Fraz Labs Mechanical Flashlights (formerly QTC Non-Battery Crush)

[totcczar]

Hi all! First time poster, brought here by a reddit post in r/flashlight. I look forward to discussions with fellow addicts!

I am posting here mainly to express my interest to Paul or Felicia in pretty much any 18650 or 18350 version of any of the lights, preferably in a higher CRI LED and preferably in a warmer temp (below 5000K) but, really, probably anything will do. I've expressed interest on the website to one of the configs, but I didn't want to spam the site with interest in every one of them. I know I'm both at the bottom of the list and the totem pole, but I'm fine with that. I'll be looking for any notifications here, and, barring those, I'll be checking the site frequently. I think it's wonderful when new(ish) makers break into the scene and I want to support that. Also, these lights are very different, in a good way, and I enjoy how they are not "typical" lights.

Also, I wanted to say that I read through the introductory posts at the beginning of this thread and found them to be incredibly interesting.

[KITROBASKIN]

Nobody is at the bottom of the totem pole here in the land of Fraz. If flashlights are available and you have legal tender to send them, go ahead on with your totcczar self.

[bigburly912]

You won’t be disappointed totcczar. These are great lights! I’ve been debating doing a pass around for anyone that is on the fence about these guys. I just don’t want to be too long without mine because I use it every day

[adamlau]

I’m curious about output and beam pattern with the different LEDs. Does anyone have, or can produce comparative beam shots?

Beam pattern comparison: M61 (reflector) | M91T (optic) | Lumenite 21700 (optic):







WB/exposure auto locked on the M91T. Lumenite has an excellent balance of spill and throw, approximately right in between the M61 and M91T.

[jabe1]

Thanks!

Beam pattern comparison: M61 (reflector) | M91T (optic) | Lumenite 21700 (optic):







WB/exposure auto locked on the M91T. Lumenite has an excellent balance of spill and throw, approximately right in between the M61 and M91T.

[TheFraz]

anyone know where to Source like a quality 4300k LED for these ?
also considering hcri 4500k. trying to get close to 4300. maybe 4500 can be a 4300?.
thanks.
.

We get most of our emitters from MTN electronics, but also some from digikey now as we reflow some. There are other sources as well such as Cutter in Australia or INTL outdoors. A 16mm board is the limiting factor.

I haven't dealt with the emitters that Fraz uses, I've been using XPL HI, but color binning has gotten a lot tighter so if you order 4500k you will get pretty close to that. Fraz mentions earlier in this thread some sources. It's a ways back I think. 4000k and 5000k are pretty common but I don't know about in between.

Yes, currently we use mainly 4k and 5k Samsung or SST40s. Exploring more options and maybe some more optic options. We're trying to get a good beam matched up with the different emitters.

[TheFraz]

Could someone break down the general characteristics of the three models? I gather they go Tiny Nugget-->Tiny Tank-->Lumenite in terms of size, and that the Tiny Tank is "more of a flood pattern", but that's all I could pick up from the Fraz Labs site. Do the three models use different optics? Is there a comparison of the beam patterns anywhere? Anything else I need to know before ordering?

The Tiny Tank is a stouter version of the Tiny Nugget. The wall thickness of the head is thicker. The two Tiny lights can be ordered with 18350, 18500, and 18650 body tubes. I believe that the Lumenite comes with a 21700 body tube and is bigger in general. This also allows for a larger diameter optic. All three use the same types of emitters. I haven't read it anywhere but I'm guessing that the Tinys use 26mm diameter optics based on the size of the lights and standard optics sizes. All this said by a guy who hasn't even held one in his hands Others can verify but I'm mostly certain that I have it right.

Nailed it including optic size! Thanks discover! The Lumenite uses 35mm optics which can give bigger throw, but the mechanics work much the same in all the lights. There are two main engine differences, Tiny Nugget and Lumenite. And within those they vary by size and length according to battery type. The Tiny Nugget battery tubes are all interchangeable and the Lumenite battery tubes are interchangeable. We know the website is confusing, now that we're in an off-shop week we can work on developing the website info a bit.

In the meantime, please let us know if you have any questions and we'll update it asap.

-Fraz

[speckacuda]

Hi all! First time poster, brought here by a reddit post in r/flashlight. I look forward to discussions with fellow addicts!

I am posting here mainly to express my interest to Paul or Felicia in pretty much any 18650 or 18350 version of any of the lights, preferably in a higher CRI LED and preferably in a warmer temp (below 5000K) but, really, probably anything will do. I've expressed interest on the website to one of the configs, but I didn't want to spam the site with interest in every one of them. I know I'm both at the bottom of the list and the totem pole, but I'm fine with that. I'll be looking for any notifications here, and, barring those, I'll be checking the site frequently. I think it's wonderful when new(ish) makers break into the scene and I want to support that. Also, these lights are very different, in a good way, and I enjoy how they are not "typical" lights.

Also, I wanted to say that I read through the introductory posts at the beginning of this thread and found them to be incredibly interesting.

Welcome to CPF! Thanks for directing our attention to that reddit thread, I love when folks give their honest opinion on our lights. Also, for anyone reading this, feel free to sign up for any light you're interested in on the site - we use that feedback to base what lights we make on the next run. We've got you on the list, and will update you when the light of your choice (you'll have to let us know which one you're interested in first) is anodized, assembled, and ready to ship. We just got home from the shop, so all that will start tomorrow!

Nobody is at the bottom of the totem pole here in the land of Fraz. If flashlights are available and you have legal tender to send them, go ahead on with your totcczar self.

Pssshh, Fraz only accepts legal tender, I will also take vintage funky things, antique tools and other items, or any really neat miniatures. This is why I'm not in charge of sales...

Flashlights do have to be available though, which will be at the end of the week!

Beam pattern comparison: M61 (reflector) | M91T (optic) | Lumenite 21700 (optic):

WB/exposure auto locked on the M91T. Lumenite has an excellent balance of spill and throw, approximately right in between the M61 and M91T.

These photos are awesome! I've been meaning to take some but I just haven't done it yet. Thanks for adding these!

Alrighty, we just finished a seven day stint in the shop, and we obliterated our old record of manufactured parts in one trip - 338 machined parts, plus a ton of boxes. For two people, that's a lot of chips. Pics incoming because I love y'all!

[thermal guy]

That was a very productive week! Congratulations on your success.I use mine daily and am loving it.

[vand3537]

If you don't mind my asking, how many of those are tiny nugget 21700?

[discoverEDC]

Tiny Nugget goes up to 18650. The Lumenite is 21700.👍

[newbie66]

How much more throw does the Lumenite give compared to Tiny nugget/Tank? Is it quite significant or kinda noticeable?


Also does Frazlabs ship to Malaysia? Payment and shipping method?

Thanks

[discoverEDC]

How much more throw does the Lumenite give compared to Tiny nugget/Tank? Is it quite significant or kinda noticeable?


Also does Frazlabs ship to Malaysia? Payment and shipping method?

Thanks

See Post #705

[TheFraz]

If you don't mind my asking, how many of those are tiny nugget 21700?

Tiny Nugget goes up to 18650. The Lumenite is 21700.

New addition after this last week of machining is Tiny Nugget in 21700 . It is coming real close to the ideal worklight imo. The large capacity in a relatively small package is becoming something I use more and more over over the other offerings. We made 4 I believe that we're anodizing/assembling now.

How much more throw does the Lumenite give compared to Tiny nugget/Tank? Is it quite significant or kinda noticeable?


Also does Frazlabs ship to Malaysia? Payment and shipping method?

Thanks

We can definitely check on shipping (it will be additional $, but will have to check for how much).

[newbie66]

See Post #705

Thanks.

We can definitely check on shipping (it will be additional $, but will have to check for how much).

Thanks. Still considering what to get.

[vand3537]

New addition after this last week of machining is Tiny Nugget in 21700 . It is coming real close to the ideal worklight imo. The large capacity in a relatively small package is becoming something I use more and more over over the other offerings. We made 4 I believe that we're anodizing/assembling now.

[wolfstyle]

I'd like to be added to the list for a Tiny Nugget in 21700 with 4000K LED. Also an 18350 Tiny Nugget battery tube if possible.

Thanks

[discoverEDC]

Fraz or speckacuda, random questions: Do you special order the Tiny Nugget/Tank optics? The carclo optics have that alignment tab which may or may not get in the way of the seal. Just thinking about optic replacement if needed. Have you tried the 4.35 volt batteries? They look like a good way to extend run time, as long as they don't fry the emitter. I haven't seen them in smaller sizes than 18650 but they will get there eventually. Finally, how's the anodising going? I'm starting to develop a little buck fever here. LOL
Walt

[IdleLion]

I would like to get on the list for a Tiny Nugget 18650 with 18350 tube. Thanks

[neutralwhite]

is there a possibility of the LED being over run on these?

[discoverEDC]

is there a possibility of the LED being over run on these?

Fraz has stated that there is enough resistance in the system, springs & etc, to prevent that from happening. When I get time I'll see if I can find the post he mentioned it in. Ok, look at Posts 702-704. Your question is related to maximum amp draw and heat generation.

[Mgizler]

I’m definitely in for an 18350 tube!

[thermal guy]

Am I the only one who’s wondering why nobody has come up with this and ran with it before? Seriously they really are a game changer in lights.

[jabe1]

The easy way to change how a light acts is by changing the electronics. Fraz focused on the mechanical solution; perhaps more complicated initially, but more reliable. To me, it’s elegant in it’s simplicity.

Am I the only one who’s wondering why nobody has come up with this and ran with it before? Seriously they really are a game changer in lights.

[TheFraz]

Fraz or speckacuda, random questions: Do you special order the Tiny Nugget/Tank optics? The carclo optics have that alignment tab which may or may not get in the way of the seal. Just thinking about optic replacement if needed. Have you tried the 4.35 volt batteries? They look like a good way to extend run time, as long as they don't fry the emitter. I haven't seen them in smaller sizes than 18650 but they will get there eventually. Finally, how's the anodising going? I'm starting to develop a little buck fever here. LOL
Walt

Hey Walt! There is a spot machined into the body of the engine designed for those optics, so the engine works with all the 27mm carclo (pic attached below showing the spot for the optic tab on the left side above the machine screw). The optic sits down in that recession and the o-ring actually makes contact with the optic directly, so the tab doesn't interfere with water incursion. Haven't tried a 4.35 battery out yet, but I'll definitely order one tonight and give it a shot. Ha! Anodizing is going good - slow but sure (probably my least favorite part of the process and one of the first things we're going to streamline).

is there a possibility of the LED being over run on these?

Fraz has stated that there is enough resistance in the system, springs & etc, to prevent that from happening. When I get time I'll see if I can find the post he mentioned it in. Ok, look at Posts 702-704. Your question is related to maximum amp draw and heat generation.

EDC is correct, mechanical resistance is built into the system to avoid overrunning. With the extra emphasis on heatsinking and the resistance springs, we haven't had one overrun yet.

[TheFraz]

Am I the only one who’s wondering why nobody has come up with this and ran with it before? Seriously they really are a game changer in lights.

I've got a pretty good idea as to why . Going into this, I really had no idea how difficult it would be to make something minimal and reliable with all custom components (not to mention repeatability and assembly). It was certainly a twisting road getting the design to the point it is today. A lot of the parts are actually extremely complicated to manufacture and prototype initially, but definitely worth it once the design starts becoming polished. I really look forward to wireless 2.0 coming out to see what you guys think of it .

The easy way to change how a light acts is by changing the electronics. Fraz focused on the mechanical solution; perhaps more complicated initially, but more reliable. To me, it’s elegant in it’s simplicity.

Exactly it. As one observer put it (and Speck's favorite saying now). "Well, it looks like you're making an extremely complex very simple part." And that's it, most of the parts in the light are minimal, but most serve to solve several problems at once, thus removing band-aid fixes and making the light more fail-safe.

[jtechl]

really curious what the specific differences between the Tiny Nugget and the Tiny Tank are!

Im tempted to get one of them but I dont know which one yet!

[vand3537]

Darn I was too slow, Tiny nugget 21700 OOS in less than 30 minutes. how long until the next batch?

[discoverEDC]

Fraz, thanks for the update. I never noticed that little pocket milled in that location. Now that I know where to look I can see it in other pictures. Mountain Electronics has the LG ICR18650E1 - 18650 - 3200mAh 4.35v
Walt

[discoverEDC]

really curious what the specific differences between the Tiny Nugget and the Tiny Tank are!

Im tempted to get one of them but I dont know which one yet!

See Post 817. Although the Nugget comes in 21700 now. I presume that the Tiny Tank would as well.