FYI

Gene has decided to discontinue the E2XTD direct-drive head that I've been using on the Fat Boy (650 lumens, 70,000 candela). The E2XTD has a voltage input rating of 3.4 - 4.2 volts (single Li-ion cell). Since he sells the head as a stand alone item, he has no control over what body the head is installed on and what voltage it's operated at. Evidently some knuckleheads were running it on 2-celll bodies with two CR123 batteries (6 volts) and due to the direct drive circuitry, burning out the head. They must have been insanely bright on six volts before they died and got sent back to Gene for a warranty claim.

The Fat Boy will now be specified with the E2XT head, which is rated at 500 lumens and 55,000 candela as the XTD is no longer available and I'm keeping the two I had in stock for myself (because they're that good).

But all may not be lost. In conversations with Gene, he would be willing to sell the E2XTD to me under the EDCLB label (private labelled). I would thread lock the head to the body (a la Surefire) and specify that the warranty is void if the head is removed to deter use of the head on two CR123s. It would require a substantial investment on my part as the MOQ would be 25 pieces.

Related to this, I am in the process of having an 18350 body quoted through my own sources in order to build the CF series of lights. If that quote lands where I hope it will, I may very well go ahead and buy the heads from Gene. At that point the CF Fat Man light would have a proprietary head and body not available anywhere else. All CF lights would have the proprietary EDCLB body.

Here's the light that would be sold as Fat Man;




I guess investing this kind of $$ in EDCLB is better than going to Vegas and losing it all there.