Astrolux ft03 50.2

How do you tell the Astrolux ft03 50.2 led from the sst40 led? I ordered a 50.2 from Banggood and the box says 50.2, and the instructions inside said it was the sst40 led. I want to confirm I got the 50.2 version.

Thank for any help.

I have reviewed both:

https://zeroair.org/?s=ft03

The LED section will probably help you:

I got the 50.2 version as well and I think they just didn’t bother to update the manual. The hotspot on mine looks pretty big relative to photos of the sst40 version I’ve seen so I believe I have a 50.2 version.

Thank you zeroair, the pics of the LED’s were very helpful. I got the 50.2.

Anyone ever think of making a bat signal cover for the fto3 got the idea when thick clouds were hovering low over our campsite

Don think its possible. Those lights with logos on them are made with AA searchlights

If anyone knows, can I run the Vapcell 26650 5900mah 20amp cell in the FT03 50.2 without damaging it? I do not know what driver is in the FT03. Thanks :smiley:

I to have this light. Is this the best thrower for under 50 bucks U.S.?

So, which one is better than the FT03?

yeah the manual isnt updated, it says sst40 on my xhp50.2 too… and its rather easy to identify as the xhp50 is a kind a large led compared to a smaller sst20 or xhp 35 or whatever…

both are good lights and for price they are hard to beat… not sure if there is anything similar that performs as good doubt it…

I just received my FT03 with the 50.2 emitter as well, and it indeed had the SST40W manual, but was for certain the 50.2 version. If you have the SST40W light also, it is very easy to see the difference in the led size. For what it is worth, the increased lumens of the XHP50.2 version does not look that much brighter with the larger center spot size. It also gets hot much faster. I personally like the SST40W better for the longer throw, less heat and slower battery drain. I am not sorry I got it, because I wanted both versions, but I actually have 2 more of the SST40W versions coming….if they actually make it here. By the way, my understanding is both led’s are mounted on the same pcb, which leads some people to think they got the wrong light. Some of the boards have SST40 printed on them, but it seems not all do. I had 2 of the SST40W versions until I gave one of them to a close friend. One of them had SST40 printed on the chip, the other had no printing on the chip at all, but the spot and led looked identical. My guess is the factory stopped printing it on the chip due to the confusion it caused when people bought the 50.2 version. That is just a guess though.

My understanding is that the xhp50.2 version is entirely identical to the sst40 version with the exception of the emitter. Same driver components as well.

That is my understanding as well, but I suspect some who ordered the 50.2 version and saw SST40 printed on the chip led to complaints. My most recently acquired SST40 version had no printing on the chip. That likely means it is a more recent manufacturing date. It is just speculation as to the reason my second SST40 version did not have it printed on the chip. I have seen some even on this forum who were upset because they thought they had been sent the SST40W version due to that being printed on the chip. In all honesty, you get an exceptionally good light with both versions for the money. I have seen very few reviews that think the new FT03S version is worth triple the price of the SST40W, even if it does have a longer throw. That is getting fairly close to the Autolux MF04 price range. If I was willing to get the FT03S for 145 bucks, I would likely just go ahead and spend 80 bucks more to get the MF04. I really just do not see it selling well. I also have little interest in the MF02 for the same reason. It is the very low price of the FT03 that was so attractive in the first place. 875 meters of throw in a 40 buck light was and is remarkable value.

The FT03S actually has more lumen output than the MF04 with quite significant throw. The FT03 is one of the best value flashlights ever but the FT03S on the other hand is plagued with issues. At that price range you might as well get the Noctigon K1.

I think the throw on the FT03S is around 1400 meters, and the throw on the MF04 is around 2400 meters. That is a long way to let your not so little light shine. That is nearly 1.5 miles. Now the question I have is can you even see an illuminated object or building that is 1.5 miles away? I would also imagine that lugging around a huge light like that is not something you would carry on a hike, or use while camping. I would really love to have a few days to play with such a long throwing beast, but eventually the novelty would wear off. It is the same issue with the imalent ms-18 with it’s 100,000 lumens, It would be awesome until I run out of people to impress with such a ridiculously powerful light. To be honest, both the super long throw and extreme light output is more to impress than actually be used for practical purposes. There is nothing wrong with that, but I would likely have buyers remorse from buying 200+ and 600+ dollar lights. I will not lie and say they are not tempting, and I could easily afford both. I just have a hard time pulling the trigger on lights over 100 dollars apiece. The MF04 is possible in the future on sale, in a weak moment. The imalent ms-18 is just way too much for me to be seriously tempted even on sale. I also would really not like the sound of that high pitched fan.

I got the 04S with the xhp70.2 instead when it was on sale for just $155.

At that price I might also see it in my shopping cart. I don’t really need such a light, but often do not allow that to stop me. I have followed a similar pattern through multiple collections, lights, knives, vape mods, antique clocks just to name a few. That has been even more true since becoming disabled. I suppose it is not a terrible habit to have, and I can quite easily afford it. I have no Children or even a Wife anymore, and I really can’t see living long enough to spend all my savings. I have a damaged spinal cord due to extreme stenosis of my cervical spine, so my health is quite bad for my almost 62 year old age. I have about 13,000 left on my mortgage, and that is my only debt except the credit cards I always PIF. I also have nearly 400,000 left in savings, so I should be OK.

Hi

Who would like to join bangood group buy 24.7e?

https://banggood.app.link/HZ18JZCFudb

so…how do I get my hands on the SST 40W from a vendor in the USA?
I was hoping AMZN would have it.

GOOD POST….GOOD POST