FW3A, a TLF/BLF EDC flashlight - SST-20 available, coupon codes public

No, you have got that wrong.

No CE marking (and genuine documentation) is just asking for it to be sent back at the EU Border, if inspected.

Already happening. And a database of repeat offenders no-doubt being built, and shared, the easier to catch the next dodgy parcel.

By the way, there is no difference between business and personal importation. The rules apply to you, personally. Or as a businessperson. Thatā€™s why you will be charged duty, tax, and handling fee if found-out.

Some EU countries are very tight on this and clearly have plenty of officials looking into things. in the UK you can usually expect to get away with it.

Just as I said, itā€™s the responsibility of the importer and I am happy to take that (very minor) risk.

Never heard of someone not receiving their emisar because there were no labels on it.

None of the thousands of Emisar lights were sent back, and still arenā€™t.

Perhaps they have got their ducks in a row, the paperwork in order, using a reputable freight-forwarder, etc. etc. Like any reputable company. Good on them.

But you seem very confident that no Emisars have been sent back from the EU. How do you know that ?

Nevertheless I wasnā€™t pointing fingers at Emisar. I suspect that they behave with integrity.

But, speaking frankly, at Neal, and his blatant drop-shipping from dodgy outfits, where there seems to be a recurring pattern of problems, delays, lack of tracking, return to sender, weird shipping methods, interest list confusions, all the Fireflies stuff that is creating concern, (donā€™t know about his other deals, never used them, never will) and potentially this one, unless he ups his game and turns into a serious business person, rather than a chancer.

If Neal was operating a real business, holding owned stock, bought and paid for, in a warehouse ready to ship, maybe in the customerā€™s territory, commissioning new products, having delivery, quality control, warranty provision, and customer service systems, that would be a different matter.

As he did manage before Banggood let him go.

But I suspect that he might even still be operating as a middle-man from his spare bedroom. No disgrace in that, but things ought to be better and smoother and faster to Western customers. The world is changing rapidly and amateurism just isnā€™t good enough. Heā€™s had a few years to develop since then and impress us with his acumen. Still waiting.

Frankly, if he is in the loop, I donā€™t want it. There, Iā€™ve said it, so sue me or rude me. Just know who and what you are dealing with.

If this can be delivered by e.g. Banggood or even Gearbest, or similar, who play to the rules, Iā€™m in. If it has to be a ā€œDel Boy Dealsā€ or similar Iā€™m out.

Neal is part of this project as he was in many before. that was clear from the beginning.

you broke repeadetly your promise to stay out..

please be gone this time!

:person_facepalming:

Tom Tom, please drop the subject.

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Thanks for the info. It seems as if it may be a while yet then.
Repeating myself, I hope there will be a final prototype sent to TK, and others, before production begins.
It would definitely be better to identify any issues beforehand.

+2
We may not agree in every single instance yet your past reputation precedes itself here in terms of giving investors the inside look needed to shape opinions of who we are all actually dealing with in these GBs. Your purpose wasnā€™t to start anything yet you deserve respect for holding many of these together and frankly offering some hint of credibility where (unfortunately) it is oftenā€¦weā€™ll just leave it there (no disrespect whatsoever to the OP who has put lights in thousands of hands for little to no compensation given the work required).

Iā€™m in for (2) more LF351Dsā€¦if only for the above and the fact that McBob is apparently in for (6)ā€¦which should intrigue anyone looking for ā€œthe perfect lightā€ which (imo) he took a pretty good stab at producing not too long ago:

(Off Topic): ā€œThe Perfect Country and Western Songā€

FWIW, I generally dont read, much less agree with what TT saysā€¦ā€¦ not so much that I disagree but mainly because the post are so long that I tend to loose track of what he is saying. On this I have to agreeā€¦ā€¦ Nealā€™s inability to communicate, insure QC and provide customers a troublefree transaction has a lot to be desired. It ā€˜seemsā€™ like it is always a roll of the dice when he is involved.

Uhmā€¦ as I am still pretty newā€¦ Who is Neal and how does he contribute to all those projects he is involed in (like in the FW3A)? It seems to me that he is more than just an owner of an online shop, so what does he do? And how is this related to M4D M4X?

Also, I always wondered whether any of the people involved in the actual creation of the flashlight design ever see any money for their efforts. Like the people who design the lights, drivers, program UIs etc. This does not seem the case, if I read that right and it makes me kinda sad. If thatā€™s right, I wish there was at least an option to pay 10-20% extra for the light and that extra money then reaches the private contributors from this forum. Because everyone besides them seem to get their fair share out of it(?)

Neal handles a lot of what needs to be done in China. He used to work in the flashlight department of Banggood, and was involved in making the BLF-A6 and Kronos X5/X6, but later ended up on his own. I donā€™t recall the timeline exactly, but I think he got canned shortly after the failed Cometa project. Then he started his own flashlight middle-man company and was involved in making the BLF GT. He has also been reselling a variety of other products at his online shop, which I think was created in collaboration with M4D M4X. M4D M4X has been doing tuĆ”n gĆ²u (group buy) style deals for a few years, where the vendor gets a bunch of buyers, the buyers get a discount coupon, and M4D M4X gets a percentage for his services.

In this case, I think Neal basically hired Lumintop to produce an item, and is acting as a retailer for that item. Once the product is available to buy, the rest of the process is up to Neal and M4D M4X ā€” sales, shipping, support, returns, etc.

No, the people on the BLF/TLF side of this donā€™t get any money for it. Just an occasional prototype, and generally a free light or two at the end.

People keep telling me I should set up a Patreon account or something, but I havenā€™t done it yet. Maybe I should, but most of the time it seems like itā€™d just be another headache.

Heck, just keep it simple & fairly headache free then. Give us a PayPal addressā€¦ā€¦ money will follow. . :wink:

Seriously, please think about it TK. You give a lot here, many of us would like to give back. :+1:

Thank you very much for the explanation! :slight_smile:

I honestly think you and the others involved in this and similar projects should do that, or a Ko-Fi or at least a PayPal donation thing. Something like that. Not as a payment, but as a token of gratitude from people who really like what you all do.

Iā€™d be up for that, TKā€™s interfaces have changed my flashlight world!

when i ran the BLF GT and other groupbuys i added the "one for the team" token to buy and that raised money has been shared to the team members aand other contributers.

unfortunately i am not part of the FW3A project since Neal started his own shop - i do not know how its done here.


If Toykeeper PMs me her okay and PayPal adress i would be honored to run a donation / raffle whatever

So she does not only get our deepest respect for her supernatural work, but also some money for more profane things like a nice dinner or a day in the spa to forget all those bits and bytes ;)




Please add me to the list for 1xā€¦ā€¦many thanks~

Same thing.

I can donate a bit of money to project contributors.

I thought there should have been a ā€˜permanentā€™ TK donation thread with a PP addy a long time agoā€¦. she deserves it for her time and knowledge.

How about a permanent Donation thread for anyone that is willing to accept donations??

I can think of many people I would donate a small amount of money to.

There has been many reviews that has saved me money.

I own a D4 because of TKā€™s review, donation sent.

I own several cells based on HJKā€™s reviews , donation sent.

I have or havenā€™t bought lights based on robo819, donation sent.

Oh, No way I am gonna forget SB for giving me a place to hang out, donation sent.