Interested
in for at least one…maybe two 
Well, I’m interested. Put me down for 3.
I’ll probably repeat a lot of what’s already been said but I’ll leave my few cents anyway.
As far as features go, I would prefer a TIR optic (but not too floody). With a high CRI emitter and an efficient driver. Detented off position would be lovely.
Strategically placed (thicc) knurling would be a good thing and the no-ano/SS ring should be slightly thicker than the rest of the body.
Suggested modes are fine, infinitely variable would be nice but not really necessary.
(Though if it ends up being variable then yes, please start from ~1lm but otherwise no.)
Regarding the charging port, like raven said, IPX7 and even IPX8 rated USB-C receptacles are a thing. The light needs to be designed around one and it needs to be implemented properly but I would pay a little bit extra for that.
Though that might be a bit too much to ask for in a ~20-25$ light, considering the BOM increase.
If someone wonders about the price, cheapest USB-C receptacles are ~0.1$ a piece in 100-1000+ quantities but if you add ingress protection then they start at around 1$.
Certainly not expensive but small things add up quickly and Sofirn needs to make a profit.
Though that was based on LCSC and glancing over some Alibaba listings I guess they could find something closer to 0.3-0.4$.
If an IPX7/8 port is not possible then hiding the charging port in the threads is the next best option in my opinion.
Since personally I find flaps to be fiddly, they will wear over time (no longer water resistant) or better yet just fall off.
Sure, with the in-threads-option an o-ring will wear as well but I’d say they’re lower maintenance? Threads will have grease so there’s probably going to be enough grease on the o-ring itself to reduce the wear rate. And if damaged then it’s relatively trivial to change.
Interested in one.
Current interest, BLF+TLF combined: 312 flashlights.
@sbslider: yes, a 18350 tube will be a cheap, easy and very nice addition, not neccesarily for around the house duty, but this light makes a pretty good EDC too with that. Added that to the wishlist.
Maybe 21350’s will be coming too.
There’s apparently a vaper on the market that can take 21350, but haven’t seen batteries yet.
(Yes, i know the title says 18650)
I think I’ve seen some 20350s.
(Googles)
Oh, yes indeed !
iJoy apparently.
The Waterproof USB Type-C Connectors look great for this purpose, but how long will it take for some Chinese manufacturer to start turning out the cheap copies needed? And can they copy it correctly without making something that leaks eventually? It can’t just be “good enough to sell” it has to be “good enough to serve” and stay that way for years.
They dont have to reinvent the wheel. They can just buy some cheap local off the shelves part. Even the lowest end cheap Huawei phones Ive tried have waterproof USB. Infact they work better than my Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which had water infiltrate and couldnt get back out causing tinny echos in the speakers.
I’m down for 2.
Interested in two.
In for 1!
In for two please.
It should perhaps get a mention that waterproof operation would require in addition to the suitably IP rated USB socket, that the electronics is so specified /designed that negligible volts appears on the socket terminals when disconnected. Especially true around salt water.
Also true around magnetic connectors I may add…
I’m in for one please
Chris
Mistake Correction Explanation
Recently I posted some comments within this thread which created a fuss. Upon re-reading these I observe that they are far too ambiguous and vague and as a result can read to appear to be rude and unhelpful. This is far from my intention. I will now try to take steps of correcting this matter.
Below I will re-post the comments with suitable explanation, amended as necessary and with appropriate disclaimer, away from the posts about the design of the light and charging system. Text specific to the light and charging, I’ll copy re-edited in follow-on post to keep that separate.
I wish to be as helpful as possible, but equally; do not feel it a good thing for posts or comments amongst adults to be nuked for putative Orwellian wrong-think or wrong-speak. Ideally; if a post is not spam and a problem is politely brought to the attention of person(s) concerned, they are going to want to re-edit posts themselves. This should hopefully make the forum run smoother.
When writing for too long, too late and too tired one is apt to make mistakes…
The charging port should be MAGNETIC!
- Probably won’t be as the remit of this project would view that as an extra expense.
- Probably won’t be as the added cost increase would place it outside of a practical manufacturing price.
N.B. Somehow there persists a gross lack of respect unto elders which permeates much thinking in the west. The elderly are too often seen as charity cases; if they are poor in their old age it is their own bloody fault and they’re obliged to be grateful for crumbs.
This comment was tacked on as an afterthought to an otherwise coherent discussion about magnetic charging. It is me voicing my opinions about provisioning for the elderly in general. Although I still stand by the comment, it should not have been placed where it was.
If they are read as an attack upon the OP they do indeed appear very highly rude. It was not my intention to appear to focus on the OP.
These comments were general and none were intended to be specific about BLF or any member. I have considered this until now much more of a group project with a shared responsibility so attacks are not seen as criticisms of any one person /people.
The view point is now revised that it is less of a group project than perhaps originally thought and my comments should be suitably amended to reflect the shift.
Basically; the manufacturing / pricing constraints are far more real on this light than on say BLF GT and thus different to what I’d originally imagined. Negotiations for with the manufacturer are hard won, so it is not fair to write so as to leave open the suggestion of responsibility for penny-pinching.
I might have come across as sounding callous and dismissive about the abilities the elderly, and therefore by extension also appearing disrespectful unto the relatives of forum members. The reason behind the critical approach was or is to stress-test the design requirements of the potential future design of the light by deliberately assuming absolute worst-case operating conditions ahead of what such a design might actually expect to encounter in practice.
That means challenging the participants to envisage the most decrepit senior-citizen; the least motivated, the least bright, least technically provisioned, etc. But it may suggest I was being crass wanton provocative or bad-mouthing other people’s relatives! I hope it is not seen that way.
Remember Kids: If they are POOR by time they are OLD they SCREWED UP and deserve it.
Please note that this is intended as a joke, to add some levity to an otherwise heavy topic and above all -to make people ponder how they individually might wish to price lights. Any sentence that begins: ‘Remember Kids…’ -is not to be taken too seriously!
As this thread progressed it has become clearer that the design of the light is not intended first and foremost to be a leading offering for the elderly /disabled. Rather, it will likely cover some of those requirements by way of overlap. Therefore; now I am not obliged to stress the needs of towards older people, in the way that I did previously.
The light I now treat as conceptually being sort of a reluctant-spouses light. RS; or ring-switched if you prefer! Blf-RS. Anyway, that to is a perfectly valid use-case where luxury of magnetic charging is not critical and I wish it every success.
Quote:
As you say : “They are most inconvenient when you can’t find the dock […] “ My well-meaning advice is the problem lies not that you have too may Olights; but rather not enough. With enough of them around you’d always be able to lay your hands on a charge kit…
BTW: You can order the cables separately from Olight so as to have spares to place in your travel-kit etc. Mean this as a real-world practical suggestion. – or Give Olights to your friends!
But Seriously:
You are highly mobile. Grandma is not. Nor is she dextrous. Plugging microform-factor connectors is no-joke. Seniotr citizens are prone to be forgetful. What works well for them is routine and certainty. They tend not-to charge around-pun intended but prefer the certainty of habit and place. So as others have already pointed out once a good spot, say by the entrance door, or next to the refrigerator is chose they will stick to it permanently.
What works in favour is despite being forgetful, senior citizens tend to be disciplined and come from an era when all devices had a fixed place. This is by far and away the most likely use scenario.
N.B. Docking encourages a responsible charging regime meaning the light is always kept on charge for when it wanted. Remember that in the past the universal practice was for the owner to fully use-up a battery before they took it out and got out another. This was responsible money-prudent practice. That is the way many shall still see it. You must let the light ‘die’ before you go on. Let that sink in. Even in the era of secondary cells myths circulate that in order to avoid memory effect the batteries should be fully discharged regularly. So a well meaning visitor, sternly warns the recipient of the torch that it must be drained to give the batteries exercise. You know the type…
The USB question had already occupied my thinking, it is not without merit. However, it must be maintained that for a disabled -as we should also consider them as a use case; and/or disabled-elderly or for plain elderly persons, they are going to be facing a tedious challenge bordering on cruelty by being made to link sub-miniature connectors! The finished product should therefore contain BOTH mag. port and usb port. -That’s the most responsible way. Lost charge leads can be replaced by a caring family member if this is an issue which, for the reasons explained above is unlikely to be the case.
Please put me on the List for 4 pieces