[Closed]

WK20 is already reserved...

Mmmmnope.

:laughing:

At least with the wider tube, you can still be “backwards compatible” to use 21s and even 18s with sleeves (or even without, in a pinch), keeping the grip but losing the excess weight.

Lit switch might be nice, but in a limited sense, and turning beacons on/off again would complicate the UI, or you’d be forced to live with the out-of-the-box decision that’s hard-coded into it.

Some thoughts about hardware changes...

  • The (21700) tube design is disputable, agreed. However, I'd like to hear some more opinions. I still vote for 21700 as it may reduce weight, improve handling and the overall look of this "bumblebee" without sacrificing performance. IMHO, 26650 is about to vanish anyway.
  • I received some feedback from TLF members and many would like WK30 to be a bit more grippy. So, some knurling on the tailcap might be a good trade off between having "something different" and ensuring an easy way to turn the tailcap (even with wet hands).
  • Wurkkos seems to be implementing USB-C in all of their (upcoming) lights anyway. So, why not having the much more user-friendly plug-type here? Reverse charging could be a nice add-on for those who want to recharge their cellphone in an emergency situation.
  • A (removable) magnet in the tailcap has its pros and cons. Maybe selling a magnetic tailcap as an accessory (that fits more lights) could be a viable option?
  • Pushing the LH351D 5.000K 90CRI to its limits would also be in line with a better thermal design and a wider, deeper reflector.
  • The reflector geometry for red and UV light could remain untouched or even reduced to keep a wide angle beam profile. I agree that both red light and UV light may not make much sense to focus into a hotspot.
  • The lack of illumination underneath the switch button could be resolved by a dim red indicator light. There are plenty of ideas what can be done such as a locator beacon, blinking out voltage and many more. When using a multicolor LED, even more options will come true.

Concerning software changes I probably need another night to think about reasonable changes. So far, I rather favor single clicks to turn on/off the light and keep holding to ramp/step up and down.

Very very nice design and spec. Really appreciate it. Seeing from the last photo, is the deep red Led still used in this light?

Still liking your thinking on the changes. Single click on/off has to be in it.

Love the light, but I vote for 18650/21700 and a lit switch….

I like the 21700 tube. Single cell 26650 lights just seem out of proportion to me.
I think 4000K might be nice.
All the Best,
Jeff

Thank you guys! The concept in post #18 is being discussed between Sofirn and Wurkkos. Let’s see what they think about it.

Any changes that you wish for regarding the UI? Some people on TLF told me they want the doubleclick and tripleclick to work more slowly.

Lux, is it going to feature a deep red led? From the draft in post #18, looks like it’s going to use a normal red?

Nice, my vote goes to 21700 battery.

About USB port, for me outside port with rubber cover is a show stopper. If it is inside accessible after unscrewing head than good.

Nothing is for sure yet. However, I could ask them to try testing Luminus‘ SST20-DR (660nm). This LED is can be driven up to 3A but I need to find out its Vf to see if it’s more sensitive than XP-E2 red.

Most people some to be happy with XP-E2 red, tough.

I fully agree that a USB-C port in the threads would be nice. But my fear is that the efforts for development and design change will outweigh the benefits of better longterm waterproofing.

Unno. If it absolutely has to have charging, I think I’d prefer the rubber flap over a weatherised connector. Why? Because port-in-threads means you’re still unscrewing the cap, and wearing down the O-rings. Might as well just pop out the cell and charge it externally, then.

Best would be a ring like on the Zanflare F1. Exposes the port, doesn’t wear down the main waterproofing O-rings.

Ok, so is USB waterproof itself and rubber cover just keeps dirt out?
Anyway I prefer no USB at all rather than rubber covered one.

O-ring is easy to replace, it is not used more than taking battery out and charging externally.
Rubber cover is usually almost impossible to replace.

For me light must be waterproof.

Is it really that hard to design? I see it is probably more expensive to manufacture.
Can it be done by plugging the end of the tube from head side and moving driver with charger there?
Tube would be longer but head would be shorter.

Post #18 looks good... really liking the reflector suggestion.

  • Just don't make it longer.
  • I still like to have the 26650 option.
  • USB-C with PD would be nice but I have reservation about this being a charger for other devices.
  • I really like how Zanflare covered the charging port but at the least, make the port waterproof, even without the flap.
  • double and triple click to be a bit slower.

AFAIK, Sofirn is always very open to new, innovative ideas. However, until now they have been reluctant to implement some kind of an "embedded" USB-C port into any of their (third party) products. I have Zanflare's F1, too. I gave it to my parents for it can be driven with 2x CR123A, i.e. they can leave it somewhere lost for years in case a flashlight is ever needed but if they need it it will still work reliably. I do not know how good Zanflare's protection ring is regarding 'wear'n tear' if being moved back and forth many times but with two o-rings in place it should be fine.

So far, Sofirn and Wurkkos have been very successful selling their rechargeable lights with the classic charging design on the outside and I have never heard of defects that result from water ingress underneath the rubber boot. Don't get me wrong - I also favor the integrated design. The most important question they will certainly ask is: What is the benefit of an embedded USB port and will those extra costs for development, material and assembly time ever pay off?

Anyway, I will ask Mark to discuss the two options shown below with the manufacturer.

Edit: OP is updated with the latest design changes.

This is the UI of WK30 - not the new UI I want to draft for "WK30S":

Thoughts:

  • WK30S deserves a second mode group for infinte ramping of WHITE and RED light. UV modes should be kept as is for the sake of radiation safety (365nm is invisible to the human eye).
  • I wonder if anyone really needs / uses the RED strobe modes (see yellow highlighted line items). Personally, I would rather have a red-white "police strobe" (yes, blue would be missing for that) mode for the fun of it but would a series of red strobe modes make much sense?
  • As many of us prefer "click = on/off" and "hold = cycle modes" in the UI, will everyone agree that WK30S would adopt this kind of operation, too?
  • Eco WHITE mode should be turned into a real moonlight/firefly mode (0.5lm).
  • In order to not overcomplicate the UI I think it's best to keep "High" or "Turbo" mode in the regular mode order as is.
  • Direct access to High/Turbo WHITE mode from OFF should be part of the new UI.
  • Battery status should be blinked out or made visible by the switch indicator light.
  • The switch indicator light should also be configurable (on/off) to use as a locator light if desired.

oh wow, what a surprise here :+1: :+1:

Major design change:

In conjunction with the multi-emitter flashlight concept that is being discussed here, I have revised the WK30S concept to work with a magnetic control ring and a mechanical tail switch. This will probably make the rather complex UI much more easier to handle.

User Interface:

Magnetic Control Ring (MCR)

  • controls brightness from moonlight to high steplessly for the selected LED
  • infinite turning into either direction is yet to be decided - a limited turning angle of 160° could maybe suffice to regulate brightness conveniently

Tail Switch (option A - forward clicky)

  • Tap to preselect the mode (WHITE / RED / UV)
  • Fully press to turn ON/OFF
  • Half press to use momentary mode
  • Keep fully pressed for 2s to activate strobe, then tap to cycle strobe modes (SOS / Beacon)

Tail Switch (option B - reverse clicky)

  • Fully press to turn ON/OFF
  • Tap to cycle through modes (WHITE / RED / UV)
  • Keep fully pressed for 2s to activate strobe, then tap to cycle strobe modes (SOS / Beacon)

At the risk of getting dogpiled on, I gotta confess, the more “improvements” I see to the original WK30, the less appealing to me it gets.