- Joined
- Nov 22, 2009
- Messages
- 236
My background is that I have been a user of quality flashlights for a long time…… I started with SureFire lights when they were marked as "Laser Products". I also have lurked around this site on and off for many years (awesome site and information) but had little to say so I never joined until recently.
A few months ago I lost my beloved SureFire L1…… this was the low output original release version. I like this light and it was my most used depended on light. I loved the two light levels and the LED light source for durability. So, after a lot of research on this site ( It will be obvious not enough research on my part) I decided on the replacement HDS Systems: Ra lights, EDC Tactical 120.
When I received the light I was thrilled. The build quality was very good. I love the beam quality and the throw is impressive to me. The low is great and of course the programmability is nice, however I have not felt the need to play with that. The run time is very impressive and I also like the strobe feature. This seemed like a great "to hell and back" kind of light I was looking for. Trouble started when I started using it as my general carry / work light a duty that my old L1 had done flawlessly for many, many years.
Within the first week I noticed that the lens looked odd, kind of smudged. I actually did not think much of it other then I must have gotten something sticky on the lens and just kept using it. After a long day of working on my motorcycle and getting oil, grease, and grit on the BODY of the light, it needed a cleaning. I washed the light off with water then used dish soap. I did not scrub the lens, just lightly washed it with my towel. When I was drying off the light I noticed the major problem with the lens. The lens looked like it was delaminating in some way. I washed it again hoping it was just something on the lens, but I noticed I was making it worse! The change in the lens coating was getting larger the more I cleaned it. Off to the computer for some research……
I found that the Ra lights seem to have a fragile anti-reflective (AR) coating on both the inside and outside of the lens. After extensive reading I learned that the AR coating increases the light transfer by only a small %. I can live with a small decreased output as I think it would be unnoticeable in real world use. I have noticed when looking at the beam on a white wall I can see artifacts / slight shadows / imperfections in the beam, that I believe are caused by the imperfections in the AR coating. Again, in real world use these spots are not noticeable…..yet! After reading about other members experiences on the site I have concluded that if I got a replacement lens that I would also end up damage this coating also if it is as fragile. So, I think I am going to simply "let" the coating "wear" off and will enjoy the rest of this great light with out an outer AR coating.
Would I buy another RA again??? …………… not sure as I have gone nuts and purchased 8 other lights in the last few weeks and have discovered some new features in others that I like. I would defiantly have my Ra configured differently:
Unavailable features that would be great in a Ra
:
One thing I think would make the light even better is a slightly smaller size in diameter, as the shape is awesome.
This light would absolutely ROCK if it had a memory that allowed it to turn on to the last power setting used. That would make it the perfect go to light in almost any situation! I absolutely love that feature in my Nitecore D10 Sp.
My disappointment with the Ra EDC is that it was relatively expensive and it is advertised as a hard use light ("Efficient Utility, Rugged Character" ) yet the outer AR coating seems very fragile. I have NEVER had any of my other quality lights lens scratch or have a problem with the AR coatings. So, this is a great light as long as you understand the AR coating on the lens is not the lights most durable feature. Oddly, if I could only have one light to get me through a rough long night, I would take this one!
My hope in posting this is to help someone else have a better expectation about the durability of the lens and perhaps choose a better Ra light model for their use then I did. The overall quality of the build and the functions of the light are great.
A few months ago I lost my beloved SureFire L1…… this was the low output original release version. I like this light and it was my most used depended on light. I loved the two light levels and the LED light source for durability. So, after a lot of research on this site ( It will be obvious not enough research on my part) I decided on the replacement HDS Systems: Ra lights, EDC Tactical 120.
When I received the light I was thrilled. The build quality was very good. I love the beam quality and the throw is impressive to me. The low is great and of course the programmability is nice, however I have not felt the need to play with that. The run time is very impressive and I also like the strobe feature. This seemed like a great "to hell and back" kind of light I was looking for. Trouble started when I started using it as my general carry / work light a duty that my old L1 had done flawlessly for many, many years.
Within the first week I noticed that the lens looked odd, kind of smudged. I actually did not think much of it other then I must have gotten something sticky on the lens and just kept using it. After a long day of working on my motorcycle and getting oil, grease, and grit on the BODY of the light, it needed a cleaning. I washed the light off with water then used dish soap. I did not scrub the lens, just lightly washed it with my towel. When I was drying off the light I noticed the major problem with the lens. The lens looked like it was delaminating in some way. I washed it again hoping it was just something on the lens, but I noticed I was making it worse! The change in the lens coating was getting larger the more I cleaned it. Off to the computer for some research……
I found that the Ra lights seem to have a fragile anti-reflective (AR) coating on both the inside and outside of the lens. After extensive reading I learned that the AR coating increases the light transfer by only a small %. I can live with a small decreased output as I think it would be unnoticeable in real world use. I have noticed when looking at the beam on a white wall I can see artifacts / slight shadows / imperfections in the beam, that I believe are caused by the imperfections in the AR coating. Again, in real world use these spots are not noticeable…..yet! After reading about other members experiences on the site I have concluded that if I got a replacement lens that I would also end up damage this coating also if it is as fragile. So, I think I am going to simply "let" the coating "wear" off and will enjoy the rest of this great light with out an outer AR coating.
Would I buy another RA again??? …………… not sure as I have gone nuts and purchased 8 other lights in the last few weeks and have discovered some new features in others that I like. I would defiantly have my Ra configured differently:
- I would get the Executive………. So it would tail stand… My surefires never did that and I have found that ability very nice…..
- I would like the flooder beam also. The spot is very focused but in MY world the flood would be more useful. I did not understand the power of the "new" LEDs.
- I would most likely spring for a higher lumens rating…… just because it is nice to have "more" and not need it, then to be in want of more light.
Unavailable features that would be great in a Ra
:
One thing I think would make the light even better is a slightly smaller size in diameter, as the shape is awesome.
This light would absolutely ROCK if it had a memory that allowed it to turn on to the last power setting used. That would make it the perfect go to light in almost any situation! I absolutely love that feature in my Nitecore D10 Sp.
My disappointment with the Ra EDC is that it was relatively expensive and it is advertised as a hard use light ("Efficient Utility, Rugged Character" ) yet the outer AR coating seems very fragile. I have NEVER had any of my other quality lights lens scratch or have a problem with the AR coatings. So, this is a great light as long as you understand the AR coating on the lens is not the lights most durable feature. Oddly, if I could only have one light to get me through a rough long night, I would take this one!
My hope in posting this is to help someone else have a better expectation about the durability of the lens and perhaps choose a better Ra light model for their use then I did. The overall quality of the build and the functions of the light are great.