So I've seen some of the posts on this tiny giant the Fire Foxes FF3, and have been itching to get my hands on one. Unfortunately I missed the group buy, and didn't really want to wait for another one to get organized. So, I searched the net and found a website in China I hadn't heard of before (has flashlight-torch in the name) that had 3 of these in stock, for $270 shipped. I asked around and no one had any experience with the site, so I emailed them to make sure I got responses to my questions.
So, I went ahead and took a chance and ordered one late on Friday night (9/7). I got an email Monday morning that they'd shipped the light already! I got an email with an EMS Express tracking no. (keep in mind it was free shipping..). So, I watched the progress from Shanghai China to Ohio, and it was delivered this morning at 8:30am! 1 Day shipping from China?! Anyway, I didn't even know it was possible, but there you go.
Over and above my happy experience above, I am completely BLOWN AWAY by this light! I had a Magic Fire Scorpion, and I figured that with 4 batteries in the body, this light had to be close as big and hefty as that one. Boy was I wrong! Somehow this light is way smaller, and much much lighter than the Scorpion. I took a few pics to demonstrate how small, but it is way smaller. The build quality, fit and finish, and anodizing is all amazing on this light.
And yet, all of the above pale in comparison to my jaw dropping experience when I got it outside tonight! Keep in mind, I've been in the flashlight hobby for a few years now, and have had some pretty bright lights - 2,000 lumen mag mods, M6, a couple of HIDs, etc.. but when I got this out tonight, it was just mind boggling to me that something so tiny could produce such a crazy amount of light, not to mention the throw it has! On top of that, it has a perfect tint and color rendering is wonderful. To say I was blown away is an understatement. I wasn't able to get beamshots tonight, but I'll try to get some up soon.
One thing I did have to do is shorten the springs on the battery carrier. I am using protected AW 3100 18650s, and they wouldn't fit in to the carrier due to their height. I cut a few coils off of each of the springs, and now they fit just fine.
Oh yeah - and I fully expected a loud, annoying noise from the ballast based on what I read. Where's the noise on mine?! Seriously, until I was in dead quiet and put my ear close to the light, I couldn't hear a thing. Only beautiful silence and lots of pretty lumens.....
A few pics of the "unveiling" and pics in hand. Hope to add a few nice beamshots soon!
(This thing was packed well)
This thing is crazy small for a 40 watt HID!!!
Took a few coils off the negative spring, and AW 3100's then fit perfectly
Beamshots!!
Ok - I got a few of the highest powered lights I could get a hold of from friends of mine (thanks Chris and Ryan!). So, below are shots from 350' and 850' using the below lights:
350 Feet
850 Feet
Close Cropped on Target
Conclusion:
The tiny Fire Foxes FF3 bested the 6,500 lumen output of the Mag458, and to my eye has at least as much if not more effective reach as the POB spotlight. It may not be the pencil beam of the POB, but at 850 feet, I feel I could as easily if not more easily identify a target using the FF3 as with the POB. In addition, it covers a much broader area with close to the intensity as the POB. Much beyond that distance, you're not going to be able to identify a target with your naked eye anyway.
Total Lumen Output Comparison
This helps to give a better visual representation of total lumen output, by letting you see how brightly each light illuminates the room. Again, I used manual mode with all settings locked (1 sec exposure, 100 ISO, Daylight WB). The same lights were used:
:devil:
:devil::devil:
:devil::devil::devil:
:devil::devil::devil::devil:
Conclusion: I'm not sure how it bested the 6,000+ lumen Mag458, but it clearly did.
This little beast rocks!!!
So, I went ahead and took a chance and ordered one late on Friday night (9/7). I got an email Monday morning that they'd shipped the light already! I got an email with an EMS Express tracking no. (keep in mind it was free shipping..). So, I watched the progress from Shanghai China to Ohio, and it was delivered this morning at 8:30am! 1 Day shipping from China?! Anyway, I didn't even know it was possible, but there you go.
Over and above my happy experience above, I am completely BLOWN AWAY by this light! I had a Magic Fire Scorpion, and I figured that with 4 batteries in the body, this light had to be close as big and hefty as that one. Boy was I wrong! Somehow this light is way smaller, and much much lighter than the Scorpion. I took a few pics to demonstrate how small, but it is way smaller. The build quality, fit and finish, and anodizing is all amazing on this light.
And yet, all of the above pale in comparison to my jaw dropping experience when I got it outside tonight! Keep in mind, I've been in the flashlight hobby for a few years now, and have had some pretty bright lights - 2,000 lumen mag mods, M6, a couple of HIDs, etc.. but when I got this out tonight, it was just mind boggling to me that something so tiny could produce such a crazy amount of light, not to mention the throw it has! On top of that, it has a perfect tint and color rendering is wonderful. To say I was blown away is an understatement. I wasn't able to get beamshots tonight, but I'll try to get some up soon.
One thing I did have to do is shorten the springs on the battery carrier. I am using protected AW 3100 18650s, and they wouldn't fit in to the carrier due to their height. I cut a few coils off of each of the springs, and now they fit just fine.
Oh yeah - and I fully expected a loud, annoying noise from the ballast based on what I read. Where's the noise on mine?! Seriously, until I was in dead quiet and put my ear close to the light, I couldn't hear a thing. Only beautiful silence and lots of pretty lumens.....
A few pics of the "unveiling" and pics in hand. Hope to add a few nice beamshots soon!
(This thing was packed well)
This thing is crazy small for a 40 watt HID!!!
Took a few coils off the negative spring, and AW 3100's then fit perfectly
Beamshots!!
Ok - I got a few of the highest powered lights I could get a hold of from friends of mine (thanks Chris and Ryan!). So, below are shots from 350' and 850' using the below lights:
- Mag09 - 2,000 lumens
- Mag 458 w/ FM 3" Head - 6,500 lumens
- POB 35W HID - 3,500 lumens
- Fire Foxes FF3 - 4,000 lumens
350 Feet
850 Feet
Close Cropped on Target
Conclusion:
The tiny Fire Foxes FF3 bested the 6,500 lumen output of the Mag458, and to my eye has at least as much if not more effective reach as the POB spotlight. It may not be the pencil beam of the POB, but at 850 feet, I feel I could as easily if not more easily identify a target using the FF3 as with the POB. In addition, it covers a much broader area with close to the intensity as the POB. Much beyond that distance, you're not going to be able to identify a target with your naked eye anyway.
Total Lumen Output Comparison
This helps to give a better visual representation of total lumen output, by letting you see how brightly each light illuminates the room. Again, I used manual mode with all settings locked (1 sec exposure, 100 ISO, Daylight WB). The same lights were used:
- Mag09 - 2,000 lumens
- Mag 458 w/ FM 3" Head - 6,500 lumens
- POB 35W HID - 3,500 lumens
- Fire Foxes FF3 - 4,000 lumens
:devil:
:devil::devil:
:devil::devil::devil:
:devil::devil::devil::devil:
Conclusion: I'm not sure how it bested the 6,000+ lumen Mag458, but it clearly did.
This little beast rocks!!!
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