What type of light would you like the next BLF Special Edition to be? As in developed by us over a year or so from scratch.... like it used to be

I created some simple designs:

Design 2 can be used as a headlamp and as a normal flashlight. I like the idea of having throw and flood in the same flashlight. USB Type-C port would be also nice to have.

Awesome, thanks! I checked it out, sounds pretty sweet. Of course I’m leaning toward the SP36 even though I’m sure it doesn’t dissipate heat as well as the Q8.

Side note- I voted for multi emitter thrower. Reason- I just received the Haikelite HK04 SST40 and it’s awesome. Spill and flood due to 4 nice strong emitters. I would love to see some more solid options like this especially from this forum. I know the q8 is similar but the throw on my hk04 due to the deep reflectors is amazing. Makes it’s a great all around light with great battery life.

Also - I vote for 3 18650’s not 4, seems nicer on the hand. Ideally though (2 or 3) 21700. I was really against 21700 at first bc it was just another size battery to buy but now that I’ve beeen using them theyve grown on me.

3×21700 is pretty much the same diameter as 4×18650 (eg, a Q8), so it’s not “smaller” like 3×18650 (eg, a SP36).

Don’t believe me? Using standard circle-packing formulae…

  • 3x21700 → 2.154 x 21mm → 45.2mm

  • 4x18650 → 2.414 x 18mm → 43.5mm

or a difference of 1.7mm, or about the thickness of 2 stacked dimes.

I’d go 3-21700 just to have something different.

Yea, I didn’t doubt you. It’s a good point, so I guess it’s all the same unless there is only a 2 x 21700 made (maybe weird in parallel). Although couldn’t 3 x 21700 have more mah’s than 4 x 18650? Approx 15000mah vs 12000mah (considering amperage of both is similar meaning 4 x 18650 could be 14400 mah but with lower amperage then the 21700 @ 15000mah). I don’t know, maybe that’s not ever true.

You could have an over’n’under like the EC4GT, which is hella nice and shouldn’t be too obtrusive using 21s vs 18s.

But as I mentioned elsewhere, it’d likely have to be cast, just like the EC4GT, else you’d be milling away more’n half the block anyway.

Here’s another technology I’ve been waiting for a long time! Flashlight with replaceable LED blocks! I hope this technology will become widespread!

I’m picturing that, with two separate e-switches, and two separate anduril drivers.

Anyway some flat keychain flashlights
NITECORE TIP2 CREE XP-G3 S3 720 lumen USB Rechargeab Magnetic tail
Fenix E03R keychain flashlight Type-c charging
NItecore TIP SE 700 Lumens 2 x OSRAM P8
NITECORE TIP SE Dual-Core

My 2nd choice would be a Sofirn SP36 like flashlight, 3x18650, with 4xXHP 50.2, 10.000lm, usb charger and Anduril.

2nd the idea.

I feel like we still don’t have a truly excellent tailswitch clicky AA/14500 lights that are EDC focused and customization.

What about a baton light with 4 21700 cells in line like the 6 cell MAG lights back in the day? All the baton lights I find are cheap and unappealing.

I love everything about this idea!!

Personal preference would be 18650 over 14500 for increased runtimes.

I agree. Tail clicky is necessary for carrying clipped to inside pocket. Also deep carry clip is preferable. Not that many lights with these physical characteristics to choose from, then UI and LED offerings limit the choices even more.

Thanks for this input. I’ve looked into that light and the absence of moonlight is a pretty big deal for me. Still, I didn’t know about the excellent thermal regulation and that’s also important to me. I followed your conversation with the owner in another thread last year and it was fascinating. This light is back on my list.

I would like something similar in size to an Astrolux MF02, with a combination of 2 or 3 throw led OSRAM (each one with their special lens) for a 1.5 or 2 km of throw and 3 or 4 xhp50.2 or xhp70.2 for many flood lumens. Powered by 3 or 4 21700, and fan-cooled, of course with Anduril 2 (when released), with lateral button (maybe 2 buttons, but only in lateral), auxiliary leds…

Basically it would be a flashlight that could illuminate near and far, and that could maintain a good level of light without overheating, being of a large size and weight, but not huge.

Now that I have an EDC05C, I am slightly closer to what it is I want (and I feel like this is probably a better idea than what I described before. I just REALLY wish the UI was better on this thing, but it’s not unusable.

I want to have the EDC05C taken up to the ultimate level.

I want this with a better ui (Anduril?) of course. W2.1 main emitter, basically copying whatever Vinh did to make the D3Cvn have crazy throw (374m of throw, 1000 lumens). Surely that could be done in this kind of light since that’s a 16340 light. I want it to be fully-regulated so it’s efficient, buck-boost if possible. And I would stick with the quad E17a emitters for the side.

I think the best solution to get two fully-functional lights (headlamp/lamp and mini-thrower) would be a mechanical switch that switches between the side emitters, and the front emitter. Basically an Anduril lamp/full-flood headlamp, switchable to a Anduril mini-thrower. I actually use mine as a full-flood headlamp and it does great. I would shift the emitters on the side a bit to allow better use of a headband for using it as a headlamp though.

So, efficient, high-cri full-flood headlamp/lamp, plus mini thrower, running Anduril. All in one.

Thanks varbos for that link!
I too would love to see a modern day high-quality re-issue of such a dynamo light.

Besides, after watching the HBO Chernobyl mini-series, perhaps one of us needs to wade through knee-deep water in a pitch black highly radioactive cellar to operate some drain valves … and our favorite EDC LED light’s battery / electronics has been rendered useless?

ultra high brightness 50000 lumens, have an oscillating phase shifting variable frequency pulsed output mode.

must be handheld and ip68 water resistant.

That would be impressive and well within the capabilities of this community.

If of course you wanted a challenge.

This goes beyond the boring old “new housing design” challenge.