What is the preferred format / shape of the BLF Giga thrower

you could just hold it with the handle pointing down or sideways, so no arkward hand position going on

“Gangsta” style…

Box all the way, there are tons of plunger lights out there and very few box style. With the box style the heat sink can be as large as you want it and battery capacity can be 4, 6, 8, 12, or whatever we decide. Plenty of room to do what you want and you are not limited to the constraints of a tube.

+1 here! Also, even with a 4-cell tube, there is a limit to how large a diameter head would look decent. In the original thread, someone mentioned a 160mm reflector (or was it a lens?). I think that would look great in a box style light, but dorky in a plunger style, even with a 4-cell tube.

But, just off the top of my head, here’s an idea. How about a dual-tube “plunger” style? Make each tube two cells wide and two cells long, and set them a couple inches apart (inch or so off center each way), behind a huge head, housing a 160mm reflector/lens. The tubes would be wired 4S, but parallel to each other, so that only one tube would have to be filled for the light to work. Filling both would give you more run time. The tubes would be easy to grasp, and the light would have a more balanced look and feel (when loaded). The tubes might need to be connected at the back with a plate, so they couldn’t be pulled apart like a wishbone! This light would have almost all the benefits of both plunger and box style lights. Yet it would be totally unique and very effective. I’d expect a price point around $150 - $200 list, but $100 for the GB. :smiley:

Yeah discussing it in the team 120mm seemed like a tipping point
To that a plunger would work but bo larger reflector could be used
Bigger reflector would mean a box for sure

For tube just think two SRK tubes, nice and fat.

One nice thing about the classic setup is that we could reuse basically the entire Q8 design from the shelf down and then just simply design a new head/reflector to screw on the end of it.

Well, there’d have to be some work below the shelf if XHP-35 is used. Otherwise, you’d only get 2S4P from the tubes. It needs to be 4S voltage.

We designed an adjustable tailcap for the Q8 already that takes care of that, we are just not sure if thorfire used it. With that taipcap PCB in place it would be whatever we want.

Although it actually would need some work at the tailcap come to think of it as the cells have to be inserted from the rear. That in unless we decided to go with cell carriers instead. This is the easiest option for sure and would allow for the widest possible range of mods. Everything from 1S to 8s could be done with them if you had a driver to use it.

I dont know what im talking about :laughing: but a box looks awkward and dorky. I just like cool looking lights and a “box”, welllllllll…

You think a box looks dorky? Try a plunger light with a 2” handle and a 5” head! Unless you’re Andre The Giant, you’re gonna look like a total dweeb carrying that thing!

Edit: Just my opinion. Others will certainly disagree.

Happily!

For me it’s more than just looks too, a traditional shape is more useful for a thrower IMO.

I agree, holding a box light at eye level for a thrower would be uncomfortable.

Now a box flooder would be great!

Sign me up at those specs…heck yea!

Although….2 box lights might look cool as bookends on firefly mode :laughing:

What about this design?

Tell me why a thrower needs to be at eye level, except for your aforementioned “bushes”. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone hold a flashlight at eye level for any reason. And how would a flooder help with those bushes anyway? :stuck_out_tongue:

This is something I considered but might as well go with the box setup in that case.

Well it is not actually bushes but shadows. The closer to the line of your eyes you get the light, the better you see down range from my experience. Unless you are in a wide open area, which like I said either setup would work fine in.

A flooder floods the light so much that everything gets lit up so shadows are not as big of an issue.

Try it yourself, go out and hold a light at arms length at your waist like a box light then like a flashlight near eye level with a throwy flashlight.

Shadows… okay… wasn’t really thinking of that. I don’t really think about shadows when thinking about a thrower. I’m thinking of a thrower like a laser pointer. I can hold a laser pointer at any level and hit a target just the same. Is that not how throwers are used?

I always hold any light like that. It’s called the “eye index technique”. Just came to be naturally, no one showed me, been doing that for as long as I remember, even as a kid.

…and you’re going to do that with a light this size? :open_mouth:

Why not? the size doesn’t make a difference in the ability to do so. If anything a heavier light is easier to hold this way, your hand/wrist resting on your shoulder instead of weight on your flexed bicep. And the extra range means this type of position would be even more effective.

The lantern/box style is even worse for holding slack at your side than a traditional flashlight shape. With a flashlight slack at your side, it’s mid-thigh height, the reflector centered in the middle of your grasp. With a lantern style, the handle is there, but the reflector is a few inches even lower, causing more shadows and blocked light from obstacles and glare on the ground.

… and I think a square box is unique, but ugly anyways. so there’s that :smiley: