Hanko Machine Works Total Tesseract Trident in Brass Flashlight

Here’s a tiny (read: major) update to my Hanko Machine Works (HWM) Total Tesseract Trident flashlight review. Read on!

Bit of Backstory

What Happened?

Here’s why I was wrong.  I (sometimes) forget that the h17f driver has a double tap option.  I just tend to forget that.  This is one of the downsides of these types of lights (Hanko Trident, Mechforce Mechtorch, Deadwood Custom Works Huckleberry, and…. there are others) – they generally do not have a manual!  The Hanko definitely does not.

Double tapping the switch on these h17f lights activates the full FET Turbo mode, aka #24 mode.

I first tested the light only cycling through the modes.  Runtimes, output test, throw measurement – all on the highest of the default of the 4 modes.  The default 4 modes aren’t stated, but they are definitely not the FET output Turbo.  Since they’re around 3A, it’s likely mode #22 from the chart…  Nevertheless, once I realized I hadn’t tested on FET Turbo, I had some updating to do.  This is that update.

Why Update This Way?

Just updating the review with a new table, new runtime(s), new beamshots, new user interface coverage… doesn’t seem sufficient.   It’s a massive, major difference.  I initially reported that the maximum output on this $800 light is around 500 lumens.  In reality, it’s more like 1200 lumens (at 30s!)  So this whole post is me taking a bow of apology, and correcting the data.  Also, I like to have correct information displayed.  And my experience with this driver (that is, forgetting double-tap)  could be valuable to others!

Rule #2

Always Double Tap.

---

The Updated Data

Here’s the full review, which has been completely updated.

What I updated includes:

1. New throw calculation (now 147m)
2. A runtime for the FET Turbo mode.
3. New overall output change. (now 1199 lumens)
4. New beamshots (added Turbo)
5. New comparison shots to 219b (added Turbo)

And here are those bits of data updated:

The Big Table

Hanko Machine Works Total Tesseract Trident (Brass) H17f
Emitter:	Nichia 219c (High CRI)
Price in USD at publication time:	$800.00
Cell:	1×18350
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	Mechanical
On-Board Charging?	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	–
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1199^
Candela per Lumen	3.7
Claimed Throw (m)	–
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	379lux @ 3.765m = 5372cd^
Throw (Calculated) (m)	146.6
All my Hanko reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer:  Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

Power and Runtime

 

When testing with my bench power, I did see the light shut off at around 2.8V, which is good LVP.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	–	–	1199	8.20
High	–	–	501	3.02
Medium	–	–	188	0.82
Low	–	–	35	0.13
Lowest	–	–	~	0.01

Pulse Width Modulation

The H17f driver uses PWM, that’s no secret.  I do not notice it by eye, however.  Turbo (far right) is FET output and doesn’t use PWM.

LED and Beam

These beamshots always have the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

One more Update

As a penance, I also reworked my h17f flow chart.  I added some things that users have requested, and I think, corrected a few things.  Unfortunately, the fidelity isn’t that great, and I’ll probably remake it again in PowerPoint.

In Summary

In summary, sorry for messing up that review!  Hope you’ll find the new data acceptable, agreeable, and appropriate!

I’ll add a plug here for something else that’s interesting.  My Deadwood Huckleberry is a single emitter 219b light.  If I double tapped to turbo on that and put 8A through that 219b, it’d last for only seconds.  Many single emitters can not handle that level of current!  So be deliberate with your use of this mode.  I’d say all triples are probably ok (even 219b 18350 triples should be ok, since that current is divided across the three, and they can probably handle it.)

The Icarus driver by Prometheus Lights handles this in an interesting way.  It’s essentially an h17f driver but with modes #23 and #24 disabled (or removed, or cut off, I am not sure how they do it.)  But Icarus is perfect for single emitter lights like the DWC Huckleberry!

---

Notes

• This light was provided by me for review. I was not paid to write this review.  I was not told to update this review.  I have received no communication from any maker or owner regarding correcting this review.
• This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
• Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!
• Please support me on Patreon! I deeply appreciate your support!