My BLF GT came!. I’m in the UK and used registered for those who wonder and didn’t get hit by any customs. Thanks to the team and all involved – it’s an amazing light.
It would be a bit late once you’ve got your GT , guess what they can do with that request
Well, they’ve your name and address, and tax owed is a legal obligation, so I guess details will get passed to a debt collection agency.
But I’m just speculating and pointing out that it doesn’t matter you’ve received the GT already.
I don’t know about the UK, but sounds implausible. A company sending an invoice to a customer who never ordered anything from them. Just signing to receive one’s own belongings hardly makes one responsible for purchasing anything else from a courier company. But then again, I don’t know about the UK and how Draconian laws you might have in place.
Quite possible they could if they really guesstimated VAT and already paid for it. Sound like fraud, but if this is the standard procedure, might be OK, thus requiring the recipient to actually pay. It’s a very foreign idea to me that a private company could conspire with the customs to forge a receipt to be used for charging some random amount of VAT from a citizen. The proper procedure would be the Customs to contact the recipient and bill them.
I have always understood that registered mail from China or Hong Kong is via sea as opposed to air : ie the slow boat from China that is often referred to.
Maybe I am wrong.
Either way this light has taken 7 days to get from Hong Kong to me
I’m not saying you are wrong, but it was always my understanding that the typical air mail we use today is also “registered mail” by definition.
The “slow boat from China” often refers to air mail, too. The economy option can be really slow even when the carrier decides to use air mail from, say, Mainland China to a European country. There could be lots of delay before and after the flight part of the journey. Air transit could be comparably very cheap if you don’t need the next flight and could do with any suitable connection within the next two weeks.
The reasoning is similar to airline passenger tickets: sometimes you can book flights for a price that would hardly cover fuel. It’s just better business to have something extra on board instead of nothing more when you’re flying anyway and the aircraft is not even half full.
The same applies to non-aviation logistics. It’s going to be cheaper to transport goods on rubber wheels when you don’t need it delivered ASAP and it can just be covered in a pile of other non-critical parcels using an almost First In, Last Out principle.
The way it works in the UK is like this
1. If the item is being shipped from the sender to the buyer via eg DHL the entire journey, then DHL contact the buyer when the item reaches the UK to charge the buyer the amount of VAT due plus a processing fee as they then pay VAT to customs on your behalf .
2. If the item is being delivered within the UK by the Royal Mail (UK postal service) customs contact you & you have to pay the VT before the item is released to be delivered to you.
Either way, as far as I know anyway, you have to pay VAT before you receive an item as you are given the choice of not paying VAT & not receiving the item.
I do not believe that I will be receiving a retrospective bill after I have received this package.
One other thing I noticed about my package apart from the fact there is no mention of the package coming from Hong Kong on the labelling just a London address, is that there is no value what so ever on the labelling.
This reinforces my belief that the package was sent to somebody in the UK first then posted from there to me as a separate, internal to the UK, shipping transaction.
Went out tonight and did a few poor beamshots, was only on my phone. managed to hit a reflector on a building almost exactly 2 miles away! it has a small white light on it too – you can’t see the reflector in the photo sadly as the pics are from the beach.
Lovely night for it – I shone it from Henry VIII’s Sandsfoot Castle (the window opposite the door in the photo below to the last light building on the middle section of Portland Breakwater (Portland end) – Google Earth shows it as 1.99 Miles! Had a bit of a burn up with my BLF -TE and it was nearly as far, just way less powerful!
Went out tonight and did a few poor beamshots, was only on my phone. managed to hit a reflector on a building almost exactly 2 miles away! it has a small white light on it too – you can’t see the reflector in the photo sadly as the pics are from the beach.
Lovely night for it – I shone it from Henry VIII’s Sandsfoot Castle (the window opposite the door in the photo below to the last light building on the middle section of Portland Breakwater (Portland end) – Google Earth shows it as 1.99 Miles! Had a bit of a burn up with my BLF -TE and it was nearly as far, just way less powerful!
!{width:40%}http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o269/bensbargainbasement/20180219_200...!
It may be your camera but that beam looks like cool white.
Funny you should say that Nev…….. it is not in the least bit warm in real life. The one in my BLF-TE (comparison colour) is swapped – it’s an XM-L2 U4 1A as far as I remember.
I wonder if they have put different colours in the GT’s?
Mine was the same, Royal Mail 48. As you say, everything I’ve had from Gina before has had a customs sticker whereas this didn’t. There was a sticker underneath the RM on, but I don’t think it would have survived me taking the RM one off!
Noted about the retrospective charge mentioned by someone, although I think I’ll be ok.
bella-headlight wrote:
gravelmonkey wrote:
bella-headlight wrote:
Mine has now arrived in the Royal Mail Cardiff sorting office, some 20 miles from me, as of midnight last night
I have received no communication from customs so there can“t be any VAT or courier handling fees to be paid
It can only be a day or 2 away from me
Tuigali wrote:
GT arrived today, without any extra letters re customs.
Considering HK customs seemed intent on me not having it, sending it back THREE times, I’d say it’s been a relatively quick process.
Thanks to all involved, can’t wait for a large search at night to come in at work so I can use it properly
Bear in mind it’s not unheard of for delivery companies (DHL especially) to send an invoice a few weeks after delivery asking for VAT and handling payment.
Mine was delivered by Royal Mail tracked 48 hour service & came from a London address.
It looks to me like Lumintop shipped the light to London & then someone in London shipped it to me via Royal Mail.
Who was yours delivered by ?
Funny you should say that Nev…….. it is not in the least bit warm in real life. The one in my BLF-TE (comparison colour) is swapped – it’s an XM-L2 U4 1A as far as I remember.
I wonder if they have put different colours in the GT’s?
People really blew the tint out of proportion IMHO.
In real life it should look like a small sun with just a hint of warmth to it when in turbo mode.
Now at low and moon modes it can look warmer but who uses a thrower in low modes?
That’s good to know, I don’t like warm or nichia tints ,to me they look dull & dim ,I’m not too keen on neutral either , but the GT may be different as it’s got some power behind it which would cancel the dim-dullness out lol.
That’s good to know, I don’t like warm or nichia tints ,to me they look dull & dim ,I’m not too keen on neutral either , but the GT may be different as it’s got some power behind it which would cancel the dim-dullness out lol.
Yeah, I don’t think anyone will accuse it of being dull or dim, particularly up close lol.
I was among the first 555 but i have no email or tracking number or any hint of an arriving GT yet…|
Should i be worried?
No, there are still about 50 orders not shipped and the last batch that was shipped the tracking numbers were not sent out. Martin has a list that he has been sending to people but we are not sure how accurate it is. It was obviously done in a rush. You can find the link to it in the OP.
I don’t know about blowing the tint out of proportions, but it is certainly the warmest tint I have. I’ve been trying hard to get accustomed to it, I seem to like it better sometimes than others. Maybe my Gt got an emitter on the lower edge of the spectrum. On the plus side I am glad that others are enjoying it. Either way I can always get RMM at mountain to do an emitter swap if I choose to eventually.
I don’t know about blowing the tint out of proportions, but it is certainly the warmest tint I have. I’ve been trying hard to get accustomed to it, I seem to like it better sometimes than others. Maybe my Gt got an emitter on the lower edge of the spectrum. On the plus side I am glad that others are enjoying it. Either way I can always get RMM at mountain to do an emitter swap if I choose to eventually.
You just hit on the truth of the matter.
Tint is largely dependent on what you are used to. It is a VERY relative thing as your eyes and brain will grow accustomed to whatever tint you expose it to.
If you look at some CW lights and then turn ont he GT or shine them side by side, then yes, the GT will look warm.
Use it all by itself without anything else biasing your eyes and brain and it looks much more neutral.
I was playing with some tints the other day and it is funny how one minute 4500k can look warm and the next it can look cool all because of what you are comparing it to.
11.02.2018 03:37:50
1 day Item despatched to Transshipment hub SHENZHEN cPacket Express
11.02.2018 03:42:14
1 day Received shipment
Shenzhen cPacket Express
11.02.2018 03:43:14
1 day Processed at origin hub
Shenzhen cPacket Express
13.02.2018 07:23:15
3 day On Vehicle to Transshipment Hub
Shenzhen cPacket Express
15.02.2018 02:45:10
5 day Electronic information submitted by shipper RICHMOND cPacket Express
15.02.2018 19:50:00
5 day Uplifted from Transshipment Hub HONGKONG
Not sure what that last one means (Uplifted from Transshipment Hub)… but I am happy to see that its on its way to me! Thanks to everyone involved in any and ever way with this project, your hard work and dedication is greatly and truly appreciated!
Exact same tracking for me, only a few minutes apart. Don’t know what « uplifted » means, but it sounds good
From what I understand, it looks like a carrier in Richmond BC will get the parcel and will send it through Canada Post. The tracking # works on the CP website but it’s stuck at « Electronic information submitted by shipper ».
TA you have a point on that for sure. When I got my first q8 it was a lot different than my 5700-6500k lights. I have since the come to really love the 5000k color temp. This is why I am still using the stock 4000k emitter. I really want to leave it stock and I’m using it without other cooler lights around. We don’t get much snow here but we had a rare 5inches last month and the GT was beautiful in the white snow surroundings. It really lit an entire tree line up at a distance of .9 miles. My grandmother actually lives down a hill out of sight next to that tree line and I got her to go out on her front porch and look up at the trees. I turned the gt on turbo and she sucked in a breath and asked where I was. She thought I was close to her house and was amazed when she found out I was on my back deck nearly a mile away. Unbelievable light you guys developed for sure
Sorry Laternenmichi but the group buy has ended here. Once they are available for sale member M4D M4X will be able to get you a discount most likely.
-Joey
Cheers
Sorry Laternenmichi but the group buy has ended here. Once they are available for sale member M4D M4X will be able to get you a discount most likely.
-Joey
Cheers
Oh! that makes me really sad. I followed the whole development of the lamp here in the forum. unfortunately i had an accident at the beginning of November and i was in the hospital for the last 4 months. I am back home now and now this message.
Bad luck!
Sorry Laternenmichi but the group buy has ended here. Once they are available for sale member M4D M4X will be able to get you a discount most likely.
-Joey
Cheers
Oh! that makes me really sad. I followed the whole development of the lamp here in the forum. unfortunately i had an accident at the beginning of November and i was in the hospital for the last 4 months. I am back home now and now this message.
Bad luck!
Keep an eye out in the for sale section, they go up for sale from time to time.
Sorry Laternenmichi but the group buy has ended here. Once they are available for sale member M4D M4X will be able to get you a discount most likely.
-Joey
Cheers
Oh! that makes me really sad. I followed the whole development of the lamp here in the forum. unfortunately i had an accident at the beginning of November and i was in the hospital for the last 4 months. I am back home now and now this message.
Bad luck!
Keep an eye out in the for sale section, they go up for sale from time to time.
My BLF GT came!. I’m in the UK and used registered for those who wonder and didn’t get hit by any customs. Thanks to the team and all involved – it’s an amazing light.
I don’t know about the UK, but sounds implausible. A company sending an invoice to a customer who never ordered anything from them. Just signing to receive one’s own belongings hardly makes one responsible for purchasing anything else from a courier company. But then again, I don’t know about the UK and how Draconian laws you might have in place.
Quite possible they could if they really guesstimated VAT and already paid for it. Sound like fraud, but if this is the standard procedure, might be OK, thus requiring the recipient to actually pay. It’s a very foreign idea to me that a private company could conspire with the customs to forge a receipt to be used for charging some random amount of VAT from a citizen. The proper procedure would be the Customs to contact the recipient and bill them.
I’m not saying you are wrong, but it was always my understanding that the typical air mail we use today is also “registered mail” by definition.
The “slow boat from China” often refers to air mail, too. The economy option can be really slow even when the carrier decides to use air mail from, say, Mainland China to a European country. There could be lots of delay before and after the flight part of the journey. Air transit could be comparably very cheap if you don’t need the next flight and could do with any suitable connection within the next two weeks.
The reasoning is similar to airline passenger tickets: sometimes you can book flights for a price that would hardly cover fuel. It’s just better business to have something extra on board instead of nothing more when you’re flying anyway and the aircraft is not even half full.
The same applies to non-aviation logistics. It’s going to be cheaper to transport goods on rubber wheels when you don’t need it delivered ASAP and it can just be covered in a pile of other non-critical parcels using an almost First In, Last Out principle.
Arrived here, registered with batteries. Just waiting on the batteries charging. Thanks to all the GT team
The way it works in the UK is like this
1. If the item is being shipped from the sender to the buyer via eg DHL the entire journey, then DHL contact the buyer when the item reaches the UK to charge the buyer the amount of VAT due plus a processing fee as they then pay VAT to customs on your behalf .
2. If the item is being delivered within the UK by the Royal Mail (UK postal service) customs contact you & you have to pay the VT before the item is released to be delivered to you.
Either way, as far as I know anyway, you have to pay VAT before you receive an item as you are given the choice of not paying VAT & not receiving the item.
I do not believe that I will be receiving a retrospective bill after I have received this package.
One other thing I noticed about my package apart from the fact there is no mention of the package coming from Hong Kong on the labelling just a London address, is that there is no value what so ever on the labelling.
This reinforces my belief that the package was sent to somebody in the UK first then posted from there to me as a separate, internal to the UK, shipping transaction.
Ian
Went out tonight and did a few poor beamshots, was only on my phone. managed to hit a reflector on a building almost exactly 2 miles away! it has a small white light on it too – you can’t see the reflector in the photo sadly as the pics are from the beach.
Lovely night for it – I shone it from Henry VIII’s Sandsfoot Castle (the window opposite the door in the photo below to the last light building on the middle section of Portland Breakwater (Portland end) – Google Earth shows it as 1.99 Miles! Had a bit of a burn up with my BLF -TE and it was nearly as far, just way less powerful!
The BLF Flashlight / Accessory / Battery / Spares Retailers Thread with Discount Codes
Nice shots Goose!
Can’t wait for my GT
WTB: Jetbeam TCR-1 or Sunwayman V10R Ti
17Track says my packages arrived in The Netherlands!
Woohoo!
WTB: Jetbeam TCR-1 or Sunwayman V10R Ti
It may be your camera but that beam looks like cool white.
I’m really happy that you guys are finally getting your GTs. It is certainly worth the wait imho! Cheers!
Funny you should say that Nev…….. it is not in the least bit warm in real life. The one in my BLF-TE (comparison colour) is swapped – it’s an XM-L2 U4 1A as far as I remember.
I wonder if they have put different colours in the GT’s?
The BLF Flashlight / Accessory / Battery / Spares Retailers Thread with Discount Codes
Is that the ‘Consignment received at the PostNL Acceptance Centre’ status?
Mine was the same, Royal Mail 48. As you say, everything I’ve had from Gina before has had a customs sticker whereas this didn’t. There was a sticker underneath the RM on, but I don’t think it would have survived me taking the RM one off!
Noted about the retrospective charge mentioned by someone, although I think I’ll be ok.
People really blew the tint out of proportion IMHO.
In real life it should look like a small sun with just a hint of warmth to it when in turbo mode.
Now at low and moon modes it can look warmer but who uses a thrower in low modes?
Texas Avenger Driver Series
My LED Test series - XP-L2 V5 - Nichia 219C 90+ CRI - Latticebright "XM-L" - XHP35 & PWM efficiency - XHP50 - XP-L V5 - XM-L2 U2 - XP-G3 S5 - XP-L HI V2 - Oslon Square & direct comparison to Djozz tests - Nichia 319A - Nichia 219B 9080 CRI - Nichia 219C D320 - Nichia 229AT - XHP70.2 P2 - XHP50.2 J4 - Samsung LH351D
Easy comparison tool for all my LED tests
Hey guys,
I was among the first 555 but i have no email or tracking number or any hint of an arriving GT yet…|
Should i be worried?
That’s good to know, I don’t like warm or nichia tints ,to me they look dull & dim ,I’m not too keen on neutral either , but the GT may be different as it’s got some power behind it which would cancel the dim-dullness out lol.
Yeah, I don’t think anyone will accuse it of being dull or dim, particularly up close lol.
Texas Avenger Driver Series
My LED Test series - XP-L2 V5 - Nichia 219C 90+ CRI - Latticebright "XM-L" - XHP35 & PWM efficiency - XHP50 - XP-L V5 - XM-L2 U2 - XP-G3 S5 - XP-L HI V2 - Oslon Square & direct comparison to Djozz tests - Nichia 319A - Nichia 219B 9080 CRI - Nichia 219C D320 - Nichia 229AT - XHP70.2 P2 - XHP50.2 J4 - Samsung LH351D
Easy comparison tool for all my LED tests
No, there are still about 50 orders not shipped and the last batch that was shipped the tracking numbers were not sent out. Martin has a list that he has been sending to people but we are not sure how accurate it is. It was obviously done in a rush. You can find the link to it in the OP.
Texas Avenger Driver Series
My LED Test series - XP-L2 V5 - Nichia 219C 90+ CRI - Latticebright "XM-L" - XHP35 & PWM efficiency - XHP50 - XP-L V5 - XM-L2 U2 - XP-G3 S5 - XP-L HI V2 - Oslon Square & direct comparison to Djozz tests - Nichia 319A - Nichia 219B 9080 CRI - Nichia 219C D320 - Nichia 229AT - XHP70.2 P2 - XHP50.2 J4 - Samsung LH351D
Easy comparison tool for all my LED tests
I don’t know about blowing the tint out of proportions, but it is certainly the warmest tint I have. I’ve been trying hard to get accustomed to it, I seem to like it better sometimes than others. Maybe my Gt got an emitter on the lower edge of the spectrum. On the plus side I am glad that others are enjoying it. Either way I can always get RMM at mountain to do an emitter swap if I choose to eventually.
What day do you think I should remind you of?
Sorry for my bad English (gogole transtorla)
After Neal is back for sure, I figure it will be at least another week before we hear any kind of semi-consistent communication with china.
Texas Avenger Driver Series
My LED Test series - XP-L2 V5 - Nichia 219C 90+ CRI - Latticebright "XM-L" - XHP35 & PWM efficiency - XHP50 - XP-L V5 - XM-L2 U2 - XP-G3 S5 - XP-L HI V2 - Oslon Square & direct comparison to Djozz tests - Nichia 319A - Nichia 219B 9080 CRI - Nichia 219C D320 - Nichia 229AT - XHP70.2 P2 - XHP50.2 J4 - Samsung LH351D
Easy comparison tool for all my LED tests
You just hit on the truth of the matter.
Tint is largely dependent on what you are used to. It is a VERY relative thing as your eyes and brain will grow accustomed to whatever tint you expose it to.
If you look at some CW lights and then turn ont he GT or shine them side by side, then yes, the GT will look warm.
Use it all by itself without anything else biasing your eyes and brain and it looks much more neutral.
I was playing with some tints the other day and it is funny how one minute 4500k can look warm and the next it can look cool all because of what you are comparing it to.
Texas Avenger Driver Series
My LED Test series - XP-L2 V5 - Nichia 219C 90+ CRI - Latticebright "XM-L" - XHP35 & PWM efficiency - XHP50 - XP-L V5 - XM-L2 U2 - XP-G3 S5 - XP-L HI V2 - Oslon Square & direct comparison to Djozz tests - Nichia 319A - Nichia 219B 9080 CRI - Nichia 219C D320 - Nichia 229AT - XHP70.2 P2 - XHP50.2 J4 - Samsung LH351D
Easy comparison tool for all my LED tests
Exact same tracking for me, only a few minutes apart. Don’t know what « uplifted » means, but it sounds good
From what I understand, it looks like a carrier in Richmond BC will get the parcel and will send it through Canada Post. The tracking # works on the CP website but it’s stuck at « Electronic information submitted by shipper ».
Excuse my stupid question guys.
Is it still possible to order a gt here?
If so, can you explain to me in easy-to-understand english how to do it?
TA you have a point on that for sure. When I got my first q8 it was a lot different than my 5700-6500k lights. I have since the come to really love the 5000k color temp. This is why I am still using the stock 4000k emitter. I really want to leave it stock and I’m using it without other cooler lights around. We don’t get much snow here but we had a rare 5inches last month and the GT was beautiful in the white snow surroundings. It really lit an entire tree line up at a distance of .9 miles. My grandmother actually lives down a hill out of sight next to that tree line and I got her to go out on her front porch and look up at the trees. I turned the gt on turbo and she sucked in a breath and asked where I was. She thought I was close to her house and was amazed when she found out I was on my back deck nearly a mile away. Unbelievable light you guys developed for sure
Sorry Laternenmichi but the group buy has ended here. Once they are available for sale member M4D M4X will be able to get you a discount most likely.
-Joey
Cheers
Oh! that makes me really sad. I followed the whole development of the lamp here in the forum. unfortunately i had an accident at the beginning of November and i was in the hospital for the last 4 months. I am back home now and now this message.
Bad luck!
Keep an eye out in the for sale section, they go up for sale from time to time.
Texas Avenger Driver Series
My LED Test series - XP-L2 V5 - Nichia 219C 90+ CRI - Latticebright "XM-L" - XHP35 & PWM efficiency - XHP50 - XP-L V5 - XM-L2 U2 - XP-G3 S5 - XP-L HI V2 - Oslon Square & direct comparison to Djozz tests - Nichia 319A - Nichia 219B 9080 CRI - Nichia 219C D320 - Nichia 229AT - XHP70.2 P2 - XHP50.2 J4 - Samsung LH351D
Easy comparison tool for all my LED tests
It would be nice to find a gt there.
thx
Exactly!
WTB: Jetbeam TCR-1 or Sunwayman V10R Ti
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