Could I also get the code please, if possible.
Thanks. 
It’s funny you mention that, since I still have RockBox on my old music player. I even made a theme for it:
“:I ordered this light last week and was notified by Bangood that it was out of stock until Oct 19. I don’t have any 18640 batteries though. I was thinking of adding a couple from Bangood or buying from Battery Junction. Lots of brands to choose from. Recommendations on best choices please. I m relatively new to lights. Thanks. Jerry
These are probably the best you can get for the BLF A6:
MtnElectronics and Illumn are the best sources for these things in the US.
See discussion: How about best 18650 bang for the buck
Also reference document: Battery test-review 18650 summary
For the BLF A6 Special Edition, you probably will want a high drain battery to maximize the output. I would suggest picking up the Samsung 18650-30Q 3000mAh INR Li-ion Battery or Keeppower IMR 18650 3200mAh Battery. If you need a charger, I’d suggest the Nitecore D2 Digicharger.
I’ve only used protected cells in other sizes in the past and have not used 18650 before. I’m concerned about the safety of unprotected cells, after reading several threads here.
Are the Samsung unprotected safe with proper use? Samsung also
offers a 18650 protected. Better choice given my concern although less performance? Any opinions on this new one: Keeppower 18650 3500mAh (Black) 2015? Thanks. Jerry
Yes, key words: “Proper use” …Also the BLF A6 has some built in features for battery safety:
(Quote by TK from this post on the A6 thread): https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/31076?page=77#comment-785731
This may be similar or in fact may be the same cell, I believe it is currently the highest drain/highest capacity protected 18650 available:
http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=289
Probably your best choice if you’re not willing to run with the unprotected 30Q
i received mine today, ordered as soon as i got the code IIRC. I like the 3D tint, not sure how i like it compared to the 5A i already have, both seem to be nice tints :bigsmile:
Hopefully the quality control is better on the bare A6 than the anodized. I like everything about my black 3D A6 but reports of on-going manufacturing gaffs has me waiting on the sidelines. ToyKeeper’s UI and 3D tint is a winner. Thanks to all!
I got my bare 3D A6 today, but unfortunately it has the purple AR lens like the normal BLF A6. Otherwise it is in good condition.
It was reported by several members that the bare had no AR lens but at least my had the purple AR lens.
The stock A6 lens is 20.50mm x 1.5mm, i have ordered a plain glass one from kaidomain that is 20mm x 1mm i hope it fits, if anyone know about a lens that is closer in size and non AR please let me know
Cajampa:
Can you tell us more about the quality of the build? Any problems with:
- Reflector cleanliness
- Centered LED
- Thickness of body tube
- Quality of bare finish
- Springs
- O-rings
BTW, if the 20mm x 1mm lens doesn’t fit, you might trying removing the AR coating from the original lens. There are a lot of articles on the internet on how to do this … trial and error process to find a solution that works.
Ok,
The reflector was clean, but the glass was filthy they need to start using gloves assembling these because there was plenty of finger prints all over the body, but not the kind that couldn’t be wiped of though :).
The led’s was centered but the led plastic distance thingy was not, but that is just how these lights are if you close the head completely it gets a little of center twisted looking, but it is just to unscrew the bezel a tiny bit and it will center itself and look better, it doesn’t hurt function though and it is purely cosmetic.
The o-ring was on top of the glass where it should unlike my anodized first batch 3D BLF A6, at least i think it was there stock, i didn’t notice it before i had disassembled the head so there is as tiny chance i am mistaken, some of the other members with the bare A6 can hopefully confirm if they have fixed the o ring placement on there’s or not.
The tube walls look very nicely centered and i can’t by eye see any problem with them, unlike my first batch anodized A6 that was very noticeable off center, but it really don’t effect function so i am not bothered by it.
The springs look fine.
Quality of the bare finish, is not pristine there are some marks and scratches here and there, BUT remember there are a reason most flashlights are anodized. Aluminium are a very soft metal when untreated so the scratches it has now is just the start, if i am going to use this often it will very soon have many many more 
Any i really don’t care if there already are or will pick up scratches because i use flashlights in the dark 
if i wanted a shelf queen i would polish it (i might still do that just for fun ;)) or pick a Ti o SS light that don’t scratch that easy in use.
The only thing i was disappointed in was that they had screwed up the knurling on the tube, the last few lines where just messed up and it looked like some trainee’s first tube of something, but i am not overly concerned because i will use the shorty bare tube anyway
EDIT
Yes i know there are many articles about how to remove AR online but most seem to use crazy nasty :Sp fluoride acid based compounds, but you are right someday i will try out some of the less hazardous ways to remove AR.
Or just finally get some glass in the right thickness and start cutting my own lenses
Cajampa:
Thank you! Seems like there have been small improvements, but QC could still stand some improvement. 
FWIW, this is a properly-centered emitter. In the cases where the opening is slightly bigger than the emitter base, the twist actually helps it be centered better:
FWIW, titanium is generally not as hard as steel. Lighter than steel, and stronger by mass… but not as hard. So, not as good at minimizing scratches. Still typically harder than aluminum though.
Hello TK
Thanks for battery info and advice.
I ordered the Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA Protected 3500mAh
from MtnElectronics.
These batteries got great reviews from users on their website btw.
Good batteries, but the extra runtime on low/med modes costs some lumens and runtime at the high end. It’s likely to drop from ~1400 to ~1200 lumens, with less runtime on turbo than what a high-amp cell would get. The difference won’t be as noticeable without the springs bypassed though, and personally I use mostly the low/med modes so if you’re like me it’s probably a win.
Basically, high-mAh cells run longer at low-to-medium levels… high-amperage cells produce brighter output and run longer at high levels. And the protection circuit increases resistance a bit and thus reduces maximum brightness in exchange for an extra layer of risk reduction.
When I tried to close up my head, I noticed that the reflector snugged up to the LED while I was screwing it down. This was okay for the first few turns, while the head freely turned without the reflector spinning. However, once the head screwed down sufficiently for the reflector to start squeezing the o-ring, I noticed that the reflector seemed to be putting a lot of pressure on the led as I kept screwing the head in. I became alarmed that the pressure might be sufficient to either shear the LED emitter off the pill or cause the white “square opening” portion of the reflector to ride up and over the led, de-doming it. So, I used a razor blade to make a hole sufficiently large enough to allow the reflector to freely spin without putting any side pressure on the emitter.
Was I right to be alarmed? Or did I overreact? :quest:
Here’s the results of what I did:
I have opened and closed (carefully) the head of the bare A6 a bunch of times and so far it hasn’t hurt the led and i don’t think it will.
BUT i am not worried about it because i know how to reflow a led, and i have plenty of XP-L V6 3D’s if something would happen like an accidental dedome, if i didn’t know how to fix it i would probably be more worried when closing and opening the bezel.
So opening up the plastic reflector center thingy is probably not a bad idea if someone want to lessen the risk of damaging the led