There is almost no room in the tiny pill. Even an emitter swap is tough. I personally like the BLF348 as is, though a mode and a hole in the tail would be nice, how much more would it cost then? A $7-8 single mode AAA with high CRI is a rare thing already…
More minimalist simplistic designs like this for the city dwellers please. A 1x AA/14500 version of this will be great. Keep the minimal diameter, the simple stainless steel cylinder, the NW LED, maybe recessed stainless steel switch-cap for tail-stand and you got a winner. Why doesn’t it exist yet?
Honestly, that’d be the perfect light for me (219, 1-mode… yes!!), except I’d strongly prefer AA. Not terribly interested in 10440-based lights. Just personal preference…
Probably uses a simple boost converter. It’s tricky enough to maintain a constant current at one level, let alone modulate it to high/low/strobe/etc. There’s just not enough real-estate on the driver to accommodate that.
While I love the 348, honestly how much cheaper could a GB really get them? They go on sale for $5-6 which is a very fair price IMHO. Sure cheaper is better but if it is only a buck off I think there are better options for a GB even though I would buy a few of these.
I think the purpose of this GB is to guarantee production of more - not to get a good price. They are currently sold out and the manufacturer may not be interested in making more unless there is a guaranteed demand.