Would you purchase a 14500 version FW1A "mini" if it existed?

It is no longer sold, but this is/was a 14500 on the market!
And made by a BLF member: vestureofblood (also know as Matt Smith from AdventureSportFlashlights :wink: )

Ultimate TRI EDC:Ultimate TRI EDC Brass Now available

I turned my Jaxman E3 into a triple a while ago :slight_smile: But it is not as fancy :stuck_out_tongue:

I disagree that there’s no point in making a triple. Some people use their lights in doors and prefer floody lights. Also there are SO MANY single emitter 14500 out there including Lumintop’s own GT Micro, Tool AA, E05C, ED15, L1A, EDC05, Duke, Prince Mini, D10; I don’t see much reason to make another single emitter 14500 to compete with their already huge selection. A triple on the other hand would be unique. For me, I would be more interested to see a 4x or 9x E21A mule. I love the 16x E21A mule in the KR4 so much.

congrats
but that is not an 18.5mm diameter light

the point of AA, to me, is to use a thinner host.

there is no triple optic for 18.5 diameter, that I know of

for those who want a triple, the FW3a is already that

there is also already the RRT-03 that is a triple, that can be used with AA… but it is not 18.5mm diameter either

they dont run Anduril…

you seem to be restarting a wish list, without the benefit of reading the previous posts

You got me there :slight_smile:

Yes the question was fw1a. A 3/4 size (in all dimensions) with 200m of throw. Warm and high Cri for indoor use. But still able to reach out and touch something way out outside. The GT micro is larger in all dimensions. I don’t want to go over 27 mm head for horizontal pouch belt carry. Or pocket.

Definitely buying an AA and AAA Andruil if they happen

Me too, but I dont expect they will run on primaries, nor eneloop.

ALL the Anduril lights I have heard of require LiIon.

The AA Tool that CRX has converted to Anduril, requires LiIon too:

Yes, there are several 14500 throwers, like the GT Micro. But this isn’t about making throwers. The point is to make something small.

If anything, I’d argue that lights like the GT Micro and BLF X5 don’t really make sense. The head is so big, it’s a bit silly to use such a small cell. The X5 really should have used 18650, 18500, and 18350 cells instead of 14500. But it didn’t, so it basically got obsoleted as soon as the Emisar D1 came out. The X5 was cute to look at, but the D1 was far more practical.

That’s really cool… a work of art, even.

On the other hand, it’s not small. As emarkd put it, “Its a handful, not really a small light and definitely not lightweight”.

If his picture shows the dimensions accurately, it appears to be about 105 mm long and 24.5 mm in diameter… but I have an 18650 triple which is smaller than that. My brass 18650 triple is 102.5 mm x 21.9 mm.

My favorite AA-sized lights, however, are about 17 mm wide and 80 mm long. So I’d ideally keep 14500 lights around that size.

“A reasonable EDC light, not minmaxing for some attribute” is… not the BLF default, I think.

It’s my default though. I have more impressive lights, but it’s the Zebralight SC64c LE that makes it into my pocket most days. A 14500-powered, tail-e-switch light running Anduril and taking a similar approach to performance tradeoffs as the Zebralight would also get a lot of pocket time from me.

Yeah. It’s not exciting, but it’s incredibly useful.

If I understand correctly, it’s also basically the reason why Hank has two brands. Emisar is for minmaxed lights which produce as much light as possible even if it might not entirely make sense. Noctigon is for more reasonable designs which are meant for steady, sustained output. Direct drive vs regulated.

So I think Noctigon would be a good option for a small EDC-oriented light.

Personally, I’d love to see a few designs…

  • 14500 tail e-switch with one LED, designed to be as small as possible. Would ideally have a version with a high-CRI neutral LED, and a driver regulated to … maybe 2A? Deep-carry one-way clip at the tail.
  • 18650/18350 light with side e-switch and one LED, designed to be as small as possible… similar to the Olight S-Mini. Regulated driver limited to ~3A or ~5A, with a lower channel added for good moon/low modes. Beam profile of about 10 cd/lm. Deep-carry one-way clip at the head, styled like the older Olight clips. Mild texture; no aggressive knurling.
  • A D4 or KR4 with tint mixing from 2700K to 6500K, or maybe 3000K to 5700K. Two regulated power channels limited to 3A each. LED choices of E21A, XP-L HI, or SST-20.

So, basically two small EDC lights (14500 tail switch and 18*50 side switch) and a quad with tint mixing.

Not sure what they’d be called, but maybe something like… Noctigon E41, E31/E61, and TM4? (E = EDC, TM = Tint Mixing, 3/4/6 = 18350, 14500, 18650, 1/4 = number of LEDs)

The FW1A is a pretty compact good thrower. If a mini fw1a isn’t going to throw 200 m or more then I’d have to change my vote. I don’t have any AA lights (and won’t ever) nor any 14500 lights and probably won’t unless I can get over 200m and keep it smaller than an fw1a. I can see why the small size would appeal to some people. The success of the fw 3 + 1 is mostly due to compact size and power. To stray from that doesn’t make sense.

I expect an FW14 with a White Flat 1mm would exceed 200m FL1 throw, and that probably should be an option, because there are people who like to minmax, and they spend money.

I’m on the same page with TK here. I’m just looking for a well executed 14500 light under ~20mm dia utilizing a single emitter and a 1.5-2A regulated driver. Ideally the reflector used was made to a size compatible with the TIR optics for maximum flexibility there. Everything doesn’t need to be a hotrod or superthrower.

20mm. Screw on (D25A style) clip. Single 3535 emitter. 500-600lumens. ~5kcd. Clean beam. Good glass/lens. Aluminum! (SS bezel okay). Tail E-switch with proper weight and countersinking.

I wouldn’t, I already have a Sofirn SP10S which does the job well. It has a Samsung LH351D @5000k 90+ CRI and good throw/flood balance. The UI isn’t the best on it though.

I hate the button on my FW1A, it triggers just by my thought of touching it and I don’t like locking my lights since when I need a light I need it fast.

EDIT: Seems like few people mention the SP10S here? Any reason for that?

glad you are enjoying your sideswitch light
google said it is 21.3mm in diameter

I prefer to use a tailswitch, which is why I mention the AA Tool as my example for a possible 14500 Anduril host. It is 18.5mm in diameter, which I think of as thin.

I like TK’s interest in 17mm diameter even better.

a tailswitch seems like a good match to a thin host.
and I just like tailswitches better than sideswitches

I also prefer a UI that clicks on and also clicks off.
I find the sofirn UI less fun, due to hold for off.

Sounds like you need the o-ring mod for your switch. Stiffens up the actuation and eliminates accidental activation.

Interesting, I will definitely check that out. Thanks!

I posted this in another thread but here ya go.

For US sizes, a #36 O-ring worked well for my FW3s.

Edit: just to add that size is readily available in packs of 10 at Lowe’s and Home Depot in the plumbing section.

1/16” nominal thickness. Either 5/32” or 3/16” inner diameter.

dash size 008 or #36 in US hardware stores