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.
This.
We all use our lights in different ways and have different preferences.
Regarding the FW1A and Oslon White 1 emitters
I don’t have strong opinions on the FW1A as I never purchased one (though I did try one out at Illumn’s store). All my comments in this thread have been about the FW1AA prototype, not the larger FW1A. However, I have tried Oslon White 1 emitters in various different lights and do have opinions about that emitter.
- My conclusion of the White 1 emitter: It is really only good for one thing: Throw.
- Tint, CRI and lumens are absolutely horrible compared to the other choices.
- Throw is great if your only use of the light is for seeing stuff in the distance. But not good if you want a generalist light that is also good for seeing stuff up close.
Personally, I only EDC one light at a time and I primarily look at stuff at close or medium range.
- Color and tint are important to me. I would never carry a light with a White 1 emitter as my sole EDC, because the beam it produces does not fit my preference.
- If I feel I might need to see farther I will carry an extra thrower light in addition to my EDC. The FW1AA with Olson White 1 is unsuitable for this because its tiny reflector won’t throw well at all even with a White 1 emitter in it. Something with a bigger reflector is needed to fulfill that need.
- I find the FWAA to be too floody for my tastes. It’s not good at medium range even with smaller emitters and a polished optic.
Charging Ports
Charging Ports are also a matter of personal opinion and preference. If you actually use them, they can be great to have. But if you’re like me and always use an external charger, then it’s just dead weight.
- In smaller lights, a charging port makes the light longer and/or thicker.
- It’s extra weight
- The port covers tend to break or fall out of position and are annoying.
- Most USB-C charging ports in flashlights are poorly implemented and are configured for USB-A to USB-C. Most do not work with ipad or phone charger cord.
- Charging a light via a charging port is like charging an electric car… you have to leave it at the pump (possibly for hours) while it charges, during which you can’t use it away from the charger. Charging an extra battery with an external charger and then swapping it with the one in the light is like refilling a gasoline car: You go from empty to full instantly with no wait.
Practicality:
- I’m not opposed to having Oslon White 1 emitter as an option the purchaser can choose for the FW1AA. However, if they are only going to sell it with one emitter, I think it should be something a bit more generalist: an SST-20 or LH351D.
- I do not think a charger would work in the FW1AA. The entire head would need to be redesigned and likely made much thicker in order to accommodate both the charger board and the port cover. The light would look and feel substantially different than any existing FW series light.
- Some of the less obtrusive ways to do chargers will not work easily in the FW3A. For example, adding the charger board to the top of the body tube rather than the head won’t work because the inner tube for the switch is in the way.
Yesterday I took some beamshots with the FW1AA outdoor!
In terms of profile, the beam is not much different from the GT Nano. However, the FW1AA has a larger spill area.
It reached 400m, easily, as you’ll see in the photos below.
Some indiviual beam profiles:
FW1AA
FWAA
My FWAA
GT Nano
EagleEye X3T (w/ Osram W1 emitter)
Acebeam TK16 (w/ 3 x Osram W1 emitters)
Now the comparison beamshots:
FW1AA Vs FWAA
FW1AA Vs My FW1AA
FW1AA Vs GT Nano
FW1AA Vs EaglEye
FW1AA Vs Acebeam TK16
And some distance beamshots:
Tree @ 16m
House @ 160m
House @ 190m
Building @ 290m
Building @400m
And that’s all folks!
USB charging has tradeoffs. It costs size, complexity (cost and failure points), and frequently impacts waterproofing. I don’t think those are worth sacrificing on this particular light.
Doesn’t have to be harder than this:https://www.sofirnlight.com/products/d25l-headlamp-lh351d-90-high-cri-4000k-or-5000k
And then you don’t have to buy proprietary chargeable batteries with lower capacity either.
Or you can use a separate charger and always have a spare fully-charged battery ready to swap in. No need to set the light aside and not use it for hours while a battery is recharging inside the light.
The method of covering the USB slot in that headlamp is a good one. It avoids the breakable rubber cover most rechargeable lights have. Unfortunately, that design is not so easy to implement in an FW series light. The separate inner tube used as the switch contact gets in the way.
It is possible implement such a system, but doing so would require a major redesign. You’d end up with a completely different and substantially larger light that probably looks nothing like the existing prototype FW1AA.
Personally, I’m happy the FW1AA does not have charging in it. I consider built-in chargers a negative and never use them.
- I can’t use a light with internal charging while it is plugged in. I prefer to swap in spare batteries so I can continue to use the light while charging externally. And for anyone who says, “the light will still work while plugged in”, that doesn’t cut it for me. When I’m using my light I want to be able to take it more than a meter from my wall outlet.
- Most USB-C lights only have USB-A to USB-C charging. They mostly lack true USB-C, meaning I can’t just plug in my Samsung phone or ipad charger cable. In order to use the charger I have to carry a separate cord and wall wart for them. I have several lights with USB-C chargers in them, but only one of them is actually true USB-C (Sofirn SC21).
- Chargers add more complexity. It’s something else to break. And depending on how the port is handled it frequently allows for water ingress. A rubber charging port cover can also sometimes be confused with a rubber button making finding the right thing to press a little harder.
- Chargers require space inside the light and on the surface. The length isn’t a big deal for big lights, but is quite noticeable in small lights. A small light with a charger is usually larger or thicker than the same light could be made without the charger.
- The presence of a charger may drive up the price. Why pay extra for what I consider a useless function. It’s like paying extra for a bidirectional clip I do not need, never use, and that functions worse than a normal clip.
That’s my perspective based on my preferences and how I use my lights. Each of us has our own perspective. Some really love onboard chargers.