The BLF GT70 "Giggle Monster" is here! 7,500lumens, 1,500m throw! Group buy Closed!

Thanks everyone for a smooth and pleasant BLF Group buy!

I am working on some other projects as well, Hopefully they will be ready for announcement before long.

Official Updates will be posted below here with the latest being on top:

  • Updated 9-21-18
  • Next milestone : The NW LED's have arrived at lumintop and they are set to begin packing orders next week. Based on past shipments they usually drop the packages off at the forwarders at the end of the week and they actually start their journey the following week. There is a Holiday in China on Oct 1st, so hopefully that does not cause any further delays.
  • Estimated timeline until next milestone : ~1-2 weeks
  • Steps to reach this milestone: Lots of orders to pack and get shipped out.

Update History:

11-01-18 - The group buy is officially closed! All ordered up to 10-18 have been confirmed shipped and most orders since then should also be shipped within a week of the order. Time to start working on the next project, hmm, just what could I have in mind.... ;)

10-24-18 - The group buy will officially be closed on Oct 31st. So if you want to take part in the group buy this is your last chance.

10-18-18 - All of the GT70 and Conversion kits have been shipped out as of today! Tracking numbers should hopefully be available next week but they are on the way.

9-12-18 - The Neutral White LED's are ordered and on the way. They should arrive later this week if all goes well and they can start being packed for shipment the next week or possibly the week after. This group buy should be finished by the end of the month if all goes well.

9-11-18 - The NW GT70's are finally for sale along with the conversion kits! You can order them here. You simply select the tint you want in the options, the NW link in the email was incorrect.

The conversion kits can be found here. Please send Texas_Ace or JasonWW a PM if you need the coupon code for the group buy discount and did not get the email.

9-10-18 - The group buy is still open but the sign up form has been turned off. From now on you need to send Texas_Ace or JasonWW a PM to get the group buy code. It is unknown how long the group buy will remain active, there may not be any warning when it ends.

8-31-18 - There was a delay in the neutral white LED selection as we tried to track down 4500k emitters but they are not available it turns out. We are now back on track for selecting either the 4000k or 5000k emitters next week. A poll is being run here for anyone that would like to give there opinion: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/72816 This is not the deciding factor, simply a poll for curiosity's sake. Hopfully the NW will be ready to go in the next 2-3 weeks after the delay.

8-18-18 - The 30Q button top cells are now available to add onto your order if you already ordered the CW GT70 or for those placing new orders. If adding on to an existing order please order the batteries by 8-20 to ensure it can be added to your shipment. The batteries CAN NOT be shipped separately from the lights. More information is available here

8-16-18 - The Cool white GT70 Giggle Monster is officially live! You should of received an email with the coupon code and details, if not please PM Texas_Ace and he will send it to you. The CW lights and batteries should start shipping next week. The bags and caps are out of stock right now, they should be available later when they are back in stock for the same price.

The Neutral White version and the conversion kits should be ready in a few weeks, they are still having trouble deciding on the exact LED to order, I am hoping to get them to order both 4000k and 5000k but no promises. There is a 50/50 chance of either tint at this point if they do not offer both.

Those that have signed up for the Group buy after the ~8-10-18 can PM Texas_Ace for the code to order the CW version or wait for the next round of emails to be sent when the Neutral white versions are ready (They will be sending emails to everyone for those as well).

8-6-18 - The parts for the GT70 are finished and are set to arrive at lumintop this week minus the Neutral White LED's which are taking longer.

7-21-18 - We have officially crossed the 200 reservation line and the price now drops down to $225!

7-18-18 – The Cool White LED’s have been found! Cool white 1A 6500k P2 bin XHP70.2. The Neutral White LED is being debated between a 4000k P2 or 5000k N4.

7-3-18 – We need a minimum of 100 sign ups to get this group buy price, I have no doubt we will reach this many sign ups. We will get further discounts as we get more signups but please do not factor that into your decision to order in case we do not make the next tier.

7-2-18 – Project Giggle Monster is officially going live after more then a Year of pitching the idea! Thanks to those that purchased the prototype lights and proved to lumintop there is a market for this light!

Early 2018 – The BLF GT starts shipping and a NASA research contractor asked me to build them a custom XHP70.2 GT for research testing, Lumintop pays enough attention to help me get the sample prototype parts to make this light for NASA and a few extras.

Early 2017 – I started to pitch the idea of this light to lumintop

BLF GT70 dedomed beamshots from Rockjunkie15:

Beam profile

1128 meter beamshot

BLF GT70 (Left) vs Acebeam X65vn (Right)

Hi all,

The Roster is listing anyone that has taken the time to go through the sign-up and survey questions. If you only stated that you wanted something in the Thread and didn’t go through the form, then you are not going to be listed. It would be a nightmare to try and go through the threads to create such a list. I hope that this is clear now.

The last time that we went through the shipping process, the shipments were broken down by the ranges of the sign-up numbers. While I’m not certain if it will be handled in groups this time around, I took the liberty to make the list to help everyone to know where they stood if in the event that it would be approached this way again.

The pie chart is depicting the results of the survey relating to the desired temperature of the emitter. However the chart does have the total Flashlights commitment quantity number and the commitment for the conversion kits in the upper left hand side of the chart.

Last but not least, I created a goal chart of the total GT70 full flashlights being committed to and contrasting that quantity against the quantity discount for said amounts. Once again, I made this “At A Glance Form” for everyone to see our progress.

Please note the date of the charts. If you don’t see your name listed and you did sign-up, then you signed up after I created that particular chart. No worries, I’ll be updating the chart quite often.

Hope the above helps,
HazG

Next update - September 15, 2018

1 Thank

Project Giggle Monster
To sign up from now on you will need to send a PM to Texas_Ace requesting the order details.
It is unknown how much longer the group by will remain open, it could close any day.

Howdy BLF!

After over a year of trying to get Lumintop to make an XHP70.2 version of the GT they finally got in contact with me this weekend and gave me the official go ahead for the project!

Here is a Great video by VOB showing the results of the mod:

Complete light Group buy Details and pricing

I am told the planned retail Price for the complete light will be $299.99

The group buy pricing will be setup in Tiers depending on how many lights are sold.

  • 1-50 lights = $250
  • 51-100 lights = $240
  • 101-200 lights = $230
  • 201-300 lights = $225
  • 301-400 lights = $220

If we managed to get more then that I could talk to them about further discounts.

Free shipping is included for : USA, CANADA, WEST EUROPE, ASIA
add 20 USD for: Australia, New Zealand, part East Europe (contact Neal to find out about your exact country)
add 40 USD for: Serbia, Ukraine, Uruguay, Crotia, Saudi Arabia, south Africa

The shipping method will be selected by Lumintop to have the best chance of being delivered in a timely fashion.

The sales of the lights will go directly through Lumintops store this time once the sale is active, no more having to mess with paypal transactions in various accounts. This should VASTLY improve the ordering process and mean everyone should get things like tracking numbers much more efficiently.

XHP70.2 + LED + Centering Ring + TA Driver Giggle Monster Conversion Kit Group buy

This conversion kit is another thing I have been pushing, they would prefer not offer this kit at all and only sell complete lights.

It will have all the parts you need to convert your existing BLF GT to a Giggle Monster, Including

12v drop in replacement DTP copper MCPCB
XHP70.2 LED reflowed to the mcpcb
Centering ring
12V Texas Avenger V2 driver

To install the kit you will need to be able to open your GT first (easier said then done in some cases), un-solder 2 wires and then solder 2 more wires to the new mcpcb. When soldering to the mcpcb you will need to turn your iron as hot as it will go in order to get the solder to stick, soldering to mcpcb’s can be difficult depending on the quality of your iron. Soldering is required to install this kit, you have been warned.

Notice: The GT head is VERY VERY tight, make sure you can open your light before ordering. Many people report not being to open their light without damage.

The pricing for the conversion kit is - $55

Additional parts available with this Group buy

These prices are only good if purchased with a GT70
Cell carriers - 1x for $15 2x for $28 (unprotected cells only)
Short Tube - $10
Bag, Cap and Strap - $25

To sign up from now on you will need to send a PM to Texas_Ace requesting the order details. It is unknown how much longer the group by will remain open, it could close any day.

Why the Giggle Monster was created (besides my plans to take over the world)

While the BLF GT is a fantastic thrower, it only truly comes into it’s stride at very long ranges, ranges pushing what the naked eye can see.

This XHP70.2 version with over 3x the lumens and 3x the hotspot size is another story. It is useful at almost any range. It can light up a tree at ranges as close as 150-200m.

Yet still has the power to throw a beam over 1500m!

This is thanks to using the XHP70.2 LED with over 7,500 lumens compared to the stock GT XHP35 with around ~1800 lumens.

Here is the custom 12V mcpcb used in this light:

In the factory form the XHP70.2 will come with a dome on but by removing the dome you can increase the Lux by almost double!

Here is a picture showing the difference between the stock xhp35 GT and this new XHP70.2 GT:

This light will also be using a new Texas Avenger V2 driver that is specifically designed for this setup. It is running the latest NarsilM 1.3 firmware and includes all the features you know and love including a smooth ramp, thermal control and low voltage protection along with all the other features of Narsil.

Stock XHP35 HI at around ~150m

XHP70.2 with dome on and low battery from a long night of playing testing at ~150m

Project Giggle Monster specs:

* LED -
Cree XHP70.2 - Neutral White is a 5000k P2 3C.
Cool White is a 6500K P2 1A

* Lumens -
~7,000 lumens - exact LED specs TBD

* Throw -
~1,400m+

* Intensity -
~500Kcd+

* Driver -
12v Texas Avenger V2 capable of over 250w of power

* Firmware -
Latest NarsilM 1.3 - slightly updated version of the stock GT firmware. It offers 3 primary UI setups:

- By default the GT is set to use the very intuitive Narsil smooth RAMPING UI. Instant access to TURBO mode is also provided with a double-click.

- A more conventional discrete level MODE-SET UI is available as an alternative. Any one of 12 pre-defined mode-sets can be selected.

  • MOMENTARY mode is useful for signaling purposes or rapidly/briefly lighting up targets.

  • Batteries -
    4x or 8x 18650 cell in Parallel 4x carriers. It works on only 1 carrier, but both (all 8 cells) are recommended (unprotected cells only, protected cells are too long)

  • Reflector -
    118 mm ID Aluminum

  • Lens -
    Glass with anti-reflective coating

  • Body -
    Aluminum with Type III hard-coat anodizing

  • Tripod socket -
    Standard 1/4 inch threaded (1/4-20 UNC)

  • Button -
    Tactile with back-lit rubber boot

  • Weather-proofing rating -
    Equivalent to IP65, do not immerse in liquids

  • Weight -
    Approximately 1.8 kg without cells

  • Weights According to Hunter1 -
    BLF GT
    with batteries 2273 g (8 × 35E)
    tail-cap 91 g
    one battery holder 64 g (empty)
    one battery 48 g (35E)
    one battery holder 259 g (with 4 × 35E)
    two battery holder 518 g (with 8 × 35E)
    battery tube 285 g
    BLF GT head 1379 g (with screw 1381 g

  • Dimensions -
    135 mm Ø head x 310 mm length
    85mm fin OD at button
    56mm battery tube
    62mm battery cap OD

Project Giggle Monster members with access to the Team account:

Texas_Ace - Team Leader
JasonWW - Thread and Communication Management
Neal - China Contact / Translator & Order Management

Texas Ace Group buy goals

While I ended up in charge of the original giggles project it was not up to my standards in many ways. I intend to use this Group buy as a model for how I want any future group buys I run to go. Now I am not saying it will be perfect but I hope for things to go much more smoothly then the GT group buy.

Goals for my group buys include:

- Clear and accurate descriptions / goals for the item BEFORE announcing. We all saw what happened with the GT when too many details were left to be figured out later. 6 months of a deadlocked project as people got burnt out fighting about things that ultimately didn’t matter. Plus a lot of hurt feelings.

We are a family here, there is no reason to encourage arguments.

- Fast turn around times, My goal is 3 months from start to shipment. - I can’t do another year long, life eating, 80+ hour weeks, hundreds of messages a day group buy.

This does mean that my group buys will be started later in the development cycle and there will not be as much time for people to find out about them but if everyone works together to spread the word it should still allow most everyone to get in on the group buy that wants to while keeping the endless waiting to a minimum. This is not a hard limit of 3 months, just a goal, it could be more, it should be less.

- A sample of the product has been tested before the group buy goes live Preferably by myself. Barring a full sample test at the very least all the individual parts are tested or mundane enough to not need to be tested (like springs for example).

This is to minimize the issues and allow some specs and numbers to be known before people start signing up. I want people to know what they are signing up for with my group buys. Now I am sure over time there will have to be exceptions to this but this is a goal.

- The group buy is for a discount on the product, not first dibs unless otherwise stated - The amount of issues that trying to make sure that the first lights off the line went exclusively to group buy members caused was not worth the hassle, it easily caused 30-50% of the issues in the early days of the GT group buy.

We will still get the majority of the first items off the line of course but it is not exclusive to this group buy. Anyone that wants to pay retail pricing for the product to get it faster from another source is welcome to do so if that option is available.

Some other items worth noting about my Group buys:

- All of the BLF Rules are strictly enforced in my group buys. So no cussing, no fighting, ect


- Please help your fellow BLF members with questions and educating them as they ask the same things over and over again.

Lets face it, we will hear the same questions hundreds and hundreds of times by the time this thread is over. No complaining about it or just saying “search”. Instead I ask for everyone’s help in educating new comers and helping to answer their questions. Yes there will be a lot of repeat questions, if we spread out the answers among a bunch of us hopefully no one person will go mad answering them.

Remember that when jumping into a long thread it may seem like second nature to those of us in the thread but to new comers they don’t know which way is up. Most do not have the time to read through the thread and figure out what is happening either. Even I generally ask for an update in new to me group buy threads, so I am not going to judge others for doing the same thing.

That said:

- Please help me keep the 1st posts of this thread updated with the latest and most up to date information. It is super easy to forget to update the OP but this is the single most important thing to keep updated.

Only updates that effect the project long term need to be posted in the OP but if anyone sees something that should be added, please let me know. There will be a place for quotes of important information along with pictures, reviews and other information in one of the first posts. Please contact one of the Team members to help us keep it updated.

Also any good pictures or reviews should be posted to the OP as well, so please save them and send them or point them out to a team member!

This post is for Reviews and pictures from users

My reserved post

The official reservation list

7-6-18 - We are at 121 total Giggle Monsters reserved right now

This is the first try at using the Google forms for the list managment, it should make things WAY WAY easier for everyone.

Please keep the email confirmation as that is how you can edit your request directly.

This is the one I have been waiting for. I filled out the form as follows.

1 x BLF GT70 NW

Nice job T/A! :beer:

Signed up
.2 Monsters for me in CW!

8) Google E-Mail confirmation Received! 8)

4 Reflectors too “IF” it becomes a reality


We are still looking for LED’s, we are not sure if we will be going with a single tint for all or 2 tints at this point. I might add an option to the form to get some polling data come to think of it.

Great job TA.

TA, just got the email and google forms worked perfectly and recorded everything correctly.

As far as tint, if it doesn't come in CW, I'll still take whatever is decided is the best tint by you guys.

No, I am not a NASA researcher by any means but I have been working with a NASA research contractor since early this year. They have 3 or 4 GT’s now in various tints and setups, including the first XHP70.2 prototype I made where they requested a 3000k dedomed XHP70.2 be installed for maximum real world throw.

There is a quote in the old GT thread where they measured the GT with official measurement gear and gave it a thumbs up.

Great, glad it appears to be working!

Everyone, please continue to post your request in the thread after you fill out the form. This will serve as an emergency backup list (ONLY to be used if the google list failed for some reason).

By posting in the thread you will be subscribed as well which will ensure you stay updated with the latest information down the road.

Plus it helps show the interest level of various parts to the public.

Awesome job setting this up! I like the direction of this project and how it is organized.

2 x BLF GT70

2 x Battery Carrier

NW

30Q’s for each light

awesome and thanks

Would you mind using the link in your email to edit your reservation and let me know if you see the new poll questions I added?

Any chance of buying just the MPCB? Will Lumintop offer some sort of threaded ring to attach the 2 “cell” carrier to the 1 “cell carrier and have a 3 ”cell” carrier with extended runtime?

Thanks!
AlexGT.

Yep it works! Tint - Option 1- Extra Reflector- Extra Lens