Eh, at least Texas_Ace got the driver and UI up to snuff.
Sure, the optics could be better, but besides a lack of optics efficiency, it still seems like a good light.
Ps, Most folks don’t care about efficiency. Sad, but true.
All true. For example, I don't see thermal regulation as an important issue - my hand lets me know these things, while for others it's a don't buy. For me the loss of 25% is a don't buy reason - I'm ok with losing 25% for some real benefit, like a nice milky white beam and high CRI for example, as opposed to a bluish bright white.
And here I thought Astrolux had nothing more to improve. Is it too soon for discussion on the S44. 
Which seems the same as the one Manker is using for the E14 and E14 II (69.95:money_mouth_face: and most probably the Timeback II (159,95:money_mouth_face:.
Yep - the clipped optics looks the same and the thin 2 legs are there as well: http://www.mankerlight.com/manker-e14-ii-2200-lumens-usb-rechargeable-flashlight-high-drain-18650-battery/
Thinner MCPCB, closer LED's, thick front plastic, thinner legs -- all the wrong decisions.
I got my S43S in today.
Test results are here.
I got same lumens as Maukka, but an amp draw of 18.6A with a 30Q.
I also noticed the bezel was losing output.
Did anybody try switching the S43S to the S42 bezel to see how much difference it might make in OTF lumens? I’m also interested in output numbers with the 18350 tube, since that’s what the light comes with (or did when I bought).
I didn’t get an ANSI reading as the light stepped down at 25 secs when I tried to get it! Though when I runtime tested it in turbo it lasted 45 seconds!!! aaaarggghhhh
All I got is the short tube too, so didn't do any formal tests. I could though with an Aspire 18350 cell - think they are still the best one? I do have a S42 and my S43S bezel is now modded. I didn't compare bezels.
Well, I tried switching the bezels on mine today S42 <—> S43S and it didn’t work. The S43S bezel would go on the S42, but not the S42 bezel on the S43S (the actual one I want). 
My S42S parts fit fine on my S43S. I donated my S42 for hurricane relief, so I can’t check that version.
chinooker, yeah, I thought so. Martin showed his lego’ed flashlights in the S43S sales thread a while back too. My S42 bezel seems to thread onto the S43S just a single thread or so, then stop turning. I may try again some time. Or I may just Foybezel the S43S like Tom E did to his. A small benefit to that is that the name of the flashlight is on the bezel. So it would still match.
The S41, S42 and S43 use the same optic.
And someone did a S41 from Quad to Triple. Mabe in the mod thread
What’s the deal with the soft ramp on the pulses?
Do other flashlights look like that? Is that an artifact of the sensor, or something else? Is the FET turning on slowly?
DEL may have had posts showing PWM's on the Q8 driver in the big Q8 thread - again, DEL is the EE who designed the original Q8 driver which is the basis for all the FET+1 designs we are seeing in the china lights, either officially (ex: S43S) or unofficially (ex: Amutorch AX3). We got a 47 ohm inline and a 100K pull to grnd on the FET gate - dunno if that explains it or not.
eas: is the soft ramp a good thing or bad thing? Boy, wish I had a memory - think I lost mine but forget when... 
IF the shape of the light measurement mirrors the pulses of current through the FET then it would appear that it is spending most of its time as a resistor, rather than a switch. I’m not an EE, but I’m pretty sure that’s not good.
The flip-side is that too steep a ramp can generate lots of high-frequency noise, which is not good either. It can cause interference in nearby devices (probably not an issue with metal enclosed flashlights) and make problems for MCUs.
very, very detailed. as usually )
thanx
So, got this light in this week with the 18650 tube. Is it normal for the direction of the tube to matter?
I had a heck of a time getting this light to work even with a fully charged Q30. Then on a lark I flipped the tube around - and it works now! Is this a thing with this light? I didn’t have any more time to fiddle with this last night, but is there something I should check? Thanks folks.
Sometimes yes. Whether it matters is very dependant on the light and tube.
In the case of the smooth S43 long tube, the ends look identical at first glance, but one end is about 1mm longer than the other.
Thanks Jason! It apparently matters with the short tubes as well. Same thing for the special edition Red and Green S43’s also. Flip them around and they don’t work.
One threaded end is a bit shorter than the other (as you observed). If the wrong end is screwed into the head the body of the tube doesn’t appear to reach the back face of the electronics and won’t close the circuit.