Hah! I was just came back to this thread to post the same thing. Great minds must think alike!
I will be ordering a copy of this light either way but for the record it is just plain ignorant to start a light with Firefly mode on High whether there is memory or not. Starting on high when needing low can destroy night vision but starting on low hurts no one but those too lazy to give a couple quick half-presses and it doesn't really hurt them either, just their ego. Many of us will be forced to swap out the driver and it's no big deal to me but it is a much bigger deal then just giving a couple quick half-presses to the button. Others will live with the programming and complain. A handful will be happy as it is.
As for selling the driver separately don't count on selling many with the programming you've decided on.
But in the name of redundancy, "BLF A8" is redundant. Please go with "BLF Edition" or, if it is a cost issue for the extra characters, go with "BLF Ed.".
Sign me up for one of Option #1 in NW no matter what way it goes. Both options include a holster, right?
for a compact 1RCR or 14500 light I can see more use for starting on low. Although I still maintain if this is what you want most of the time have a dedicated light for it.
It just gets annoying having to scroll through modes you don’t want just to get to high. Which means such a light would sit on the shelf more than get used. I do see the other side of the coin, but when a torches primary existence is to produce light, it seems odd that some would want it in it’s least light giving mode as the first choice.
Besides if most of the people who want FF first are the people most likely to swap the driver out anyhow, why worry?
I think the A8 should use the same style as BLF mini.
If the mini only has “BLF Mini” engraved on it, then the A8 should only “BLF A8” engraved on it (I am not sure as I was too late to get a BLF mini).
If the A8 is going to have “Trustfire A8” engraved on one side, then I feel that it is better to use “BLF Edition” instead of repeating A8 in in “BLF A8” on the other side.
If the A8 can go without the “Trustfire A8” engraving, then I feel that it is better to have only “BLF A8” on just on one side.
Or perhaps a combined “BLF Trustfire A8” or “Trustfire BLF A8”?
It should also follow the BLF mini in modes like L/M/H (or rather firefly/L/M/H), and not start on high.
I like the Idea of h m l ff and no Memory. I am in.
Does the driver has a low voltage protection? I guess no, but still curious.
So you can use it as a nice bright flashlight, but also have the ability to change modes. You could even give it to your dumb neighbor without making him angry because of the strobing light.LOL
Normal people can’t understand this mode thing, even they don’t understand what a bright light is(almost every time when I use my crappy sk68 with low battery someone says wow that’s bright…)
I can and will swap drivers if they don't suit me, but I much rather like to have a light that is ok in the first place, in my case: start with firefly. I rather not want a 500+ lumen light start in high simply because it is usually used in lower modes (unless it is your 1000 yards super thrower to awe your friends and enemies, but the A8 is just not that). The BLF A8 in my opinion is best as an alround flashlight with the added bonus of a firefly mode with extreme runtime.
My cottage is remote water access and I have more bears than I can count. The last thing I need is walking out my back door and having to click through four modes to see the bear that is standing ten feet from me. I want the big picture…instantly.
Surely if it’s an all round flashlight it should then start in Med… (not that I want this). But logically it would be the best middle ground. Starting in firefly is quite a specialist and specific want and not general use at (even if it’s your personal most commonly used mode).
Remember anyone who has owned a torch before (just about everyone) will have had on/off as the only choice. And even the worst torch in the world will be a lot brighter than a firefly mode.
Well, good luck finding a replacement driver with true FF mode. I can swing the proverbial dead cat at any of our trusted component vendors and hit a driver that has High mode. Not the same when searching for a driver with true Firefly mode. Just sayin’
Wait a minute - doesn't the A8 have an odd sized driver making the driver swap a little more difficult (I remember something about this in E1320's UF2100 group buy thread. Someone proposed to do the same thing with the A8, but the driver was a hangup). Although, I do see Rey is showing a 16.7mm driver being used. If it does use a 20mm driver, I have been proposing the blank 20-21mm battery contact board from Intl-Outdoor as an option, but this adds to the difficulty of the driver swap for those wishing to do so.
Guess we could revisit the idea of just group buying blank hosts and someone take on installing & setting up modes as requested (modes available on the KD V2 3.04A AMC driver). Then of course there's the shipping issue. Any volunteers?
Perhaps we should put the mode order/memory options up in a new poll and simply go with the poll's result - majority wins. This assumes Rey can get the driver programmed with the modes/memory option voted on.
I am sure the reason he is going with high first is to satisfy those who wanted it the first time around on the Mini order. I really don't care enough to care any longer about mode order. I just don't want redundant "A8" printed on the light. I wish Rey had listened to almost all of us on "BLF Edition". Oh well.
Also, looking at the deal on the charger and cell, it looks like a great deal to get option #2. That's what I'm going with since my charger takes f o r e v e r to charge a 26650.
Aside, I’m one who said I’d like to buy drivers — I mean
I’d like to be able to buy the driver board created for the original “Mini”
not for this new one.
As a side note to the fire fly mode debate. Do you find reflector has any bearing on this?
For instance I’ve got an EagleTac D25LC2 Mini (XP-G S2) with a very mild OP reflector. It doesn’t actually have firefly, but it does have a low, however due to the reflector I don’t find the low all that useful, it’s just hot spot.
On my Klarus NT20 it is also an XP-G (R5) but has a HOP reflector, it does have a firefly/moon light mode which is only a faction of the output of the EagleTac, but due to the reflector it’s a much more usable low level light.
Would a large SMO reflector in the A8 make the firefly less useful than it might be in a different host/reflector texture?
I have a Skyray A0 clone (pure thrower) with a Nanjg V2 driver that has close to firefly mode in low (only a few milliamps) and it puts out a tiny hotspot. In pitch dark it is still quite useful but not as great as my T10 with FF low. Small OP reflector is definitely better but it still works.
Actually,I like the choice of high first without memory... I mean a light with these physical dimensions, I would hardly ever use in firefly mode. I can see why people like FF first in AAA, AA,1x16340 torches, but a 26650 light with FF first and no memory doesn't make any sense to me. Isn't the whole idea of having a 26650 cell to extend runtimes in turbo/high without making the torch too long? It quickly gets annoying, if I have to click 4 times every time to use the mainly used mode. Actually I would kick out firefly mode altogether and incorporate a 2nd medium... but I guess that is just me.
I’m in opposition to you. Even in bigger Lights I’m prefer to start with low. But I guess an A8 with Memory would be an acceptable compromise for the most Flashaholics.
