djozz wrote:

Just to hear a different thing: I really dig the dark clip that Lumintop came up with.

X3 wrote:

I’m still looking for a good method for blackening my knives clips. I don’t like chrome clips, but I don’t like paint either of course. The Olight clips have been black for a while now, and they never chipped a single flake… I think it’s a heat treatment,I don’t know. Anyway, I love the FW3A black clip !

I like the black as well-
I think the treatment is black oxide, or “blueing” a controlled corrosion process I’m not entirely aware of the chemistry and process though.
I would be great IMO if these clips are black oxide rather than paint.
If the clips are stainless than the treatment is black passivization – even better.

Lately I’ve noticed a new trend, and I’m not certain if/how long it’s going to last:
every time I see a new picture of the FW3A, it is even more beautifull than before.

Thnx TK!

TKs photos of the clip looks an awful lot like Oveready’s TiAlN coated “black nitride” clips, which is a very good thing. If they’re anything like that, the coating is really strong stuff. I’ve only managed to scratch one of mine, and I had to use a dremel and a bit of clumsiness to accomplish it. Those clips cost almost as much as this entire light though, so that would be a stretch I suppose. I imagine its not a cheap coating.

Quote:

I imagine its not a cheap coating.

I imagine it is, since nobody asked for it AFAIK.

@FW3A team, I am not interested in this light anymore.

Since there will be no high CRI light at launch, I do not want to get one, especially after all the promises of getting high CRI LH351Ds, then SST-20s, then XP-L HI only.

Thank you for everything still.

Zulumoose wrote:

Quote:

I imagine its not a cheap coating.

I imagine it is, since nobody asked for it AFAIK.

Actually that was my point, maybe poorly worded. I imagine the coating Oveready is using is not cheap, therefore its probably not the same coating that’s on these clips, even though it looks like it to me. That said, however, I overlooked one thing when I originally made that comment — the clip from Oveready isn’t cheap, but the coated option is only a couple bucks more than the bare clip. So maybe…

Super cool that there’s a patreon and TK you definitely deserve to get paid, I just hope that there isn’t a mass exodus of conversation to patreon as the most involved/invested/active people move over to that platform causing this place to slowly die off, though I guess that’s less of a potential risk here, I’m still worried as I’ve seen it happen a couple of times

BlueSwordM wrote:

@FW3A team, I am not interested in this light anymore.

Since there will be no high CRI light at launch, I do not want to get one, especially after all the promises of getting high CRI LH351Ds, then SST-20s, then XP-L HI only.

Thank you for everything still.

I can understand that, the emitter i want it seems its a long way there if it will ever happen who knows

I’m still sitting here and hoping against hope that a high cri option or at the very least drop/solder in boards with high cri LED’s attached would be available soon as this flashlight is otherwise looking to be pretty much perfect for my edc needs.

Hopefully this will just take standard 20mm triple PCBs?

Add me to the list for one. Thanks!

I like the black clip if it’s an oxide/nitride finish that won’t chip/scratch easily. I just didn’t want it to be paint.

Thanks for the 219B firmware, TK. I’m sure I’ll be making use of that.

I used to have a D4 that I ran with comparatively-low amp batteries like the LG MJ1 in order to keep the turbo lower and the heat a bit more manageable. Would that be OK in the FW3A as well? Would there be any downside other than a lower turbo?

I agree with Paul321, this looks like bluing.

Looking great.

Other than that, no. Just lower output.

IMO, to my eyes, the FW3A would’ve been the perfect EDC if it came with high CRI LEDs stock.

I would’ve been perfectly happy with LH351Ds if they went with the same price with the XP-L HI version in exchange for getting it at the same time.

Otherwise, I’m not interested in the light until it comes with them stock.

Even a good tint can’t replace, or even substitute, excellent color rendition in real life scenarios rather than white wall hunting.

Please add me to the list for one

May I please add 2 additional units to my initial request? Thanks

sorry if this has already been asked and answered and I missed it, but does anyone know if the clip will be removable without just cutting it off and sanding it down? I prefer to carry lights in the bottom of my pocket and not clipped on

My impression is that it is removable. Some of bluzie’s photos show the production sample with the clip removed.

emarkd wrote:

TKs photos of the clip looks an awful lot like Oveready’s TiAlN coated “black nitride” clips, which is a very good thing. If they’re anything like that, the coating is really strong stuff. I’ve only managed to scratch one of mine, and I had to use a dremel and a bit of clumsiness to accomplish it. Those clips cost almost as much as this entire light though, so that would be a stretch I suppose. I imagine its not a cheap coating.

My thoughts when I saw it were also some form of nitride coating. There’s a number of variations, and they tend to be extremely durable. For small parts, the cost should not be too bad in high volumes.

Black oxide is actually a relatively poor finish in terms of wear tolerance and rust prevention, although does ok if kept oiled.

BlueSwordM wrote:

Since there will be no high CRI light at launch, I do not want to get one

swiftblade13 wrote:

I’m still sitting here and hoping against hope that a high cri option …

This brings up a big question:

The SST-20 version could be made pretty quickly if we use FB4 tint, but if we wait for FA or FD tint it might take a very long time or never happen at all.

So what should Lumintop do? Should they wait for a good rosy tint bin which might not exist… or use the widely-available FB4 tint which people are already familiar with in other lights?

FB4 tint plus Lee Minus-Green zircon filter.

Go with the FB4. Maybe it can even be ready at launch along with the XP-L HI?

JaredM wrote:

1st Patron???

Yes, actually. You beat everyone else to the punch.

Coscar wrote:

You did good setting that up TK….. that’s just what you and folks that want to contribute needed……

Thanks. It’s super weird for me though. I’ve never been good at accepting praise or gifts… but it’s easier if I think of it as help.

pearlriver wrote:

coming soon！

Soon indeed!

I’m, uh, working on scripts to send out private messages. The plan is to send info to each person on the list in the order shown in post #4. But first I need to work out a way to do that. If a script can send one every 30 seconds, it’ll still take over 12 hours. Or perhaps it should intentionally go slower, to give people early on the list more time to order before other people get the info?

So… there are still some details to figure out. But the ordering process is close enough that this sort of thing matters now.

trakcon wrote:

Thanks so much, TK! So, would a Samsung 35E be preferred to a Sanyo GA in this application?

Either one should be fine… or any other cell typicall known for its mAh capacity instead of its peak amperage.

djozz wrote:

Just to hear a different thing: I really dig the dark clip that Lumintop came up with.

Yeah, based on the first pictures I didn’t think it would be any good… but in person, the dark chrome appearance is nice. I was mostly worried that it would be like some cheap lights I have where black paint comes off the clip easily and then it looks bad. But it doesn’t seem to be like that.

emarkd wrote:

TKs photos of the clip looks an awful lot like Oveready’s TiAlN coated “black nitride” clips, which is a very good thing. If they’re anything like that, the coating is really strong stuff. I’ve only managed to scratch one of mine, and I had to use a dremel and a bit of clumsiness to accomplish it.

I have no idea how durable it is, but I doubt it’s as tough as those black nitride clips. It kinda reminds me of the finish on my rainbow titanium Olight, which I think is supposed to be PVD. But I’m usually pretty gentle with my lights, so I don’t see how things wear until they’ve been around a long time.

Wieselflinkpro wrote:

Is it possible to limit the output depending on battery current?

Ish. Sort of, but not very well. It lacks the hardware necessary to sense actual current, so even the best implementation would be approximate. It won’t be able to sustain a flat output level. It also won’t be very accurate, since voltage measurements vary from one driver to the next. So instead of spending bytes and adding complexity for a feature which would be mediocre or worse, it’s just using a simple 50% duty cycle.

swiftblade13 wrote:

Super cool … I just hope that there isn’t a mass exodus of conversation to patreon as the most involved/invested/active people move over to that platform causing this place to slowly die off, though I guess that’s less of a potential risk here, I’m still worried as I’ve seen it happen a couple of times

I doubt I could make a mass exodus happen even if I tried… but more importantly, I don’t want to. If anything, that’s the opposite of what I want. BLF has a good community and I want it to stay healthy.

treellama wrote:

Hopefully this will just take standard 20mm triple PCBs?

Yes. A standard Noctigon or Mtn board fits nicely. That’s what I’m using, actually. It’s easy to swap out the MCPCB.

mbp wrote:

I used to have a D4 that I ran with comparatively-low amp batteries like the LG MJ1 in order to keep the turbo lower and the heat a bit more manageable. Would that be OK in the FW3A as well? Would there be any downside other than a lower turbo?

As long as the battery itself doesn’t get overdriven, it should be fine. So I wouldn’t recommend using UltraFire cells unless you want ActualFire… but any reputable battery should work.

wyatt1209 wrote:

sorry if this has already been asked and answered and I missed it, but does anyone know if the clip will be removable without just cutting it off and sanding it down?

If the production models are like my sample, yes. The clip can be removed by unscrewing the tail. I recommend putting a thicker O-ring in the clip groove though, just to fill the gap for tactile purposes.

I’m one of those waiting for a high CRI option.

I am in favor of proceeding with either the FB4 tint of the SST-20, or with the LH351D even if it means raising the price a little bit.

I’m unaware that anyone has ever seen an FA4 or FD4 bin anywhere other than the datasheet. I’d love to be proven wrong, but otherwise, it seems like we’re waiting for an emitter that doesn’t exist.

Disclaimer: I’m only moderately sensitive to green tints, and planning to mod to test multiple different types of emitters anyways. I won’t be offended if my vote gets low weight as a result.

I’m all for just getting it done. I think most people here are cluey enough to replace emitters if FA/FD ever become widely available.

The SST-20 version could be made pretty quickly if we use FB4 tint,
•
•
•
how many K is this?

4k 95FPS average and 80FPS minimum..

Use the FB4, its a cheap emitter and will lower the cost for those of use that plan on putting our own led’s in.

Has anyone tried tint mixing the SST-20? I wouldn’t expect Lumintop to do it might be a good option.