Does the LM10 suffer from the same quality control issues as the FW3A? I have read on BLF that the FW3A is horribly inconsistent in terms of parts usage such as optic, driver etc.
Is the LM10 in the same boat or is the quality control better being that it’s about twice the price of the FW3A?
I don't know about the Lumintop LM10, but I hear from ToyKeeper that the Noctigon KR4 is a more reliable alternative to the FW3A.
No sure about that light specifically but at this point I am just about to where I won’t buy Lumintop-anything anymore. QC is generally decent but they can’t seem to make a light that lasts - lots of driver failures. If I were to buy from them again it would only be on Amazon and would only be inexpensive lights because their tendency to discontinue models and not have parts available and generally being hard to reach them, with long delays once you do, and then actually getting parts….just easier to throw them away or buy from another manufacturer.
Got a KR4 and it’s a lovely light. Considerably bulkier than the FW3A but all around nice and worth the cost.
No issues with the LM10 here.
The tailcap construction is a bit different and seems more robust. My LM10 is more robust and reliable than my FW3As.
The LM10 being much more expensive means far fewer have been sold. So, there’s less anecdotal reports of problems. The one saving grace of the LM10 is that it’s very difficult to remove the tailcap. So, battery replacement from the front helps ensure that the contact issues are pretty much non-existent. The tailcap switch feels different from the FW3A. But from what I’m told, it’s a very similar design whereby there’s an internal “nubbin” that can be removed and replaced with a mini o-ring to increase resistance.
My FW3A has been extremely reliable. But I never take off the tailcap—always replacing batteries from the front.