Questions about Fire Foxes FF5 HID

Unclear. In a 4 cell in-series flashlight drawing x amps, will each cell see
x amps
or
x/4 amps?

It will be the same across each-each will see the same current. It’s not multiplied. If the flashlight draws 15A, each cell deals with 15A. Either way, multicell configuration is best for high currents.

Thank you. My assumption was that total amps were divided (not multiplied) among the cells in series, as with cells in parallel. I greyed out the incorrect assumption in my first post.

So… where is this bad boy 15A flashlight? :sunglasses:

There are several single cell lights that draw 15A or more on turbo out there.

Put it this way a 30Q 3.6v and 3ah
4s1p (4×3.6v)x3ah=43.2watt hours
1s4p 3.6vx(4x3ah)=43.2watt hours
You can see that the lower voltage has to supply more current than a higher voltage for the same work. In series there is 1 current path so 1 current. Parallel there is multiple current paths so they are added together.

Hey guys, this is the first I’m hearing about HID… so how are these different or better than an LED thrower?

Tempted to get the 4300K just for the novelty of what i assume would be a powerful soft yellow beam?

Thanks!

4300K is pretty neutral. If you want warm, you dip below 4000K.

Classifying color temperatures into warm, neutral and cool is somewhat subjective, but this bloggy thing does a decent job, quoting below:

That’s great info thanks! For years I’ve bought lights solely on raw power but now I’ve been thinking how nice it would be to have a light that’s bigger for inside the house, going for a walk… Noctigon KR4 in 2000K is incoming (:

That sounds incredible

Yeah!! I got an Emisar from Hank and it’s one of my favorite lights in my humble collection. Someone on another thread told me that he got some 2000K LED’s. If you can believe it, I’ve never seen anything other than 6500K, unless you count the red, green, and blue led’s on my Nitecore headlamp

Hid lights are very different. They use an electric arc as a light source, and the light generated is very intense, more intense than an led. It’s also very small, which is great for throwing light long distances. The color temperature is also excellent with properly designed lamps. The downside is the electronics side, as they are more complicated, and hid have a warm up period from turn on before the light reaches full intensity (up to several seconds).

Wow that sounds amazing! Warmup time is no issue for me. Would the 4300k or 6000k be best? I’m learning toward the 4300. I wonder where the best place would be to order from, based on cost and how fast I can get this bad boy USA

Thanks!

How’s the HID bulb life? Can’t imagine I’d have it on more than like an hour a week max

The 4300k out of an HID is a little different than the 4300k out of an led. Not much. For the best you need close to 5000k as possible for the best beam color. Unless money isn’t an issue, the best place to buy something like this is China, where you can get a quality one for a good price. Stateside, if you can find one, good quality hid flashlights are really expensive, $500 and up. As far as longevity, the lamp will last a long time. In fact, if it isn’t abused or damaged by a faulty ballast, they will last years without degrading. I had HID lamps in my car last for 3 years easy and they’re the Chinese ones. Good quality drivers and ballasts make all the difference. A good bulb can be damaged or even underperform if not driven properly.

Hey, thanks for the great advice! Do you think ordering from Neal would be a good way to go? I’ve bought a lot of stuff from him and he’s great. So… if you were buying, would you get the 4300k option of the 6000k? Those are the only choices from neal. Or should I buy elsewhere, maybe to get something closer to 5000k?

I’ll prob order the accessory package too and I guess I need to get some batteries. What kind are you guys using?

Thanks!

I like the 6000k better

I did not expect that! What do you like better about it? Thanks for sharing knowledge with me

I have the FF5 in 4300k. From my understanding of HID lights the 4300 is going to give you the highest output. I also the FF3, and FF4. This one blows them away in terms of throw distance and total output. It also seems to manage heat better than they did as well. Never had an issue with HIDs or bulb life. The main thing to remember is if you are running a HID light you don’t want to turn it on for a few seconds and cycle doing that. There are components like salts within the capsule that need to fully heat up and fully crystalize upon cooldown before being restarted. Sure it will light up but it may not be good for bulb life. But take not of the manufacture in the second post where he said no one has ever worn out a bulb from 2009 FF1 thru the present FF5.
HID take a bit more precaution when using due to UV light created and heat generated especially at the lens. But in a compact light, the FF5 is smaller than my ThruNite TN42-same height but smaller diameter head, it destroys that light in terms of output. TN42 is roughly 650K lux and 2000L, whereas the FF5 is 1.2M lux and 10,000L.

This is great info thanks! Honestly, I was thinking of getting the 4300 even if was a little less power because I’m looking to get into non-6500K lights (my entire collection!)

What batteries are you using?

Would anyone suggest a different seller than Neal? I’ve had great experiences buying from him so I’m leaning in that direction

Thanks again

Thanks for the info, has anyone done a runtime test on the FF5 yet?

I’m interested in the heat management and how long can it be powered on the low mode using high capacity cells.

I sold my FF4 a year ago thinking that HID no longer could compete with LED but the FF5 is looking great in terms of performance for the size.