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

Yes, comparing just the drivers by themselves, there is a large cost difference. It’s like $2 vs $12 or so. But an extra $10 is relatively small compared to the difference in price for assembled lights. Something doesn’t add up.

The FW3A was originally sold for around $30 to $35, and now is about $40 or so. The FW3X driver is sold by itself for $25, though the cost is probably only half that… or less, if Lumintop did the thing they usually do and optimized the costs. Take the FW3A price of $40-ish, plus the driver’s retail price of $25, and it adds up to about $65. But the assembled FW3X was sold for $100, though it looks like the last few are now on clearance for $80.

It’s disappointing to see the retail price jump up by $40 or $60 while the production cost increased by only $10 or $15.

Yeah, true, that doesn’t explain the large price difference, some other small costs for the AUX board and extra assembly but that’s it, they’re taking fat margins.

Maybe Emisar will make successor at some point (although maybe unlikely since they already have the slightly bigger KR4).

Wurkkos is making a copy of the FWAA, maybe after that they’ll make a copy of the FW3/1A.

I was looking at this recently and only found posts so far from ca. 2020 about this issue for HDs. Has anything changed? For example the larger drives in WD Desktop elements hard drives (day 12TB and up), are they still all CMR? Is there an up to date list of what is what? And with the SSDs, if you can give a link to more on that I’d appreciate that too as I want to get a bigger SSD for my OS/workspace soon.

I mentioned this in an earlier post, about how the 21700 light was a triple and then later they released a quad 18650 light which just is backwards. I really wanted a quad emitter 21700 FW21 but it never happened for some reason. Instead we get all these different FW69XXXL versions which never seemed practical for carrying like the original FW3A was. I guess the Noctigon KR4 makes up for the light I wanted never being made but it’s still something that annoys me today.

With the FW3A they had a hit on their hands, but Lumintop did not know why it was a hit. (because it was designed by enthusiasts)

So they tried to capitalize on the popularity with all these dumb variations, but without an understanding of why FW3A was popular, most variations missed their mark. They milked it way too much. Then all the spec downgrades and dumb writing on the bezel etc.

It is an interesting lesson for any other flashlight manufacturers who are paying attention.

Wow, thank you for the personal reply! I was just kind of “old man shaking fist mumbling” because I was so excited when this project started. I don’t remember some of those details about shipping customers sub par product, but I feel better now for giving Noctigon my money instead. And Sofirn, lot’s of Sofirn…

I think you mean… CSTZATZIKIBOCCI :smiley:

My impression was always that Neal was the driving force behind the endless FW variations rather than Lumintop themselves. The FW3A was a surprise hit, and he spent years riding the hype train with all all the new colours and models before the shine wore off. Add in Lumintop cheaping out on components or just not caring about quality at all (see the FW1A reflector fiasco) and the entire thing is completely removed from its roots as an enthusiast light developed by the community. Neal was also the reason the FW3A originally took so long to be released too.

Awesome! Gooooooo Wurkkos! I think Sofirn/Wurkkos, Wuben, and maybe even Mateminco can capitalize on Lumintops woes. I’d give them my money. I have been really impressed with Wubens stuff and Sofirn is Sofirn (or Wurkkos).

I am interested which Wurkkos is a FWAA copy, is it released?

Not released yet: Selection of "slender waist" Wurkkos WK10 14500 Light Single Color Aux

Thank you. I am not yet caught up on all the new lights, the Manker E05 is looking pretty good. Every time I find a light that is reviewed it is now discontinued/replaced, making finding proven lights difficult.

I could not agree more… I want one more old FW1A. I have a newer one and an original one.

The KR4 has become the almost perfect replacement for the FW3A, but the head is larger diameter and the light is a little longer. I EDC an old unmarked copper FW3A and have a spare on the shelf along with 5 aluminum 3A’s but only one old 1A.

@boo5sted has offered a nice 1A, PM him.

I approve this message lol.

Toshiba and Seagate tell you what their drives are. Sometimes it’s easy to find for WD as with their black line. WD also has info for their blue drives in the data specs section but not all of them are listed. Maybe they’re no longer making them some of the CMR blue drives? If you go here you can also find info for their red drives.

Cache size is a good indicator since SMR requires a larger cache (256MB or more).

I feel bad for people who bought SMR drives without knowing what they are, and now think that there’s something wrong with their computer because it’s running like crap.

I do too, and I'm one of them.

I have a bunch of SMR drives, and two of them have died on me so far.

I have backups of everything, so I didn't lose any data, but I have two less drives.

I'll never get an SMR drive again, and I will get more reliable brands in the future.

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-drive-stats-for-2021/

It’s important for a company to “get” their customers, to truly understand and treat them as peers in a community instead of just resources to extract profit from like a gold mine. But this project was a case of the opposite… not really “getting” it at all.

Yeah. I have enough FW3As to last a lifetime, but only one FW1A. I didn’t know it was going to get nerfed so much, so I didn’t get another one while they were still good. And it has been a very practical light for general-purpose outdoor use.

I’ve mostly switched to KR4 for daily use, because aside from the extra size/weight, it’s basically a much better FW3A. And a KR1-18350 for thrower purposes, because it shines so far in such a compact host. But between the ~4cd/lm KR4 and the ~120 cd/lm KR1, there’s something missing.

It may have surprised Lumintop, but it seems like people here knew it would be a hit. Although it had some unresolved issues (button too soft, finicky inner tube, overall quality), it was pretty much guaranteed to be popular because of the overall design.

… and as I hinted a moment ago, there’s another “obvious surprise hit” design waiting to be made. Hank really should make a Noctigon SC64 or S20/S10, basically. A thin, lightweight 1x18650 / 1x18350 light with a single nice LED, a side switch, a head-mounted deep-carry one-way clip, well-regulated driver with good low modes, roughly 8 to 20 cd/lm depending on LED type, and of course, easily reflashable.

It wouldn’t be a hot rod like most of what he makes, and it may seem kind of mundane… but it’s an obvious gap in his product line, it’s a huge sweet spot for flashlight design, and it’s something nobody has really nailed yet. I suspect that, if he made what people keep asking for, even if it meant going outside his chonky-light comfort zone, he might end up with something even more popular.

I got myself an FW3A because I was fascinated by the design, and the (ultimate) shape. But when I got it, it felt a bit like: “oh no, not another BLF A6-like lemon”. After reading some of the horror stories of other members I took the light apart. Got rid of the alu debris in the light, cleaned every part spotless, removed a minute bit from the inner tube, and put everything very careful back in place. After screwing the tailcap very tight the inner and the outer tube looked from above like two perfect concentric circles. And the switch was clicking as if it was meant for a jet fighter. Then screwed on the front assembly: NOT too tight.
It is working like a charm ever since And has never let me down. So when there was a poll for a colored version I was seriously struggling with the well known questions. Do I need it: oh no. Do I want the pink TK version: ehhhh @#$% nnnnno. Now I’m glad I only bought the first one ( XP-L for $36) and not the pretty looking colored version.

Man, I am right there with you… all of the minor steps on the original design lights and they are really perfect. I EDC an FW3A from my assortment every day, and love the first run. I have small’ish hands and they really do fit them like a glove. Once we understood what the pre-flight checks were and the minor things that needed to be done to they… they work like a charm. I have a slightly modified FW that runs on all of mine and always will be on them. My complaint, I have 3 18350 tubes and not a single one of them will work with any of my original run lights. As near as I can tell, the diameter of the end contact surfaces is slightly off and they are just never going to work. I am really bummed about that and would love to use them. I have one original FW1A, and I love it to death! Have a shave LH351D in it. I also have one of the 1A’s with the thick MCPCB’s and questionable reflectors. It works, but the MCPCB delaminated after the 3rd led change while I was looking for a good led / reflector combo. I did get ahold of a new reflector and did go back to the XP-L hi in that one. I did not get multiple FW1A’s early on because when I wanted to EDC a single I would carry a Zebra. Finally sold the Zebra, because I just did not like the FW. Really wish I had one more original FW1A. I do not and likely will not have any of the later variants, either due to the different drivers or general overall quality.

If you took time to understand the original, it really was an awesome product. The complexities and tech in the light really did make it an enthusiasts light, but in my opinion a darn good one.