“I am pretty sure most people would really love to buy a light with 4000 to 4500k.. we made polls”
“so let’s make one in 3D and one in 7A.., If you use them together, you got your desired tint 5A/5D tint”

lightboks wrote:

“I am pretty sure most people would really love to buy a light with 4000 to 4500k.. we made polls”
“so let’s make one in 3D and one in 7A.., If you use them together, you got your desired tint 5A/5D tint”

huh.. i dont get it ?

Yeah, no one does

I get it

I tried to get 5A as an option, because it looks so nice in the last sample they sent…

At first, Neal wanted to do 3D and 1A only (~4900K and ~6700K). A cool white option would be nice to have, but not at the expense of offering nothing for the majority who wanted something warmer. So I tried to get him to do 5A. Or, ideally, 7A, 5A, 3D, and 2A (~3200K, ~4100K, ~4900K, ~5900K). But I guess he doesn’t want to do a ~4000K model with XP-L HI if there will eventually be a 4000K model with SST-20 or LH351D. And apparently not more than two options at launch. So he kinda decided on his own to do 7A and 3D.

I got an answer about a version without LEDs too.

Quote:

they don’t want to sell no led version
Afraid many issues

And now… we know the rest of the story. for now anyway
Thanks for the update TK.

TK, when is your sample scheduled to arrive?

candor wrote:

Eraursls1984 wrote:

Come on 5D. Fingers crossed!

+1

Definitely! This is my favorite. Not sure why this was skipped.

ToyKeeper wrote:

But I guess he doesn’t want to do a ~4000K model with XP-L HI if there will eventually be a 4000K model with SST-20 or LH351D.

That’s gonna be a bummer for some people, but it makes sense and is probably the smart decision for Neal and Lumintop.

It only makes sense now because they dragged their feet so much sourcing other LED choices. It’s like they are doubling down on dumb choices to fix their previous mistakes.

Yeah.

They should’ve just taken the 20% customs taxes hit on the LH351Ds from Mouser, maybe increase the LH351D’s light price to 31-32$US, and be done with it.

At this point they should make a version with whatever cheap LEDs they have leftover (like some garb XPG3’s). It would serve 3 purposes:

• Allow them to advertise high lumens
• Get rid of old LEDs
• Allow them to sell a version to people who dont care $5 cheaper
• Allow modders to buy this version and source their own LEDs

/\+1

The “spare parts bin” edition

ToyKeeper wrote:

I tried to get 5A as an option, because it looks so nice in the last sample they sent…

At first, Neal wanted to do 3D and 1A only (~4900K and ~6700K). A cool white option would be nice to have, but not at the expense of offering nothing for the majority who wanted something warmer. So I tried to get him to do 5A. Or, ideally, 7A, 5A, 3D, and 2A (~3200K, ~4100K, ~4900K, ~5900K). But I guess he doesn’t want to do a ~4000K model with XP-L HI if there will eventually be a 4000K model with SST-20 or LH351D. And apparently not more than two options at launch. So he kinda decided on his own to do 7A and 3D.

I got an answer about a version without LEDs too.

Quote:

they don’t want to sell no led version
Afraid many issues

And I can’t imagine that many would be interested in a 1A tint??

This is an ‘interesting” development to say the least & state the obvious. .

oweban wrote:

The “spare parts bin” edition

For the record, they’re welcome to put a bunny on the tail of mine AND a hole in the pocket clip if they also engrave “Spare Parts Edition” on the body. I want a font that looks either like stenciled spray paint or children’s crayon writing.

BlueSwordM wrote:

Yeah.

They should’ve just taken the 20% customs taxes hit on the LH351Ds from Mouser, maybe increase the LH351D’s light price to 31-32$US, and be done with it.

yea i know, i would pay 35$ easy if that emitter would be possible soon which was also the reason i jumped in on this light but guess not for the moment.

BurningPlayd0h wrote:

ToyKeeper wrote:

But I guess he doesn’t want to do a ~4000K model with XP-L HI if there will eventually be a 4000K model with SST-20 or LH351D.

That’s gonna be a bummer for some people, but it makes sense and is probably the smart decision for Neal and Lumintop.

I am full of gratitude that CCT is a topic for discussion with this manufacturer. Some other manufacturers just keep cranking out lights with angry blue tint and low cri no matter what we say.

So, thank you everyone involved and thank you Lumintop for at least trying to accommodate our very picky membership (myself included).

Same thing.

I’d pay 35$US for an LH351D light too.

Heck, I’d pay the same price for the LH351D and XP-L HI version.

/\ +1 . That would be great iamlucky13.

iamlucky13 wrote:

oweban wrote:

The “spare parts bin” edition

For the record, they’re welcome to put a bunny on the tail of mine AND a hole in the pocket clip if they also engrave “Spare Parts Edition” on the body. I want a font that looks either like stenciled spray paint or children’s crayon writing.

And agreed, I was here late in the piece so no chance to vote on things, but would have happily paid more for LH351D if logistics was a cost issue.

So I noticed Sofirn has an LH351D light on the market already (BLF SP36). I guess it’s not impossible to get that emitter in China.

and Wuben

which Wuben?

The Wuben TO50R HC is a 21700 quad with USB charging, a boost driver, and 90 CRI LH351Ds. Zebralight also uses them and has their lights made in China.

But Zebralight has its official headquarters in the US, and Wuben lights usually aren’t cheap unless you get them from BLF group buys. Neal and Lumintop may not have access to the same kind of supply chains they do. Sofirn, on the other hand seems to me to have much more in common with Lumintop as a company. It would surprise me if there are things Sofirn can get with relative ease that Lumintop cannot.

Will this light work with protected 18650 cells? I have a bunch of them and need to get some uses out of them.

tsouzee wrote:

Will this light work with protected 18650 cells? I have a bunch of them and need to get some uses out of them.

No, protected cells are generally 69mm long, so they don’t fit.

Flat-top or button-top unprotected cells should work though. Something around 65mm or 66mm long is ideal.

Caleb wrote:

I am full of gratitude that CCT is a topic for discussion with this manufacturer. Some other manufacturers just keep cranking out lights with angry blue tint and low cri no matter what we say.

Yeah… I’m looking at you, Olight.

*grumble, grumble* 7500K, really? *grumble, grumble*

It’s definitely nice that companies like Lumintop pay more attention to enthusiast groups like BLF. What we get may not be perfect, but it’s a whole lot better than what’s available elsewhere.

So… some news.

I got a surprise visit from DHL with a FW3A sample. I’m still testing it, but here are some initial notes…

The good:

• Everything seems to work fine so far.
• The optic is the correct type.
• The spring hasn’t had anything flake off like in the previous sample.
• The driver spring is slightly shorter to accommodate slightly longer cells.
• The driver appears to be at the correct depth this time.
• Button-top unprotected cells fit. I tried one 66.8 mm long and it was fine.
• The driver and tail PCBs appear to have been upgraded from a green board with silver-colored traces to a purple board with copper traces. It’s also really clean and has extra labels on it, while the previous board was fairly dirty and somewhat damaged.
• The dark-colored clip doesn’t use black paint like on a SK-68 or a SWM V11R. It seems to be a different type of finish, like it was oiled and heat-treated or something like that. It looks like polished hematite, or perhaps smoked chrome or gunmetal chrome. I don’t know how durable it is, but it looks nice.

The bad:

• The clip ring has expanded from 25.5 mm to 26.1 mm in diameter, so it sticks out a little. I already asked about changing this, but it sounds like the clips have already been produced so it’s too late to change.

Other:

• The tail is not glued.
• The clip is a bit more stiff than the earlier versions.
• The driver is still very slightly off center, but apparently not enough to effect anything.
• The driver retaining ring on mine seems pretty stuck so I haven’t been able to get it out to look at the top side of the driver. I probably just need a better tool though.
• The button is somehow even clickier now than in the previous sample. The feeling has really improved a lot since early prototypes.

It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good. Unless something goes wrong in testing (like if other sample units don’t work), it seems like it’s probably ready to ship.