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Drop Brass AAA Pocket Flashlight
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Drop Brass AAA Pocket Flashlight
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Product Description
Made for the EDC Community, the Massdrop Brass AAA Pocket Flashlight is about the size of a tube of chapstick—but it pumps out 110 lumens and casts a beam as far as 154 feet (with the CREE XP-G2 R5 LED). Despite measuring less than 3 inches long, it weighs 1.5 ounces for a substantial feel in the hand Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downrichardgao
882
Mar 15, 2017
*QUICK UPDATE TIME*
I know everybody has been patiently waiting......so I am excited to say I have good news (and some pictures) to share! We'll be sending the full update shortly but the short update of the full story is that we are on track to ship about a week earlier than the estimated April 17th estimate 🎉!
We've also received some pictures of the flashlights in production, hope you enjoy them! 🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦
.jpg?auto=format&fm=jpg&fit=max&w=796&h=425&dpr=1&q=70)
I know everybody has been patiently waiting......so I am excited to say I have good news (and some pictures) to share! We'll be sending the full update shortly but the short update of the full story is that we are on track to ship about a week earlier than the estimated April 17th estimate 🎉!
We've also received some pictures of the flashlights in production, hope you enjoy them! 🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦
seahunter
245
Mar 26, 2017
Yeah, I've received silver pens before that were sealed in vacuum plastic. I really hope we get the Massdrop box too.
Bobraz
2631
Mar 27, 2017
I can confirm my prototype also came sealed in a vacuum plastic bag, to protect it from patina and oxidation. The little plastic box was also included on the side. As soon as you open the bag, patina slowly starts.
Will
8470
Chief Product Officer
Jan 26, 2017
Flashlights are one of the most common components of a strong EDC. From the Prometheus Alpha to the Tool Ti, we see thousands of requests for flashlights of all price points and genres on Massdrop. Given that, it should come as no surprise that our first EDC Custom Product is a budget flashlight. Most entry level options leave a lot to be desired; whether it’s cheap materials, poor tolerances, or illogical emitter choices.
We saw an opportunity to gather input from our community and create a flashlight with Lumintop that packed the most requested features into a product priced so aggressively that it would be accessible to everyone. This is the result: a pocket flashlight made from unfinished brass, titanium (button), and gold plated stainless steel (the clip), with your choice of CREE or Nichia LED, and manufacturing tolerances you’d expect from something 2x-3x the cost. It’s also IPX-8 waterproof and runs off a single AAA battery.
The goal with this product was to make a flashlight so compelling, priced so aggressively, that it would appeal to existing enthusiasts, and open the door to the rest of our community. With all of our Custom Products, it’s our goal to bring the different communities on Massdrop closer together. How do you think we did?
Full disclosure, we may not be able to offer this at $25 + free domestic shipping in the future, but we wanted to make this launch as accessible as possible.
Special thanks to DB Custom for making a suggestion based on the samples that we’ll be implementing on the production level. When you power on the samples, they start in medium power mode, then cycle to low, then cycle to high. DB Custom suggested we have them start in low, cycle to medium, then high. It’s a much better choice and Lumintop will be programming the production units as such.
Finally, thanks for your interest in this product. I get super excited whenever we launch a Custom Product, especially when it’s the first in a particular community. These launches are the realization of the vision we’ve had for many years, to create products with the enthusiast community on Massdrop. Without you all—everyone reading this page, clicking on our emails, and joining drops—we wouldn’t exist. So thank you sincerely, and please let us know how this product could be improved : )
BrainFlush
6860
Feb 11, 2017
YanboWuNot sure if it's my stunted education or lack of brain cells, but is he suggesting that MD didn't invent the flashlight?
Because if he is, he is wrong, MassDrop invented everything. I owned a desk with some computers on it, my EDC (everyday computers). Now I own stuff I never knew I needed and I keep trying to find ways to keep my other habits going while still junking out on MD. Addiction, it can kill or make you homeless. Looks like homeless is it.
And if it all went over my head, well, lets have fun in the comment section about it. :D
Because if he is, he is wrong, MassDrop invented everything. I owned a desk with some computers on it, my EDC (everyday computers). Now I own stuff I never knew I needed and I keep trying to find ways to keep my other habits going while still junking out on MD. Addiction, it can kill or make you homeless. Looks like homeless is it.
And if it all went over my head, well, lets have fun in the comment section about it. :D
Pandemos
421
Feb 8, 2017
I'm a late-to-rate reviewer that received this product to review free of charge. My confirmation email that told me to start posting was blocked because it had multiple markers for spam, or so says my blocker. I'm not going to sugar coat it. It is not perfect. They asked for a review, and I'm going to be honest. I like it, but definitely do not love it.
TL;DR version...it is a good value for only $24.99. Do I think it is a great light? No. But it's much less expensive than most.
First off. The progression of lighting modes. Mine was Medium, Light, High. I absolutely hate it. It is the worst linear progression of settings there can possibly be, in my experience, and whoever thought it was a good idea shouldn't give ideas. It is a daily thorn in my side. I hear the production version makes more sense, for my purposes. It is now LMH and I applaud that choice.
Light to Med to High, makes sense. Sometimes you need to keep it low to not annoy others when it starts. Then it naturally progresses higher and higher.
High to Med to Light makes sense...sometimes you need to be defensive. Then it naturally progresses lower.
Medium to High to Light makes sense, sometimes you want the most used feature of medium regularly available, but quickly to a bright setting if you need that boost for defensive reasons or otherwise quick need of a high brightness.
Medium to Light to High is incredibly poorly thought out. What a waste. It is almost blinding--but more of an annoyance, if not ready for it--then dim as 3 candles, then incredibly blinding. Seriously, who worked this out in this order? Can't figure out the logic. Otherwise, it's a good value, but really a terrible sequence in my uses. This was a major step back for "why I would buy this." Maybe you like that order, so the old version would have been better.
Besides that, the clip gets caught up a bit, but is okay. The brass gets scratched easy, but it's brass, so you should expect that to be part of the breaking in and adding of character...and it's $25 dollars. Also, the cap could be receded a bit. I had to change the battery 3 times on the VERY FIRST DAY because I kept on accidentally hitting it and activating the light...ON MEDIUM SO IT WOULD BURN OUT FAST...while pulling out my knife for regular duty. Once I switched it to my offhand pocket, it was less of a problem. They need to recede that cap on the back so it doesn't trigger when you breathe on it. Did I mention I hate MLH (the settings, not the college writing format)? So glad they changed it.
For this extremely inexpensive performance light I'm not expecting the best, but just something good and hopefully thought out. It wasn't very well thought out initially, but I'm glad they are adapting after reviews from community members.
From what I've seen so far, they need to recess the cap, make a more streamlined or grippier clip so it doesn't catch on other items in the pocket and fall out so easily. Maybe start with 1 lumen instead of 3. I didn't have a problem with that brightness, but some people seem pretty irritated by it.
The Pros: -Brass gets worn, but I like the petina over time. -Inexpensive -Quite bright! -Good Size -Attractive casing -Glow in the dark bushing makes it easy to find if dropped...but it is VERY short lived on glow.
The Cons: -Cap is flush, not receded. You are going to burn it out a few times before you figure out there's an issue if you aren't careful. -Scratches easily and frequently, but it's brass...that goes with the material. -Clip has poor retention. If you draw your keys out of a pocket, it will catch quite easily. Not an issue for me with a Beta-QR or Surefire, in my experience. But those are much more expensive, again. -Lanyard hole is VERY small.
Overall 8/10. Good value and it works, poor cap design hold it back. Like the LMH change, but to each their own.
TL;DR version...it is a good value for only $24.99. Do I think it is a great light? No. But it's much less expensive than most.
First off. The progression of lighting modes. Mine was Medium, Light, High. I absolutely hate it. It is the worst linear progression of settings there can possibly be, in my experience, and whoever thought it was a good idea shouldn't give ideas. It is a daily thorn in my side. I hear the production version makes more sense, for my purposes. It is now LMH and I applaud that choice.
Light to Med to High, makes sense. Sometimes you need to keep it low to not annoy others when it starts. Then it naturally progresses higher and higher.
High to Med to Light makes sense...sometimes you need to be defensive. Then it naturally progresses lower.
Medium to High to Light makes sense, sometimes you want the most used feature of medium regularly available, but quickly to a bright setting if you need that boost for defensive reasons or otherwise quick need of a high brightness.
Medium to Light to High is incredibly poorly thought out. What a waste. It is almost blinding--but more of an annoyance, if not ready for it--then dim as 3 candles, then incredibly blinding. Seriously, who worked this out in this order? Can't figure out the logic. Otherwise, it's a good value, but really a terrible sequence in my uses. This was a major step back for "why I would buy this." Maybe you like that order, so the old version would have been better.
Besides that, the clip gets caught up a bit, but is okay. The brass gets scratched easy, but it's brass, so you should expect that to be part of the breaking in and adding of character...and it's $25 dollars. Also, the cap could be receded a bit. I had to change the battery 3 times on the VERY FIRST DAY because I kept on accidentally hitting it and activating the light...ON MEDIUM SO IT WOULD BURN OUT FAST...while pulling out my knife for regular duty. Once I switched it to my offhand pocket, it was less of a problem. They need to recede that cap on the back so it doesn't trigger when you breathe on it. Did I mention I hate MLH (the settings, not the college writing format)? So glad they changed it.
For this extremely inexpensive performance light I'm not expecting the best, but just something good and hopefully thought out. It wasn't very well thought out initially, but I'm glad they are adapting after reviews from community members.
From what I've seen so far, they need to recess the cap, make a more streamlined or grippier clip so it doesn't catch on other items in the pocket and fall out so easily. Maybe start with 1 lumen instead of 3. I didn't have a problem with that brightness, but some people seem pretty irritated by it.
The Pros: -Brass gets worn, but I like the petina over time. -Inexpensive -Quite bright! -Good Size -Attractive casing -Glow in the dark bushing makes it easy to find if dropped...but it is VERY short lived on glow.
The Cons: -Cap is flush, not receded. You are going to burn it out a few times before you figure out there's an issue if you aren't careful. -Scratches easily and frequently, but it's brass...that goes with the material. -Clip has poor retention. If you draw your keys out of a pocket, it will catch quite easily. Not an issue for me with a Beta-QR or Surefire, in my experience. But those are much more expensive, again. -Lanyard hole is VERY small.
Overall 8/10. Good value and it works, poor cap design hold it back. Like the LMH change, but to each their own.
Zmanz
15
Feb 14, 2017
I agree..... after using the Ti a few more days i quite like the factory default modes. But like above its all personal preference. I will made due with any of the Tool series its a fantastic little light.
Cant wait till these brass beauties show up.
nuke
34
Jan 23, 2020
I wish this light was programmable so we could activate an extra-low "firefly" mode, and choose whether the light turns on from dimmest-to-brightest or brightest-to-dimmest. Firefly mode is also sometimes called moonlight mode or a sublumen mode, because it's less than 1 lumen of light.
I own an L3 Illumination L08 Nichia 219, and love that I was able to purchase it with 4 modes of output which turn on in order of XL-L-M-H, which are 0.09, 3, 30, and 90 lumens. I frequently use the firefly mode since it's still plenty of light in a dark indoor room, is much less likely to disturb my roommates, and lets the battery last way longer! I used to own an L3 Illumination L10, which was the same as the L08 except with a AA battery and High brightness increased to 120 lumens.
Streamlight allows programming with their TEN-TAP system. The Skilhunt M200 has an extremely powerful customizable UI. There are 8 brightness levels built in, and you can program the cycling to go between just two of those brightnesses, or all of the brightnesses, or anything in between. See more details about this programming in the post at http://budgetlightforum.com/node/71618
(Edited)
Bobraz
2631
Jan 26, 2017
I got an early sample of this flashlight courtesy of Massdrop, and I think they knocked it out of the park on their first collaboration for an EDC flashlight! I mean, this absolutely is, in my opinion, one the best sub-$50 AAA flashlight one can buy today! Heck, it's one of the best sub-$75 or even sub-$100 AAA flashlight one can buy today! And it's made of brass too, which will delightfully age and develop patina, and become truly uniquely yours (if you like shiny stainless steel objects that stay that way, this is not for you then!).
First of all, the design is perfect in my eyes; not too small as to be hard to manipulate, not too big as to be a hassle in the pocket. The weight is great for the size; now some may find it too hefty compared to aluminum or titanium lights, but in this small size range, that is not an issue with me. The fit and finish are top notch: I see tight manufacturing tolerances on the machined surfaces, hinting to precision machining and great Quality Control process (at least on the sample I got!). All the pieces fit together nicely, securely, with nice clean seams. It's waterproof but I have not tested that.
The knurling on the body is very nicely done; enough to provide good grip, but not too aggressive as to be uncomfortable in the hand. The clip is good; not the best I have seen, and certainly not the worst. I usually don't use the clips from my flashlights, so YMMV. The usefulness of clips, for me, is mostly to keep flashlights from rolling and falling from a flat surface; so we're definitively good here.
And best of all, it runs on AAA; I use Energizer Recharge batteries (after reading about them at TheWireCutter.com) but in a cinch (say, when traveling), disposable AAA are readily available, making this flashlight even more of an useful addition to someone's EDC (recycle the batteries when done, please!). This is just me, but I prefer clicking a button to twisting the heads, when it comes to turning on flashlights. So I'm very happy here, especially since the button is titanium (perhaps that was done for the coolness factor, or maybe in order not to add unneeded weigh to the flashlight). The button is flush so the light can stand on a flat surface, but not so recessed that it's hard to reach. For me, it's a requirement that a flashlight be able to stand on its tail, as I use flashlights that way fairly often; when looking for something in the basement, in cramped spaces, etc.
And I left the truly delightful for the end: this flashlight can be had with the Nichia emitter, which produces a more natural light and renders the colors more accurately. Given the choice, I always go for the Nichia emitter, even if it's slightly less powerful than a CREE (who cares); colors are way more natural and illumination is plentiful. Come to think of it, a few years ago, it would have been unheard of to get such a high-end flashlight with the Nichia emitter, at this price point!
So, in all aspects, this is a WINNER and if you are looking for an EDC flashlight, your search ends here! Buy this, you won't regret it!
PS Massdrop, one suggestion: consider changing the clicky button from titanium to a magnetic one (maybe as a variant?), so the flashlight can be magnetically attached to metal objects, such as an automobile hood, garage door, etc.
(Edited)
xformulax
274
Oct 23, 2020
"A lot of products have been proposed since then, and perhaps the quality might have dipped."
Likely a mix of both. My switch is crunchy and overall I don't think it holds up to other AAA torches available. Not a fan of the "ui" and the use of the pcb/cap in the switch likely means the switch will be a failure point (and after looking further, it seems the switch is likely a weak point in the design. With the low output I think I'd rather have a mechanical switch that wont fail (which means no magnets near heat sources like batteries, and no electrical failure points (pcb's ect).
It looks nice and even for the price it's not bad. I think they should put a TRUE inspection beam on it if they want to fill some niche... at minimum it needs a TIR or maybe a diffused lens
edit: for transparency, I'm actually talking about the copper model I received. I bought both but still waiting for delivery on brass.
(Edited)
xformulax
274
Oct 23, 2020
xformulaxAdditionally -- If you are going to put a PCB and e-button, you might as well accept 10440 batt's and give us a turbo mode.
cknilsson8404
0
Aug 5, 2017
This light is a piece of crap. I ordered it on the last drop and just got it. The light is not as bright and claimed and it looks like a brass plated flashlight. Not a quality product, very disappointed. looks more like a chinese knock off. Buyer beware!!!!
Grizzmoto
14
Aug 6, 2017
The light has a capacitor which must charge before it will operate properly. A minute or two after installing a new battery is all it takes. As far as the "plated" comment, it's just not. Since you are so disappointed in your light, go and take a hacksaw to it and show us the base metal the . How about this; you cut yours in half and prove that it's plated and I'll buy you two of the countycomm lights you like so much.
Grizzmoto
14
Aug 9, 2017
GrizzmotoHmm, quite curious he hasnt been able to substantiate his claims. I think we can safely categorize him as a troll.
dostoevsky233
19
May 1, 2017
After about 3 weeks of constant use, I'm a lot less impressed with mine than I was at first. I can confirm the same problems with the button that others have reported. There is now tons of play in the button; it wobbles like crazy and can be pressed without turning the light on, which has also made the off-center placement of the switch even more obvious. Secondly, the clip is just not secure. At first it seemed fine, until I lost the light from my pants. Since then it's slipped out of my pants 4 or 5 other times and in fact right now I'm looking for it it throughout the house hoping I didn't lose it somewhere else. I've never had these issues with my other light. Not happy.
CarpCharacin
1
Jan 31, 2018
Mine does the same thing, and if I shake the flashlight sideways, I can hear it moving, but I have to shake it pretty hard.
TRexSr
132
Feb 1, 2018
Well it's certainly not an everyday item on my person (edc) but as of now my light has still held up (when used) admirably and WITH it's original battery. Yeah I said that...no parasitic drain to my light. I wish I could have gotten the Ti version but it wasn't in the cards. Love the brass.
richfiles
275
Apr 11, 2017
I did some experiments... The mode is definitely NOT programmed into the tail... I swapped the black anodized aluminum tail from my black Lumintop Tool and the brass tail from this one, and the mode order did not change! It would appear that that the mode order programming is in the LED driver circuit in the LED portion of the light, and that the tail is only providing a signal to switch modes, but not what mode to select. The capacitor/rechargeable battery in the tail is probably keeping a quiescent trickle of power flowing across the switch to provide power to maintain the driver's memory of what mode it's in.
Interesting...
It would mean that the LED module would be what requires swapping, instead of the tail.
As for contact... Good question. My last trade happened in relation to a key cap set over on the Mechanical Keyboards section. both of us had geek hack accounts, so we PMed there. I'd forgotten that detail. Oh well. If you have ideas, let me know. Still wish they'd have offered a choice in the purchase options for M-L-H and L-M-H, especially if it's only just programming.
Interesting...
It would mean that the LED module would be what requires swapping, instead of the tail.
As for contact... Good question. My last trade happened in relation to a key cap set over on the Mechanical Keyboards section. both of us had geek hack accounts, so we PMed there. I'd forgotten that detail. Oh well. If you have ideas, let me know. Still wish they'd have offered a choice in the purchase options for M-L-H and L-M-H, especially if it's only just programming.
nuke
34
Jan 23, 2020
I wish this light was programmable so we could activate an extra-low "firefly" mode, and choose whether the light turns on from dimmest-to-brightest or brightest-to-dimmest or any custom sequence so people can make their own flashlight start in their personal most-used mode, then second-most-used mode, and so on.
I own an L3 Illumination L10 Nichia 219, and love that I was able to purchase it with 4 modes of output which turn on in order of XL-L-M-H, which are 0.09, 3, 30, and 120 lumens. Obviously that's a AA battery flashlight and this Massdrop is for a AAA battery flashlight so completely different category, but I love the firefly mode feature! Streamlight can do programming with TEN-TAP, so Drop should be able to do it too hopefully!
It would also be nice to have one product page for the brass-copper-aluminum versions of this flashlight, rather than three different product pages...
spook_nine
38
Aug 24, 2017
Well, I liked mine for a couple of days, very bright and satisfying. Then, this morning, it grew very warm during brief usage, and then turned itself off, apparently permanently. Opened a customer service request, but I thought it worth mentioning for those considering a future drop. Pretty disappointing.
spook_nine
38
Sep 5, 2017
One final update, for those following the saga at home -
I received my replacement unit this weekend, in good working order, and am pleased to be reunited with my little brass light, which continues to impress. Customer service was thorough and polite through out, with tracking number provided, and staff check-in's to make sure I received said tracking number, as well as the new unit.
All told, I'm very pleased with the experience. Obviously, you hope to never have anything break, but given that's impossible, Massdrop did everything within their power to rectify the situation, in a quick and friendly manner, with no hassles or arguments. For myself, this gave me a greater degree of confidence, buying items on MD in the future.
TL;DR version - got new light fast and easy, works good.
I received my replacement unit this weekend, in good working order, and am pleased to be reunited with my little brass light, which continues to impress. Customer service was thorough and polite through out, with tracking number provided, and staff check-in's to make sure I received said tracking number, as well as the new unit.
All told, I'm very pleased with the experience. Obviously, you hope to never have anything break, but given that's impossible, Massdrop did everything within their power to rectify the situation, in a quick and friendly manner, with no hassles or arguments. For myself, this gave me a greater degree of confidence, buying items on MD in the future.
TL;DR version - got new light fast and easy, works good.
spook_nine
38
Sep 5, 2017
Your customer service staff did an excellent job through out. Because you stood behind a $25 flashlight, I went and joined a drop for a $200 chair with confidence, so good on y'all.
BF_Hammer
717
Mar 1, 2017
Word of caution for when your receive your lights. I did the Ti version drop and recently received it. I hurriedly pulled the battery insulator sticker off, put the tailcap back on, and the light would not work right away. It did work after just waiting 10 minutes and continues to work fine. I believe that the electronic switch on these lights use a charged capacitor as the power source of the switch, and the capacitor must be charged from the battery. In shipping, the battery is insulated, capacitor discharges over time during shipping, and you then might think you got a bad flashlight when first trying it. Just give it 10-15 minutes before clicking away on the switch when you get it.
Colemanzeb
34
Mar 10, 2017
BF_HammerThere is actually a small rechargeable battery in the switch that needs 15-20 minutes to charge after you install the aaa battery in the light.
BF_Hammer
717
Mar 12, 2017
BF_HammerA follow-up note: My light activated in my pocket and fully drained the AAA battery yesterday. It also drained the capacitor (or battery) in the switch. It gave me a chance to measure the recharge. It took about 5 minutes after the AAA battery change to restore partial operation. By that I mean that it turned on, but the light was not full brightness and could not be adjusted by cycling off/on. Following about 10 minutes, it was fully functional and could change levels again. I would say try to avoid running the battery dead when in use or you may have a 10 minute wait to sit through in darkness.
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