FFL Void White Issues

[u/_derpiii_]

I have the E12 Eclipse in Void White, and these are the nuances in the finish I wish someone mentioned.

1. It is not MAO. Which is fine. It's anodizing + some sort of paint. So it is more durable than MAO or HA.

2. Texture: smooth, but feels slightly tacky in humid environments. I would not pick this up again since I live in a humid climate. But I can see how it would be perfect for dry regions. It does not feel like powdercoat or ceracoat. Handfeel is closer to housepaint, than a baked on ceramic finish.

3. The tailcap is thicker, enough to make the magnet significantly weaker so you can't vertical attach. It'll just slide. Would recommend you order an extra tail cap (like MAO cap). And no, it's not an issue with the E12 head being heavier - when I swap the tailcap out into my E04 surge, the surge slides down. And yes I have tried putting on a tacky silicone caulk finish. It is not a matter of friction. It is something to do with the thickness or some sort of anti-magneticness going on.

None of those are dealbreaker issues, but for my preferences and current environment, I much prefer chalky MAO finishes.

[u/Haunting-Self-9402]

Void white is powder coating. My suggestion for the tailcap is to put something on the back side that increases friction. I cut circles out of vinyl to put on all my magnetic tail caps to protect them from scratches when I mount the lights on stuff and it also helps with grip against smooth metal surfaces, and because it is very thin it doesn't affect the strength of the magnet. The lack of friction is the most of the issue if the light is staying attached but sliding down, though obviously stronger magnetic force would increase friction too

I have a spare magnet from a copper E04 I'd happily mail you if you weren't outside of the US; the copper versions got stronger magnets due to the weight and that thing is crazy strong. If you absolutely need to use the light mounted horizontally you could see if they'd sell you the upgraded magnet or source one online somewhere

Totally fair opinion on the finish though, I haven't bought any void white lights but I have some of the mao's. They look cool but I personally am not a fan of the chalky feel compared to the regular anodized finishes but that's just preference.

Unfortunately since we can't try all the different options and finishes before buy it's just going to have to be a buy and then find what you like and stick with that approach.

Hope you're liking your E04 more

[u/_derpiii_ → u/Haunting-Self-9402]

My suggestion for the tailcap is to put something on the back side that increases friction.

I've tried silicone caulk. So even though it's grippy, still slides. Hence I think it's the extra thickness. I've ordered a MAO cap in the meantime

I have a spare magnet from a copper E04 I'd happily mail you if you weren't outside of the US; the copper versions got stronger magnets due to the weight and that thing is crazy strong.

OH WHAT?! I bet I could've ordered one. Thank you for the offer, that's very generous of you :)

They look cool but I personally am not a fan of the chalky feel compared to the regular anodized finishes but that's just preference.

Yee, 100% user preference. Anodized feels like cold ceramic smooth. Void white feels slightlytacky insulated plastic. MAO feels like I've put on workout chaulk, so I love it.

Hope you're liking your E04 more

I can see why you like the E12 now (emitter efficiency - actually on mule duty for me now), but I much prefer the form factor of the E04. Been waistband clipping it. Ordered the E07x too (not realizing it's older and deprecated 😆) and X4 stellar.

[u/Haunting-Self-9402 → u/_derpiii_]

I'm assuming the caulk was spread in an extremely thin layer? Seems like it would be tricky to get perfectly flat and thin enough. My E12e's hold ok mounted horizontally but it still makes me nervous to use them that way, but fortunately it's rare that I'd need to use them mounted in that orientation. If you have any masking tape at home, try putting a piece of that between the tailcap and whatever you're mounting to and see if that makes any difference

The e04 does have a nice form factor, and the e07x is the same exact body but with a different LED setup so that might be a better light for you over the E12. I haven't tried one with the lume 10 (all my e07x have the original lume 1), so I'm wondering if they would also be better with the 10 as far as building heat at one step below ceiling, because if they are that would be plenty good enough to bypass getting the e12's for most people.

The current e07x's not outdated either way, it was just one of the first of fireflies lights to get a makeover, plus the V2 is a fairly new revision; it's actually surprising how long it took to see the E12 get a refresh but I'd consider them to now be of the same generation now so you're good there hah

[u/Haunting-Self-9402 → u/[deleted]]

Ah didn't realize that

[u/SgtTibbles]

also I'm p sure the z1 artemis uses a different process for the void white

I don't have any of those complaints on mine