FW3A, a TLF/BLF EDC flashlight - SST-20 available, coupon codes public

After about 3 years, I finally received a new FW3A in army green. I was on the original interest list but due to various reasons including a long hiatus from the hobby I never followed through on buying one until now.

Seeing how AWESOME this flashlight is I regret not getting one sooner, It’s quickly became my favorite pocket light! Nice buttery smooth action of the tail switch but seeing how it’s even more prone to accidental on than even a side switch I’m getting used to using electronic lockout…I love how low modes are usable in lockout! Never had Anduril in a small pocket light before and didn’t even realize it had this feature.

So now I’ve been “FW Bitten” and already ordered an FWAA and an FW1A Pro (XHP50.2) Also considering an FW21 Pro (3xXHP50.2) and X9L (SBT90.2).

However I’m saddened about Lumintop even further downgrading these lights. Fortunately the FW3A I received appears to have been older stock, it has the purple? color driver board with 6 chips like the one on the left in the new OP photo.

I’m now concerned if I’ll get a downgraded FW1A Pro, although maybe the Pro model isn’t affected since it’s a newer version to begin with? I ordered it from “A Lighting Store” on aliexpress, it showed the last one in stock, so maybe it’s an older version.

In the 2021 update post photo I see the downgraded red color board (on the right) is marked FW1A V1.1, does the downgraded FW3A board also look the same with no chips showing? Or are they using that FW1A V1.1 board in the downgraded FW3A?

Thanks but no. They have no it. Btw this guys have old versions of fw3a with original firmware and 7+1 driver. I ordered mine fw3ti there.

I checked lumintops aliexpress, ebay, amazon, lumintoplighting, lumintoponline.com, jlhawaii808, jc customs, illumn.com, nealsgadgets everywhere it is out of stock. Thats why I’m asking it here and on reddit. :frowning:

I killed a FW1A with a short doing a LED swap. Is there anywhere I can buy a replacement driver with Anduril or do I have to use something like a Convoy/Mtn driver?

If you ask Lumintop on their Aliexpress store they’ll sell you individual parts, including drivers. Prices are random though, I’ve paid anywhere between 5 and 9 USD per FW3A driver in the last three months.

I wish they came out with a polished Ti 18500 tube.

In titanium, I find the 18650 tube and cell a bit too heavy, and the 18350 too short and stubby.

18500 would be just right… but I don’t think Lumintop ever manufacturered Titanium 18500 tubes.

Thanks useless! Can I specify old vs new or do they just have new FET + 1?

They will send you the FET+7+1 if you specify it. Just ask for the “original” one, don’t expect them to know anything about electronics.

oops sorry, the “add to cart” button wasn’t grey’d out so I thought you could order… but now I see it’s on backorder when you click it.

Maybe someone can help with an issue I’m having with my FW3A…

Noticed today the tailcap doesn’t screw down enough to tighten the pocket clip, so the pocket clip spins around too freely.
Don’t recall the clip being loose when I first got it, but maybe I just didn’t notice, is this a known issue?

For a while I never removed the tail, but prior to finding the loose clip I had the tailcap on and off a few times.
Everything is assembled correctly as far as I can tell.

There’s an extremely thin o-ring that sits on top of the clip to prevent it from turning. Unfortunately it is quite delicate. If your clip is spinning freely chances are that o-ring tore and fell off.

To fix you may need to find a replacement o-ring. Or put something else in its space to substitute for the o-ring. Perhaps a piece of insulated wire. Or you could try gluing the clip.

OK thanks, on the tail end of the tube there is a black o-ring and above that in a smaller groove there is a thinner clear o-ring, I also found a 2nd thin clear o-ring around the inner tube, between inner and outer tubes. I placed that one in an empty groove at the other end, same as at the tail end. So now there are double o-rings, identical at both ends, all in their grooves and it appears those are all where they belong, so the one that takes up the gap for the clip must have torn and fell out.

However I did resolve the problem now another way…
By first removing the head, then tightening the tailcap to the tube before re-attaching to the head.

With the tubes attached to the head first, it was causing the inner tube to extend too far, thus preventing the tailcap from fully seating down on the clip.

This solution made the clip tight and solid just like it was before, but now there is a very slight gap between the head and tube.

Although I already don’t like it, I’ll see if I can live with the head/tube gap so I don’t have to use an o-ring or wire to fill it at the clip end, I tried both and the o-rings get smashed/squished or torn and I got no contact even with thin un-insulated wire, I’m sure it can somehow work with those fixes if I find the correct size oring or wire, but if possible I’d rather not have anything else jammed in there, I don’t think it would be as tight as it should, and it just doesn’t seem right.

I suppose I could sand down the end of the inner tube to shorten it a bit for a proper solution, but that could be tricky since it’s the main contact, so it can’t be uneven and there’s no going back if I take too much off.

One thin o-ring goes between the battery tube and the inner tube. One is to keep the clip in place. And one thick o-ring for the tailcap.

On the FW3A the tailcap must always be tightened first! Head comes second and the gap is more or less important to maintain some pressure on the inner tube.

Does anybody happen to have one of the FW3A deep carry double-dip clips they wouldn’t mind parting with? They’ve become hard to get now it seems.

Hello! Do you have 18350 ti tube? I’m looking it everywhere couple of month already…

Thanks!! This helped me better understand to completely resolve this!

When I opened up the tail this time the thin clear o-ring was broken, unfortunately Lumintop does not include spares of those with the kit, only the thick black ones. I didn’t have any that thin so I stretched on a smaller thin black one for the clip, it works out the same in thickness but it’s a lot tougher. Placed behind the clip towards the tail.

For the one between the tubes I first placed it around the front of the inner tube, then with a twisting motion worked it down between the tubes, otherwise it would be sitting on the shoulder between the ends of the tubes at the tail, which didn’t seem right.

I reassembled exactly as SammysHP described and it’s back to normal, rock solid clip and the gap is no longer noticeable, perfecto!

I may, were you looking for black or silver?

I just received a black one from Nealsgadgets, took about 20 days to PA. They have them in stock, both black & silver, $2.95 with discount code…
but if you aren’t buying anything else the shipping is $8.00.

I should have got a silver one too, the black doesn’t go well with the stainless bezel I currently have on it, it does go with the anodized bezel so I don’t mind keeping it, but I’m not using it right now.

Neals needs to send me a replacement short tube due to sending the wrong one, so if they will include some clips to the shipment without any extra shipping I’ll get one in silver and another in black, then the black one I currently have can be available for you.

I think “sitting on the shoulder” is the correct placement.

OK thanks, I can try that way too, but I’d like to know for sure if that’s actually the correct placement.

I’d also like to know what the purpose of it is? Having it resting on the shoulder will make the gap at the clip even wider, that’s why it didn’t seem right.
But twisting it in to work it down between the tubes also didn’t seem right, I assumed it was an afterthought maybe to help keep it centered.

You can see the placement of the o rings here. The inner one sits near the shoulder to help center the signal tube.

Here is another view

Thanks pennzy, great photo of the o-ring placement in the zeroair review, the CPF post shows 3 O-rings with one down between the tubes like I have one, to center it as I thought…

“If that lower one falls out then it can lead to the tube not meeting the ring on the head concentrically and actually touching the ”live” end on the wall of the head and making the light imposssible to switch off. That happened to me on the 18350 tube I bought from Neal’s and no matter how I tried I could not get that lower O-ring to go back into place so I ended up shrinking some battery wrap around the tube which worked perfectly to keep it centred inside the wall of the light”

Good idea about the shrink wrap too.