Old Lumens Flashlight Challenge 2019 - Final Results

Giveaways and Contests
1

Hello again everyone!

The Seventh Old Lumens/ BLF contest is now finished. (01:03:20)

Judging has completed and the final results are listed in post #2 below.

Well done everyone involved.

Didn't completely agree with the Judges decisions?...

See the results of the Peoples Choice award here.

.

.

Contest categories and rules:

All skill levels are very welcome and you may enter into only one of the three categories below with a single build or matching set thereof:

Hand Made:

  • Your light must be made from scratch.
  • You must make a build thread, show images, give explanation of the build progress.
  • Remember we can only judge on what you show us in your thread.
  • No outside services are allowed.
  • Single or multiple emitter, driver and alternate power configurations are allowed.
  • Should be a portable and battery operated light such as lanterns, headlamps and similar devices.
  • All small hand tools are acceptable, as well as these power tools:
    • Soldering gun/ station
    • Electric Drill/ Drill Press
    • Dremel style Rotary Tool
    • Electric Saws
    • Disc or Belt Sander

  • You may use some manufactured components such as reflectors, drivers, LEDs, O-rings, switches, lenses, clips, sheet metal and tubes etc.

  • You may not use manufactured flashlight parts such as a bezel, body, tail cap or head.

Machine Made:

  • Your light must be made from scratch.
  • You must make a build thread, show images, give explanation of the build progress.
  • Remember we can only judge on what you show us in your thread.
  • No outside services are allowed.
  • Single or multiple emitter, driver and alternate power configurations are allowed.
  • Should be a portable and battery operated light such as lanterns, headlamps and similar devices.
  • All machine shop tools are allowed, such as:
    • Lathe
    • End Mill
    • Programmed Automated machines
    • Standard 3D Printers
    • Plus all small hand tools

  • You may use some manufactured components such as reflectors, drivers, LEDs, O-rings, switches, lenses, clips, sheet metal and tubes etc.

  • You may not use manufactured flashlight parts such as a bezel, body, tail cap or head.

Modified Light Category:

  • This years bonus category!
  • Enter this category with a light you have modified or something you have modified for or into a light.
  • You must show us something that was modified by you and how it was done.
  • You can make a new thread or link to a mod you have posted on BLF within the stated timeframe.
  • You can build or modify by any means at your disposal and your mod can also be some form of self built flashlight attachment(s), clips, lanyards, paracord wraps, pouch or other related paraphernalia.

All Contestants:

Post your suitably titled Build Threads in the Giveaways and Contests forum category or links to your mods here.

I will keep a registry of all entries in Post #2 of this thread.

Thank you all sincerely, we look forward to watching your builds come to life!

Prize selection:

Winner of Hand Made has 1st choice followed by winner of Machine Made then winner of the Modified Light category and will continue in this repeating order as long as any prizes are left.

.

Winners and Prizes 2019 Contest:

01 - gchart - ReyLight Copper LAN - provided by ReyLight

- Nightwatch NSX3 - provided by NealsGadgets
01 - grin - Astrolux MF01S 18x SST-20 - provided by Banggood

- €30 Store Voucher - provided by Led4power
01 - Skylight - MT07vn Silver or a Mystery Light - provided by SkyLumen

- $35 Voucher for Any Items in stock from this thread - provided by kiriba-ru

02 - MtnDon - Wuben T70 + Extension Tube & Extra Cell - provided by Wuben

- $30 Store Voucher - provided by Virence.com
02 - pinkpanda3310 - Astrolux FT03 XHP50.2 Flashlight - provided by Banggood

- Up to 1kg Raw Materials from stock, shipped - provided by kiriba-ru
02 - MascaratumB - €30 Store Voucher - provided by Led4power

03 - YuvalS - Astrolux HL01 XPL/ SST-20 Headlamp - provided by Banggood

- Osram Boost HX on any DTP PCB x 2 - provided by Led4power
03 - MRsDNF - Precision 4-Sided Machinist Straight Edge - provided by kiriba-ru

- $50 worth of UCLp lens - provided by Flashlightlens.com
03 - CNCman - Manker U21 - provided by Manker

04 - Asian8640 - FireFlies ROT66 G2 - provided by FireFlies

- $50 worth of UCLp lens - provided by Flashlightlens.com
04 - alpg88 - SkilHunt S3 model - provided by SkilHunt

- $50 worth of UCLp lens - provided by Flashlightlens.com
04 - The Whispering - FW3S - provided by NealsGadgets

05 - Kame Sennin - FireFlies E07 - provided by FireFlies
05 - JoshK - ReyLight Copper Pineapple - provided by ReyLight

- $20 worth of UCLp lens - provided by Flashlightlens.com
05 - Flashy Mike - ThruNite TC15 - provided by ThruNite

06 - everydaysurvivalgear - Copper S2+ - provided by Convoy

- $20 worth of UCLp lens - provided by Flashlightlens.com
06 - lumenzilla - Maratac AAA Brass TPF - provided by CountyComm

07 - HandOnTheGlock - ThruNite T1 - provided by ThruNite
07 - teejay - Maratac AAA Brass TPF - provided by CountyComm

.

Judging the entries:

A panel of Judges composed of current BLF members from all walks of life and from different countries will judge the build entries to the competition.

What criteria do we Judge the contestants on?

  • Skill Level/ Finished Build Quality: Judged fairly on the persons access to tools, materials and abilities. Is the finished build functional & looking good? Difficult to make? Was the build completed, started or no work done at all?
  • Uniqueness/ Innovativeness of the build: Is the light unique, one of a kind or does it operate in a special way?
  • Build Thread Quality: Did the contestant do a good job of showing and explaining to the forum how they did the steps in the build? Good thread organization, pictures and descriptions of the methods used?
  • Purpose Built: Was the light purpose built for a specific use? Is it a special new EDC, upgrade or something for use that simply can't be bought easily?
  • Technical Details: Including new driver firmware, PCB designs, new technical ideas, programming and special switches etc.
  • Problem Solving & Obstacles: Were any specific problems encountered, documented and resolved by the contestant? Documenting the obstacles and using the power of the BLF community to solve them is seen as a big plus!
  • Enthusiasm to Participate: Did the contestant give it their best shot even knowing they would be up against more skilled veterans? Did they support other contestants build threads by posting encouragement and even giving help?
  • Following the Guidelines: Did the contestant follow the rules and guidance given?

  • Shown Operational: Did the contestant show us the light operating, its functions, beamshots, videos etc?

Some history of how the yearly contest started:

Old-Lumens was a predominant member of Budget Light Forum who loved to make things, particularly flashlights and related items, with his own hands.

He went even further and encouraged others to do likewise by starting the annual Old-Lumens Contest which involves members making their own flashlight using only hand tools in one category or machines in another.

Sadly Justin (Old-Lumens) passed away in 2016, we here at BLF wish him to rest in peace and to continue to celebrate his life by hosting the yearly Old-Lumens Competition.

We thank the sponsors for their generosity, and would like to see members supporting their business.
Please look to them when purchasing quality lights and accessories:


If you are a store owner who would like to donate a prize or have good relations to people that would like to support this great BLF community event then please contact us.

Well done for completing and showing your builds! ;)

2

The final results for the 2019 Old Lumens BLF Flashlight Challenge are here!

We had some great entries this year, congratulations and thank you to all who entered and supported the contest, it would not be possible without you!

Judging was very difficult with our different views and there were some tough decisions when arranging the contestants in the correct order but you all accomplished something unique here.

.

1st place Hand Made category and the Peoples Choice award is gchart. Well done! :THUMBS-UP:

.

1st place Machine Made category is grin. Well done! :THUMBS-UP:

.

1st place Modified Light category is Skylight . Well done! :THUMBS-UP:

.

Didn't completely agree with the Judges decisions?...

See the results of the Peoples Choice award here.

.

Old Lumens 2019 contest results with some of the judges comments collected on each of the builds:

Hand Made Category:

01 - gchart

The finish and extra little personal touches on this make it really stand out, and also the wireless charging, a first I believe?
Fantastic effort, well done!
Really amazing . Excellent use of current technology.
Wow, he just gets better and better each year. Seriously impressive circuit wizardry, fantastic planning with the 3D-printed mock-up.
A very strong contestant.

.
02 - MtnDon

Beautiful workmanship here.
There's just something nice about this one.
Amazing attitude. Way to go Don!
.

03 - YuvalS

I loved this build, yes it could be better finished, but I love it for it's roughness, it looks like Yuval 'fought' it out of materials lol.
How he made it in some of those locations, I have no idea!
I love the industrial-chic look. :-) Again, *impressive* work with the driver and circuitry.
If I needed to wear a hard hat, I think I'd want this light on it.
.

04 - Asian8640

Very impressive first showing! Nice looking, and impressive electrical knowledge.
Pretty and functional.

.
05 - Kame Sennin

Great looking, and impressive technical expertise with the driver.
Handmade inductors get some extra problem solving points here.
I really enjoyed the driver studies. And the finished light looks so good.
.

06 - everydaysurvivalgear

Really glad he made time for doing this build, he never disappoints! Tasmanian oak, so cool.
Definitely improving with each entry.
.

07 - HandOnTheGlock

I really appreciated the approach to waterproofing. More experienced builders skipped this part because it is normally uneasy.
Not beautiful, but serves a purpose and great attitude by the participant.

.

Machine Made Category:

01 - grin

What can I say. My fave, he went the extra mile on this one. Virtualluy everything is own made.
The sheer amount of blood and sweat that went into it was huge and the result is fantastic.
A well thought-out, classic design.
Insanity! Did he just out-GT the BLF GT?? This thing is beautiful and amazing.
I want it.
.
02 - pinkpanda3310

An interesting use of unusual materials and great crasftsmanship of all the parts made.
One of a kind.
Wow! That's a real looker, extremely unique. Amazing skills and a great attitude.

.
03 - MRsDNF

Looks OEM and performs better than OEM.
Extremely positive and helpful in all the other participants' build threads.

.
04 - alpg88

Very unique and loved the end result - totally different to everyone elses.
Enjoyed watching it come along, and seeing how 3d printers worked very well for this, bonus for the blf branding.
Unique , clever , and original.
Another really nice 3D printed project, also took a lot of skill to get those angles right.

.
05 - JoshK

Out-of -the-box thinking at it's best . Well executed.
I really like his goal of generating enthusiasm for 3D printing so more people give it a shot in next year's contest.
Very innovative. Really exceeds what I would expect from 3D printing.

.

Modified Light Category:

01 - Skylight

One more perfect thread example. Simple and effective.
Got lumens? Very cool.
Brilliant! This guy has some serious technical skills, really pushes the bounds on what a "modded" flashlight can be.
Flawless execution, real prowess and planning for the internals, great sense of aesthetics.
I had never considered that the MT18S and L6 could be hybridized. I'd use this light.

.
02 - MascaratumB

His build thread should go to the BFL library and should be linked as reference for future contests.
Thread quality is amazing.
What a pleasant surprise!
Totally unique, amazing aesthetics, absolutely moved the bar in what we can expect from modified lights.
Relatively speaking showed impressive technical and aesthetic skills.

.
03 - CNCman

Very clean work and great results.
Another huge surprise!
Was expecting a simple driver swap, and here he makes custom machined components and de-domes it, the works!
Fairly practical set of changes to a well-known light. I'd use this.

.
04 - The Whispering

Blinded by science!
I'm very impressed with the electronics knowledge and analysis seen here from someone with no background in electronics.
The mod seemed easy at first. Not so much, the effort that went into it is really impressive.

.
05 - Flashy Mike

Clever and fun.
Why weren't there 3D printers when I was a kid?

.
06 - lumenzilla

Beautiful results.
I love it, should be encouraging to others that don't have special technical skills, but even so a lot was achieved.

.
07 - teejay

Totally unique idea, and props for entering the contest and finishing on time!

.

We look forward to your continued support for future events and a big thank you from us to everyone involved :THUMBS-UP:

3

:wink: :+1:

4

Osram Boost HX?
L4P, do you have it already or do you expect to have it soon?!?

5

Thanks for taking this on The_OL_Contest. :beer:
To make this a success we need members here to get involved and get the old grey cells working. :slight_smile:

6

Yay, the competition is on! :partying_face:

I hope we get lots of entries because that’s a lot of prizes :sushi: :beer:

7

Following ! I won’t be able to follow this all the time due to professional duties and timelines, but I will check this from time to time to see how the competition goes!

I wish the competitors all the luck, and thanks CRX and “The_OL_Contest” team for putting this together :wink:

8

Here we go!!!

HUGE thanks to the organizers (they know who they are) and to the sponsors! And of course, best wishes to all of the participants! Start organizing your ideas and start your builds, looks like we have an unbelievable assortment of prizes this year.

9

WooHoo! Let’s GO!!! :slight_smile::slight_smile: :partying_face:

10

Awww yeah! I was hoping this would happen. What a great array of sponsors and prizes.

I’ll be throwing my hat into the Hand Made ring, I just haven’t decided what I’m going to make yet. Best of luck to all of the entrants!

11

I would love to do a build for this contest. But I need to know if my 3D printer is allowed. I draw all my own parts from scratch. I assume a 3D printer is allowed as long as the models are your own creation?

12

Yes, 3D printing has been used in the past. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with! Good luck!

13

3D printer makes it a Machine Made entry. :+1:

14

I will be building an entry. Here’s a link to the topic. Nothing of any consequence there yet.

Thanks!!!

15

Yep, we had one last year (and it was super interesting). That’s a good question about what category it belongs in, I assume “machine made”, but maybe one of the organizers could chime in.

16

Niiiice!!!

17

Do it!!! :+1: :+1:

18

DNF’s build thread.

19

What type of printer is it?

Standard 3D printers are fine and a new build would enter into the Machine Made category :THUMBS-UP:

20

I have only a couple of samples for now.