Lumintop FW3A - 3D - wow, just WOW

DHart · May 6, 2020

I'm very late to the FW3A party, having just stumbled upon hearing about it last week. The more I read about it, the more I was drawn to buy one, despite already having SO very many great lights already.

It arrived today and all I can say is that I'm blown away. I instantly understood what all the hoopla over this light is about. The state that we are at with LED lights these days is amazing.

I popped a Sony VTC6 20amp 18650 cell into the light and instantly fell in love with the electronic switch, the ramping up and down, and with a double click, simply awesome potency of light, of a very high quality color and beam.

I just want to thank the dedicated flash-o-holics at BLF who took it upon themselves to design this light and bring Lumintop to produce it. The quality is fantastic.

Anyone who might be interested in this triple-LED mini-18650 light... just buy one! You will not regret it.

I ordered mine with the Neutral 5000k 3D XP-L HI triple emitters. Stunning beam, color quality, and output. Simple and elegant design. One very classy, potent, and tiny 18650 light. Easily my favorite light at present.

I got mine from Illumn, excellent customer service and very quick shipping.

https://www.illumn.com/lumintop-fw3a-tlf-blf-edc-aluminum-flashlight.html

Enter Code FW3 for a 20% discount!

badtziscool · May 6, 2020

Late to the party indeed, but better late than never. For the price, it's nearly impossible to beat. However, it does have some quality issues. I purchased the two titanium versions when it first came out, and I will admit, for the price it was unbeatable. But one started to develop switching issues and I couldn't depend on it reliably enough to just grab and go. It was always in the back of my mind whether the light would turn on when I needed it, and of course there's been a couple of times when it didn't turn on until I fiddled with it. If they can resolve some of the quality issues, I'd would be more than willing to pay 50% extra for it.

If you like the FW3A, then you should also take a look at Noctigon KR4. Format and operation is similar. It has secondary color LEDs, but you can't really use it in a normal sense. It's more of an always on or always off. If you have it off, then it pretty much is an FW3A but with quad leds instead of triple. I can't speak on it's quality, but I haven't heard any complaints about it so far.

DHart · May 6, 2020

badtziscool said:
Late to the party indeed, but better late than never. For the price, it's nearly impossible to beat. However, it does have some quality issues. I purchased the two titanium versions when it first came out, and I will admit, for the price it was unbeatable. But one started to develop switching issues and I couldn't depend on it reliably enough to just grab and go. It was always in the back of my mind whether the light would turn on when I needed it, and of course there's been a couple of times when it didn't turn on until I fiddled with it. If they can resolve some of the quality issues, I'd would be more than willing to pay 50% extra for it.

If you like the FW3A, then you should also take a look at Noctigon KR4. Format and operation is similar. It has secondary color LEDs, but you can't really use it in a normal sense. It's more of an always on or always off. If you have it off, then it pretty much is an FW3A but with quad leds instead of triple. I can't speak on it's quality, but I haven't heard any complaints about it so far.

Thanks for the input.

Hopefully in the latest production samples of the FW3A, the switching issue may have been resolved. It is an insanely great light!

Mine is still brand new, of course, but I have high hopes of good reliability. I'm really easy on my stuff, which may help.

WalkIntoTheLight · May 7, 2020

It does suffer from quality issues, and some of them are down-right dangerous. I think they've fixed the safety problems, though. Some were in the firmware, but I think those were fixed and hopefully they're using the updated version. I had to fix some soldering issues in mine.

Speaking of the firmware, I'm personally not a fan. Yes, it has tons of bells and whistles. But they're difficult to remember, and it's way too easy to accidentally go into a programming mode and mess up your settings. IMO, it's a toy, not a tool, though there's nothing wrong with that. Just be sure to bring a reliable back-up light, if you're going somewhere where you really need a light.

For playing with it around the house, it's a fun light. Too many issues for it to be a EDC. (When it has come on in your pocket for the tenth time, you'll tire of it.)

badtziscool · May 7, 2020

WalkIntoTheLight said:
IMO, it's a toy, not a tool, though there's nothing wrong with that. Just be sure to bring a reliable back-up light, if you're going somewhere where you really need a light.

For playing with it around the house, it's a fun light. Too many issues for it to be a EDC. (When it has come on in your pocket for the tenth time, you'll tire of it.)

I completely agree with this!

longuylander · May 7, 2020

It does have a lockout, so coming on in your pocket can easily be stopped. The buggy switch can be a problem. Mine will sometimes flicker when trying to turn on. Unscrewing and rescrewing both ends seems to fix that. Sometimes, when screwing it closed, it will react as if the switch is being held down, ramping from low all the way to turbo. I agree, these are problems if you plan to use it as an EDC.

I loved the light so much though, so I decided to try the EDC18. I have the XP-L HI 3Ds too, and I love their tint and brightness. The EDC18 is very near the same size, a bit heavier, but has the same output, ui, and a great, glowing green bunny side switch. The side switch has great action on it, and has never turned on in my pocket, even without lockout. It comes with a deep carry clip, and doesn't have the bugs that the FW3A has, since it has no inner tube to cause weird connections. I got mine for $35.

Talk about unbeatable.

greatscoot · May 7, 2020

I just picked up my first one also and it's pretty cool. I'll EDC it for a couple of days to give it some real use, I like the ramping UI.

WalkIntoTheLight · May 7, 2020

longuylander said:
It does have a lockout, so coming on in your pocket can easily be stopped.

I can't stand lock-outs. It makes the light close to unusable for me, since I take out and turn on my light temporarily dozens of times on a walk. The low modes that it allows on lock-out are not bright enough.

The buggy switch can be a problem. Mine will sometimes flicker when trying to turn on. Unscrewing and rescrewing both ends seems to fix that. Sometimes, when screwing it closed, it will react as if the switch is being held down, ramping from low all the way to turbo. I agree, these are problems if you plan to use it as an EDC.

I loved the light so much though, so I decided to try the EDC18. I have the XP-L HI 3Ds too, and I love their tint and brightness. The EDC18 is very near the same size, a bit heavier, but has the same output, ui, and a great, glowing green bunny side switch. The side switch has great action on it, and has never turned on in my pocket, even without lockout. It comes with a deep carry clip, and doesn't have the bugs that the FW3A has, since it has no inner tube to cause weird connections. I got mine for $35.

Talk about unbeatable.

Yes, if I ever get another one, I'd go for the EDC18 version. I wish they'd just scrap the FW3A design completely, and just use a regular side-switch like everyone else. It would solve so many of the problems. Of course, that goes against the original designer's vision, but who cares? Any company can redesign it.

F250XLT · May 7, 2020

I recently picked up a raw alu version, cool light for sure.

When messing with it UI, I have had it where it stops responding, have to remove the head to reset it.

idleprocess · May 7, 2020

longuylander said:
It does have a lockout, so coming on in your pocket can easily be stopped. The buggy switch can be a problem. Mine will sometimes flicker when trying to turn on. Unscrewing and rescrewing both ends seems to fix that. Sometimes, when screwing it closed, it will react as if the switch is being held down, ramping from low all the way to turbo. I agree, these are problems if you plan to use it as an EDC.

EDC as in always on your person, always ready for fastest possible use? Yeah, I guess it's not great for that. But clipped to a pocket locked out, I find it's not an issue to quad-click it to unlock for more ready use then re-lock it before stowing it.

I will agree that the switch itself is a problem - not robust enough. My second FW3A requires considerable trial-and-error adjustment before it works every time the tailcap tension changes; my first (original production run) does not.

richbuff · May 7, 2020

I got the FW3A, and there were some things that I liked about it, and some things that I didn't, but the former outweigh the latter, so I got the FW4A. Same as the 3A, so I wait for the FW in triple 50.2. What I like a lot and what I am wary of about the FW are mostly subjective opinions. There are various "tips and tricks" type topic threads for the FW series, too.

DHart · May 7, 2020

I have far more than enough lights for me to have to consider this one an ESSENTIAL light.

For me, the FW3A-3D is a beautiful, elegant, supremely compact, around-the-house & property mega-light, where (like many of us, here) I have an embarrassment of multiple other lights immediately at hand, if needed.

So far, I'm loving this beautiful, little HOT ROD of a light! And, I doubt that I'm going to "tire of it" anytime soon.

As for the user interface.... it sure works fine for me right out of the box. The fact that there is massive customizability under the hood isn't a requirement to use it, if you don't wish to. I think the UI is awesome!

My EDC is a 14500-powered EagTac D25A Ti Clicky, which is always in my pocket, when I leave the house. Since I'm home most of the time, I use the EagTac D25A far less often than my "around the house" lights - but it is VERY small, plenty powerful enough, and always at the ready when I'm out and about.

This FW3A is a MOST welcome addition to the herd!

Now... I have to find out what the heck the EDC18 is all about!

greatscoot · May 7, 2020

DHart said:
I have far more than enough lights for me to have to consider this one an ESSENTIAL light. For me, the FW3A-3D is an around the house/property light, where I have an embarrassment of multiple lights to use, when needed.

So far, I'm loving this beautiful, little HOT ROD of a light! I doubt that I'm going to "tire of it" anytime soon.

My EDC is a 14500-powered EagTac D25A Ti Clicky, which is always in my pocket when I leave the house. Since I'm home most of the time, I use the EagTac D25A less often than my "around the house" lights.

This FW3A is a MOST welcome addition to the herd!

Now... I have to find out what the heck the EDC18 is all about!

That EDC18 looks pretty nice. Triple SST's

sp5it · May 8, 2020

I own one of the first released.
Serves me good as EDC, UI is just brilliant. I could set it the way I wanted.
Swapped leds to sst-20 4000K 95 CRI, makes it perfect light atm for me.
Mike

DHart · May 9, 2020

sp5it said:
I own one of the first released.
Serves me good as EDC, UI is just brilliant. I could set it the way I wanted.
Swapped leds to sst-20 4000K 95 CRI, makes it perfect light atm for me.
Mike

Nice, Mike! Glad to hear it.

Tonight as I wind down the evening, surfing the web before falling asleep, I'm going to set the FW3A tail standing, in candle mode to watch the light gently flickering from the nightstand. Should be a fun way to dial down the room lighting before sleep!

Yes, the UI is insane. Toykeeper's work is brilliant.

Now I'm considering adding an FW4 or perhaps an FW21. :naughty: Amazing design.

mikekoz · May 9, 2020

I have a FW3A, and at first, I did not like it too much as it was a bit flakey. I got mine at the end of last year, so it was one with the retaining ring in the tail cap. Before that, if you removed the tail cap, the switch pieces would all fall out. I think they were thinking that if they made it this way, it would make the light easier to service or mod. Anyway, the switch was little bit too easy to depress and several people had problems with it coming on in their pockets. Not a good thing since the light gets really hot on high! I read a lot of tips and tricks for this light, and was able to make the switch harder to depress by replacing a small plastic nub in the switch with a small rubber o-ring. Make sure you also set the temperature and heat limit on it. Out of the box, it was not correct on mine. The big thing though, is to try to avoid removing the tail cap! Mine is set the way I want it now and I only remove the head when I change the battery. The light has been working fine now for months. I really like the looks and the user interface of the FW3A, and I ended up purchasing several other Anduril lights, including the FW1A Pro, which is a single emitter, slightly brighter version of the FW3A. I also bought the EDC18, and it is a more robust Anduril light and you do not have to mod the switch on it. It is on the head and I have not had an issue with it coming on by itself. The EDC18 also has a little bit more aluminum on it and I would say it is a better made light. I have found that all of these small light sabers though, all heat up real quick, and you need to be careful with them! So do what I did and look up all the information you can on this light on this forum and others, and you will be able to tweak it to your enjoyment!!:thumbsup:

DHart · May 9, 2020

mikekoz said:
I have a FW3A, and at first, I did not like it too much as it was a bit flakey. I got mine at the end of last year, so it was one with the retaining ring in the tail cap. Before that, if you removed the tail cap, the switch pieces would all fall out. I think they were thinking that if they made it this way, it would make the light easier to service or mod. Anyway, the switch was little bit too easy to depress and several people had problems with it coming on in their pockets. Not a good thing since the light gets really hot on high! I read a lot of tips and tricks for this light, and was able to make the switch harder to depress by replacing a small plastic nub in the switch with a small rubber o-ring. Make sure you also set the temperature and heat limit on it. Out of the box, it was not correct on mine. The big thing though, is to try to avoid removing the tail cap! Mine is set the way I want it now and I only remove the head when I change the battery. The light has been working fine now for months. I really like the looks and the user interface of the FW3A, and I ended up purchasing several other Anduril lights, including the FW1A Pro, which is a single emitter, slightly brighter version of the FW3A. I also bought the EDC18, and it is a more robust Anduril light and you do not have to mod the switch on it. It is on the head and I have not had an issue with it coming on by itself. The EDC18 also has a little bit more aluminum on it and I would say it is a better made light. I have found that all of these small light sabers though, all heat up real quick, and you need to be careful with them! So do what I did and look up all the information you can on this light on this forum and others, and you will be able to tweak it to your enjoyment!!:thumbsup:

Good stuff, Mike. Thank you.

My FW3A is not an EDC in-the-pocket light. I use it around the house and property, and bedroom.

Tonight... it's in Candle-light mode, gently flickering on the ceiling in the bedroom, as I surf the web and prepare for sleep.

No problems with the tailcap, either. I removed it once and replaced it. No issues. It's easy to replace the Sony VTC6 cells from the front, rather than the back. (VTC6 are fantastic cells, too!)

I did set the ambient temp in the light. And, when I run it in higher power, outdoors, I wrap my hand around the head of the light to monitor temps, and to wick off heat as needed. I go out every night with my dogs - two nights now with the FW3A.

Used sensibly, there is not a thing wrong with this light.

I'm really loving this light. To the point that I'm sure I will pickup an EDC18, as well.

Totally in love with the Anduril UI. And Candlelight mode, in the bedroom, is fantastic! WOO HOO! Thank you BLF, ToyKeeper, and Lumintop... for bringing this fantastic light into being. :thumbsup:

Candlelight mode, gently flickering on the bedroom ceiling, hits it out of the park, for me! Not to mention Turbo, when I step outside. Lumintop & Toykeeper, you are magnificent!

idleprocess · May 9, 2020

I will say that as much as I like single-button UI lights, I do wish there were some way to configure them out of band. Bluetooth is probably too much to ask for, but some means to push a config file to the microcontroller for the options you're not likely to be changing regularly (i.e. thermal config, steps, max/min, etc) would greatly reduce the complexity of the UI.

DHart · May 9, 2020

During the late night before sleep reading, my wife fell asleep. I switched off the main light and turned the FW3A on in candle mode, tail standing. The gentle candle-like flickering was cozy feeling and awesome. Great feature of this light!

adnj · May 9, 2020

idleprocess said:
I will say that as much as I like single-button UI lights, I do wish there were some way to configure them out of band. Bluetooth is probably too much to ask for, but some means to push a config file to the microcontroller for the options you're not likely to be changing regularly (i.e. thermal config, steps, max/min, etc) would greatly reduce the complexity of the UI.

You can update the Anduril firmware using a PC and a few development software and hardware tools. If you search for Anduril firmware update you should get some links.

Sent from my LG-V520 using Tapatalk

Lumintop FW3A - 3D - wow, just WOW

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