I saw the FW3A photo sharing I received…
Want to know if the FW3A looks different in color?
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I am looking forward to it.(7A.3D)
Order on April 29 (#3601),
On May 8, I received news from Neal, and then he should have been busy with little babies.
trying to buy a couple of fw3a and i’m getting this text. Who else is going through this?
Just received my order today in Texas, two 3D lights, a holster, and one battery. They both work great in default mode (as shipped). I’m a happy camper just waiting for the night!
My neighbor ordered one 3D flashlight with battery and holster. It was dead on arrival. He was very upset after waiting two years for something that didn’t even work. I went over to calm the boy down and tightened the driver lock ring at least half a round to secure the driver and that fixed it.
Double thanks to all who made this possible.
Note: I’m referring to the lock ring in the head, not the tail.
Sounds like in addition to the warning not to loosen the tailcap, the FW3A should ship with a warning that “in case your light doesn’t work, loosen the tailcap and then tighten it”.
Just received my first FW3A! I will definitely be ordering more once the SST-20’s are ready!
As a side note, I was pleased to see that the moonlight mode is significantly lower than a D4. Not ZL low, of course, but much more usable than my D4’s.
Thanks so much, FW3A team!!
I’ve been asked about the effect of the AR lens a couple times. Here’s a quick test with my Viltrox work light. A slight increase to Duv and CCT but nothing too major.
Transmittance: 98.9%
| Measurement | Without lens | With lens |
| CCT | 4117K | 4147K |
| Duv | –0.0054 | –0.0044 |
| CRI (Ra) | 96.3 | 96.6 |
| CRI (R9) | 90.0 | 92.2 |
I totally agree, like most anything else with this light or in life; it boils down to personal preference. :+1:
You find it “slippery” for your preferrer grip, I find it perfectly & easily gripped… no matter how I hold it.
I like a certain CCT, you like another, & someone else likes a third choice. Some like the clip, some hate it, & some could care less.
And so it goes… on & on. 
. No right or wrong really… just personal preferences, wants, & opinions. :+1:
One question, if your holding the light in your hand pointing forward; how do you adjust it… with the other hand?
I flip the light 180 degrees in my hand which puts my thumb on the button. After adjusting, I flip it back. Entire thing is a 1-handed operation, but during the flip, I’m pretty much holding the light entirely by the smooth portion of the body tube which isn’t secure.
OK …. 
. I understand it now.
You don’t find that awkward?? I guess not since you do it. 
I just flip my index finger on top, going right into the “cigar grip”; and press the button with my thumb & then drop the index finger back under the light going right back to holding the light again.
Picture? The ’oogle is quite unhelpful at clarifying this.
Got mine, wudda gr8 light!!
Thanks FW3A Team & BLF!
I think I’m getting a psychic message from Fritz. Let’s see what’s happening on the Fritz cam…
Okay, that checks out.
But seriously, it sounds like you’d probably be more satisfied with a side-switch light.
The Fritz cam! Of course, it all makes sense now.
I’ve tried my best to keep up with the thread…and looked for reviews that might answer these questions….but don’t see them. Could someone either help answer them or point me where the answers already are?
I haven’t bought the light yet, but have a code to buy one. I originally wanted the LH351D version, but I see it’s probably not happening……so…trying to decide b/t XP-L HI version, waiting for SST version or not getting one at all…please don’t shoot me (if it matters, i already have an Emisar D4 XP-L HI 3D and Zebralight SC62w…mainly EDC the ZL due to bulk…but D4 gets mixed in occasionally….and honestly debating if I’ll want to bother adding the FW3A…although Anduril is mighty tempting…candlelight and all). So….
1. Can someone tell how long the Fw3A stays at the highest regulated mode (about 1000 lumens i think) before stepping down significantly or getting too hot to hold? (asking because that it the only real negative for my ZL…steps down from highest mode relatively quickly)
2. How would that compare to the SST version when it comes out, heat and temperature wise? (would the SST get hotter faster at 1000 lumens….or what?)
TIA!
Received the pair of FW3A's, one 3D, one 7A - wow, both in exc. condition!! They are super small and light, as everyone else is say'n.
The 7A didn't work at first, but it had the same loose driver retaining ring problem. In fact when I took out the cell, the ring was almost out of the head. Simple fix - threaded it back in, tightened up after assembling, gave an extra twist to the tail, and it's work'n fine. Took a bunch of pics this eve.
3D on the left, 7A on the right:
The wood really brings out the difference. Was tweak'n settings to get the pics to look like what I was seeing here, and think they reproduce the differences well:
Dont' think the 3D looks this blue in real life though:
This is the ceiling shot of the lights as positioned above. Dunno why but it kind of, sort of looks like this. Not sure why but I do see some blue/green in the 3D. I think it's all relative though, next to the 7A:
Zoomed out a bit:
Another shot on the table. These are no where near ramp max, I think they are on the 1x7135:
This is next to an ol C20C, modded with an XPL HI 2700K triple bought from Richard at MtnE:
You can see below, the 2700K does appear slightly warmer than the 7A, as it should be:
Here you can see the 2700K does appear warmer than the 7A, but the colors don't quite match up. I have an Old Pana Lumix camera set for Auto white balance - other settings looks pretty bad, so I stay with Auto. It's good for relative comparisons though all in one shot:
Some Lumintop EDC family shots:
Below you can see the sometime loose driver retaining ring - it's quite thin and frail. If you need to tighten it up, be careful with it. The ring is just outside the PCB ring. You can see two notches to be able to use a tool, needlenose or something:
The 3D - little dirty in there but it's all good. Wires looks pretty thin - guessing 22 AWG or maybe 24 ?
The 7A LED's. I only saw those droplets in the pic - I removed them, they were hard, maybe rosin:
This is a not-so-easy light to measure at 30 secs. It's wayyyyy dang hot at 5 secs. Turn on numbers on fully charged VTC6A's:
- 3D: 3100 ANSI lumens (ANSI meaning based on maukka calibration sources)
- 7A: 2050 ANSI lumens
Now the 7A will definitely be a lower bin, so I'd expect lower output. also, my meter probably reads WW LED's low as well. My triple 2700K (U3 bin) in the C20C does a little lower than this FW3A 7A, yet it's optics is somewhat clipped and recessed down from the bezel, more so than the FW3A. Both have a good AR lens over the optic.
Now maybe it's the thin LED wires as well, but honestly, there is nothing to this flashlight - if you pick up the head, you can feel the weight of the copper MCPCB as you move it around. It's incredibly light weight - pros/cons. The outer shell get about instantly hot.
I re-configured Anduril's thermal mgt - set room temp, then set a higher max at about 60C and still it runs for only 5 secs before cranking down. I love the compact size though - a very easy carry.
All in all, both flavors are a winner! My pref has always been in the 4000K range, really like the XPL HI 5D's, so if I had to choose, I'd prefer the 7A tint, though the hit on output seems high. It's been raining all day here, so haven't gotten out with them.
The length is bout dead-on with the Amutorch AX3 - a dual LED, tiny reflectors, light. with mine running NarsilM and two XPL HI 5D's, it's a close match up with the FW3A, but the AX3 has the wider head, flared out chunkier pill like a D4, more weight. I got so many e-switch EDC's, I actually have to get used to a tail switch again 
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Ok, I'm convinced! How may I get a code, link, etc., still?
on 3 everybody …… 1….2……3 THANK YOU TOM!!!
Well, I cannot do this yet. I have payed for a light, but to no effect. Yes, I have to acknowledge that I have done that not immediately after I have received a notice, but… Looks like there was absolutely no control on who and how many lights orders.
So I am sitting now without money and without any shipment notification:
That’s the only way a GB here can work, when the codes are sent out can be based on the list but not shipments.
FWIW you’re nearly 500 orders past mine and my shipment just made it to the states a few days ago. I would bet money your order was right before the Chinese “labor day” type of holiday if pretty recent, and Neal’s wife gave birth not long after that so there were some delays for sure.
I think we’ve just barely hit the official ship date too, the first batch of lights came in earlier than expected so a few hundred of them went out more than a week ahead of schedule.
How I do not like it. Why in the pre-production version, the clip was so well-matched, did not extend beyond the body contour, and in the production version it protrudes so much? It spoils all the beauty of this flashlight. I get annoyed by such unfinished details.
