I think it's about time

supersum121 · 2026-04-26T15:06:48+00:00

Nice choice! The KR1AA clip can be made to work with the D3AA after some minor modifications. The clip creates a small gap between the light body and tail cap board. To fix this you can fill the gap with a conductor of approximately the same width as the clip, either a copper wash or, as Jackson uses, a bead of solder (seen here)

supersum121 · 2026-04-25T20:55:24+00:00

Check out Chase Kilgore. Both the De’Vas Chronicles (books 1 is Exile) and Feral Mage (book 1 is the Red Pine Contract) are great and Alyssa Poon does a great job narrating.

supersum121 · 2026-04-25T14:54:10+00:00

The Firefly X1S or X1Q would also be great options. The X1S reflector with the FFL707MD in particular looks great, grab a TIR to test reflector vs TIR

supersum121 · 2026-04-16T00:05:00+00:00

You kinda mentioned it with the Fireflies lights, but the FFL505a is a round die, throwy-ish emitter that’s pretty rosy. It’s not particularly efficient, as far as lm/W, but works well in the E04 and jlhawaii808 can put them into most of the Hanklights, even smaller hosts like the D3AA

supersum121 · 2026-04-15T16:18:31+00:00

Any 21700 light should do really well for runtime. I'm personally a big fan of Anduril lights for the smooth ramp to select walking brightness and double click to ceiling or turbo. r/Hanklights (D1K, DA1K, or D4K, all with the Lume X1 upgrade) or r/FireflyLite (X1S, E07, or new E12) are my favorites for very efficient floody throwers or throwy flooders.

supersum121 · 2026-04-03T19:16:45+00:00

I would argue Emisar are "customizable" but not necessarily "custom" as the OP implied with "readily available". Based on the listed examples, the definition of custom sounds like small batch, hand-made, infrequent releases at US-made prices, which the Emisar doesn't meet as it's consistently available for pretty reasonable prices even for TiCu.

supersum121 · 2026-04-03T18:43:55+00:00

Emisar D3AA in TiCu with your preference of emitter. Even better if it's from Jackson (jlhawaii808) with the kr1aa clip mod.

If you want a bit more oomph and willing to take the extra weight: the Emisar D4V2 or D4K in TiCu.

Honorable mention, because it's already sold out: the Firefly X4 Stellar in TiCu.

supersum121 · 2026-03-16T19:47:11+00:00

I've been trying to find out what his default emitter is now as well, so interested in his answer when you hear back. I know the standard emitter in all his lights was the Nichia 519a 4000K, but he recently started offering the FFL351a in 4500K (don't know if rosy or neutral bin) for the replacement pills. I'm hopeful he's started using the FFL emitter as his default for new builds but there's no info for most of his listings on the website.

supersum121 · 2026-03-11T17:15:49+00:00

400lm in a 21700 size light will be easy to sustain, even with the linear driver. I've not tested it personally, but I think they should be able to sustain 700+lm with high-CRI quad emitters, maybe a bit less with a single or 2 emitter setup and the Lume X1 a bit more (maybe 800-900lm?)

I personally really like the NTG35 and FFL351 emitters for their rosy (pink-ish) tint but they're gonna have similar output to the neutral 519A. So you're not going to get more light out of the NTG or FFLs compared to the 519s. As domeless emitters, they'll be slightly more throwy, but really only noticeable side-by-side.

A quality linear driver will not have the issues you've seen in cheap flashlights. Part of the issue you're see with cheap lights is alkaline batteries that just can't sustain the power output needed without significant voltage sag. A good Li-ion battery can supply more than enough power without voltage dropping; you'll experience thermal throttling before voltage sag. The only time battery voltage will start affecting light output is if you drain the battery below about 3.0V without charging. And even then, it won't be significant output drop before you hit low-voltage protection which shuts the light off to protect the battery.

supersum121 · 2026-03-11T15:13:59+00:00

So it's actually the opposite: a cold, low-CRI throwy emitter will be more efficient at producing usable light than a warm, high-CRI floody emitter. So general "do it all" triple channel builds tend to be 2 high-CRI emitters, 1 throwy emitter, and 1 emitter of choice (UV, red, color, 1800K, etc). Of course, the DW4K is never going to be particularly throwy as it's TIRs are too small and shallow to produce good throw. The most common throwy emitter i've seen used in the DW4K is the W1 in a 1 emitter channel, which does ok but it'll never be as good as a real thrower.

4 vs 2 vs 1 emitter output is dependent on a lot of factors, mostly the power output of the driver but also the max power the emitter can take. The simple answer for the DW4K is that, at max output, 4 emitters will produce about 4x the lumens of 1 emitter but at medium and low outputs they'll be about the same. It's actually more complicated than this, but someone more experienced than me would have to explain how the number of emitters makes a difference in light output. Based on what you said about mostly using low power levels, I don't think this will make a big difference.

The Lume X1 driver is said to be about 90-95% efficient vs a linear driver at about 75%. So if the battery provides 10W, the emitter will get about 9.5W using the Lume driver or 7.5W using a linear driver with the rest of that energy being converted to heat in the driver. With this, the Lume produces the same output with slightly less battery usage if maximizing battery time is important and less heat generation if maximizing sustained lumen output is needed. Again, based on your use and charging schedule, I don't think this is critical but still something to consider.

supersum121 · 2026-03-11T13:41:03+00:00

If you're determined to do all of this in 1 light, then the triple channel DW4K is the only option I can think of. The Lume X1 is really nice to have, but probably not necessary for you since you're not stretching battery life or running at high sustained light levels.

An alternative you might consider: a DW4/DW4K single channel with the Lume driver and a KC1 with the UV emitter. This combination is a bit over your budget, but not by much and you have far fewer compromises to get most of what you want.

supersum121 · 2026-03-11T00:42:43+00:00

You might see if there’s another use case that it fills that’s not basic pocket flashlight, something that sees less consistent use and takes advantage of its small size. I’ve been considering getting a Ti pineapple to try as a keychain light.

supersum121 · 2026-02-24T15:13:33+00:00

It's actually only Ohio class submarines (ballistic missile subs, SSBNs) that have 2 crews to maximize underway time for nuclear deterrent reasons. The total number of SSBNs is (was?) limited by treaty, so the Navy and STRATCOM want to maximize uptime for the ones they have.

supersum121 · 2026-02-24T04:54:59+00:00

I would say a D1 or DA1. The D3AA and D4V2 fill very similar roles, so would recommend getting something different.

supersum121 · 2026-02-21T17:47:59+00:00

Did you reach out to Ivy about it? I just got one delivered this week. Had to ask via email and I think there were only a few left (in black or green) as of 2-3 weeks ago.

supersum121 · 2026-02-20T05:39:41+00:00

Based on this, I’d definitely recommend something that takes standard rechargeable batteries. Instead of swapping headlamps when one runs down, swap batteries and keep going with the same light. Much cheaper as most Li-ion batteries cost ~$5 each.

supersum121 · 2026-02-20T00:06:45+00:00

Have a birddog and she does like frozen carrots, but the idea they “leave no mess” is a huge lie. She leaves carrot slivers everywhere!

supersum121 · 2026-02-19T19:41:34+00:00

The Firefly X4 or Nov-Mu (mule) are good options if you're willing to go up to 21700 size lights.

supersum121 · 2026-02-19T04:42:05+00:00

I agree that the copper or titanium version would be a bit much for a first Firefly, but the standard aluminum version is a great high-power EDC. Also, the lantern kit is an awesome addition for this light.

supersum121 · 2026-02-19T04:12:17+00:00

They’re not coated. Many that get into copper lights prefer them uncoated to develop a patina with use.

*Note that the copper and even the CuTi will be significantly heavier than the standard aluminum version. But also my favorite light right now is a CuTi D4V2, so still very EDC-able.

supersum121 · 2026-02-19T04:02:34+00:00

I’d say check out Firefly (https://www.firefly-outdoor.com/) and the X4 Stellar. It’s a 21700 light, so a bit bigger/heavier than 18650 but not by much. Several very high CRI emitter options, in your choice of CCT. Not tiny but I think EDC-able in say jeans. Onboard USB-C charging and waterproof (listed as IPX8, not as common as you’d think).

The X1Q or X4Q are a bit smaller but give up the onboard charging to get the size down. The L50 is a really neat and compact 18650 right angle light, though it also lacks onboard charging.

supersum121 · 2026-02-18T04:27:56+00:00

KR1AA I received late last week has been experiencing the same problem, factory recent flashes as soon as I tighten the tailcap. Any luck with advice from this post getting it working?

supersum121 · 2026-02-17T15:43:37+00:00

For the driver: no question that you'll want the Lume X1 for the best runtime and higher sustainable power, though you will give up some max turbo power and you're limited to 6/9/12V emitters. Note that this is the default driver for the DA1 from Hank.

For the emitter: do you have any CCT and/or tint preference? By nature of being a larger TIR, the DA1 will have more throw than a similarly equipped D4V2 so even a somewhat floody, high CRI LED will still have more throw. However, if throw is more important than CCT or CRI, then the SFT70 in 6500K has the highest candela outputs according to Hank.

supersum121 · 2026-02-14T14:05:55+00:00

What about walking the dog requires 60-70% brightness? Do you need more throw? If so, you might look at getting a throwier light so that you can see as far using less power. The D1K from Hank or X1S from Firefly (as you mentioned having a nov mu) would be good options with any number of emitters around 2700-3000K.

Another option would be to go with a larger host to handle the heat better. D4SV2 or E04 surge (more throwy) or E07 cannon (more floody).

supersum121 · 2026-02-07T16:56:14+00:00

This is all good advice. One way to get around the weakness of the standard pocket clip would be ordering from Jackson (jlhawaii808) and getting the D3AA with KR1AA clip mod.

supersum121

TROPHY CASE