I can’t wait for mine to show up, but I have a brand new Zebralight to be playing with in the meantime. When the FW3A shows up, I’m going to pit it against the Emisar D4 and the Zebralight SC64w HI and maybe even write up some kind of basic comparative review. I feel like these three flashlights are at the top of their game in the super-compact 18650 category.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on those lights. I can’t buy everything that’s shiny, so I’ve found myself gravitating towards the small 18650 end of the market. If you find time to make that comparison, I’m sure it would help more people than just me. Thanks.
I’m glad people are already receiving some lights. I’m also glad to hear people haven’t had any serious issues. About the only thing mentioned so far is that the retaining ring was loose on some lights… and that’s really easy to fix.
TBH, it’d be nice if the retaining ring on mine had been loose, because then I’d be able to get the driver out. But on mine, the ring is so tight it won’t budge. So I may just leave the firmware on this one alone instead of updating it every year.
Enabler.
Not bad advice though, if I didn’t have enough cells. I just don’t have any of the lower drain, higher capacity ones that are preferred for this light.
TK, if you have a Harbor Freight Tools near you, they have a cheap set of snap ring pliers that makes retaining ring removal a breeze. It has interchangeable tips, one set of which is straight, not bent.
Most retaining rings are pretty easy to remove. This one is a bit tricky because it’s so narrow. But I’ve been meaning to get some proper snap-ring pliers instead of using machinist calipers.
It might take a bit more than snap ring pliers, I had to use specially hand ground down needle nose pliers to get both of my FW3A driver retainer rings loose….the ring is thin and was very tight. The driver is a tight press fit also, it would not pull out by the spring, had to smack it on my wood bench to pop it out, snapped back in nicely with out popping back out, nice enough to run it with out the retainer ring with out issue. so far…
I don’t doubt they most likely fit and I believe mine will, but remember there is no such thing as 30Q button top. if there’s a button, it’s because someone modified the battery. Meaning the dimensions could vary.
If the retaining ring is more than finger tight it will break those sh!tty HF snap ring pliers. I’ve broken all 8 from 2 plier sets on one pill. Spend the money for a decent set, it’s cheaper in the long run.