Yes. Smaller light might have a smaller button activation area. Would hopefully prevent accidental button presses when clipping it in pocket. For smaller size it might be time to start putting the driver in the tailcap so they can ditch the extra complexity of the additional signal path.
I voted yes (multiples depends on price). While I like AA compatibility in my 14500 lights (my preferred EDC size), itās not a deal breaker for me. Size thoughā¦ yes, I agree with whatās already been said.
Agreed on all fronts regarding size, itād have to be quite smaller than a typical Zebralight or other very compact 18650 light in order for it to be competitive.
What would be excellent in a light this size in my opinion, is the option to use either a reflector or commonly available single emitter TIR so one can choose to have a slightly throwier light or have it with a floodier, smoother beam without purchasing a separate light or head, assuming a reflector designed to fill the same space as a TIR would provide a drastic enough change in beam profile.
Yes I buy one, not that I need one but I like them and they all have great tints.
That said, with 18350 and 18500 tubes I donāt feel I need it as much, you can get sssooo much more power into the 18mm cells.
My fw3a/fw1a lights are just so perfect with the 18500 tube and a 2000mah cell.
That would depend largely on the build quality. And this time I wonāt be a pre-order buyer/testpilot.
Currently, my S41 is my walk-the-dog-at-night light. There is more than enough juice to last 20min.
But only after I took it apart, bypassed the springs, and put in thicker and shorter leads.
Gave it some plastic shims for the screws that hold the leadboard, and now it is a really reliable light.
My late mother used to say: if you only have negative comments, please shut up.
So (apart from the few wow moments) this is what I have to say about the BLF A6: ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦
The FW3A is a mixed bag of feelings. Iām pretty happy with it.
Build quality could be better. In the design area I think reliability is sacrificed for one mm less size.
It has not let me down (yet) but I would not carry it as my first and only light.
IMHO the driver needs to have a retainer ring with left threads, for now it always comes loose.
And who needs loose pieces of metal, waiting to cause disaster.
Biggest no-no for me is that, given the double tube concept, it wonāt be the slimmest light on the block.
Iāll be waiting to be convinced otherwise, but not as a buyer from the first wave.
Convoy will have a 17mm AA driver soon with Biscotti-ish software. I asked if Simon would consider a 15mm version, he answered that he will not do that as Convoy does not have a flashlight that takes a 15mm driver.
Conclusion: convince Simon to develop a slimmer version of the Convoy T2, with 15mm biscotti boost driver
Although I get your point of getting the T2 āslimmerā, I guess Iād rather have the driver āshrinkingā up to 15mm, and leave the rest as it is: strong, sturdy, impact resistant The Convoy T2 and the Jaxman E3 have two incredible hosts, that Iād rather keep that way.
Iād say that Acebeam Tk16 (16340) flashlight would be a better example on how to do this. The way that light is built is probably more reliable than the FWxA lights (for those concerned with that). Actually, if Acebeam did a 14500 version of that light, Iād call it a day!!!
It has 2 tubes inside as well, but you cannot āmessā with them, nor with the driver.
BTW, I guess that a 14500 āminiā version of the FWxA should be a single emitter, so that it doesnāt get bulky!
Also, other options such as strategies adopted by CRX, KawiBoy and others could be contemplated to make the inner contacts work, and still get a reliable flashlight.
Im not a fan of how āfragileā the tube alignment has been with the FWXX series lights. I would however bend over backwards for a side e-switch, high CRI single emitter (OP or TIR) 14500 light running Anduril on a boost driver or even a FET/FET+1 driver.
Yesā¦ assuming it was well proportioned and reasonably priced (no more than the FW3A).
AA compatibility would be amazing. I think it would highly unlikely, but if thereās an SP10A Anduril versionā¦
In the meantime Iāll be happy with a Biscotti-clone T2. If djozz can convince Simon to make a slim version with a15mm driver that would be even better.
I dont use 14500, would only be interested if it can use AA Eneloop.
Since there seems to be quite a few concerns about reliability and sizeā¦
In the FWXX series, demand exploded for Anduril on a compact, stylish 18650 flashlight. And so coming on the heels of the FW3A, Lumintop created the EDC18 - a compact 18650 side-switch running Anduril. It eliminates any problems of the dual-tube layout, and gains button LEDs. For this, it sacrifices the sleek FW3A styling and the idea of having a tail e-switch.
Lumintop already has a compact 14500 / AA light similar to the EDC18, the EDC05. It just doesnāt run Anduril. What if we convinced them to make a version that runs Anduril? That shouldnāt be too far of a stretch. Sure, it wouldnāt have the iconic FWXX styling.
I guess thatās the questionā¦ are we after the styling? Or is it more about having a nice, compact 14500/AA running Anduril?
My wishlist
tailswitch
screw on or fully captive ring clip
AA compatible
Single High CRI LED
capable of Firefly 0.01 lumens
Not sure we need a new light, maybe just a new driver to fit existing AA lightsā¦
imagine the number of AA Tools out there, that could be enhanced with an AA capable Anduril driverā¦
DreamTimeā¦ LOL
I agree with the first few posts about size. That was my first thought. I āmightā buy one but maybe not. My enogear AA suits me just fine (though a captive clip would be nice). I donāt what the benefit would be in having andruil in a AA light. Smaller edcās donāt need complicated UI imo (having said that I hated the Tool UI) Unless I got talked into it with reviews and hype I probably wouldnāt buy.
I like 14500s a lot, Iād for sure buy at least 2 of those.
Even better that you plan on doing it with a single LED.
Not sure how well the FW design will scale downā¦ and do we really need ramping on a AA light?
My wishlist
tailswitch
screw on or fully captive ring clip
AA compatible
Single High CRI LED
capable of Firefly 0.01 lumensNot sure we need a new light, maybe just a new driver to fit existing AA lightsā¦
imagine the number of AA Tools out there, that could be enhanced with an AA capable Anduril driverā¦
DreamTimeā¦ LOL
Even Tools donāt have a good enough clip.
My DQG Slim AA clip is pretty good, but it has still been ripped off a couple times. Of course, a clip can be screw-on but get all sorts of bent out of shapeā¦ Iāve several times had to take the tail cap off my D25C Ti to bend the clip back, knowing each time itās weaker than before.
Personally, Iād love the AA compatible, but am willing to lose it for the sake of LVP with Li-Ion, if it really proves that hard to do multi-chemistry LVP.
I would buy a couple but only if relatively slim and supports NiMH (I donāt care for Li-ion in lights this small). Doesnāt have to have Anduril either, ramping would be nice but shortcuts to moon and turbo are essential IMO.
Basically I want an updated Nitecore PD light
Canāt talk myself into buying any FWxy light. Iād try to collect them-not good with so many variations. But Iām curious how it would look like, so my best wishes for this project.
I like AA lights, if only to keep around for emergency use in case Iām out and about and dont have a way to charge my 18650 lights. I can always buy a cell at the store if necessary. I rarely actually use AA lights anymore, since getting my lumintop hl3a. When Iām out on the town or for other occasions when I want to have my light be as small as possible and not noticeable, I go for an Aaa light.
It all comes down to size to ability ratio, and what Iām using it for. The HL3A hits all the right spots for me since itās so small, thin, and uses 18650 cells. The form factor, even though I wasnāt too sure about it before buying, has proven to be perfect. Putting the LEDs on the side of the battery tube and the switch and driver on that same end was IMO the perfect solution to the tube-in-a-tube switch contact and girth problem. The HL3A is much smaller in diameter than the FW3A, with the very tip of head being the only thing that is as large in diameter. It tapers down from that point to .875ā. The thing really does disappear in a pocket.
The fact that it is still an āend switchā design makes it easy to find the switch. The magnet makes it super useful as a work light, more useful than a traditional cylindrical flashlight because you can aim it 360Ā° while stuck to something magnetic.
Now, if they designed a light like the HL3A but scaled down to take AA/ 14500 and running a simple ramping U/I like a stripped down anduril with double click to turn on (one click does nothing) and a small (no bigger than 19mm) head using only 2 LEDs instead of 3, then I would probably buy that. It could be TINY if built that way.
The advent of super minimalist LI-ION chargers with flexible leads and magnets makes it easy to take a charger with you. I would rather have that than a built in charger that adds to the size of the light.
And sometimes when carrying aa or aaa lights I just throw an extra battery in the other pocket for peace of mind.