New flashlight: Lumintop FW3A

This baby arrived in the mail yesterday. I couldn't help but take it out for a spin.

I don't have any shot of the original light as I immediately converted it to short form with the 18350 copper tube that arrived last week.

This is a 2800 lumens, tri-led flashlight from Lumintop. It is designed by the folks at Budgetlightforum.com. As such, it runs the open-source Anduril user interface.

Specifications:

Emitters: 3 x LEDS on Copper DTP MCPCB 

     Cree XP-L HI 3D (Neutral White 5000K)

Optic: TIR Carclo 10511

Lens: Glass with AR coating

Max Output: 2,800 lumens

In 18650 (original, long) form, it runs at max brightness for about 2 minutes before getting too hot. In 18350 form, it runs about 30 seconds before getting warm. After a minute (and multiple turbo runs), it's uncomfortable to hold due to the copper tube's high heat conductivity. This is a true "pocket rocket" after all.

FW3A in sand & copper

2800lumens, 5000k goodness in a super short body (18350)

This is shot in my "studio", aka the top of my convection oven, against the kitchen backsplash 😁

Price:

Typically $50 but it can be had for ~$38 on sale. I bought mine from Lights and Tools, a small specialized tools dealer in Mississippi.

+ $10 for 18350 copper tube

+ $10 for Turboglow GITD gasket

Cigar-grip dual-wielding

Lumen candies

That optic looks fuzzy because it's frosted to create a diffused, smooth beam.

Lowest possible beams

Color Temps (left to right): XPL-HI 5000K, XPL-HI 6500k, SST20 4000K

Comparing green Turboglow (glow in the dark) vs Aux green led on D4SV2

Low beams on with 18650 battery for size comparison

The FW3A looks like a salt shaker

Cigar grip

Love that beautiful Turbo glow

It's bright, even in a well-lit room

Brothers in sand

The sand color on FW3A is darker than the desert sand color on the S2+. I like the lighter tan color but the chocolate brown on FW3A fits well with copper.

The D4SV2 in 26350 form is down right stubby. I like it in the regular 26650 form better...maybe because of the knurling.

For everyday carry, I needed a clip. The included clip is too long so I had to find another solution. Here's the clip from S2+. It's not the best but it will do for now. 

Some final thoughts:

• This flashlight is a lot smaller than I expected. I got the Emisar D4SV2, which is a big brother to the D4V2 (direct competitor of this light) and it was fairly large. The D4V2 is also pretty nice and, seeing pictures online for both "edc" lights, I expected the FW3A to be a bit bigger than it is. Pleasantly surprised when I saw it in person. It's a good surprise though as it's definitely pocketable.
• The electronic button takes some getting used to. Initially I had a few clicks that didn't register. You have to get used to pushing in the middle of the button. That said, the shallow stainless steel button is a beauty.
• Very bright for its small size. I'm using vapcell 1100mAh battery for the short body but I'll probably use it more with Sanyo GA 3500mAh battery in long (18650) body.
• I wish it had a drilled lanyard hole in the back. It would be quite painful to drop this beauty. Ugh...can't even think about that. They do sell a small lanyard ring thing but it sticks out and wouldn't feel right in pocket so I skipped it.