✌ FREEME - Haikelite HK90 3*Luminus SBT90.2 High Lumens 3*21700 Flashlight - ALIVE

Thank you, Tom E and Tally-ho.

"22 Oct 202023:42: USPS Currently Awaiting Package. A status update is not yet available for your package. It will be available when the shipper provides an update or the package is delivered to USPS. Check back soon.

USPS
07 Oct 2020, 05:41, Shipment information sent to FedEx

FedEx 07 Oct 2020, 05:41, Shipment information sent to FedEx 91730"

To sum: 14 days later, the package is not below the surface of the earth, and the package is also below Heaven. I can relate, because that is also where I am currently located.

I thought mine might have come today but it was a false alarm. Last update was Oct 18th in JFK.

Just received mine. Looks great so far. More to report.

I’d love to see this thing run without thermal regulation for a few minutes

First issue: button tops. 3 stock charged 40T's, little light testing, then one was at 4.18V and the other 2 at 4.21V, where they all started at 4.21V. So poor contact. first quick reading in this configuration was ~11000 lumens.

Need to do some soldering:

So now they should make good contact on the brass ring:

So having 3 solder boobed 40T's at 4.21V, I got quick at start reading of 18020 lumens, and at about start 737 kcd (1717 meters), taken at 5 meters. I did see a brief 755 kcd, but usually discount the initial flash moment reading.

Might be worth while trying 30T's. Couple issues/impressions:

  • LED's look well centered to me, and the reflector cups look maxed out at about 45 mm, bigger than C8 size (the BTU Shocker I thought was smaller at about 38-40 mm)
  • Indoors, the beam pattern has a nice well defined hot spot - this surprised me from a triple like this. The flower pattern appears only on the outer edge of the spill - not that bad at all.
  • like the feel of the switch - it's large
  • threads are well lubed, looks like Super Lube or equivalent
  • The switch boot has red LED's for charging, but doesn't appear to have LED's from power or controlled by Anduril - them manual makes no mention of them and the Anduril manual is the version without AUX LED configuration Wrong! Anduril can control the AUX LED's via 7 clicks!! But it appear to be always OFF when the main LED's are on.
  • I tried USB-C to C cable on a C wall charger and it doesn't seem to work. Does work on USB-C to A with a A wall charger. This is disappointing. The Noctigon K1 and Astrolux FT03 Mini work with the C to C cable in the C wall charger, but a whole bunch of other Astrolux, Sofirn, and the HK04 light don't work on C.
  • the driver is probably glued - no retainer ring or screws, etc.
  • I see an etching on the driver that says HK04.. Driver appears to be a larger version of the HK04 driver, which was glued. There's a couple common things seen on the backside
  • no pics yet, but the springs are doubled up but soldered together at the top

I am very excited about your reporting: "...quick at start reading of 18020 lumens, and at about start 737 kcd (1717 meters)..."

I was hoping for 1732 meters, that being George Washingtions' birthyear, and the square root of three times 1,000; which is also twice 1,000 times the arcsine of 60 degrees.

Well, anyway: Such exciting combination of throw and lumen specs from this size and weight light! I am very pleasantly surprised that turn on throw spec is so high. This light is the first light that was announced with such specs that best, by a significant amount, X65 turn-on throw and lumen specs. For me, I hope it will be the second light in my collection to be in such an exclusive and distinguished class.

Thank you for your informative post, and thank you for contributing your time and effort and expertise in making this light happen.

Because this super exciting light hasn’t arrived in my mailbox yet, I decided to slightly increase the odds of me having this light in my hands while I’m still on earth, by simply ordering another one. Maybe if the first one is stuck in Poughkeepsie, or Ulaanbaatar, or Bayonne, or the Serengeti plain forever and ever, maybe the second one will come in.

Impressive numbers TomE. Love to see 30T values, for the hell of it.

I wonder if Simon of Convoy will make the same style flat top adapter for his 3x21700 light as he did with the 4x18A. This would likely work in this light as well.

Been think'n bout those trit slots - 12 of them in the SS bezel... $6 each at Neal's, $72 to populate them... :FACEPALM: Ooops! No, they aren't trit slots - too shallow!!

For modding:

  • probably remove the inner springs and add bypasses
  • need to check the LED wires, see if can bump down the AWG - wondering if it's a triple MCPCB or 3 singles
  • I think from past experience, the solder blobs on the batts do better than typical button tops
  • check the FET(s), maybe replace with a SIRA20DP(s)

There's some things done real nice:

  • using brass screws for least resistance (I thought I was the one originating that on Q8 mods? )
  • counter sunk holes for the screws - a nice touch, no burrs (did this manually on Q8's with an Exacto knife)
  • the SS bezel is awesome on such a big light!
  • as I thought, HL doesn't skimp on metal - that head weighs a ton between the SS bezel and probably an over weight reflector cut out of one big chunk of alum. Guess that's why they have dead space at the tail to counter balance the head - never saw a light batt tube extended for no reason
  • The light does have switch LED control by Anduril - 7 clicks does work!! I now see blue LED's. Turns out they were too low to notice. So 7 clicks can re-configure them, but I don't think 7H does anything. 7 clicks seems to toggle through: low-hi-blink-off

Interested. Thanks.

Shared.

I am going to order another one of these. Because the one that I ordered September 7 and shipped October 8 has a 22 digit tracking number that points to nowhere. Nothing. Maybe my BG FM HK90 will eventually be delivered. I am going to order another one from someone who has experience with Neal. If I order two HK90, maybe that is twice the odds of me being able to see one of them in my hands while I am still on the hostile surface of this planet in this evil age.

I am not in a good mood, because two hours ago, 1638 Cedarwood allowed their oversized power breed to threateningly charge me, from one third of a block away, barking deeply the whole entire three seconds from one third of a block away. I made a conscious decision to just simply not defend myself, and it stopped one-thirtieth of a second away from me and barked up my nose. I told her to stop letting her dog out, and she cussed me out. That's how it is with evil people who hate their neighbor, in violation of Gods' second most important command.

Started a thread on a HK90 tear down here: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/64075

I am wondering if current production is happening. It looks like I am going to be the last person on earth to receive his first HK90, but there is a possibility that I may be the first person on earth to have two HK90. The first one that I ordered on Sept 7 and that was shipped on Oct 14 is at unknown location, so I ordered another one. I was one of the first people on earth to receive the X65 in December 2016, and I was also one of the first people on earth to have two X65, one in each hand, shortly after that. What a glorious beam that was to see. Now, four years later, it is time for me to do the same thing with the HK90, God willing. But if not, then I will have to order another GT94, and see what that beam, one in each hand, looks like.

Anyone else out there still waiting on delivery of this light?

Thanks for doing and posting the teardown, that is like so way happening!

I'll be posting progress on the modding there as well. Isn't much to do, but don't have much time to work on it.

Just got mine in for review, flat tops don’t contact properly so I need to solder or source some 21700 BT’s which won’t be easy.

One FT 40T cell was contacting and gave me 9400 lumens at start up, stepdown started around 25 seconds after thermal calibration.

Muggle mode seems bug free so far.

Yep - I had a similar problem, thats' why I solder blob'ed the cells. I realize that may not be an option for you, specially for resale.

I’ve just tried, all I’ve ended up doing is melting the battery wrap lol. There’s a company in the US called IMR that sell modded 40T/30T. Just hope it isn’t a 3 week wait with a sh*t load of import duty.

Edit: ordered some 8mm x 1mm magnets locally, so hopefully they’ll work.

I've done many. Tricks:

  • dab on plenty of flux to the batt top (I use a flux pen)
  • use a large surface iron tip - I use a large slanted head one with a big flat top
  • though it sounds scary, get a lot of solder on the tip of the iron, then hold it to the batt top for a few secs as flat as possible. You need to do this in order to heat it up enough to get a good bond. Results may not always be a perfect round blob but for me it's close enough
  • Usually I'll go with a 2nd tip full of solder to get it bumped up enough - doesn't need time, or as much time for bonding, not always necessary

IMRBatteries, Liionwholesale, and 18650batterystore are the 3 US batt retailers that are pretty good in pricing and quality. Liionwholesale probably has the best support, but haven't used the others, really.

Cheers Tom.