At this point I’m equally excited about Andúril and the prospect of having a FW3A, a Q8, and a fleet of Emisars (which I don’t yet own) all running the same great firmware.
All run different firmware. All are ramping, though.
They all come with different firmware, but I’m hoping to flash them all with Andúril eventually.
Not sure how I missed this beautiful light, but I did, wow what a beauty .. !
I hope it’s not to late to get on the list for this GB..?
I read $30 each plus shipping, if that’s correct and if the buy is still open I’d like to purchase 2 please.
Nice to see that Lumintop will be doing the manufacturing after having just gone through the BLF GT GB, Lumintop did a spectacular job on that light and I’m positive they will do the same for this beauty.
Thank you and it’s great to see a collaboration between TLF & BLF,
It sounds like I was wrong about a lot of people’s preferences. Maybe they already own Emisars for brightness. I don’t yet. I guess we’ll see what is decided, but I didn’t imagine people wanting a less bright triple.
It sounds like I was wrong about a lot of people’s preferences. Maybe they already own Emisars for brightness. I don’t yet. I guess we’ll see what is decided, but I didn’t imagine people wanting a less bright triple.
Yep, that is what the D4 did to this project. I have no opinion on if this is the best direction but it makes sense that it should distuingish itself from the brilliant D4, perhaps also in a slightly more manageable performance and even better user interface.
personally, I put off buying the D4 because of the FW3A project, I suspect a lot of people did. Now the D4 has been around long enough that many have bought it anyway, or are no longer as enthusiastic about the FW3A as a pure performer, since it won’t really be anything new in that regard.
I would like to see the FW3A become the EDC of choice for the enthusiast, in the size category of single 18650 of course.
In order to attain that I imagine it would have to:-
Look classy
Be unique
Have a good CRI
Have a neutral tint
Have a powerful turbo (well above 1500 Lumens)
Have a ramping UI and a choice of other group modes
Be able to sustain a good high mode (over 500 Lumens) as long as battery life permits
Have no significant parasitic drain (months to drop to 80% battery life if unused)
Have a proper moonlight (around 1 lumen or less, preferably adjustable to user preference)
Have a beam profile that has both wide spill and useable throw
Now I am committed to the FW3A, but will probably buy a D4 as well anyway, because – well if you are on this form you probably understand…….
I want it to be my main EDC light, but have lost track of how many of the above boxes it ticks, I count at least 5 definites , though some appear not to be decided yet.
personally, I put off buying the D4 because of the FW3A project, I suspect a lot of people did. Now the D4 has been around long enough that many have bought it anyway, or are no longer as enthusiastic about the FW3A as a pure performer, since it won’t really be anything new in that regard.
I would like to see the FW3A become the EDC of choice for the enthusiast, in the size category of single 18650 of course.
In order to attain that I imagine it would have to:-
Look classy
Be unique
Have a good CRI
Have a neutral tint
Have a powerful turbo (well above 1500 Lumens)
Have a ramping UI and a choice of other group modes
Be able to sustain a good high mode (over 500 Lumens) as long as battery life permits
Have no significant parasitic drain (months to drop to 80% battery life if unused)
Have a proper moonlight (around 1 lumen or less, preferably adjustable to user preference)
Have a beam profile that has both wide spill and useable throw
Now I am committed to the FW3A, but will probably buy a D4 as well anyway, because – well if you are on this form you probably understand…….
I want it to be my main EDC light, but have lost track of how many of the above boxes it ticks, I count at least 5 definites , though some appear not to be decided yet.
D4 is absolutely worth it. You should definitely get one. The output on turbo is phenominal!
That said, more recently I find myself carrying a Zebralight SC600 IV plus. It’s slightly bigger than a D4 and initially much dimmer at around 2300 lumens. But it does one thing that the D4 doesn’t do: the Zebralight easily sustains 1500+ lumen output. The thermal management is excellent and it doesn’t need to ramp down fast like the D4 does. This means that after about 30-40 seconds of turbo it’s much much brighter than all of my D4s.
I’m not on the list as the light is too close to D4 and the light I own is always cheaper than the one I don’t.
Actually it would be nice to experience a tail e-switch, but for me $30 is too much just to get that experience.
What can FW3A improve over D4?
efficiency. Frankly, the improvement is marginal
regulated output. Some care, some don’t
UI
Tail click is easier to find so it’s already a step ahead
Software might be improved too
weight. D4 is a quite chunky
Size. Less to gain here. Especially that 18350 is not intended initially. So it’s more like FW3A can improve size/capacity but not size alone.
price
What it can’t improve (without redesign or cost hike):
output
heat shedding
overall quality. There’s little space for improvement really, especially on a budget
availability. D4 is here already
So it’s advantages really boil down to 3 things:
UI
price
taste. Styling, the custom feeling, you name it
I would be interested if:
it challenged Zebras on efficiency, or
it was available as 18350
Neither of these require a major redesign. But the former does require some size increase as well as a major price hike while the latter is simply a smaller niche.
Like Zulumoose, I didn’t get the Emisar (yet) because I was planning on getting several of these, likely more. The new UI, and features thereof, are definitely an upgrade. I’m getting one, maybe two no matter what, but maybe a D4 will take the place of at least one, if the output difference is significant.
When I see someone list a compilation of negatives regarding why they don’t want to purchase a light, I wonder why they go to the trouble to post the argument… who are they trying to convince? Themselves? There is nothing to gain in talking someone else out of making a purchase, so it must be that the light in question is making an impression and the person really wants someone else to verify the reasons not to, so they can walk away. Good luck with that endeavor…
When I see someone list a compilation of negatives regarding why they don’t want to purchase a light, I wonder why they go to the trouble to post the argument… who are they trying to convince?
Maybe they just want to express their thoughts on a project they care about?
Location: (469219) 2016 HO3 // I get way more privmsgs than I can respond to, so please ask in a public thread if possible, for a faster answer.
Nicolicous wrote:
Can we make this light with supper moon mode 0.01 lumen so it can run for months?
The lowest level is about 0.3 lm and can run for about 3 months. This is about 3X as much runtime as the lowest level on a D4, using the same battery. The difference there is almost entirely due to firmware, putting the processor into a low-power mode at the bottom end of the ramp.
However, if you want a really long-running moon mode, modify a D4 to use the indicator LED pad and a resistor to power the main emitters, and reflash the firmware with something which supports the indicator LED. That’ll run for years per charge.
While the light seems to have turned into a “design by committee”, at it’s heart I’d like to think it’s still Fritz’s baby. so whatever he signs off for is fine by me.
They’re also all the same, or at least similar, for most functions.
Find all my reviews of flashlights and more gear at www.bmengineer.com
Hi,
My name is on the list Interest (278, 519 Nguyen)
Please put me down for two more.
Thanks
They all come with different firmware, but I’m hoping to flash them all with Andúril eventually.
Not sure how I missed this beautiful light, but I did, wow what a beauty .. !
I hope it’s not to late to get on the list for this GB..?
I read $30 each plus shipping, if that’s correct and if the buy is still open I’d like to purchase 2 please.
Nice to see that Lumintop will be doing the manufacturing after having just gone through the BLF GT GB, Lumintop did a spectacular job on that light and I’m positive they will do the same for this beauty.
Thank you and it’s great to see a collaboration between TLF & BLF,
It sounds like I was wrong about a lot of people’s preferences. Maybe they already own Emisars for brightness. I don’t yet. I guess we’ll see what is decided, but I didn’t imagine people wanting a less bright triple.
Yep, that is what the D4 did to this project. I have no opinion on if this is the best direction but it makes sense that it should distuingish itself from the brilliant D4, perhaps also in a slightly more manageable performance and even better user interface.
link to djozz tests
personally, I put off buying the D4 because of the FW3A project, I suspect a lot of people did. Now the D4 has been around long enough that many have bought it anyway, or are no longer as enthusiastic about the FW3A as a pure performer, since it won’t really be anything new in that regard.
I would like to see the FW3A become the EDC of choice for the enthusiast, in the size category of single 18650 of course.
In order to attain that I imagine it would have to:-
Look classy
Be unique
Have a good CRI
Have a neutral tint
Have a powerful turbo (well above 1500 Lumens)
Have a ramping UI and a choice of other group modes
Be able to sustain a good high mode (over 500 Lumens) as long as battery life permits
Have no significant parasitic drain (months to drop to 80% battery life if unused)
Have a proper moonlight (around 1 lumen or less, preferably adjustable to user preference)
Have a beam profile that has both wide spill and useable throw
Now I am committed to the FW3A, but will probably buy a D4 as well anyway, because – well if you are on this form you probably understand…….
I want it to be my main EDC light, but have lost track of how many of the above boxes it ticks, I count at least 5 definites , though some appear not to be decided yet.
Beam me up!
interest
pavol77
Please put me down for one.
I’m on the list (#552), please put me down for 3 more.
Thx, Neale
Eschew obfuscation.
That said, more recently I find myself carrying a Zebralight SC600 IV plus. It’s slightly bigger than a D4 and initially much dimmer at around 2300 lumens. But it does one thing that the D4 doesn’t do: the Zebralight easily sustains 1500+ lumen output. The thermal management is excellent and it doesn’t need to ramp down fast like the D4 does. This means that after about 30-40 seconds of turbo it’s much much brighter than all of my D4s.
Your #990.
Texas Ace Lumen Tube and JoshK Sphere calibrated with Maukka lights
Click this to go to signature links. I'm still around, just not reading many new threads.
I also agree with others : better quality of light vs Max output. I don’t care about max output.
I can’t see my name on the list, could you please put me down for 1 more
Can we make this light with supper moon mode 0.01 lumen so it can run for months?
Nico -.-
I’m not on the list as the light is too close to D4 and the light I own is always cheaper than the one I don’t.
Actually it would be nice to experience a tail e-switch, but for me $30 is too much just to get that experience.
What can FW3A improve over D4?
What it can’t improve (without redesign or cost hike):
So it’s advantages really boil down to 3 things:
I would be interested if:
Neither of these require a major redesign. But the former does require some size increase as well as a major price hike while the latter is simply a smaller niche.
It’s considerably slimmer than the D4 and designed with a pocket clip from the start, which is more securely attached than most of the D4 options.
But yes, it does overlap a lot with the D4 and someone who doesn’t like to have overlapping lights won’t get a lot out of having both.
Ceilingbounce – flashlight testing and runtime graphs for Android | Zak Reviews – my flashlight reviews, with lots of runtime graphs
Like Zulumoose, I didn’t get the Emisar (yet) because I was planning on getting several of these, likely more. The new UI, and features thereof, are definitely an upgrade. I’m getting one, maybe two no matter what, but maybe a D4 will take the place of at least one, if the output difference is significant.
If it’s not too late to be added to this list. I would like one of these lights, they look wonderful.
When I see someone list a compilation of negatives regarding why they don’t want to purchase a light, I wonder why they go to the trouble to post the argument… who are they trying to convince? Themselves? There is nothing to gain in talking someone else out of making a purchase, so it must be that the light in question is making an impression and the person really wants someone else to verify the reasons not to, so they can walk away. Good luck with that endeavor…
Pepinfaxera has only updated since 2-26. He updates the list maybe once a week. So give it a few more days. His list is on page 72.
He will put you down for 2 lights total.
Texas Ace Lumen Tube and JoshK Sphere calibrated with Maukka lights
Click this to go to signature links. I'm still around, just not reading many new threads.
Please add me to the list for 1 light please
Maybe they just want to express their thoughts on a project they care about?
I’d like one of these as well, please add me to the list.
I think I dropped out a few months ago but finances have improved
My 1st is number 479.
Add me for one more thank you! Total two (2).
The lowest level is about 0.3 lm and can run for about 3 months. This is about 3X as much runtime as the lowest level on a D4, using the same battery. The difference there is almost entirely due to firmware, putting the processor into a low-power mode at the bottom end of the ramp.
However, if you want a really long-running moon mode, modify a D4 to use the indicator LED pad and a resistor to power the main emitters, and reflash the firmware with something which supports the indicator LED. That’ll run for years per charge.
Hi , I too have posted earlier and had not received a response. I would like to be added to the list please.
Thanks
You won’t get a response. Your name will just be added.
You asked several times and are on the list twice. At #497 and #732.
Texas Ace Lumen Tube and JoshK Sphere calibrated with Maukka lights
Click this to go to signature links. I'm still around, just not reading many new threads.
While the light seems to have turned into a “design by committee”, at it’s heart I’d like to think it’s still Fritz’s baby. so whatever he signs off for is fine by me.
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