Fireflies ROT66

[Nokoff]

We took a Nichia along on a dog walk last night. Unbelievable brightness and color rendering at night. Impressive!

I ordered two more since my wife stole my first Nichia lol. I always tell her she can pick any she wants and she wanted my Nichia over the SST20. What can I say, she has great taste [emoji106]

I don't see much difference between the NarsilM and Andruil ..with all the smack-talk I was worried I would dislike one, yet both are so easy to use...they work the same for my purposes so great!

ToyKeeper explained the redundant safety on these to me... the aux LEDs turn red at 3.3V and turn off entirely at 3.0V. The amount of power drawn while off drops to a very low amount which she thinks is lower than the cell's self-discharge rate.
The main LED driver also has low-voltage protection, causing it to shut off when the battery is too low. So there isn't much risk of having the battery drained below safe levels. We keep a ROT66 on our kitchen island to enjoy the Auxiliary LEDs; I'm glad to not have to worry about someone forgetting to lock it out and draining the battery too low. That's my biggest concern usually with anything that draws current while the torch is off.

 

[Nokoff]

Well, I no matter what settings or angle I tried to photograph from, I couldn't get my camera to show the tint differences between my 3 ROT66 accurately, so I'll have to write out what I observed.
The 3 ROT66's I have are:

Nichia 219B R9080 4500k
Samsung LH351D + Lee 804 Zircon Filter ~4000k
Luminus SST20 HCRI 4000k

The comparison between the ones with the Samsung and Luminus LEDs is more interesting since they share similar CCTs. The Samsung emitters have the 804 filter over them, which makes them slightly less green, and according to Maukka's measurements, puts them at or or very slightly below the BBL. The hotspot is massive compared to the SST20, but naturally less intense.

The Luminus emitters are maybe a little above 4000k according to my subjective impressions, and are on the green side of things. The Samsung emitters might slightly be below 4000k, but look to be very much on the BBL without too much green. I personally still prefer slightly more rosiness to the tint.

The Nichia emitters make for a beam profile that's near identical to the Luminus emitters, although I would say the transition from the edge of the hotspot to spill is slightly more sudden on the SST20 emitters compared to the 219Bs. Again, LH351Ds throw a massive hotspot by comparison (really a huge, bright corona, with a small but subtle hotspot in the middle.)

I tried to take the 804 filter from the Samsungs and put it on the ROT66 with the SST20, but it seems as though Fireflies is now gluing in the Bezels, because I couldn't take mine off. This might be part of their solution to solving the crushed XPL HI issues. So, the best I could do was put the lens with the Filter on it over the Luminus emitters with their lens already on.

Comparing the SST20s with no filter to the LH351Ds without the filter and/or lens, their tints are extremely similar, but when shining both on wood and skin, the SST20s shows more of a rosy vibrancy. The SST20s with the 804 filter on would be very special I think.

So, if I had to list my preferences in beam pattern and tint, it would be:

1: Nichia 219B R9080 /possibly Luminus SST20 HCRI w/804
2: Samsung LH351D w/ 804
3: Luminus SST20 HCRI
4: Samsung LH351D.

I never mentioned how much I appreciate this assessment. Very well said and eye opening!

I have an early SST20 4000k. Where is the best source for a zircon 804. Do you need to cut them to size or how's that work? TIA

 

[staticx57]

Probably a photovideo supply store like B&H or Adorama

 

[twistedraven]

I bought a full booklet from BH and sent it to Vinh to play around with the full booklet was 30 bucks and included 3 different minus green filters, plus warming filters and diffusion filters, I was only interested in the minus green filters. Vinh was the one who installed the 804 filter on my LH351D and SST20 4000k ROT66s.

 

[jo_th]

I just saw on the BLF thread that Lexel did the driver design, so it should be high quality. I doubt many people would catch a distributor cheating them with counterfeit microcontrollers, but he says that's exactly what initially happened to them.

I see 14 x 7135 chips, so considering the limited efficiency of the 219B, I'm guessing it will be regulated to around 1000 lumens.

He labeled the driver board FET + 1, so I assume those are all on the same channel. That would likely put the minimum mode at a couple lumens.

Awhile back I sent my Mateminco MT70 to lexel to mod with his 6A buck lexel driver (as i've been reading on blf how lexel's drivers are best of the best highly regulated, high efficiency with Narsil UI etc) so anyways, it turned out to be a faulty driver and completely unusable, I asked lexel to please send me a replacement driver but he refused, I now lost 92usd just in shipping 2 ways + his driver, eventually i ordered a stock MT70 driver from Neal and the light just works now, but that really defeats the purpose of sending it to lexel for an upgrade from stock...

 

[twistedraven]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with Lexel. That really is unacceptable. The driver in the ROT66 is the real deal though. Regulated output up to 800 lumens on the 219B model, 1400 lumens on the SST20 95 cri model, and higher on the XPL HI model. Dedicated channel to a very low moonlight mode, full fet on turbo for as much output as the batteries can muster, and the sophisticated Anduril UI.

 

[jo_th]

I have a ROT66 SST20 6500K model on the way, what will be the highest regulated lumens for that?

 

[xevious]

$20 is a pretty steep increase for the Nichia 219b's...
And I have to say that after seeing the comprehensive video review, the SST20 6500k looks really good. Seems more towards neutral than cool to my eyes. And you can definitely see a brightness difference on turbo. The video doesn't do a good job of tint comparison at lower levels up close... which may show off the Nichia better. But for the intended purpose of this light, that probably would be uncommon use. This is a serious thrower.

 

[iamlucky13]

I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet that there is a next generation ROT66 released.

* 12 emitters instead of 9
* Numerous emitter choices, including SW45K and Osrams, plus multiple SST-20 and XP-L HI choices
* A mix of colors for the Aux LED's
* A claimed tighter beam of 15 degrees versus 25 degrees, plus a spare optic for a 45 degree beam
* No longer uses a battery carrier
* Very slightly reduced overall length
* More weight (better heat sinking?)
* Latest version of Anduril? They don't clearly state, but I don't see why they wouldn't.

I'm still trying to talk myself into upgrading since the older version hasn't shown any major shortcomings to me, but I like the improvements I see.

 

[aginthelaw]

i'm still waiting for jacky to send me a battery carrier for my original version

 

[TeronG]

Can it run on protected 18650 batteries?

 

[iamlucky13]

Can it run on protected 18650 batteries?

I don't think they will fit, and the higher end of its output might trigger the batteries' overcurrent protection.

It does, however, have firmware-controlled low voltage protection.

 

[twistedraven]

Got back from my vacation and gonna chime in on the ROT66v2 that was awaiting me.

I am the biggest ROT66v1 fan ever. I had bought 4-5 over time, experimenting with different emitter options. I eventually settled on SST20 4000k + Lee Zircon 804 filter. It's my workhorse sodacan light that I use for hiking/night walking and ceiling bounce.


First impressions of the generation2 ROT66. It definitely feels heavier, and the added texture on the tube offers more grip-- feels like a grenade. The tube has way thicker walls since there's no battery carrier. The v2 is not much shorter than v1. In fact I'd say it's same size, with only difference being the taller SS bezel on v1. Not sure if I prefer the smoothness of the handle on v1 or the ruggedness of v2 yet. The heatsink portion of the light doesn't seem to be larger, but the fins are deeper. Hopefully the added bulk in the handle makes good contact with the emitters so some of the heat can flow down there.

The v2 has a side-switch that protrudes from the body, making it easier to find in dark. However, the side-switch button is not illuminated. That's a big minus for me compared to V2. I'm also not the biggest fan of the font style for the ROT66 name on its body compared to V1. I liked V1's smaller, sleeker font. In dark I know this is a non-factor, but it still gets to me.

My VTC6s rattle in V2, they do not in V1. That is a big minus for me. This rattling does not affect electrical contact, however it is very sensitive to being placed down on hard surfaces compared to V1. The light will flicker momentarily, but will still stay on. V1 will sometimes shut off if jarred too hard.


Aux leds are siginificantly brighter on V2 than V1. That's a plus in my book, because now you get the opportunity to adjust aux led brightness through anduril ui, to make it dimmer if you want.

Beam pattern between V2 and V1 (both running SST20 4000k leds) is more different than I thought it would be. V1 had a spotlight effect with a large, filled hotspot and soft corona leading to a dim spill, which I quite liked. V2 has a way smaller hotspot, followed by brighter, wider and more usable spill compared to V1. I think it's definitely the more usable beam, but I might prefer the larger, flatter hotspot of V1. I made a quick graphic to help illustrate the difference:

The 12 emitters vs 9 in the same amount of head is welcome. There's more efficient use of space there, and more available power plus higher sustained output. Always welcome.

Overall I think it's an improvement, but not a home run. I would like to see springs on both sides of batteries for a tighter connection. I might even try playing with longer batteries to see if that helps. I would have really liked to see aux lighting on the side-switch for super ease of locating in the dark. A lot of the things that drive me to the ROT66 are still here: stainless steel bezel AND tailcap: 7075 aluminum, 3x18650 form factor, and aux lights. I could care less about the Osram version as I enjoy the CRI and tint for a workhorse light, but I am now intrigued by the D18 a little.

Edit: I am now trying out the beaded optics, lanyard screw in, holster, and diffuser. The holster doesn't seem to be anything special, but looks serviceable. The ROT66 fits snuggly into it. The v1 didn't have a holster so this is a good upgrade.

The lanyard attachment is awkward because it juts out where I would normally place my index finger. It's not the most ergonomic, but I do quite like the new stainless steel plug that the lanyard screws in to. It looks nice when it fills the awkward hole that the V1 had if you never put the lanyard on.

The diffuser doesn't stay on the head of the ROT66, and just falls right off unless you're tailstanding for use as a lantern. Besides that one scenario it's totally useless-- which is okay to me, because really I only see it being used as a lantern replacement.

The beaded optics are nice-- really nice. Huuuge smooth and filled hotspot, with not much output wasted in spill, like you would see with frosted lenses over reflectors. The tint of the SST20 mixes very nicely with the beaded optics as well. In throw optics, the SST20 has a slightly warmer and greener hotspot compared to cooler and more rosy spill. This effect is very, very subtle, but with the beaded optics, you get an amazing tint that's cooler and more rosy overall. It's very nice.

 

[aginthelaw]

Hey, twisted, if you stuck pics in between the paragraphs, this would make a great review. It's interesting that the hotspot is tighter with more leds

 

[twistedraven]

The optics seem to be pretty much the same size as v1, but the throw is better. These are just more throw oriented optics-- perhaps slightly deeper.

V1 wasn't very efficient in how it spaced 9 emitters in its head size. V2 is vastly better in that regard. Emisar D18 is probably the best when it comes to cramming 18 emitters in a similar sized head.

 

[iamlucky13]

Thanks for the concise review twistedraven!

I'm not worried about the lack of backlight on the button. It looks nice, but I have no trouble finding the button on my v1 with my eyes closed. How does the click compare? I find the v1 a little indefinite feeling.

Only having springs on one end of the battery tube sounds like the most significant downside, although the V1 was that way as well, unless you count the foam pad in the tail as a spring.

I agree about the font, at least from what I've seen in pictures.

Great beam comparison. I think the v2 might be a good pattern for general outdoor use for me, and I'm really interested in the possibility of swapping the 45 degree optic and putting the ROT66 on a tripod to use as worklight. The new thread fits a tripod, right?

Lastly, any idea what version of Anduril it has? One clue - newer versions have manual mode memory. If you click 5 times while on, it saves the current brightness as the manual memory level. Instead of a click from off causing it to turn on at the last used brightness, it comes on at manual memory level. To return to normal memory, you click 5 times but hold the last click.