BLF/TLF FW3A - now available

[idleprocess]

I have now had to fix every FWXX flashlight I have; from first production run aluminum to very end of last year’s titanium.

While performing several different repairs, I noticed that I have three different switch pad nubs.

On two of my FW3As - I removed the nubs and, in place, used o-rings. Though I’m sure this will shorten the useable life of the membrane switches, the consistency of switch actuations and (so far) elimination of accidental switch activations is worth the early end of switch life.

I am on the verge of needing to repair my newer unit - suspect I'm going to want a spanner tool to try to remove the switch since that retainer has not yet obliged my efforts to remove it.

 

[LedTed]

I am on the verge of needing to repair my newer unit - suspect I'm going to want a spanner tool to try to remove the switch since that retainer has not yet obliged my efforts to remove it.

Yes, a spanner for camera lenses works a lot better than a tweezers. Choose a spanner that has thin straight tips.

 

[5S8Zh5]

My two have been reliable for EDC, and I do EDC and use it on every morning walk. Any problems whatsoever and there's a Quark QK16L w/AA tube and a 14500 just itching to EDC.

 

[Duster1671]

I just got my FW3A from NealsGadgets and put in a fully charged 18650 and the light flashed when I first put the battery in and then nothing. I unscrewed the top of the light (the part with the LED) and inserted the battery polarity correctly, and as soon as the screw on LED head touches the battery it has a brief flash, then continued screwing on the top and nothing. Tried different fully charged batteries and nothing. But every time I insert a new battery it seems to ground out and flash and then nothing until I remove the battery and re-insert the battery.

I had an FW1A with the same behavior out of the box. The issue ended up being a poorly assembled tailcap. The retaining ring was not tightened at all. I took the tailcap apart and reassembled, tightening the retaining ring. The light works correctly now.

 

[5S8Zh5]

Sweetest momentary moonlight. FW3A in 4 click lockout with Nitecore 25.4mm filter.

 

[jkid1911]

I had a copper FW3A already and the fit between the head and body is perfect. I recently received one in aluminum and find that there is a small gap between the head and body when fully tightened. I can't imagine it matters being that there is an o-ring seal, but just wondering if this is the norm with aluminum compared to copper or maybe just a quality control issue.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I had a copper FW3A already and the fit between the head and body is perfect. I recently received one in aluminum and find that there is a small gap between the head and body when fully tightened. I can't imagine it matters being that there is an o-ring seal, but just wondering if this is the norm with aluminum compared to copper or maybe just a quality control issue.

I don't see any gap on mine. As long as yours works, I wouldn't worry about it. The QC on these lights isn't very good. If you get one working without any problems, keep it!

 

[id30209]

Guys, there's a GB for FW3B, FW1T, Cu/Ti 18350 tubes on M4D site. 100pcs is a goal so spread the word

https://m4dm4x.com/fw1a-titanium-fw...6s_jdP5qVfWwpzVLzevhOhYkCU_CUit3uSlAVXPi61fuo

 

[Duster1671]

I had a copper FW3A already and the fit between the head and body is perfect. I recently received one in aluminum and find that there is a small gap between the head and body when fully tightened. I can't imagine it matters being that there is an o-ring seal, but just wondering if this is the norm with aluminum compared to copper or maybe just a quality control issue.

When you tighten the head, the driver board needs to seat on the inner switch tube before the head seats on the body, otherwise the switch will not work. As you can imagine, there is a stack up of several tolerances that need to be met for this fit to come out correctly. It's not just the length of the tube, but the distance from the tube stop to the shoulder and the distance from the driver board to the end of the threads on the head, which itself depends on the depth of the head and the thickness of the driver board.

A fit like this, that depends on the tolerance of several components, can be made reliably. But sometimes there needs to be more clearance than you'd like in some spot so that every component can have enough tolerance to be manufacturable.

It's possible Lumintop increased the nominal gap between the head and the shoulder on the body a small amount to add a little more tolerance in this critical stack-up. The large number of issues related to the head/tailcap/inner tube fit does suggest that the original design wasn't especially easy to make with an acceptably low number of defects.

 

[JaguarDave-in-Oz]

When you tighten the head, the driver board needs to seat on the inner switch tube before the head seats on the body, otherwise the switch will not work.

Precisely right and this is why I had troubles with my shorty 18350 tube for my FW3A. There was no "gap" and the head needed to be screwed down extremely tightly to make that inner tube only just make contact with the driver. Multiple screwing and uscrewing to change batteries making a tiny bit of wear or depression from that innner tube touching the driver board's copper ring and I'd say all contact would eventually be lost on mine.

Think yoursef lucky you have a gap, that means the inner tube is sticking out far enough that you'll never run the risk of losing switch contact there. It's when there's no gap that there's a potential looming problem.

 

[id30209]

Well folks chinese government prolongued the holidays due to virus and drunk people so GB has more time before closing.
100 is minimum to manufacture

 

[mikekoz]

A great advantage of the FW3A is the wide availability of options to customize your light as you see fit. Few flashlights of this caliber make such an offering.

First, it's great having the Carclo optics, as many different types are available, as I posted about earlier (LINK). Second, with more variety in materials, it's now possible to mix-n-match. I bought a stainless steel bezel and I find it a good visual improvement. There's so many different GITD insert colors. I started with green, which works well. But I decided to try out aqua. Nice coloration. I knew it wouldn't have quite as bright and long a radiance, but it feels rather noticeable.

I apologize for not color balancing this... as it's more blue in person than representative in the photo.

I also wanted a diffuser. There is a 3D printed one available that's decent, but I wanted one a bit more solid. Found one from Nitecore that works perfectly.




I do not think this exists, but I would like something like that made out of aluminum that would attach like that, but would act as a heat sink.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Well folks chinese government prolongued the holidays due to virus and drunk people so GB has more time before closing.
100 is minimum to manufacture

I know I'm being paranoid, but every package I got from China lately I handled with gloves, and threw it into a closet to be opened in a few weeks. Any virus in or on the package should be dead by then.

Luckily, mail from China has been awful lately, so I've only had to do that a couple of times.

And, yes, again, I know I'm being paranoid.

 

[mikekoz]

I have a love\hate relationship with this light! When I first got it, I loved the look and feel of it, but it worked really screwy and I almost returned it to Amazon. However, after reading a lot about the light and learning how to fix its unstable personality, it now works as it should! I like the user interface and just got used to it after I became more familiar with it. Since then, I have also purchased a FW1A Pro, an EDC18, and an Emisar D4V2! The FW1A Pro is a single emitter light with an increased max lumens on turbo to 3500! I thought it would have a lot more throw, but this is not the case. The EDC18 seems to be a better made light. It has a bit more aluminum on it, a bit of a heat sink on the head, and a side switch that will more than likely not activate on its own. The Emisar is similar to the EDC18, but it gives a max lumen output of 4400 on turbo! I like side switches, but am not sure if I like them better than the tail one. A simple mod with a small rubber o-ring resolves the problem with the FW3A turning on by itself and also gives the switch a better feel. There is also a 21700 version of the Lumintop light that I am looking at that probably gives a little better run time in a slightly larger body!

 

[orbital]

+

If anyone's interested, FW4A is up on Neals for order

 

[5S8Zh5]

I know I'm being paranoid, but every package I got from China lately I handled with gloves, and threw it into a closet to be opened in a few weeks. Any virus in or on the package should be dead by then.

Dr. Peter Attia #97 – Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D.: COVID-19: transmissibility, vaccines, risk reduction, and treatment 3-14-20

Recent paper reported fomite survival on different surfaces:

aerosols, up to 3 hours post aerosolization

up to 4 hours on copper

up to 24 hours on cardboard

up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel (13hr median half-life on steel; 16hr median half-life on plastic)


def: fomites: objects or materials which are likely to carry infection, such as clothes, utensils, and furniture.

 

[justanotherguy]

+

If anyone's interested, FW4A is up on Neals for order

what kind of numbers does it put out?

 

[boo5ted]

what kind of numbers does it put out?

~3600 lm (XP-L Hi), ~2100 lm (Nichia,SST20 4000K)

https://www.nealsgadgets.com/collections/blf/products/tlf-blf-fw4a-edc-flashlight#