Yeah the 3D X-PL HIs in my FW3A weren’t very green at all but compared to all the high-CRI lights I have they just made colors look strange. I don’t think them being cooler than most of the lights I have helped either. I never liked the old flourescent lighting that was missing a bunch of the natural spectrum either and that’s exactly what a lot of the average-CRI emitters remind me of (and they did even before running the CRI-snob gamut).
Unpopular opinion: the FW3A has failed as my favourite EDC. I tried for a week and I’m back to my previous one.
1) although it is one of the smallest 18650 lights around, it still is rather large and heavy, it feels chunky in my jeans pocket, I’m often aware of its presence. My S1-mod, a 16340 light, just disappears in my pocket until I need it.
2) it engages itself easily, so for pocket carry it needs a lock-out at all times, I find unscrewing the head easiest. I use my EDC light multiple times a day, for my S1 (with BLF-A6 driver in 4-mode setting, and Luxeon V led) that implies: grab-click-ready (1 second) with one hand, for more brightness another fast half-click. The FW3A needs grab-fiddle with two hands-clickhold until brightness (at least 3 seconds).
3) I always end up mouth-carrying my EDC to free both hands. Effordlessly with the S1, jaw-tiring with the FW3A. And having a 16340 battery in my mouth feels a bit better too.
4) The modded S1 has proven to always work, and has a (compared to a Carclo triple light) throwy beam, on a Vapcell 16340 I get 1100 lumen at 30 seconds, and pretty steady too. In other words, it is a hard-to-beat flashlight.
5) I’m attached to the rainbow switch of the S1
So I’m back to the S1 and live with the limited battery life, but with daily use it is monitored well and I carry a spare battery in my work bag.
In the meantime I still like my FW3A (currently with FA3 high CRI SST-20 leds) with all its greatness very much and will buy a second one
Yup, I don’t have a FW3A but I tried to EDC at work an Emisar D4 that is very similar in size. 6 clicks to lock / unlock is a bit too much, not a problem in itself except when unlocking quickly I ended up clicking 7 times, more often than I would have liked. Unscrewing the tailcap instead is useful since it reset the D4 to 1x 7135 @ 100% but you need both hands and have to wait the end of the 2 flashes to turn it on.
I much prefer the JetBeam RRT01 old version, shorter, slimmer, even if it has a much less capacity. I’m also using a Jetusolis 6500°K and a tool AAA 219B that are also always in my work pant.
Considering the popularity of the FW3A, I doubt that a single emitter 14500 FW3A would be unpopular. I don’t see the point to ramp from 10 lumens to 400-500 lumens (max considering the size). 3 or 4 fixed brightness settings are well enough to cover this range of brightness.
99% of what the average office-dweller is likely to need a flashlight for could be taken care of with the built-in flashlight app on any modern smartphone. Most people in the flashlight community don’t carry a flashlight because they truly need it, but because they want to. At least I can admit it. Most people here wouldn’t, because they’re so fixated on the idea of these toys being for real practical uses. Sure, you can drive a Lambo to work every day, but that’s not why you bought it. Just be honest with yourself.
While I agree with you (I’m very well self conscious about my addiction, and carry my bright toys just to have an excuse to play with them), you talk like you come from an other well known place that I don’t like at all.
Unpopular opinion doesn’t need to be judgmental.
My flashlight is way superior over a phone as EDC light. Not because of output, tint and beam, although that is a bonus, but because it is always in the same spot (my left front jeans pocket) and one fast blind click away from light.
My girlfriend very regularly asks for my light even though she has a phone (ok, could be laziness, the light comes flying towards her while she has to fetch the phone herself)
To feed this thread I can also confess that I like twisty (because shorter than clicky) AA & AAA flashlights, 1, 2 or 3 fixed modes with cycling UI. Boost driver only as i’m fine to not be tempted to generate too much heat for such small formats and degrade runtime too quickly. There are larger formats for more brightness.
I never own 14500 battery and never be tempted so far.
My 2x sofirn C01 and 2x jetusolis have plenty of use. Excellent CRI, small enough to be carried everywhere, all the time.
Kudos for the unpopular opinion, well found, I pretty like it but :
In europe, more and more office dwellers are commuting with a bike. Do you think that they are using their smartphone as a bike light ? Or as a headlamp ?
A smartphone can do a lot of things but never as well as a more dedicated tool. Recording live music with the built-in mic, in portrait mode… :disappointed:
In winter I have a dedicated 18650 light (currently a modded Folomov 18650S) for bike use to work (30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening) that lives in my coat pocket, but I also regularly use my EDC light on my bike (on a simple clamp on the handlebar).
On summer DST and now with the days getting shorter, it’s dark at around 5:40 AM when I leave to work, so I carry an 18650 torch as a bike light. The best I have for this is the Convoy S2 OP on around 400lm mode.
In the same vein, I have to turn on all the lamps and AC units in the library I work at, and you’d be surprised at how the smartphone’s LED doesn’t reach far enough through the aisles to be comfortable. A light with a reflector is indispensable, if only for peace of mind when I hear a strange noise.
And lest we forget, the ergonomics of smartphones are utter dogshit.
Wouldn’t have imagined someone from USA making that association. 
