I posted on r/flashlights earlier today about a new design I had for a body tube for the DM11 that did away with the “cheese grater” knurling in favor of a more D4 style. Here is a render of how it would look. I did briefly look into fitting a 26xxx sized cell however it doesn’t seem possible without a radically different design to accommodate the larger diameter and still allow it to thread into the DM11 head.
A rough price estimate would be 15-25 dollars, the large price range is due to me being unsure of what volume would be ordered. For context, 100 units would result in a per unit cost of 20 dollars. Shipping would take roughly 1-2 months after placing the order, I am based in the USA but I can ship internationally. They would be made of aluminum 6061 and anodized (only one color due to minimum order volume issues, this would be decided in a poll or unless a large enough quantity was ordered to allow for different colors. If a large enough volume is ordered I could do multiple colors). Please let me know if you have any questions, my apologies if I’m late to respond, this is my first time using BLF.
I hid the results so that anyone who was filling it out for the first time could not be biased by the already existing results, a common strategy employed by modern polls. I didn’t mean to give an impression of not being transparent, and will happily make the results public.
Oh hey, that would do away with the one reason I’m passing my DM11 on. I do have a suggestion/ request though- why not go all the way and add K1-style USB charging? I think this light more than deserves it.
It’s certainly a good idea and one I would love to implement, however I think it is outside the scope of this project. My goal is to create a body tube alone, which is a machining operation and anodization operation only. To implement USB charging it adds a new layer of complexity and cost, though perhaps in the future it is something I could look into doing if this project is successful.
I’ll have a look if perhaps there’s a ready made solution available on the market. What’s the minimum viable order quantity on the machining/ SF alone? Perhaps a batch could be made with a dummy PTFE/ nylon plug and a brass passthrough until the charger module is ready…
I did actually look into this and I’m afraid it won’t be very possible due to the difference in cell diameter. To fit a 26xxx sized cell the battery tube has to be significantly wider and could no longer thread on without some really funky geometry which would essentially be a flare in the middle of the body.
Well then I stand corrected, thank you for letting me know! I’ll look into it as an option then perhaps for the 9.3, or another light if there’s interest
Will it be cheaper if we just machine an extension tube for any of the existing 26650/26350 tube available out there on the market such as the D4SV2’s tubes since we can purchase the tube separately and just LEGO it using the adapter?
