HDS Systems EDC #14

[nbp]

Here it is straight from henry.

Mark,
The most likely causes are a slight change in tint that make one appear to be brighter than the other or a slight difference in the beam pattern between the reflectors. They both get calibrated so the total light output should be the same.
Henry.


I guess the beam is different becaurse the reflector. Im not sure. The colors of the beams are definately different but I never would have thought that could make one look less powerful than another.

Hey, check out the pictures I posted and let me know what you think on those reflectors.

I suspect the difference in output are caused by the reflector. Maybe the newer ones are more stippled to accommodate the Cree XP-G?

From the pics it is very hard for me to see much difference, but it is entirely possible that the reflectors were somewhat redesigned for the new emitter in an effort to smooth out the beam, and in the process, reducing the throw. I'll have to just trust those who are physically looking at them. However, I am surprised that Henry would not have just come out and said in that email that they were using a new reflector and that the beam would be different. It was hinted at, but not clearly stated.

 

[pjandyho]

From the pics it is very hard for me to see much difference, but it is entirely possible that the reflectors were somewhat redesigned for the new emitter in an effort to smooth out the beam, and in the process, reducing the throw. I'll have to just trust those who are physically looking at them. However, I am surprised that Henry would not have just come out and said in that email that they were using a new reflector and that the beam would be different. It was hinted at, but not clearly stated.

I can't tell either from the pic but I know because I have the rotary and the older 170T to compare it to. The reflector on the rotary does appear a little more stippled which was what led to my comment above.

I believe Henry is too busy to make an appearance in CPF nowadays. Hasn't seen him here for months. And regarding the email, maybe Henry could not say so specifically thinking it might lead to an "uproar" of CPFers? I don't know, it is a guess.

 

[00Moonshine]

Congratulations! I agree that Henry is catching up. I ordered my Rotary on April 17 and it was in my mailbox waiting for me last night!

Lighteous, did you order your rotary directly from HDS? If so, it appears that you and gunnerdog may be really lucky, as I ordered my rotary from HDS on April 9 and I still haven't received it.

 

[StandardBattery]

........

Is that dark circle around the edge of the spill normal?
.....

OK as an older-timer when it comes to HDS lights I'm a little shocked at that beam, By NovaTac and Twisty lights have beautiful beams without rings, and Henry's lights had a reputation for the best EDC beams. I've been trying to find my early Clickly to check but I'm sure it was just as nice as my Ra Twisties. I think the change to the CREE LED may have resulted in the reflector no longer being optimal and having to pay a price in the beam. I just can't seem to get excited about the newer lights, just too many small things that in the past were issues 'with the other guys' not the HDS lights.

 

[campingnut]

Lighteous, did you order your rotary directly from HDS? If so, it appears that you and gunnerdog may be really lucky, as I ordered my rotary from HDS on April 9 and I still haven't received it.

I ordered my Rotary from Henry on March 21, 2011 and it arrived yesterday (7/1/11). IMHO it is an amazing light (my first HDS) and well worth the wait.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

Lighteous, did you order your rotary directly from HDS? If so, it appears that you and gunnerdog may be really lucky, as I ordered my rotary from HDS on April 9 and I still haven't received it.

In my experience, there seems to be no rhyme or reason behind the order that HDS completes shipments. When I ordered my high CRI Clicky last year, it was around three-weeks before it came in the mail, but I remember seeing people on the forums who had ordered their lights after me but received them sooner (one fellow received his in less than a week). I'll admit that it was a little frustrating.

 

[Brasso]

The wait for the new Hi CRI is killing me.

 

[TyJo]

The wait for the new Hi CRI is killing me.

They could be out as early as this month.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

I think the change to the CREE LED may have resulted in the reflector no longer being optimal and having to pay a price in the beam.

I guess the question is are there any lights out there with the current Cree that have a better beam without compromising in some other area (output, efficiency, etc.)? Based on comments, Cree LEDs are known for their "ringiness", and some posters in this thread give the impression that it's just to be expected.

And if I were to be really picky, I can't even say that my all-time favorite flashlight, the high CRI Clicky, has a "perfect" beam: The hotspot is a bit on the small side (the Preon ReVO has a bigger, smoother hotspot) and is surrounded by a darker yellow ring before transitioning into a slightly bluish spill. In actual use, however, the beam is absolutely gorgeous, and the "flaws" are entirely inconsequential.

 

[Thingus995]

Does anyone know if it is still the osram golden dragon being used in the 170 models?

 

[asot]

Does anyone know if it is still the osram golden dragon being used in the 170 models?

Yes, on my 170 exec, the Osram Golden Dragon Plus is used (purchased a few months ago)

 

[Thingus995]

Yes, on my 170 exec, the Osram Golden Dragon Plus is used (purchased a few months ago)

Outstanding, thank you!! That's exactly what I was hoping to hear!!

 

[eightbitpotion]

So, a recap of the last thread (#12):



(See HDS EDC Thread #13 here)



-There were a few cases where the new bezel-down clip offered by HDS did not fit into the tailcap slot properly, and were able to spin freely.

Mine actually came like this. I'm not sure if they're all caused by the same problem, but here's what I did to fix mine- remove the switch cap and flip it over... you'll see where to tighten the rubber tail cap... just tighten it and your problem will be fixed. You can use a lot of things to tighten it, but I found an old chisel worked GREAT since it was perfectly wide enough (just be careful). The more you tighten it the more 'play' the rubber cap will have before clicking. Here's a picture.

 

[Illumination]

I received my custom Clicky 200 last Friday. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed. I even had the chance to try it out over the weekend when I lost my Fenix LD01 when mowing the lawn (I went out again at night to look for it, in hopes that I could catch a reflection or see the GITD o-ring that I had installed).

The throw seems to be about fine for a light of its size, and the spill is just about perfect . This light will definitely be my EDC.

Unfortunately, I ended up with the brightness stepping down constantly when I was about half way through my search of the lawn. I know I didn't use it long enough to drain the battery, because the SR-90 was still going strong on high, and I was on medium for most of the time. The battery was a brand new AW RCR123 which was being used for the first time; I had charged it on Friday when the light came in, and used it only for programming, and a few times outside to test it. The locator beacon was enabled during programming on Friday afternoon.

I was reading some comments about battery drain concerns and runtime, and was seriously stoked when I read about the locator beacon runtime test by Powernoodle which ended up going on for years. Seeing as I had waited months for the light, I decided that a little runtime test for a few days couldn't hurt. I put in a freshly charged battery (AW RCR123) and turned my clicky on at the lowest mode at 9:45 AM EST on the 27th. I checked it every day, and it was still on when I went to bed last night. Woke up this morning at 9:37 AM, and found that it had shut itself off, although the locator beacon was still going. This is less than the 6+ days that I had read about earlier in the thread for the rotary, and far less than I had read about for previous generation clickes. Is this normal, or should I contact Henry?

Also, would anyone mind posting a beamshot of their 200 clicky? Here's what mine looks like close to a wall:

Is that dark circle around the edge of the spill normal?

I still love this light, and will still make it my EDC. It's just that after all I've heard and read about this light, I can't help but be underwhelmed a bit...am I crazy or what? :shrug:

OK as an older-timer when it comes to HDS lights I'm a little shocked at that beam, By NovaTac and Twisty lights have beautiful beams without rings, and Henry's lights had a reputation for the best EDC beams. I've been trying to find my early Clickly to check but I'm sure it was just as nice as my Ra Twisties. I think the change to the CREE LED may have resulted in the reflector no longer being optimal and having to pay a price in the beam. I just can't seem to get excited about the newer lights, just too many small things that in the past were issues 'with the other guys' not the HDS lights.

Agreed. That beam is very disappointing. My HDS Twisty had a flawless beam; this one looks like it came off of my Cree D10 (pretty bad beam). My Lightflux lights also had flawless beams using cree leds. Shouldn't it be possible... what happened here? Is this normal?

 

[bansuri]

Agreed. That beam is very disappointing. My HDS Twisty had a flawless beam; this one looks like it came off of my Cree D10 (pretty bad beam). My Lightflux lights also had flawless beams using cree leds. Shouldn't it be possible... what happened here? Is this normal?

I suspect the problem here is that the light is so close to the wall. That is not your typical beamshot.
Proflash, could you post a shot from 6 feet away?
I did a test with all of my lights and they all look crazy so close to the wall. Also the camera exposes differently because of super-bright hotspot.
Read through here if you need a reference.

 

[kaichu dento]

I suspect the problem here is that the light is so close to the wall. That is not your typical beamshot.
Proflash, could you post a shot from 6 feet away?
I did a test with all of my lights and they all look crazy so close to the wall. Also the camera exposes differently because of super-bright hotspot.
Read through here if you need a reference.

Good eyes as usual, and nice link there too. I put that thread on my subscribed list and suggest it to anyone else taking beamshots.

 

[TyJo]

I suspect the problem here is that the light is so close to the wall. That is not your typical beamshot.
Proflash, could you post a shot from 6 feet away?
I did a test with all of my lights and they all look crazy so close to the wall. Also the camera exposes differently because of super-bright hotspot.
Read through here if you need a reference.

On the previous page the dark ring also shows up outdoors. The beam on my rotary doesn't have that dark ring at any distance from a wall... Those beam shots look pretty weird to me, but it could be the camera or the distance, I have no clue how that stuff works.

 

[bansuri]

Thanks TyJo, didn't see that.
I modded a 200 to neutral for a CPFer and didn't notice the ring, I'll check with him tomorrow and have him inspect it.
If not, this one may need to head back to Henry, maybe a mismatched reflector has it sitting high.

ProFlash,
The stop shoulder on the reflector should prevent any focus issues with the reflector,
Does the shoulder fit flush to the head?
Have you installed a bezel-up clip on the head?

To support the reflector theory I offer a pic of my EDC 120 XM-L with the reflector unscrewed just barely.

Unscrewed

Screwed in

Please note that I'm running an unsupported emitter in this so the "screwed in" pic may not be as smooth as a stock emitter.

 

[pjandyho]

I think I had mentioned this previously but I am not sure. I did not notice the dark ring until some of you brought it up. Doesn't seem to be a problem for me. Overall the rotary is quite floody and the ring only happens at the periphery of the spill which my eye seldom navigate to.

 

[TyJo]

Thanks TyJo, didn't see that.
I modded a 200 to neutral for a CPFer and didn't notice the ring, I'll check with him tomorrow and have him inspect it.
If not, this one may need to head back to Henry, maybe a mismatched reflector has it sitting high.

ProFlash,
The stop shoulder on the reflector should prevent any focus issues with the reflector,
Does the shoulder fit flush to the head?
Have you installed a bezel-up clip on the head?

To support the reflector theory I offer a pic of my EDC 120 XM-L with the reflector unscrewed just barely.

Unscrewed

Screwed in

Please note that I'm running an unsupported emitter in this so the "screwed in" pic may not be as smooth as a stock emitter.

I was thinking something similar but couldn't explain it so clearly. The questions you asked are also very significant in my opinion.

I think I had mentioned this previously but I am not sure. I did not notice the dark ring until some of you brought it up. Doesn't seem to be a problem for me. Overall the rotary is quite floody and the ring only happens at the periphery of the spill which my eye seldom navigate to.

I agree. I have found no beam artifacts in actual use and when shining my light on walls they are perfectly concentric and transition well.