REVIEW W/ PICS OF TiFli!
Hey guys, as promised here are my thoughts on the awesome new TiFli light designed and built by Chip!
You can find more info here if you are interested in picking one up:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/216490&page=9
and now there is a true sales thread here:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2949290
First, let me compare with some of the contenders, from L to Right:
Fenix Ld01, Lummi Wee (warm, 100lm), Streamlight Nano, a no-name DX light, Chip's Custom TiFli with Shouded Bezel, Chip's custom TiFli with no bezel, and finally the light that started it all--the FireFli!
Below this caption we find the same order looking down the barrels...
With this photo we get down to Business! So from L to R we have: Chip's Custom TiFli with Shouded Bezel (polished), Chip's custom TiFli with no bezel (in "distressed" Ti, which I adore!), and finally the light that started it all--the FireFli
Here we see the Lummi Wee then the TiFli and then the FireFli. Three beautiful little lights, indeed!
Where the TiFli fits in the cannon of Tiny Lights:
Code:
[FONT=courier new] LENGTH: DIAMETER: VOLUME: [/FONT][FONT=courier new] PRICE:[/FONT]
[FONT=courier new]Firefli 38mm 7mm 1462mm^3 $ N/A[/FONT]
[FONT=courier new][B]TiFli 40mm 8.9mm 2488mm^3 $ 75.00[/B]
[/FONT][FONT=courier new]KD 42mm 10mm 3299mm^3[/FONT] [FONT=courier new]$ 1.50[/FONT]
[FONT=courier new]LaPetit 23.25mm 14.25mm 3681mm^3[/FONT][FONT=courier new] $ 95.00 [/FONT]
[FONT=courier new]Drake 33mm 13mm 4380mm^3 [/FONT][COLOR=#000000][FONT=courier new]$145.00[/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=courier new]Nano 37mm 13mm 4910mm^3[/FONT] [FONT=courier new]$ 8.00[/FONT]
[FONT=courier new]Wee 34mm 15mm 6007mm^3 [/FONT][FONT=courier new]$ 51.00[/FONT][FONT=courier new]
[/FONT][FONT=courier new]Draco 47mm 13mm 6238mm^3 [/FONT][B][FONT=courier new][COLOR=#ff0000]$155.00[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=courier new]Fauxton 41mm x 23mm 7mm 6601mm^3* $ [B]FREE[/B]*[/FONT][FONT=courier new]
[/FONT]
1. Fit and Finish
The lights are gorgeous. They both feel like they were made by a "master", similar fit and finish to the Lummis and the La Petite Killer (not pictured here). Everything is just beautiful and it feels like a little tank compared to the FireFli--yet is still very light. In all, I feel like a FireFli looks like a human, the TiFli is like Iron Man and the Wee is like someone in a small tank...all have their purpose and risks and benefits, but it's pretty Freaking Sweet to be Iron Man!
Size-wise they are a hair bigger than the Firefly but I think it's clear that this is still a TINY light and is very comfortable on the chain. (For me, the Wee is just a bit too big for this--it hurts when I roll onto it at night, though it's one of my faves of all time.)
2. Function
For a "no-name" LED, this thing performs! It is *white* -- WAAAAY whiter than the FireFli, and it is pretty darn bright, though mostly flood compared to this strange little hotspot of the FireFli. Overall lightput feels about 10-20% more than the FireFli as well, which is awesome.
The user interface is dead-on simple: tighten to on, loosen to off. As I stated in the first post, my only concerns with this are:
1. That untightened on my neck, the light will separate.
2. The tiny gap when unscrewed slightly might attract debris and perhaps decreases the water resistance (Note: There is an O-ring just deep to the opening visible in the photos and it seems like it will remain water-resistant at least while in the "off" position--testing to follow tomorrow AM in shower!)
The dead-on simplicity and reliability of this mechanism, however, seem to justify these choices.
3. Light
Okay, finally got some beamshots!
Okay, from L --> R: A penny, La Petite Killer, Streamlight Nano, Lummi Wee, Olde School FireFli, TiFli exposed "no-name" LED with "distressed look, TiFli Recessed with "chromed" look, DX light.
All were taken with a Canon Rebel, Full manual mode: F 5.6, Shutter: 1/15, ISO 400, WB set at Tungsten (3200K), Tripod used, lights were about 1 foot from the wall.
La Petite Killer
The harsher blue but much brighter Streamlight Nano
The brilliant and warm 100lumen (warm) Lummi Wee
The pale and cold light of the original FireFli
The fairly warm white smooth beam of the exposed TiFli!
The silky smooth, even white beam of the recessed TiFli! This my favorite beam by FAR of the tiny lights!
The crummy, artifact-laden beam (though bright!) of the DX light.
To put it in perspective, the Fenix TK11 lighting the wall on fire!
Finally, a hidden gem! Chip put glow powder behind the bulbs! Here are the two little buddies glowing!
Okay, and the smaller images are here for comparison:
To summarize the beams, I have to say that the light is a nice, creamy white and that the beam is ridiculously smooth! I mean, compared to the original FireFli, these are 2 orders of magnitude better!
Compared to a La Petite Killer, I prefer the Recessed TiFli! Though the LPK is a bit brighter, the TiFli has such a smooth, ring-free beam!
Conclusion:
It's the Iron Man of lights--only as big as it needs to be, yet armored and powerful enough to do a superhero's work--this light is a winner! If it could be mass-produced and the price brought down a bit further (okay, okay--I'm basically getting at a re-lauch of the original FireFli, just in titanium and made by Chip!), I think that this light would be a HUGE hit! As it is, I think that it is a very fair price for such a work of It is my true EDC and now lives comfortably on my chain. Though I love all my tiny lights, this one (like the FireFli) crosses that point of magic--it's tiny enough, bright enough and has a good enough runtime (I imagine... more to come) that it is a WINNER!
My dreams have come true! I finally have a phial of Galadriel! Thanks Chip!!!
