In terms of sufficient copper and heat sinking, FF is second to no one. IIRC the E07 was the first light to utilize a super thick 8mm shelf for the MCPCB and used a large very thick copper mcpcb. I hope the E12R will follow the same tradition.
I have FF ROT66 and 2x PL47’s and build quality is very good in my opinion. No issues with daily operations either and I use the PL47 every night for 8 hours (SST20 2700K nightlight).
PL47 2nd gen is interesting light. Is newer UI easier to navigate than previous version?
Not sure about previous UI. GenII has Anduril 1.
Ive become very interested in this light due to the offering of the CULPM1, the price for that version being IMO good, and the new info a BLF’er here has given me about the quality of the buck driver. This seems like a good purchase and may take precedence over me getting the K1 i’ve had my eyes on for months now.
My Concern- i don’t own a FF light, i have wanted an E07 and E01 for awhile, think their style/aesthetic are nice, sounds liek their performance is very good, but i have read so many mixed reviews about quality, issues, and most importantly customer service.
Anyone have some guidance here? should I order from FF direct? from a dealer? (i know T9R is a preorder at the moment) I feel like i should wait a couple months and see what early adopters say about this new thrower.
Any thoughts from the FF supporters out there? I know i completely stand behind Hank’s light and recommend them to anyone who is asking for a quality new light. is that the same mindset here?
Thanks in advance.
Since FireFlies is not as popular as Emisar you will mostly only ever hear from squeaky wheels.
If you are unable to do any modding/fixes and are patient you should wait for the first batch of lights to get into experienced members hands and decide if you can live with any issues that may pop up. This is the same as being an early adopter for ANY product. There are a lot of new variables here. New LEDs, new PCB’s, new charger, new host, new driver.
Regular customer service issues with FF are slow like most Chinese companies but I think most people have a resolution of some kind (albeit maybe a compromise for both people).
I think order from FF direct. Historically they haven’t had any big dealers with outstanding customer service so unless some company like Illumn picks up these lights I would assume you are going to not get any better CS.
We need a coupon code for this beauty.
I’ve got a coupon from FF-light directly. I bought a T9R with Osram nm1 for 65 Euros.I hope it is nice as my other 7 Fireflies lights.I took the desert yellow one.
Robert
I bought almost 2 dozen FF lights in the past years. Generally the quality is good especially considering it was their first generation. I had one light with driver issue which FF sent a replacement and another light with one dead aux light. This is one of the reasons why FF decided to make an expensive new premium driver that is not typical for budget lights. I also asked them to make sure to check the aux lights are working fine before shipping.
FF may take a while to respond because they are a small company and Jack likely doesn’t go online often. Sometimes it takes weeks and once even months when they were known as Enogear but he will eventually respond and fix the problem for you. He even sent me a freebie once or twice for waiting a long time.
With the experience gained and lessons learned from their previous lights, FF knows exactly where to improve, and I believe the new lights will be much higher quality. One thing I appreciate about FF compared to the typical flashlight manufacturers is that they actually have a passion for flashlights and always pushing boundaries, not only with lumens and candelas but also with tint, UI, and efficiency that other manufacturers don’t care about because the average customers don’t pay attention or understand the importance of these specs when they purchase flashlights.
I have a bunch of new FF lights ordered and will post some test results as usual.
Between the Osram W1 and W2, what do you recommend?
I also can say, Jack helped me in all cases and once I got a faulty mcpcb with two LEDs dead, Jack send me a New one for free instantly. All the bad news from FF-light I’ve heard are not compatible with my experiences.
Robert
It’s really personal preference and we don’t have real data of their performance under this new reflector. Personally, I prefer the W1.1 since FF told me they searched hard and was able to procure the very hard to find 6Q flux bin for the already rare CULNM1.tg, which is the W1.1 not the standard W1 other manufacturers are using. This is the highest I’ve ever seen on the market. It is listed as the 2nd highest bin but as with most LEDs, the highest bin listed is a paper spec only and don’t actually exist.
I don’t know what flux bin their CULPM1.tg (W2.1) is but I prefer W1.1 over W2.1. If I want high output thrower, there is the SBT90.2 version that should have similar throw to the W2.1 but several times the output. Also IIRC FF was able to find the SB flux bin for the SBT90.2, which is higher than the RB and SA bin that I’ve seen sold on the market. The SB is the highest “available” on the market and I only seen it used in the Noctigon K1.
These new OSRAM's do have names and they are really easy to use and remember:
4040 Part # Name size
CULNM1.tg Boost HL 1 mm²
CULPM1.tg Boost HX 2 mm²
680 kcd on the Boost HL is a really good # compared to what should be a bigger reflector in the K1, rated at 650 kcd on the Boost HL. So between the possible better binning and maybe more amps (??). But these are all specs, not independently tested.
This T9R has a 64 mm head diam while the K1 has a 72 mm head diam.
Warzi, how much discount did you receive?
I will eventually order W1.1 and may get the USB-C 4800mah 10a rechargeable will work well with Osram, also making it vehicle friendly
I’m surprised FF went the total opposite direction on tube length. If this light supports 76.5mm batteries I would be surprised if it makes good electrical contact with a high drain low resistance flat top which would be bad for 90.2 version especially.
What makes a USB-C protected battery vehicle friendly if the light already has USB-C? It provides no protection for a battery just sitting in storage that i’m aware of.
Sorry for confusion what I meant by vehicle friendly is it’s chargeable on the go via car port
… then again can always carry extra batts and a charger along on trips
Edit: Contractor I see what you’re saying, Samsuck 21700-40T is even shorter than-50E @ 70.30mm… Loose cells no good. Maybe the 6mm taller USB Batt is pushing hard on the springs?
ff has a history of too tight and dented cells (pl47v1)
The original lights were designed to be as compact as possible and had issues with longer cells. For me the biggest issue I had with the BeCu springs is that they did not have good resilience (recovery) and if forced too tight, they no longer push as hard and as a result I measured lower output. This is why they completely redesigned the springs for these new lights. Said it will perform much better both electrically and mechanically. It should also have more room for longer cells.
Thank you very much for this info, it’s very helpful.
And thank you SKV89, as I understand what you mean about this round of lights being more refined. That instill some confidence, so does all of the positive things about the owner you have mentioned, thank you!
This is good insight, thanks SKV89. I went ahead and ordered the CULNM1.TG version in ‘Desert Yellow’ and am looking forward to seeing how it performs. I see FF put up a new video on YT a couple of days ago, demonstrating this version. I bought the K1 when Hank was still using the CSLNM1.TG 
Also precured a good number of CULNM1.TG emitters from AE and one has already been put in an FW1A, but still have work to do to adjust the gasket thickness. I doubt it will stay in the light for long since it’s not too good at handling the heat.
News of FF sourcing this high bin has raised the question of the bin rating of the AE ones.I am not to optimistic about that.