“Titanium anodize is an electrochemical process that varies the mass of the oxide layer that naturally occurs on the titanium base metal. By varying this mass using different voltages, a wide range of unique colors can be produced without the use of dyes or harsh brighteners, leaving the chemistry and structure of the substrate unchanged.”
Your probably right joechina about using a pattern. One way to get the same effect is to use a small sponge soaked in electrolyte on your negative lead after first doing a base color… but this method would be much to labor intensive & slow for mass production.
As CRX said, Titanium can also be heat colored… but that is not as durable as anodizing. And I don’t think the splash effect could be achieved with heat.
/\ Exactly…
You can achieve various base colors by varying immersion times and/or voltage.
And then come back with higher voltages in the ‘splash stage’… as you said.
That’s why I don’t think I should actually use it. It’s pretty, but I don’t trust it to stay that way if it gets used. If it’s anodized like I think it is, the finish won’t be very durable.
The FW3A gets used a lot though — more than any other light I have.
It’s really not my kind of light. And it’s expensive for me, very. But the looks made it really hard to resist.
I would get one if not for durability worries. Now it seems this was a right choice….
So…is there any way to get such effect and have it seriously durable?
Can you please edit your previous post?
You can click on “edit” and then erase” all the information about the list; just leave your phrase there saying that you want one
I mainly use Samsung INR18650-30Q but don’t have any spare. For slightly longer runtimes, I’m thinking of getting either Samsung INR18650-35E or Sanyo NCR18650GA. Is there much, if any, real world difference between the 35E and the GA?
Here are my findings so far:
35E has very slightly more capacity.
GA performs slightly better at high currents.
GA performs slightly better in extreme cold conditions - this doesn’t really matter to me.
Cycle life is pretty much identical; 60% capacity after 500 cycles.
I’m a big fan of 35E, superb cell and relatively cheap.
But for hot rods like FW3A I would recommend GA. I think it would be healthier for the cell (you’re going to exceed the rated current anyway) and also you’ll get a bit higher output.
Neither difference is big really. But I feel a bit more powerful cell is just the right choice.
Both are wrong. Becaus they are rated for 8A continous. With this flashlight, you will get around 15-20A power draw.
So please use Samsung 25R/30Q, Sony VTC5/5A/6, LG HE4/HG2 or similar.
For constant power draw the GA is rated with 2,5C or 8A and for max current for short period its rated with 3C or 10A.
But 10A is not enough for this flashlight.
I would not use this batteries for this flashlight and I would not recommend to use it.
Wieselflinkpro, are you not familiar with batteries? I’m really surprised.
This is a FET driver so it will only draw what the battery can give. Using a high capacity battery will reduce the current draw and give longer run time. A battery’s continuous current rating is irrelevant for this light since the light itself can only do maybe 2A continuous. All 18650 cells should be able to handle that. For people not wanting max turbo output, a 35E or a GA are fine choices.