Solarstorm T3 and T4

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
138

The head on the t3 is different than the t4. I dont see why they should be interchangeable with the battery tube. The t3 has the same reflector as the warrior. The t3 is smaller/more slim than the warrior in the front head. The t4 is bigger/fatter than the warrior in the front head. The t4 reflector is much deeper and wider.

I think the quality control on the machining and anodizing are nice. I really dont think anyone can nit pick for a $30 light.

The xml tint in t3 and t4 kind of suck. Cool white. Bluish cast.

139

I made my original fit comment because my T3 battery tube fits BOTH my T3 and T4 without noticeable slop while the threads on the T4 battery tube are just enough larger so that it will not fit the T3. A matter of just a few thousandths of an inch too large. T4 threads are only about .0025” larger major diameter but that is enough to cause interchangeability problems.

I also have three SRK type lights which appear to be from 3 sources, two are 3 Leds, one black SRK and one gold anodized SecurityIng and the last is a black 6 LED SRK version but with a different looking SRK marking than the first light. All three have interchangeable battery tubes even though they look to be from different sources.

140

Would you recommend getting one or hold off?

141

That isnt a very good comparison. They are both different lights with different dimensions. The t3 is indeed slimmer. I can see why the battery tube fit the t4. But the t4 is designed fatter and i can see why it didnt fit the t3 head. If you bought 10 t3’s then im sure they would also intermix and fit just fine. But judging the lights for fitment when they are both different doesnt seem fair.

By the way. The warrior battery tube does not fit the t3 or t4 at all.

But your biggest complaint is valid. They should not arrive doa or non functional.

142

Yes there is, particularly at the outer edges of the light cone. Not noticeable to me in or immediately around the center hot spot but very noticeable at the outer edges of the corona in a ceiling bounce from a white ceiling from my T3. My T4 is on the way to RMM so he can evaluate it and see if he can repair it.

BTW on max output the light weight of the light combined with what seems to be decent heat sinking means that the head gets hot fast. After 90 seconds on high output the T3 light head is uncomfortable to hold.

143

Got tired of waiting for a teardown. Ordered T4 last week from BG. Its on its way. Ill do a teardown and maybe mod to stock driver if no one does it first.

The Aliexpress seller who have best price on T3. Got my Nitecore D4 charger from him today. Recived 12 days from ordering with correct plug. Great price! If I like the T4, ill highly consider to buy T3 from him too if price stays the same.

Since this thread was started I have received the warrior and modded it here. Im really liking the size. Still have high hopes for the T3 and T4 despite what have been said. :)

144

got my t3 today - first impressions:

nice looking
lots of light
gets warm really fast!

more when I played with it…

145

i read 8,5 + Amps with NCR18650B Panas @ 4,05 Volts 8)

:open_mouth:

when i tore apart that thingie i will make a small review…

.

can anyone confirm that the driver is heavily glued in?

146

Thanks for the current reading. Based on visible light output and rapid head heating I am not surprised. For the price these are BRIGHT lights. I would prefer a bit warmer LEDs as I think these are the coolest color temp LEDs I have in any of my budget lights. Definitely not lights for those who want warmer color temp lights.

147

I made a small review… Review: Solarstorm T3 (pic heavy)

148

Cant complain on that amp draw. Most would probably be happy with that in such a compact and light weight triple.

Typically drivers in Solarstorm lights are either a very tight press fit, or there is a little bit of some sort of glue. Judging by the picture in your review there is a fair amount of glue. Ill open up my T4 when I get it and verify.

About your review. I prefer to discuss lights in threads without affiliate links.

149

no problem! let’s discuss here :wink:

thanks for the glue-info…

do you have any suggestions how to proceed with disassembly?

unscrew the switch (which has no measurable parasitic drain…) and push the driver from inside?
or try from the driver side?
the Reflector seems to be fixed also…

150

The easy thing is to push it out. But I don't think you can easily get the switch out on that light (Time will tell).

In 99% of lights like these the reflector is secured by a screw behind the driver circuit.

I seem to have magic powers when it comes to "popping" those drivers out with a screwdriver and the correct pressure through one of the tiny gaps between the driver board and flashlight body. But if its well glued that may not be doable.

If that fails, I prefer to increase the "screwdriver hole" in the driver or flashlight wall (by drilling or milling with a dremel) . Makes it easy to get it out in the future too. That should give enough leverage with a screwdriver or other tool to pull it out.

Others prefer to solder a wire or something to the board and drag it out. Ive never tried that, just don't feel comfortable doing it. I prefer the method above.

151

well - that matches what i imagined…

thanks again!

cross Fingers nothein undoable will happen :wink:

got it out!

152

Got my T4 from BG yesterday. 13 days after I ordered it.

Works nicely.

Nicely built and anodizing. Was not able to get the tailcap off with strap wrenches. :/ The tailcap edges are a bit sharp on my light, and if you hold the light with a good and tight grip it can feel a but uncomfortable. I find that a bit annoying. I notice it just by picking it up.

My light does not have the "off/on twist sign" below the on/off button. I like the cleaner look.

Switch. No need to take it out, but it looks like this.

T4 reflector (left) vs regular quad reflector (right) from kung, 4 XM-L SRK etc..

I like the size, not sure how I like it in real life yet, or how it compares with a kung as I have not used the light outdoors, or compared them. The beam is not round and smooth along the edges. A typical triple emitter looks much smoother and rounder.

Crappy super CW XM-L. Lots of thermal paste, and a bit of dirty looking.

Made a larger hole on the top of the driver circuit in order to get it out. After its been out the first time, its easy to get it out. Looks like its the same driver as in the T3.

Parasitic drain in standy: 143,7 Microamps (could be lower, but its not bad)

PWM high: 0.12KHz

PWM Medium: 15.45 KHz

PWM Low: 15.45 KHz

Not sure what to make of the PWM reading on high, its not noticeable on a fan or anything. In comparison. The warrior have no noticeable PWM on high either, but easily noticeable PWM on low if pointed towards a fan or something. With the 15.45 KHz PWM on the T3 and T4 Im not able to notice it, and with that frequency I doubt anyone will. Nice!

With NCR18650B @ 4,05V emitter amps (on one of them) look like this:

2,7A

1,04

0,05

The mode spacing is quite good. Better than most of the alternatives. About 35-40% on medium and 1,5-2% on low. Its not easy to say for sure, because output on high was sinking fast towards 2,6A but it started higher than 2,7A with the cells I used.

Considering that its got 4 emitters, this is "hot-rod territory" from the factory. It heats up fast.

UI is almost the same as on the Warrior, but with one switch. Others have covered the UI already. Still, I like the UI better on the warrior due to having two switches and startup in low. But this have a lower low. Would really prefer to see it start in low instead of high, and have instant on instead of the momentary stuff.

I would prefer to have a bit knurling on the body, and also see the same lanyard attachment as the Warrior (built into the side of the body). That would also make it shorter.

The "000" resistor have a little bit resistance. Shorting them with a wire can increase peak output with around 10-20%.

With shorted resistors and LG HE2 im looking at peak output of 3,6A to each emitter (sinks quickly).

Uses 55mm lens, so it can easily be swapped with common AR lens for SRK.

Have not tested behavior with low voltage yet.


Conclusion:

This is a nice and very bright hard driven light with bad tint (not bad if you like 8000K or cooler). Emitter swap is highly recommended unless you are into very CW tint.

There are several things to nitpick on, but I can nitpick on several things on all its rival alternatives too. Considering the price. Around 30$ for a well built quad light.

153

thanks for your Infos!

what dir you think is “better” since the driver is the same:
(Heat and Lumen)
t3 or t4?

154

The better light? Hard to say. I dont have the T3, nor have I compared the T4 with a typical quad. My other quad is a project light (aka not up and running). Have not used my T4 outdoors yet either.

It will mostly be a matter of preference.

A triple will generally throw better and generate less heat while doing so compared to a quad.

A quad will be a bit better close up, usually with more flood and a bit better efficiency due to having 4 emitters. Since the T4 uses quite deep reflectors, not sure how it compares to a regular quad. Either way, there is probably not that large differences.

Variety is good! :) T4 second from the right.

Ask me in a few months which is the better light. Some of the lights above needs to be modded in order for me to use them and do a proper evaluation. Currently im busy with other projects.

155

The battery tubes are interchangeable both ways between my original T3 and the second T4 that I just received today. The new T4 from FastTech also has the LEDs turn off fully when you use the power switch to turn it off, unlike my original T4. The reason I said that the original T4 had a defect due to the battery holder not being interchangeable with the T3 light is due to my 20 years experience in manufacturing QA. You normally DO NOT make parts which look totally identical and are the same dimension within a few thousandths of an inch and do not make them interchangeable if made in the same plant. To do so is asking for problems with parts getting mixed up and causing major problems in final assembly of products. The fact that the second T4 has a battery holder which does interchange with the T3 one makes me more convinced that the original T4 battery holder should be considered defective.

156

I got my T3 this week and I am quite impressed!
I never liked the quad emitter / quad cell can lights, just to big for my hands. This one is very comfortable to hold and fits ok in a jacket side pocket.
The original emitter tint was disgusting though. I swapped them the same day for some xm-l2. :wink:
Another big plus: probably one of the most effortless swaps I have ever done. Very easy to disassemble , lots of room in the driver and emitter compartment, but still reasonable thermal management. Might be a nice host for future mods. :slight_smile:

157

dave_;

The Solarstorm/Fandyfire Warrior and the Black Shadow/ Fandyfire Darth are almost identical in dimensions in the grip area as they are also three battery lights from the same company group as the T3. The Darth grip feels the smallest due to the three flats machined into the battery compartment. Somewhat lower output compared to the T3 but noticeably warmer LED color temperatures on both. The Darth also has a noticeably smaller reflector and front end to the light, 48mm versus 55mm. I also prefer the Darth user interface. Overall the most pocketable but also the lowest output.

Any postable photos or a write-up of your LED swap? How did you remove the glued in board?