. Start a group to develop a more technically advanced LT and see how it goes. I would not want a device like a flashlight that required the use of a smartphone in order to operate more than the basic functions.
I’ve used my LT1 quite a lot, 99% of use has been at warmest CCT setting, I use sunset mode most nights, not much else.
I agree with other users who feel simple is better for the LT1,
I can see the market for a LT1+ or LT1 Smart, with Bluetooth, wireless charging, etc, but it’s not something I’d be interested in.
No need to apologize. Courteous discussion is good even when we disagree. Personally, I think it’s worth emphasizing how much the light offers compared to anything else comparable.
Indeed, it is already a superior light that has no real competition. No I want to see Sofirn sell a million units with it being used everywhere by professional users and hobby folk alike 
A few thoughts:
- What the BLF LT1 needs at this point is marketing. Yes, it’s not a cheap product, BUT, just a quick flip through Bass Pro Shops’ lanterns and you can certainly get far less light for the same $. Considering what the Bass Pro crowd is willing to spend on things (Yeti coolers anyone?), I don’t see them scoffing at the price of the BLF LT1. If anything, I can see it becoming a viral product at that point. Lots of tech, solid feel/build. If someone went this route, they’d have to include batteries. Perhaps the limiting factor at that point would be Sofirn’s capacity to build them. I’d imagine Bass Pro would need ~1,000 of them at a time. It might sell well at some place like West Marine also.
2) For those wanting millennial-friendly features (Bluetooth, smart phone apps, etc.), maybe go start something up over at Kickstarter. I could see that crowd backing something like that easily. Isn’t Bluetooth and smart phone apps a requirement for anything over there to begin with? At that point you’d have plenty of cash to do the development needed.
The LT1 has a nice jump in the futerproof dept. compared to other offerings I’ve seen. Yes, it is the child of BLF… so it naturally has EVERYTHING that represents the wider ethos of this group. But it can be argued it’s as good as it gets in the current marketplace, and I’d absolutely agree.
It could have been simpler in design for a select group that isn’t so comfortable with technology … but I can hand this lantern to about anyone under 40 yrs. old today and it’s not even a challeng by today’s average user standards. The average user with a one minute debriefing can use its basic functions without issue.
So like an iPhone, the LT1 can be used many different ways albeit through one button. But with tactile DSP around the last 25 years or so… users today expect even “one button” features indeed! Then, as we all know… they (we?) buy the thing then use 10% (or 1% ?) of it after owning it a week. But it sold on the features. The LT1 came out with a UI that is still a puzzle in a way, but people often like puzzles… and most technology just keeps on rolling this way! (right past me lately too!)
My new car is very much like the LT1… I had a 2 hour overview after buying it because I probably would have not made it home otherwise. I was like, “ok, here’s the check, give me the keys and… later!” but no… it was absolutely smart that the dealer did this. I had no idea a car could do what this NEW car could do. But, hey I did my time, figured it out, and now that the “puzzle” was solved I literally enjoy driving more than ever. And that is because I learned the code, then moved forward more educated than before.
I’m a Colman lantern user of 48 years and JUST retired my 30-40 yr old set this year in exchange for the LT1s now taking their place. I will use these lanterns about 6-8 times in the next six months fall/spring fishing and hunting. They have enough output and runtime to NOW make them an obvious choice over the gas lanterns.
My LT1s were my change angents from gas to electric. Nothing existed like these in the past, and with the build quality from Sofirn, and a mega-field testing designer, these WILL endure the packs up several mountains and light our camps in 5 degree nights where in the past gas lanterns were too much to pack on some trips (a nice new feature: lightweight and small!).
The LT1 was kinda a surprise from BLF really, but really glad it happened. The LT1’s ARE a significantly more solid, over-all, “next step” solution to the lantern market since the Colman gas lanterns if you ask many people using them today. And future technology will benefit from this design in more than just the UI dept. for sure.
@Zappaman: Your reference to cars reminds me why I personally want this lantern to NOT have Bluetooth functionality, or at the very least want there to be a non-Bluetooth version available.
My last car (a 2016 model) had a CDMA mobile phone in it. My car before that had an AMPS (analog) mobile phone, cassette deck, and supported AM Stereo. In all of these cases, the car outlasted the whiz-bang technology they used as selling features. Then what happens? Even for my cars, made by two different manufacturers, the manufacturer didn’t provide an upgrade path. So the tech sat there, taking up space/weight/power, and potentially security holes in the newer cars.
I also worry about the unintended consequences. What happens if a light suddenly turns on when it shouldn’t? We’ve seen and had a good laugh at the high-powered pocket rocket flashlights burning holes in pockets and other things. BUT…what happens if that light is packed in among a bunch of clothing or similar? What if that were to occur on an airplane or airplane cargo hold? Sure, I can hear people saying “just physically lock it out.” So has everyone here always locked out their flashlights after use?
There is a lot to be said for “keep it simple”
The technology will evolve over time of course. Have to remember here that good “lanterns” were gas (and used outside) until recently. They are still more dangerous compared to the lithium solution we now have with the LT1 (and we DO respect battery safety here at BLF). But Colman lanterns of the past were used 99% of the time where there wasn’t a safety problem outdoors or out in the garage… where no electricity existed.
Also, the rest of the muggle world is used to batteries used in everything. They put cell phones in their back pockets, store batteries in their spare change basket, and really don’t think about safety because they didn’t have to with AA, C, D, and 9V batteries. And BMS designs have thankfully kept lithium blow-ups down in consumer electronics lately. But my INR18650Bs ALL have the standard warning printed on them to NOT use them without a BMS.
So we have lanterns now being used indoors AND by users assuming a level of safety that maybe doesn’t exist (isn’t UL list’able). Not sure if protected batteries MAY change that some day (and in this lantern, high current isn’t needed… so protected cells work fine performance wise). BUT the LT1 as a gift to a muggle?.. uh that probably should come with protected, high capacity/low drain 18650s from one of the majors.
It’s been said many times that the LT1 is a game changer… and it is true to me as a user outdoors, away from the grid where safety isn’t needed at the same level as in the home, car, or airplane. But I admit, I use my LT1 next to my bed where I run it nightly for hours sometimes. This started as a “battery test” at low light, but it has turned into a permanent fixture which does a great job of not waking the wife with too much light in the room while she’s sleeping.
If my LT1 causes a fire, my insurance may not cover it due to the technical mis-use of the 18650s though, so each one of us has to assess that risk. I am comfortable with the battery technology from the major manufacturers from reliable sources. But I don’t have children around, and like guns… it’s the owners’ responsibility to maintain a standard of safe use. This means if there is an accident, it’s user error. Pilots understand this concept as they are trained to understand the MUST HAVE routine of maintenance, pre-flight checks, and certifications for any new plane they wish to fly.
Bottom line, most here at BLF understand the risk of using the “raw” 18650; the general public does not. And there are ways of mitigating risk with muggle use (i.e. protected cells), but when we play with fire, someone is going to get burned eventually. So any way we can educate (continually) in forum discussions will benefit us all by keeping accidents down (and thus, public concern also down).
At least we are still free to do as we please with regard to lithium battery use today. But we have a responsibility to ourselves to remind our members (and others we share this stuff with) to use these lights responsibly. Hopefully, these batteries will one day be listed for use in more electronics where the technology lock held by major manufacturers is finally broke and alkalines just go away.
Btw: Thanks to the flashing pads and open-source firmware (and firmware framework!) it is easy to develop a stripped down version for the LT1 with just basic features (on/off with memory, brightness and tint ramping, battcheck, aux LED on/off). I’d volunteer to do it, but don’t have a LT1.
On the other hand: As long as you don’t touch other features, the UI would be the same basically. Maybe it would prevent unintended config changes or saving the user from being lost in a “weird” mode, but not much more. If someone donates me a LT1 I would make an easier UI nevertheless.
Im onbaord for verbal command input.
Tea, Earl Gray, hot, make it so….