Why I love Ra/HDS/Henry:
Over the years I've had a lot of lights...looking for "the one." At one point in time or another I probably have had at least one model from just about every production light manufacturer you could think of; Jetbeam, NovaTac, NiteCore, Fenix, Surefire, Olight, Wolfeyes, EagleTac, Quark, DX, Jil,...and on, and on. I have also had a lot of non-production/semi-production/small company lights as well; Muyshondt, McG, Malkoff, ArcMania, Original HDS, Mac's, etc., etc. When the Ra Twisty came out it was close approaching "the one" status. It was overbuilt in every way, very waterproof, had a customizable UI, easy UI, ample output, and great runtime. I carried it quite a bit, but I was still looking for the perfect EDC match for me.
When word got out that the Ra Clicky would be coming out a few years ago I was on it immediately. It finally came out and I got the Clicky 140 version. It was everything that the Twisty was but better in every way...UI, output, runtime, etc. It was in my pocket everyday. Then, the Clicky 170 came out not long after and I traded into one. Because of that light I sold every other light that I owned (except for the two Ra Twisty's I had as backups). All the customs, productions....whatever they were, they were sold, because at that point they were useless to me. Don't get me wrong there are great lights out there...McG's are great, other customs, as well as productions are great, but they aren't "the one" for me.
That Clicky 170 ruined me for other lights, I haven't bought another light for myself since. That Clicky 170 has been in my pocket since I got it when the Ra Clicky's first came out (roughly two years I believe), and has been through everything you can imagine; the pool, the ocean, hurricane Ike in Beaumont, TX with no power for seven days, tropical storms, under the hood, snow, you name it, it has probably been there.
Two weeks ago I sent that same Clicky 170 to Henry because of an issue it was having after two, or so, years of real life duty. I called Henry up, explained the problem, talked to him about lights and other stuff for another 30-40min, and then sent the light a couple of days later. A week went by and my light was waiting for me at the PO Box as good as new with a brand new battery tube and tail-cap. Henry's lights are excellent, but his customer service is what other small business owners wish they could be, or strive to accomplish.
In 2008 I started looking for "the one" light much like everybody else starts; wanting throw, blazing, retina burning, paint peeling output, and multiple levels of it. That faded as it does for just about everyone that wants a light that they can actually use. My taste changed to a more utilitarian approach for the search. The original NovaTac's worked out well for a while, but they were lacking something. When Henry made the Clicky, the search was over.
Plain and simple, Ra/HDS lights are excellent products, backed by an excellent human being, with excellent customer service and knowledge in all things flashlight. My Ra Clicky 170 has never left me in a situation where I needed light and didn't have it. It's been dropped (many times), run over, banged around, but used as intended and I've never thought that it would not light up...and that's the thing...confidence in a product. I push the button, and it comes on after everything it's been through.
