Review: "BLF" Mini 01 Out-of-the-Bubble-Wrap Preview . . . going green

The outer part of the beam shot is clearly greenish, IMO (not color blind and I’m using large 1080p monitor) . . like most lights, harder to see tint in real life use vs. wall hunting.

The earlier questions about the GID o-ring at the lens is a good one - I added GID to my 2100 that Erik did and noticed I get a bit of green outer ring on wall shots that was never there before (2X as noticeable since it also narrower beam since ring is fatter than oem). On mine, there is clearly some green reflection from the GID ring. But I don’t notice anything in normal use even though there is some green induced into the beam.

EDIT: The pattern on mine is different, green ring is smoother and slightly inside the outer area of a beam shot. So it may be the tint or different angles.

Actually, I think these pictures show it a little less green than it looks to me in real life. I've got neutrals and I will admit being a late comer on the importance of rendering and I'm also notoriously slow to criticize tint. Call it neutral green if you want but green is what it is. Yes, it was right at dusk and I do agree that the Xtar cool white does wash out the colors, as most CW's do . . . maybe I'll put an IO neutral next to it.

However it compares, I don't like the tint. Wouldn't be the first time I was alone with my opinion. Maybe tint can sometimes be an acquired thing. I'm from Georgia so, perhaps Foy isn't cultured enough for caviar or tint.

pouponFoy

I don’t have the BLF mini but rather the TF mini which I purchased from eBay. The white on my light is really bright. If I were to compare to any one of the lights I own in my collection I would say the same tint as my X8 only not as bright of course.

I love my mini! It has been on my key chain for about 6 months and has held up very well.

I swapped the stock XML with a NW (5000K) XML and it’s really sweet! Try running it with IMR 16340 - you will be amazed at how much light this little sucker and pump out.

With the Yezl it gets hot really fast on high mode. I would imagine the IMR would burn it up a little faster too.

It’s called Nichia 219, high CRI, 4500K…

I think you all are kidding yourselves with the nichia .(on a white wall).they are as pinkishly rosey as i've ever seen .All my sexy neutrals suddenly look green in comparison to the nichia..{i'm not bashing on the nichia it's a great emitter w/ a nice tint and high cri it's very nice .. but white walled it looks pinkish}

I agree with my brother Foy the tint is greenish.. not foul green.. but it's unmistakable without any other light next to it ..my first reaction was... huh ?? is this a neutral ??.. if it's really a xml 3 c ...Then i have no idea what to say .. i think it's a case of bad binning or someone assuming a neutral is just a neutral

http://www.flickr.com/photos/protium/4134484166/

It looks like a 2T or a 3S to me ....i agree that the cri is higher on this tint and colors are better reproduced but that doesn't mean the tint is great . I'ts not horrible for me it's just noticable ..the pwm looks like it's pretty fast ...but it still bugged me ..odd because i know i have lights with lower pwm that don't seem to bother me all that much . It does reproduce colors pretty well and on an LMR it gets pretty dang bright .It also heats up fast on high . I think it's a bit of a gimmick light it's too heavy to carry and too small to use seriously .Shape is odd and is hard to use with one hand . The beam is very floody and fairly smooth ..modes are spaced nicely...it's the size shape and weight that ruins this light ... oh yeah ...it doesn't tailstand very well :P

it was nice to have a light made ..sadly it's another case of it not being well thought out ..the host it's self was a bad idea .. just like this talk of a modified Z8... My advice is start with a solid platform . not a wacky one ..or it will also become another shelf queen and never used .

my 2 cents

Seriously, you may want to have your eyes checked for a leaking blood vessel! A friend was seeing pinky things and that was the problem.

There is nary a hint of pink in any of them that I have used…

I have a non-BLF Mini that I got in July. Gotta agree with Boaz, it just isn’t a great host. Mine’s been relegated to the car. It’s heavy, and I also need two hands to use it. When I first got it (my first SS light) I thought it was great, but that soon faded. My Trustfire flame wouldn’t fit either, but luckily I got a CR123 with it, so hopefully it will survive in the car. Still, YMMV.

wait a sec-Foy, was your BLF Mini supposed to be a 3C?

I second that, please check out this thread I made a little while back. Especially the top pic, as it illustrates exactly what I saw with my eyes that morning. Tint looks excellent compared directly with the mid-morning sun. Less pink, more an ultra-hot hotwire.

even if possibly he’s quite right. :open_mouth:

No torch out of the box IMO should require extensive mods to correct major glitches so it works decently well-enough per flashaholic standards and still get anywhere near 5-stars. Maybe for Joe Schmoe off the street it’ll get 5 stars but here even in Flashoholic Budget City the ratings should reflect first and foremost, “Does this thing honestly work well compared to decent quality proven stuff?” If it doesn’t, man maybe 2 1/2 to 3 stars outta 5 at best.

I’m getting more and more of a Michelin-rating mindset on a number of things these days. Torches included. Getting a 1-star rating from them is an overall cuisine establishment BFD. Too much crap out there being foisted on us and then getting starry passes these days. Stars should really get earned, budget or not. :cowboy_hat_face:

Just sayin’…….

This light was OK for a one-off BLF deal. SS, XML, NW, a flashoholic special. But we should be aiming for lasting significance, something we can be proud of like “we created that successful lineup”, or even potentially changing the industry to make better design choices such as no strobe/ better tints.

Anything that gets specially made for us will face unrealistic expectations. You can’t make everybody happy. I love the host already, and they nailed the modes. I don’t care about tint.

ok ...I would say the nichia may not appear red or pinkish by its self but side by side with a cree it makes neutrals look green .. neutrals I would have called almost tan . and with one now seemingly green what are you calling the other color ?

I really only ever see two main colors in lights .. pink or redish ...and green

If the 4b tint is made to look green then tell me where do you put the nichia on the scale ..Please feel free to make an educated guess ...Mine is to the right and lower ..below the line and twards warm .. to me below and lower right is heading red

http://www.flickr.com/photos/protium/4134484166/

Top row third beam over .. Your pics ..it's peachy pinkish https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/11675

Xpg r4 4b ------------xpg r4 4C ----------- Nichia 219

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/11675#comment-237655

thanks for the beam shots ..that's exactly what it looks like ..and thats just on a white wall ..on colors it's amazing ..on walls ,against other beams it looks a bit peachy ....maybe you need to say that daylight looks a bit rosey too ..I love the nichia ,i like the neutrals ..i like you ...you're just wrong :P

Check out this image of the Gretag Macbeth color checker chart lit up by a Nichia 219 (only light in the room). No pink, I think…

Personally I prefer a bit more rosey tint, it’s what people sometimes call “creamy”. Cree neutrals can be green or yellowish in comparison and not often you get a creamy one.

Personally I think the Z8 could be a great host, it looks fab, is a nice shape and size. Ok it’s a tad heavy, but not so much you can’t have it in your pocket and the flood to zoom works very well on it.

I think the danger with a BLF custom light is trying to go to OTT. Running an XM-L @ 2.8A in such a host will only ever make it a gimmick light as it’ll get too hot to use.

To make it a great usable light it just needs the asked for spec to be sensible and usable.

Now I know people like moon light, but tbh there are plenty of lights that do this better than any single button reverse clicky ever will. So why bother?

2 modes no memory

Mode 1 should be current controlled or high PWM so it’s usable and not a distraction. This should be bright, but not so bright that it glares if you shine it at your hand (60 lumens maybe)

Mode 2 should be high, but this should be a high that the host can handle for prolonged use thus making it a usable light

On paper it might not have the biggest numbers or the most wow, but I’m willing to bet it would be a highly usable light.

XM-L or XP-G2 would work fine IMO.

Sorry for the thread crapping ......

I don't take all the blame ....you sort of asked for it it with your poop on foy comment

BewilderedBoaz

Everyone has different needs, that’s why there are so many models.

Personally I like the 2% mode. It’s enough light for 95% of my needs. If I need more light, I can switch to 30. And for those 1 cases, I can use 100%.

The tint doesn’t bug me though I would have preferred CW.

Heretic!! :party: