The original is 1.8mm tall, and the suitable diameter - to do what you mentioned - would be 15.5mm, more or less. I tried to use a 16mm PCB before and it didn’t fit (at least without being filed/trimmed).
Is there a source for that Baton optic? I like that it has a frosted center. I find clear, smooth TIRs with this center cavity frosted make smooth but intense beams. Clear centers often create ‘ghost images’ of the emitter in the corona and can be pretty distracting in use.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/727344383.html
I have a few of these. Best beam I’ve gotten from a small TIR, even with 1mm² emitters
I am not sure if the Baton TIRs are available out there. I’ve seen people modding Olights but with other optics, so I am not sure if they can be found out there.
I don’t actually like clear optics, I normally go with frosted or pebbled ones because they make the beam floodier, which I prefer.
I need to go back to my searches in AliExpress to see if any of them is compatible with this flashlight! If I find one, I let you know 
I actually just wasted a solid hour combing through AE for better options… no dice.
The way I see it, the FWAA is the perfect little flooder. Compact, triple, and the tail e-switch is actually convenient such that I can operate the light with my tongue while holding it in my mouth.
To compliment it, I’d try to get as tight of a beam as possible with an SST20 or 219b, while minimizing artifacts. But the more I think about it, the pairing I have right now with my FW1A TIR SST20 4000k and FWAA sw45k is as close to perfect for EDC as I may get without designing my own light from scratch. And until there is an appropriate clip for these it’ll never be my primary anyway.
The original FW1A clip is pretty darn good. The double sided clips really are no good.
Yes, I think a 10mm mcpcb will work with a 3535 LED and the stock centering ring
optimistic I am
Agreed.
FW1A / FW3A clip is excellent.
Unfortunately, the latest fad among flashlight manufacturers seems to be 2-way clips. And all the 2-way clips are garbage. The FWAA’s clip is no exception.
- It’s too small to feel secure in a pocket,
- The reverse clip gets caught on things making it awkward to use
- The clip sticks out fairly far from the light making a slim light thicker than it needs to be.
Having a 2-way clip is ONLY useful for carrying the light on a ball cap. If you’re like me and never do that a traditional 1-way clip is always better … preferably with deep-carry.
I’m hoping the 2-way clip fad passes soon so we can get useful clips with our lights again.
Yeah, I thought so :zipper_mouth_face: Optics like the one from the S1R are difficult to find.
I tried another one, from the Amutorch S3 but the beam is also far from good and it is taller than needed to avoid any gap.
I guess those boards from Kaidomain, if filed a littel bit in the “corners”, can be put in place to use SST20 or Nichias and eventually LH351D LEDs. The thermal path will probably suffer because it is not a straight fit and it will not make a good contact as the original MCPCB. Still worths a try.
About the clip, yeah, I’d prefer something like the 2way clip from the FW3A/FW1A that is sold by Neal. That is probably the best option allowing deep carry and also the possibility to use it in a cap. The current version from the FWAA/FW1AA is not the most favourable one, but…it works.
BTW, the FW1AA is as tall as the FW3A with the 18500 tube. I will try to get a “family” photo meanwhile and put them side-by-side.
The FWxx family comparison:
FW1A > FW3A (18650) > FW1AA > my FW1AA > FWAA
FW1A > FW3A (18500) > FW1AA > my FW1AA > FWAA
FW1A > FW1AA > my FW1AA > FWAA > FW3A (18350)
The large difference in throw is the key thing that separates this from an fwaa. Without that large difference what’s the point. The problems for me are the cool white and low-cri. If those two problems can be overcome then I could possibly put down my fw1a with the original reflector. With a narrow beam you can put light on specific objects without cranking things up to Max or turbo and chewing through a whole lot of battery. I carry a separate light for when I need flood and run time.
Thanks for all these additional details and measurements :+1:
I guess the throw is really the point on this bet for the LED/SMO reflector.
I still have to take it outdoor and get some beamshots and rough measurements on the range
As I pointed out above, the small MCPCB from Kaidomain can be used (with some adjustments) to make it work with 3535 LEDs, but that’s up to each one. I haven’t done it yet so that I can show the original beam but after that I will try this mod. I am not sure how the reflector will act, but that will be adjusted later on!
Thanks and I hope it helps in some way
A light like this is ideally sized for an EDC.
In an EDC, it may be nice to have a generalist light with some throw, good CRI, good color temperature, good output, and decent flood. Basically something good for close and medium range.
- The problem with the FWAA is that it is ALL flood. It’s almost a mule and is pretty much only good for close-range use. Many of us find it too floody.
- Using an Oslon White 1 emitter creates a problem in the other direction - the beam would have a very thin low-CRI, cool-white, low-lumen beam. It wouldn’t be floody enough or bright enough for close-in use. And frankly it wouldn’t be that good for long-range use either as the reflector is too small.
- Most small EDC lights with this size reflector use XPG-sized emitters such as XPL, XPG, XPL HI, SST-20, and LH351D. There are dozens of lights like this one with similar size and similar reflectors. Examples: Sofirn SP10B, Sofirn SC21, Skilhunt M150, Eagletac D25A and D3A, Lumintop Tool AA, Zebralight SC53w, etc.
- Until this FW1AA, I can’t think of a single manufacturer who has chosen to use Oslon White 1 as their emitter in this type of light. And that’s likely because White 1 simply is not the optimum choice. Almost every light using White 1 tends to be a dedicated thrower with a large reflector, which this light definitely lacks.
And still no usb-c charging? Not for the new lep “antman” either so it seems. For me, that’s a no-buy.
Would pretty much have to redesign the entire light to make that happen and it would not be able to retain the basic characteristics that were the original hallmark of the FW design. They could do it, sure, with some added length to the host, but it’d be an entire new project. And actually I wonder if the width of the port + pocket to contain it and a rubber cover would be too much for such a small outside diameter…might need to fatten it up a bit to make it fit correctly.
Agreed.
Whole point of the FWAA series lights is to make them as small as possible. Adding a charging port would probably negate all the advantages of this light.
Small, pure, powerhouse, outstanding in its class. The fw1a was the farthest throwing light in its class. It redefined a class. Don’t dumb down the fw1aa and make it an also ran. It needs more throw than anything else in it’s size. You can have your usable spill when they make the pro model. Edit, let’s not forget that part of what made those first models popular was the choice of multiple LEDs.
Is this a figure of speech? I don’t understand it…?
Yes…“also ran” as in a second-place finisher or contenders far down the list of top placers, etc. Here are the top ten finishers in a marathon race, and then here’s the long list of “also ran” participants.
Thanks. I understand the term now.
I don’t agree with the way Oli used it though. I don’t think Firelight2 dumbed it down to “also ran”. It’s just Oli’s perception of the light.