The longest throwing LED flashlight in the world (part 3)

Glad to hear everything turned out all right.
Did the Deft have a MCE or R-2.

makapuu said:

Glad to hear everything turned out all right.
Did the Deft have a MCE or R-2.

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It was the R2 but I also had an experimental diffuser in there that spread the beam out a bit. It worked quite nicely.

This is an announcement for those on the DEFT list. I have had an unprecedented amount of people on the list that are on the list and have PMs for payment but have not checked in in a while. I know there are quite a few people who have gotten on the list that are primarily lurkers and do not check in often. If this is you than please check in and respond to the possible PM. If I do not hear from you within a reasonable time period you will be removed from the list. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.:thumbsup: -Michael

PM & PP

mendhammarsh said:

PM & PP

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Thank you very much mendhammarsh!



I want to let everyone know that I have been hard at work on a ton of improvements. You all continue to be so patient and I thank you so much.

You might say this is Gen 2. Some of it has already been incorporated in the lights that are shipping out. I just raised the price the other day to cover some of the new changes. Here is what is changing.

AR and hardcoated smooth lens
AR and hardcoated small optic
New optional "frosted" lens
Revised base design that is solid
New thicker screws with an allen socket head
Silver coated beryllium copper springs used on the battery holders

Now the details. The AR and hardcoat is done only on the back of the aspherics. In my research I found that there is very little benefit to having the AR coat on the front side of an aspheric with that steep of a curve. So I did not feel the AR coat on the front was a good value as far as performance for dollar. The front of the lens has a scratch resistant coating but no AR. The back AR is applied to both optics.

I have been doing some experiments with "beam shaping" and have come up with a new lens that I think a great many people will love. There is a lot of people who do not care for the hard lines that the smooth aspheric creates. That is of course the only way to get the maximum throw. Until now I would not sell the DEFT without the smooth lens because it has a reputation to keep. Namely the longest LED thrower in the world. There has of course been the optional diffused lens, and it works great, but it does sap a lot of the throw. The new frosted lens provides a very gentle diffusion that in conjunction with the recent addition of the small optic allows for throw on par with the original DEFT but without the hard lines and color fringe in the beam pattern. It is absolutely lovely. This will be an option you can ask for in place of the smooth instead of in addition to. There is no additional cost to opt for the frosted lens instead of the smooth. The diffused lens will continue to be offered as it still offers a wonderfully butter smooth beam and many people may still prefer it. I will get pictures up of the new frosted lens as soon as I can. This is so new that the first production pieces will not be done until tonight.

The new screws are larger and offer more clamping power with reduced risk of stripping. The Allen head is also less likely to strip than the Phillips head used before.

The new beryllium copper springs offer less resistance and will be more important when I offer a higher rated driver. I just wanted to go ahead and make the change in production so that people did not have to ship back their battery holders to have them modified if they wanted a new high power driver. Just thinking ahead.

So thats it. All of the above is factored into the base price. All part of my constant pursuit of perfection. :cool:

Thankyou for the update , the new improvements seem like just the right choices to make
an already intriguing torch much more tempting . I'm sure most of us already waiting patiently for our own Deft will appreciate every new rendition as it evolves . Since I am so close on the list I was wondering which new upgrades would be included before shipping
out the next batches ? The new battery contacts seem great as I know most of us will be
opting for the new drivers as well . Thanx again michael .

torcher said:

Thankyou for the update , the new improvements seem like just the right choices to make
an already intriguing torch much more tempting . I'm sure most of us already waiting patiently for our own Deft will appreciate every new rendition as it evolves . Since I am so close on the list I was wondering which new upgrades would be included before shipping
out the next batches ? The new battery contacts seem great as I know most of us will be
opting for the new drivers as well . Thanx again michael .

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Lips, HKJ, and Looman's lights are all done and packed awaiting me to take them to the post office. LunalTic's is right behind that and will be the first one with the new A/R lens. The new bases and screws start at HKJ's. BenjiBot's is the first to take advantage of all the updates. So, torcher, yours will come with all the new updates as well. Keep in mind the new frosted lens can be swapped out for the smooth if you so desire. I know you will want to see some pictures first.:kiss: I'll get right on it.

All sound like great improvements.

Awesome Light!:thumbsup:

saabluster said:

BenjiBot's is the first to take advantage of all the updates.

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Looking forward to getting my hands on your creation :thumbsup:

LuxLuthor said:

All sound like great improvements.

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LightSward said:

Awesome Light!:thumbsup:

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Thanks guys!

BenjiBot said:

Looking forward to getting my hands on your creation :thumbsup:

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Can't wait to get it to you.

There is also one other thing I forgot to mention. I am going to start putting a layer of copper in between the head and body to help the heat transfer better to the head where it can be dissipated.

Here are the promised pictures of the updates.

Range to target about 550'
Control


DEFT R2 WH Diffused


DEFT R2 WH Frosted


DEFT R2 WH smooth



Range to target about 400'
I did no control but the next shot could be mistaken for one.

Raidfire Spear modded with an R2 WH


DEFT Diffused R2 WH


DEFT Frosted R2 WH


DEFT R2 WH smooth


Indoor shots to help show beam shape. Shots are from about 25'.
DEFT R2 WH Diffused


DEFT R2 WH Frosted


DEFT R2 WH smooth


Since that last shot doesn't really show the beam shape very well I decided to redo them and cut down the exposure. These were done on the same wall as the last shot and zoomed into.

DEFT R2 WH smooth


DEFT R2 WH Frosted


DEFT R2 WH Diffused


Raidfire Spear modded with an R2 WH

So many people whine that aspherics beam is too pencil like but please note that the DEFT's tightest beam is no smaller than the Raidfire's. Another point I have tried to make before is just how much more light the DEFT gets down beam than reflectored lights. Take a look again at the Raidfire and DEFT diffused pics. The intensity is about the same with both but look how many more Raidfires you would need to fill out the same amount of space as is lit up by the DEFT's diffused lens. With a dedicated throwing light which one do you think gives you a larger field of view at distance?:thinking: This turns a bunch of people's opinions on their heads as far as aspherics are concerned. :kiss:



This shot is to show the difference the new AR coat makes. The shot is taken using the reflection of the back of the DEFT's lens. First up is without the AR coat.


With the AR coat


This shows the slight change of the base and screws.


Old battery holder springs on the left and new silver coated beryllium copper springs on the right.


The copper interlayer to help in heat transfer to the head.


New screws on the left old on the right.

Fricin' fantastic!:D

This is to announce a fairly big change in the way this sale will continue from here on out. This is a copy of the update that can be found in the middle of the list within the second post of this thread.

"From now on this sale will continue as follows. It will be a first come first served sale. That said I don't want to take on a bunch of payments at one time. So to control that I will post that X amount of spots are open for payment to move from the interest list to the build list. The first to respond in this thread with a :takeit: or similar will get the spots. Here is the hard part. I am also trying to make this as fair as possible. I don't want to penalize the people that have waited so patiently, and had the foresight to get in line when they did, by having someone that may have just come on the list get a place on the build list before them just because they happened to be on CPF when I opened up the spots. So... once I open up the spots you will have 2 days to claim your spot. For example if I post that I am opening up 3 spots for payment and Joe, Bob, Sven, and Bubba post to claim those spots, only the ones who are highest on the interest list would get moved to the build list, and that, only after payment was made. Once you "claim" your spot I will contact you on the payment details and find out what options you want. I understand the financial difficulty some of you are facing and this system should help you and me both. First off I will not have to spend time PMing individuals who may not be ready to pay just yet. Also instead of bumping you down the list, like has had to happen so many times, you will keep your spot and just jump in when you are able. I hope this all makes sense and seems fair to everyone here. If you have a better idea let me know. Thanks, Michael"

With that last post in mind there are now three spots open. Thanks everyone! -Michael

Ill take a spot. PM to follow.

mendhammarsh said:

Ill take a spot. PM to follow.

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You already paid and are on the build list. There is no need for you to take one of these three spots.:thumbsup:

I understand.Thx

I'll take one.

zx5go said:

I'll take one.

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Ok you are at the number one spot unless someone earlier on the list claims their spot. Thanks.



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