Q8, PMS SEND TO THOSE WITH ISSUES BLF soda can light

It feels like Equifax — we’re not the seller, and we’re not the buyer, so the market doesn’t work.
We’re part of the product[ion] being sold. Free design and QC, we are.

I didn’t mean to add more fuel to the fire, just meant to share information. The_Miller is absolutely right in the fact that my order may have been marked as shipped just to give it a tracking number, keep the purchase “live”, and extend purchase protection through AliExpress until October. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if my order has not actually shipped and are using the system to buy some time until they get stock again.

They look Really nice!
The one on the right has that neat Moon shape, could be an add on upgrade and there would likely be a demand.
What’s your Mod fee? :slight_smile:

The Miller, please add a date in the topic title when there is a change in the first post content.
It will be useful for those who are not able to follow all in details.

The GT production and sales are handled by one company, Lumintop

The Q8 is made by company A, Thorfire and sold and financial stuff handled by company B, Banggood

We work with TF to sort things out.
Banggood is selling via their main site, Banggood and via their AliExpress store Elfeland.
There is no stock, the lights finished are shipped to the first 500
There are strict rules on Ali, so they seem to mark them shipped and you can bet on it, the Elfeland ordered are not really going to be shipped sooner then the rest.
Relax. Elfeland entry was made later, orders are processed later. And if all shipping conditions are the same WILL arrive later :slight_smile:

In previous specials it became clear we were the beta testers, we really tried to avoid it here and unfortunate there is (are) an issue(s) on a few. Each issue is one too many, but come on, except for 1 case we are eagerly awaiting pictures of, the promised light was received with aproblem in a bonus feature not hindering the operation.
And we strive to get it so that the rest do not have a chance of the issue pop up.

i think it is too strong to say that a max non critical problem rate of <2% means all who buy it are beta tester.
As if for each problem we read about of buyers of a Sunwayman, Thurnite, Klarus there are not 49 to 99 buyers happy. And the issues we read about on the above mentioned are true issues that hinder the actual lighting with the flashlights, if Thrunite would include a bonus clip and it bended out of shape too easy, would that make all Thrunite buyers beta testers?

yes will do

I was showing off a light in the PostOffice one time (local, very small place) and a guy that came in was dumbfounded as to why we would supply the design and engineering for the Chinese Manufacturer to use for free? To me, we want a product that we can’t afford to design and produce ourselves, so we offer our findings and it gets made with minimal investment on our part… how else could that happen? And in the process everyone we know can get in on the light, great deal, expands our hobby by bringing in new “member” and the entire thing takes off, we’ve seen it happen with our FET drivers (very glad to have been involved in that from the ground up, even if I was only building and testing.)

Looks to me like everyone profits. Business at it’s best. :slight_smile:

Added note for QA/QC inspections — check that the bare metal end of the battery tube is polished smooth, no rough spots on the face or edges, because that surface has to make contact with the trace around the edge of the driver board.

Question: is the lubricant being applied to the threads electrically conductive?

My 3 Q8’s came in today and two seem OK so far, on the third, the button leds flickered once when I screwed in the battery tube and have been dead after that. I tried two different sets of new, freshly charged Samsung 30Q’s with no further response from the switch leds.

My Q8 arrived in the UK today, all working as it should so far with samsung button top 30Q

Hank from what I read a little lube is advised.
You have found a new issue and now it is the tube?
Please elaborate with some pics so I can add it to the OP.

shirnask auch, again I have to say will add it to the OP and can you make some pictures of the switch assembly? Glad two work good, sad you have the issue at hand.

Good to see good news only too :slight_smile:

Miller, see the ‘Mod’ thread discussion about the ground ring/tube contact. Sounds like it was discussed by the group who were in on the design but left a loose end.

Looking at the ground ring I could see a discoloration where the battery tube contacted the ground ring — only about a third of the way around the circle, noticeable that the screw changed the plane of the ground ring so there was no contact right adjacent to the screw. I already cleaned the ground ring so can’t take a picture for you of that. It was the usual darkish discoloration we see on lubricated bare metal surfaces.

I can’t get a picture of the little nick I found in the end of the tube (the bare metal surface that contacts the ground ring)
I cleaned it and felt around it with my thumbnail, felt a rough spot, and close eyeball it looks like it got dinged there, litle notch and little raised edge and a flake of anodizing missing.
Too small to photograph without a super macro I don’t have.

The edges of the bare surface felt a bit rough too, as though the tube got sawed off and not polished before the anodizing went on — or they anodized it, then sawed it off and did not try to clean up the rough edges for fear of removing the anodizing.

Just guessing on that.

Wondering if their lube is identified as conductive. I’m replacing it with the conductive Nyogel that someone sold us years ago in film can plastic holders.

Well this morning I posted that my 2 x Q8”s had been sat in Hong Kong for 10 days waiting to “fly away” :frowning:
So I was more than a little surprised that when I got home from work earlier my wife said “there are 2 packages here for you” :slight_smile:
Lo & behold my 2 x Q8”s must have actually “flown away” from Hong Kong several days ago as they were here :+1:
So 14 days from ordering to arriving with me :+1:

One of the boxes looked like it had had a bit of a rough life in transit but the contents of both boxes were fine


So far I have only had a quick “play” with the lights but first impressions are the fit & finish are very good.
Flawless ano, nice knurling, no marks or noticeable defects, no rough edges, leds are reasonably well centered, lens is very clean & unmarked as is the reflector (no fingerprints, dust etc).
Only thing that I did notice is that the tube threads felt a little rough when undoing them but a bit of lube soon sorted that, the threads themselves are fine.
Both my side switch lights work fine so far, the right hand led, as you look, on both switches is a little brighter than the left one but so what.
The side switch lights are brighter than I expected.
I love the ramping (although I have somehow put one of the lights into some sort of quick blinky mode but that is my fault not the lights) & boy are they bright :slight_smile:
Even my wife commented on how bright they are :open_mouth:
A big thumbs up to all the Q8 team in delivering an awesome light for $40 :+1:
Oh & a page or 2 back someone asked if protected cells fit OK.
Well I tried protected BT Panny B”s, the really long nearly 71mm long ones in just to see & they fit fine :wink:
I will however be using 30Q”s.
Can someone tell me how to get the one light back into ramping mode please :slight_smile:
Again a big thumbs up for all the hard work that the team has put into this light :+1:
Again

Ah I don’t think I have any soda can light without marks of cell and tube rubbing.
I don’t see a sweet brass guiding ring be installed from the factory to prevent that such marks (and well I have never seen a multiple cell parallel light have it, so it seems good to debate such cool better ways in the modding thread.
Awaiting my real Q8 I can only say, if I would feel the edge is not smooth enough I’d run a file and sand paper over it.

All I read is that some lube application is smart, meaning whatever lube if any is used is not enough, plan on using superlube myself, what I normally do, receive, clean and lube.

The BLF way of seeing improvements possible on each detail is great anf surely helped it become much better. Alas at a certain stage it is nl longer helpful for the production but very cool as mods or tricks to squeeze out even more!

I have to admit I didn’t get the fuss about ramping modes; I thought the first thing I’d do when I got mine was switch it into a fairly simple mode (moonlight-low-turbo type mode) but actually…it’s really nice. A little late to the party, I know.

The side switch on mine appears to be working fine - it flickers when it hits max or min output but I presume it’s supposed to do that.

First impressions are really good - nice finish, as others have said the threads need a touch of lube but on a functional level it’s got a lovely broad output and I’m happy with the tint. And it’s my first soda can light so I don’t have any frame of reference, but it doesn’t feel as bulky or heavy as I expected it to.

Looking forward to the shorter days to give me the chance to get some proper use out of it. Thanks again to all those involved in it’s development and fingers crossed that the teething problems can be overcome (and also don’t develop in mine.)

Ha nice, thanks BH and tenohfive for just putting a little lube on the threads :slight_smile:

Problem solved :slight_smile:
Don”t know how I actually did it but my one Q8 is back in ramping mode :+1:

I got back into town to find my two Q8’s waiting for me. Both seem to work just fine, but I will give them a better workout tonight after dark. I will be going down to check out my mom’s place in Bonita Springs, FL in a couple of days. They are still working on getting the power back so I will be bringing my new toys along to use until we have power. I wish I had a good solar charger now.

Two of my three Q8's arrived this morning and were loaded up with 4x button-topped 30q's & 4x modded VTC6's before I'd had my morning coffee!

Both are in perfect working order, I'm really not sure if the led's on the rhs is slightly brighter on both switches but my wife says I'm just imagining it.

The body to head threads on one was a little dry but I'll be lubricating all threads anyway so a non-issue there.

The tubes don't perfectly line up, either, but I wasn't expecting them to going off past experience.

The UI is great, I'm as impressed with that as I am the output (I've not wanted so much for it to be dark out before now), my neighbours no doubt now think I'm nuts, well, that or though there was an alien invasion out the back. We must have looked a right pair of loons waving the Q8's around and comparing them to the S70, S1's, S2's, S3's & S41's. :D

The real litmus test was the wife, she uses torches on occasions but is generally pretty "meh" with new purchases, this, however certainly had her impressed, especially the ramping.

A massive thanks to all involved for all of their time & hard work in seeing this idea through to fruition!

:BEER:

2nd one arrived. Works great. (add for future production: same sharp edges 4th fin above both switch and opposite side adapter hole. I mention because I did cut myself yesterday. Probably should bevel the edge. I carved edge with knife and sharpied it. Ergonomics)