Tailcap lockout: The KR4 has true tailcap lockout. A quarter-turn is enough to completely disconnect power from the driver. This is different from the FW3 series where partially unscrewing the head or tail only disconnects the switch while leaving the driver powered.
Loose pocket carry: So far, I’m quite liking this light. I removed the clip and am now carrying it loose in my pocket. The fluted body shape feels much better in the hand than an FW3A, and between the flat knurling and grippier anodizing it feels much more secure in the hand when held in a handshake grip, while being about the same with a cigar grip. No accidental pocket activation yet, but that doesn’t prove a lot.
Output: It’s as bright as the Emisar D4 and brighter than an FW3A. It also seems to manage heat better than either. It seems able to maintain high brightness longer than either the D4 or FW3 series.
Moonlight mode: at least on my sample, minimum brightness is more of a “very low”. It’s not quite as dim as the moonlight mode on my D4 and FW3 series lights. I assume this is due to the constant current driver. I consider “moonlight” to be dim enough you can stare directly into the emitters from close range. The KR4’s dimmest setting seems just outside that range.
Clip o-ring - In the FW3A if you remove the tailcap the clip pops up and the little o-ring above it tends to fall out of position. The purpose of that o-ring is to prevent the clip from spinning when the light is sealed. In the KR4, that o-ring has its own slot. In addition to preventing the clip spinning, it also securely retains the clip in position. When you take the tailcap off to change the battery, the clip and its o-ring stay in position.
He also said it wasn’t a huge amount more resistant and that it is less resistant than the FW3A with the o-ring mod. I was hoping for a bigger difference.
Those are incredible! I already have 2 D4V2 Ti but I ordered the Blue Swirls, including 18350 tube, with SST20 3000K. Can you please verify these LEDs are of a below the BBL tint?
I thought it was FA3 only the last time I asked. So you ordered a FD2 batch also? Please only use FA3 because it is noticeably less yellow/green than the FD2. Of course if you can get FA1, FA4, FD1, FD4 bin would be even better.
FD2 is right beside FA3 the difference is 125K, it is very little, it is neither above BBL and neither a thousands of Kelvin distance, to be more “yellow” and “green”
I think the confusion is due to some test samples (don’t remember the source for them) sent to members being basically confirmed to be a different bin than they labeled as IIRC.
• The switch needs more travel to activate over my FW3A (gasket modded). It also feels & sounds a bit springy/grindy, especially on the edges, but works fine none the less. I will do some R&D to see if I can mod it in a similar fashion to the FW for a more consistent and stable feel.
• I chose a yellow tritium vial which works decent although it is quite dim like lower end watch hands. But still much better than the overpriced turboglow button switch and gasket on my FW3A which gasses out in minutes and is mostly unusable in pure darkness.
• Hank assured me my copy would be an FA3 iteration of the SST20 4000K. At first glance it looked quite neutral and devoid of greens throughout the ramp range. But after comparing it to my 219Bs, 219Cs, and other lights (going on 30+ now) I did notice a very slight tinge of green comparatively. Maybe I received an FD2 bin? Dunno. I used a 1/4 minus green filter and it has neutralized any green hues and I did not notice much OTF falloff in power. The beam pattern is a tad crunchy on these optics but only noticeable if you are up really close to a white all. Perhaps I need to do a DC Fix for a bit more blend or diffusion.
• Overall, the light feels a bit gritty out of the box but after several days of use it now feels quite smooth and grippy. I actually prefer the heft over my other 18650 lights, unlike most people, as it just feels more solid and likely able to absorb and dissipate heat better throughout the core.
• I was surprised that the Clip wasn’t as ghastly as it looked in pictures. It’s quite robust and geometric/modern looking. Pretty solid if you ask me. Personally, I prefer lanyards (which is included) so i switched to that setup.
Here are some awful crappy phone pics, including a corner beam shot with the minus green, that actually looks fairly close to IRL (to my old eyes at least). My ceiling is white and the wall is a basic gray.
NOTE: The KR4 color is more of a denim blue rather than the more muted cyan on the D4S models. I’ve seen many quoting they were “ready to order the cyan kr4” They are very different blues.