FW1A & FW1T from Lumintop

orbital

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 8, 2007
Messages
4,257
Location
WI
FW1A from Lumintop

+

Received today the Aluminum version of Lumintop FW1 named the FW1A,, A for Aluminum
It's been a while since a light really nabbed my attention, but this one's a winner.
Super simple & small overall size that's all function.

Love how the clip works w/ the body shape & the clean switch that's just tucked within the tailstanding cap
,, it's just a sweet little package.

There is no visible PWM ramp'ed to the lowest setting (3D tint on mine)

Beam is functional edc; in that it's a good hotspot using an xp-l hi w/ generous spill.
(overall beam shape is suggestive, so I'll stick to functional as a description)

Honestly, find me a better light/dollar ever made.
 
Last edited:

LedTed

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 7, 2010
Messages
740
Location
Britannia
+

Received today the Aluminum version of Lumintop FW1 named the FW1A,, A for Aluminum (T for Titanium)
It's been a while since a light really nabbed my attention, but this one's a winner.
Super simple & small overall size that's all function.

Love how the clip works w/ the body shape & the clean switch that's just tucked within the tailstanding cap
,, it's just a sweet little package.

There is no visible PWM ramp'ed to the lowest setting (3D tint on mine)

Beam is functional edc; in that it's a good hotspot using an xp-l hi w/ generous spill.
(overall beam shape is suggestive, so I'll stick to functional as a description)

Honestly, find me a better light/dollar ever made.

Mainly due to all the hype, the last flashlight I got excited about was the HDS. Unfortunately, was soo disappointed with the last HDS I got, I gave it away.

The next flashlight I was excited about was the FWXX. After about two and a half months, I finally got about half of the FWXX stuff I ordered. The long wait took some of the shine off of my excitement. IMHO, the UI of the LuminTop FWXX makes up for its various shortcomings.

All-and-all, I still have to agree with you.
 

badtziscool

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
1,722
The FWxx lights are definitely fun to play with. Cheap. Nice form factor. Fun UI. It's disappointing that they're unreliable as much as they are. I have both the polished and stonewashed FW3T, and they both have issues reliable activation. And i've torn down both and thoroughly cleaned the surfaces, threads, contact points, and anything else recommended to make the light work, and it's still hit or miss. I'll have to tear them down again and troubleshoot, and I'm sure I can get them to work properly, but that just shows that there's something intrinsically unreliable about the design.

But I'm curious about your mention of the FW1T. Is that already out and available?
 

badtziscool

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
1,722
Yes it did include the diagram you mentioned. I've tried many things and just can't get my lights to work reliably. The most I can get is to get it to work well for a while but when I go to recharge the battery (taking it out and putting it back in through the head) it gets finicky again. I'm sure that when I unscrew the head I'm shifting something around and thus the issues, but that's what I mean when I say intrinsically flawed.

Oh well. Like I said, this is a toy. And a fun one. I think a bit of optimization and this good light can be a great light.
 

Random Dan

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 30, 2012
Messages
1,371
It is a fantastic value and mine is already one of my favorite daily carry lights. I do wish Lumintop didn't try to cut so many corners with the design though. It's a shame to mess up such a great design and UI with cheap parts and poor craftsmanship.
 

ma tumba

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Messages
1,344
Location
Russia
Tony at everydaycommentary had some complaints about the triple version which put the light rather low overall.

I personally like the original emisar VERY much. Not a bombproof, but have had zero issues and the output and tint are amazing
 

orbital

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 8, 2007
Messages
4,257
Location
WI
+

Being the thread on the single emitter, so far mine is all good.

The emitter is perfectly centered inside a clean reflector < under a clean lens that has AR coating.
Switch is tactile & preforms fine, the ramping is fine also.
The stated 1200lm is believable, low is around 2lm

Using a NCR18650GA flat top

.. used to not carry a 18650 edc, I do now.
 

bmengineer

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Messages
142
Location
Ontario, Canada
Mine looks pretty dang great too
1c09876994537721e8a0da7ef23b86b6.jpg
 

Archibald Tuttle

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 7, 2017
Messages
32
Mine looks pretty dang great too
1c09876994537721e8a0da7ef23b86b6.jpg

Great pic, love the beam profile on the single emitter. I've gone a tad overboard on my purchases of these. Can't beat the pricing. I love the easy prospect of reflashing these for individual preferences. The 18500 and 18350 bodies are a no brainer for unobtrusive pocket carry in old fashioned jeans.
 

cturtle

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 29, 2019
Messages
2
It's disappointing that they're unreliable as much as they are. ...I'm sure I can get them to work properly, but that just shows that there's something intrinsically unreliable about the design.

I'm not surprised to hear that. When I got mine the first thing I did was open the tail (before I read the card that said removed head to insert battery) and as a result had a light that wouldn't, well, light. I was thinking the same for about a minute as I disassembled/reassembled the tail a few times. That was until I realized the littler white o-ring between the body and the tube. Once I got that sitting nicely everything worked fine thereafter.

Maybe that'll help? I'm sure if you've cleaned it you've already discovered that.
 

Bort

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
112
+

Received today the Aluminum version of Lumintop FW1 named the FW1A,, A for Aluminum (T for Titanium)
It's been a while since a light really nabbed my attention, but this one's a winner.
Super simple & small overall size that's all function.

Love how the clip works w/ the body shape & the clean switch that's just tucked within the tailstanding cap
,, it's just a sweet little package.

There is no visible PWM ramp'ed to the lowest setting (3D tint on mine)

Beam is functional edc; in that it's a good hotspot using an xp-l hi w/ generous spill.
(overall beam shape is suggestive, so I'll stick to functional as a description)

Honestly, find me a better light/dollar ever made.

I have to agree with orbital on this one.

I've been carrying an FW1a for a week, and it's my favorite edc, my trusty Zebralight 600 hi just got replaced.

I passed on the FW3a since I'm not a big fan of multi emitter flood lights, and the FW1a being a high power compact thrower really hits the mark IMO.

The u.i. is the best that I've used, and after dialing in the temp calibration, and regulation temperature it works great, and I am especially fond of the stepped ramping on this.
The q.c. problems associated with the first FW3s must have been sorted out well, as I haven't experienced any problems with this one.
The fit and finish on my light is quite nice, and looks much better in hand than I've seen in photos.
The reflector and emitter combination on this makes a beam that I have been looking for in a light for a long time.
Overall I think this is an impressive piece.

Cheers
 

recDNA

Flashaholic
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
8,761
It is a fantastic value and mine is already one of my favorite daily carry lights. I do wish Lumintop didn't try to cut so many corners with the design though. It's a shame to mess up such a great design and UI with cheap parts and poor craftsmanship.
Please be specific about "cheap parts"?
I would like the electronic clickie to be more recessed and stiff to avoid accidental activation in my pocket. I'd like a tighter clip. These a minor things compared to the nice beam profile. I have the 6500K Hi. I doubt the throw is as much as advertised but it is still my best thrower in a small pocket light. During the winter I am carrying it locked out in my coat pocket but I will try it not locked clipped in my jeans pocket this spring.

One ui change I would love is to permanently set the single click turn on lumen level to maybe 20 lumens. I usually ramp up and kind of a pita to have to ramp back down to retain a low level in memory.

I am considering an sst-20 in titanium if it becomes available.

Does the sst-20 get as hot as fast in turbo as my 6500K XPL HI? I'd like to be able to use turbo for maybe 5 minutes without it burning my hand.
 

jon_slider

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 31, 2015
Messages
5,112
One ui change I would love is to permanently set the single click turn on lumen level to maybe 20 lumens.

I also suggested that user selectable startup level feature, after playing with a D4, and ToyKeeper implemented it into Anduril recently. I do not know if the Lumintop version of Anduril has the manual memory feature, (maybe ask TK?) but here are the clicky codes:

This link is to the Anduril Manual
- 5 clicks: Activate manual memory and save the current brightness.
- 5 clicks, but hold the last click: Go back to automatic memory.


if you try it on your fw1a let us know if it works.. I dont have one
if it does not work, maybe investigate the possibility of updating the firmware to the latest version of Anduril, that includes the User Selected Memory option you are interested in.

To limit heat using Anduril UI, I suggest setting the thermal regulation to the lowest level.
 
Last edited:

recDNA

Flashaholic
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
8,761
I also suggested that user selectable startup level feature, after playing with a D4, and ToyKeeper implemented it into Anduril recently. I do not know if the Lumintop version of Anduril has the manual memory feature, (maybe ask TK?) but here are the clicky codes:

This link is to the Anduril Manual
- 5 clicks: Activate manual memory and save the current brightness.
- 5 clicks, but hold the last click: Go back to automatic memory.


if you try it on your fw1a let us know if it works.. I dont have one
if it does not work, maybe investigate the possibility of updating the firmware to the latest version of Anduril, that includes the User Selected Memory option you are interested in.

To limit heat using Anduril UI, I suggest setting the thermal regulation to the lowest level.
Setting the heat is too complicated for me. Too many clicks.
 

jon_slider

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 31, 2015
Messages
5,112
curious if you try the 5 clicks, whether it works to set Manual Memory?

Setting the heat is too complicated for me. Too many clicks.

I understand.. maybe sometime when youre bored

youre part way there, since you already learned the triple click to battery check

just another 10 clicks away to thermal config ;-)

here is the relevant part of the manual, for your rainy day reading

=======
Blinky / Utility Modes
----------------------

Click 3 times from Off to access Anduril's blinky / utility modes. This
always starts at battery check and the user can proceed to other blinky
modes from there. The sequence is:

1. Battery check.
2. Sunset mode.
3. Beacon mode.
4. Temperature check.

In all of these modes, some basic actions are available:

- Click: Turn off.
- 2 clicks: Next blinky mode.

Additionally, in temperature check mode:

- 4 clicks: Go to the thermal config mode.

In more detail, this is what temperature / utility mode does:




4. Temperature check.

Blinks out the current temperature in degrees C. This number
should be pretty close to what a real thermometer says. If not, it
would be a good idea to click 4 times to enter thermal config mode,
and calibrate the sensor.

Thermal config mode has two settings:

- Current temperature. Click once per degree C to calibrate the
sensor. For example, if the ambient temperature is 21 C, then
click 21 times.

- Temperature limit. This sets the maximum temperature the light
can reach before it will start doing thermal regulation to keep
itself from overheating. Click once per degree C above 30. For
example, to set the limit to 50 C, click 20 times. The default
is 45 C.

=========
 

JaguarDave-in-Oz

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
905
Location
Australian bush
I don't believe the FW1A is shipping with that update, but it's worth trying.
In addition to my FW3A whicb does not have manual memory, I also have the EDC18 which is supposedly Lumintop's own version of the FW3A and they have implemented the manual memory on that one so maybe there is hope in FW1A??? For my usage style the manual memory is very useful, I like to have my light come on at a predicatble level every time.
 
Top