Disappointment with BOTH of my Lumintop FW3A

[victor01]

Bought 2 of them from drop.com on 2 different occasions. After some time BOTH of them went glitchy. One would simply ramp to the max as soon as the battery is inserted. While the other would just dim to minimum. All instructions are followed, using flat top 18650 batteries, rescrew/cleaning tail cap. Have to junk them BOTH and go back to the trusty Solarforce L2. Just throw any 18650 in there and it works every time.

 

[AstroTurf]

ZL for the win!!!

 

[idleprocess]

I got both of mine early on before Lumintop engaged in a variety of revisions and they've always been a tad flaky. I can't recommend the model now with all the changes that have been made.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Sorry about those defective flashlights. I emailed Lumintop about a faulty flashlight that I'd had for a couple years and they did not return any message. Actually purchased 2 Lumintop since then and they are ok. I still wonder how long the switch will last, though.

 

[SixCats!]

Wow! This is very disappointing news to hear about the current line of Lumintop lights as Lumintop is one of my favorite Flashlights. I own about four Lumintops, two of the early AAA Tool models and two of the AA 2.0 models. The only issue I've had is that (sometimes) the flat "ring/washer" (inside the switch cap) needs to be adjusted (simply by turning counter wise) using a fine pin or such and "spinning" the ring back down deeper into the cap until it stops. If this "ring" works it's way "up" towards the top/upper area of the switch cap, the Flashlight will have "on/off/not working" issues. Other than this minor issue, I am EXTREMELY please/happy with my Lumintop lights. The AAA Tool is too damn cute and works great however, it's so small, it's easy to misplace/hide away. The 2.0AA on the other Hand (with it's cool "Glow" cap) is just an OUTSTANDING light. I love the fact that I can use both AA's or 14500's.

SixCats!

 

[KITROBASKIN]

I should not have sounded so negative about Lumintop. I also have a Tool as a spare/loaner and a FW1A is in rotation for our nightly walks. The Anduril function has been reliable and the switch does feel and sound "off" at times but works. Also the color temperature adjustable flashlight modified by Vinh seems fine though have not used as much. It's user interface is very different.

 

[idleprocess]

A few issues I'm aware of with the FW3A and some of its variants:

• The E-switch relies on a precise line fit between the exterior housing and sliding interior cell compartment liner. If the liner is a fraction of a mm shorter it doesn't 'make' consistently; a fraction of a mm longer you compress the PCBs at either end. This is why the switch is so sensitive to tension on the tailcap/head connection and even 'dialed-in' can be flaky.
• Some variants w/ triple optics have replaced the lens + stock optic with a monolithic proprietary optic that's no a simple swap out if desired
• Later variants have also skipped some of the power components, significantly limiting output / modes

I enjoy my FW3A's, but I'm aware of the limitations of the design. Other tail E-switch designs use a more robust return path for the switch - a wave washer is a common solution used by other manufacturers.

That being said I've gotten good service from my EDC01 and Tool AA 2.0.

 

[nbp]

The FW3 Ti that I have I got from Vinh's online store, and he had modded it with a Nichia quad and worked whatever other Vinh magic he works on flashlight guts before he sells them. Aside from the tail button occasionally getting stuck down (easily remedied with a quad click lockout) I have found it very reliable and a nice light to use. I was fully prepared for it to disintegrate with any real use, haha. I consider the fact that I often carry it pretty good praise as it competes for pocket time with lights from HDS, McGizmo, Okluma, Sigma, Oveready etc. which all have outstanding reputations. If you like the light in general, maybe getting a V54 worked over light is worth it? I only paid like $110 for this Ti FW3 even with the mods.