Why you no longer own an HDS

[ven]

Interesting.

Hard to explain, for me it just has that special feel in hand. The 219b 4k is super nice and the hot spot/ spill is just a great all rounder for pretty much any type of use(good general beam). The rotary UI is one of my fav UI's, awesome! Being able to dial in that exact amount, on or off(off takes practice) is a huge bonus. As with infinite control UI, i like the ability to dial up/down on the fly!

As you have a HDS, also the Aeon, i guess you might have an idea of that kind of special feel in hand. Just sits right, inspires confidence kind of thing. HDS are special in their own way, and tbh as much as i love lumens, its kind of refreshing that Henry has stuck with his ways. I might be in the minority, but the 1000 ansi for 30s kind of grows old these days. I know if i leave the HDS on max, its not going to damage anything. I know if i drop it 10ft, the light will still work. I know that the cell inside is not pushed to and past its limits.............Sometimes less is more..............

 

[carrot]

I don't ever intend to sell my HDS lights. I may add more.

That said, I will say the reason I am not carrying my HDS more frequently, and why it makes it into my bag more than into my pockets is the lack of a clip. Let's not even consider the existing clips out there to be options, because frankly they are an upsetting pairing for such a good light.

The Rotary might possibly be one of the best EDC lights ever invented. The UI is nothing short of flawless. However, with its fat, 1" diameter body and lack of a pocket clip, it can be an uncomfortable carry in many pants and is hard to deploy. Holsters are great and available if you like 'em, but I'm just not much of a holster kind of guy.

 

[ven]

Nicely put fireclaw, all lights have their purpose. If i want WOW and crazy, HDS is not picked up. Depending on the application in mind, depending on budget and what is wanted from the light would of course go towards investing. Not many need much over a few 100 lumens for general EDC type uses, for an investment that can be upgraded down the line, HDS is certainly worth a look.

Little digression with LED's, the older Novatacs which one measured around 100lm , the other nearer 70lm. After a 219b and 219c swap, the actual output significantly increased.............just with a later up to date LED. Tad over 300lm and over 200lm respectively measured pre and post mod.

 

[gurdygurds]

Love the thoughtful repsonses all. Let me ask this from you heavy HDS users, how often do you go through cr123 primaries in your light? I'm so used to the convenience,safety, and worry free use of Eneloops it's hard to think of going back to primaries or lithium ion.

 

[RCS1300]

how often do you go through cr123 primaries in your light? .

I have duracells and Fenix rechargable CR123 and always opt for the duracells in my HDS as they last twice as long and I do not have to worry about lithium ion batteries on the nightstand. I go through about one battery a month and they cost about $2.20 each at batteryjunction. On a primary lithium battery, the run time on high is 90 minutes and I believe 28 hours on one of the lower settings, just above moonlight. If you run it at a medium setting you will likely get 4 hours of run time.


The programming functions on this light are spectacular. You can do a button lockout, you can do a locator flash - light flashes every 10 seconds at about 5 lumens, and many other things.

The advantage of a HDS Rotary is that if you ever want to sell it, the sale on CPF will happen within 24 hours in most cases. The light is in high demand.

 

[ven]

I am out on the CR123 gurdy.....

I use 16340 fuel so just top off every now and then(few days apart). It gets quite a bit of regular candle mode(9 clicks from off) in the evening. A HDS is worth it just for that! :laughing: ..........its awesome!

As CR123 tend to be around 1500mah, pretty much double most 16340 cells, you of course will get double the use out of a cell. But if you dont mind using RCR123/16340 cells, pretty much near free to run. I always have a spare at hand to swap out if needed.

I have seen/read many get weeks or even months between changes, such a variable though. Few mins a day will be weeks and weeks between changes and of course output dependent ,as a big variable.

If its going to be irregular use, bit here and there, primaries will work better. If regular use, be it EDC, walking the dog, work or what ever, 16340 might make better sense long term even with a smaller tank. Beauty is, you can use either or gurdy.................soft reset iirc and it will know which cell and warn you(LVP).

 

[ma tumba]

I have an older hds rotary with n219a which has a much better tint that any n219b that I have. Great ui etc. Buy I never edc this light for two reasons:

1. It is not a thrower but the reflector is by far too deep for short range. Almost unusable. I got a diffused head, put some phaseburn's diffusing film and got a nice wide flood, but at 140lm it is unusable beyond a few meters.
2. The clip for a rotary is ridiculous.

BTW: has an hds been ever bored for 18350s?

 

[bigfoot]

Looking to see why people might no longer own an HDS light.

I used to own several -- a couple of Clickies, and a Twisty. Sold them off a few years ago to try other lights and thought the clicky interface was a little cumbersome.

But guess what? The grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side. Back to HDS, this time with a Rotary 200 High CRI that isn't going anywhere! The ability to dial in just the right amount of light is near-perfect.

I think a lot of it depends on your needs, too. If you want a barn-burner that can spotlight across your entire property, definitely look elsewhere. But if you want a tough light that you can depend on every day, HDS is a great choice.

 

[moltenmag]

I used to own several -- a couple of Clickies, and a Twisty. Sold them off a few years ago to try other lights and thought the clicky interface was a little cumbersome.

But guess what? The grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side. Back to HDS, this time with a Rotary 200 High CRI that isn't going anywhere! The ability to dial in just the right amount of light is near-perfect.

I think a lot of it depends on your needs, too. If you want a barn-burner that can spotlight across your entire property, definitely look elsewhere. But if you want a tough light that you can depend on every day, HDS is a great choice.

That's because HDS is the Rolex of the flashlight world. True heirloom quality... have fun with your Rotary!

 

[gurdygurds]

Love the thoughtful repsonses all. Let me ask this from you heavy HDS users, how often do you go through cr123 primaries in your light? I'm so used to the convenience,safety, and worry free use of Eneloops it's hard to think of going back to primaries or lithium ion.

 

[The_Driver]

The Seoul P4 high-cri LED in my HDS light broke after around 5 years. It was replaced by Henry. It might have been because I used the boost mode multiple times one time.

Henry didn't want to replace it with a newer LED (probably because if the machined ridges for the P4 LED). So the light was working again, but still had the same flaw. Around that same time the Zebralight SC62(w) came out. From a technological standpoint it was a much better light. It's the same size, but the 18650 battery contains 5-6 times the energy of the outdated 16340. Also, the new XM-L2 LED was 9-times as bright! So if I wanted to use 100lm for example, the runtime was way longer. It was also more robust because the emitter was soldered onto a copper dtp pcb and the light had real, active thermal regulation instead of a timed stepdown.

Last year I switched again. I now have an Armytek Prime C2 Pro v3 modded with a Nichia 219B-V1 R9080 LED. It has very similar features, but now has the highest possible light quality and still does 600lm.

I described this in much more detail here in the TLF forum (In German, use Google translate).

 

[bykfixer]

GG, I've avoided the HDS.

They're great!! But the trouble is if I buy one I'll never use another light and being a collector we can't have that.

Nah, seriously they aren't for everybody. In the world of all things fast & furious they just don't appeal to a lot of folks who see them as a Toyota Camary or vanilla ice cream. Then still others prefer more 'creature features' in their lighting tools.

But watch the wts and see how long they last (when priced reasonably).

 

[thermal guy]

I don't own an HDS. I own like 15!😂😂

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

Christ! Nobody is asking him to overdrive them, but just for more output they can comfortably deliver while remaining well within the manufacturer's specs. So sick of hearing that defense and excuse.

It's not an excuse. That's the reason Henry gives on his website.

From the FAQ:

"For maximum reliability and safety, we monitor and regulate the temperature of the LED. Heat is the primary enemy of your LED and so regulating the LED temperature prevents premature aging, increases reliability and increases efficiency. In addition, regulating the LED's temperature prevents the flashlight from becoming dangerously hot and injuring someone who touches it."

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

Relative to, literally every other RCR123 light on the market.

At the price point these lights demand (and rightfully so), I expect some great output as well as the other features HDS is so well known for. It has variable output so it can still be the light that gets you home. I'd like the option to also be the light that does much more than other $225+ lights. To each there own though, I understand if output isn't a priority to you.

Here's the thing: other lights can only be brighter than an HDS by driving their LED harder and hotter which inevitably damages the emitter and increases the chances of total failure. That's why I asked "Relative to what?" Personally, when I spend that kind of money on a light, I expect one that is designed for maximum reliability.

There's also the fact that you need a 4x increase in output for a perceived doubling in brightness, so the difference between, say, a 250 lumen HDS and a 400 lumen UltraFire Pro XXL (I just made up that name) isn't as significant as it looks on paper. Even a side-by-side comparison wouldn't make it immediately obvious that one is technically brighter than the other.

 

[bigfoot]

Love the thoughtful repsonses all. Let me ask this from you heavy HDS users, how often do you go through cr123 primaries in your light? I'm so used to the convenience,safety, and worry free use of Eneloops it's hard to think of going back to primaries or lithium ion.

Big time Eneloop user here, too. I've tried to standardize on AA & AAA cells, and have nearly everything under the roof that uses a battery paired up with Eneloops. But when it came to lights, I just couldn't ditch the CR123 form factor, and have a handful that run on them. A couple of boxes of CR123 primaries ought to last you quite a while unless you're a power user.

IMHO, the Rotary is probably the best choice of the lineup if you're looking for longer runtimes, since you can pick exactly how much light you need/want. And prepare for your other lights to be gathering dust or else wind up being sold off... and that saves you money in the long run!

 

[wacbzz]

I've owned nine HDS lights. I now own zero. My love/hate relationship with HDS is more than well documented in the various threads here on CPF and elsewhere.

Simply put, I no longer one any HDS lights because for me, there are much cheaper and just as effective lighting options available. I don't use a flashlight in such a way that my daily life depends on it and for the rare instance or occurrence where or when it may, I have other just as reliable options.

 

[tongkang]

Love aa format too here...
I sold my rotary 170N,I don't like the tint plus an ugly ring...tried the latest option the 200HiCRI,nice tint but not good enought for outdoors,I guess for urban use is fine...stick with my rotary 120HiCRi till today...don't care much about lumens...rotary + good tint = I more than happy with it

 

[gurdygurds]

Camry's and vanilla ice cream are alright with me! The HDS is appealing to me BECAUSE it seems like it could be the One Light to do it all, for me anyway. My lighting needs aren't huge and I don't need to carry one all day or use it for work. HDS seems like it combines the bomb proof build of a Malkoff and the programmability of the newer Zebras, and the combo of those two seems pretty awesome. Again price and batteries is what is still keeping me from trying. Although, selling other lights to fund an HDS would mitigate the cost some. AAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!

GG, I've avoided the HDS.

They're great!! But the trouble is if I buy one I'll never use another light and being a collector we can't have that.

Nah, seriously they aren't for everybody. In the world of all things fast & furious they just don't appeal to a lot of folks who see them as a Toyota Camary or vanilla ice cream. Then still others prefer more 'creature features' in their lighting tools.

But watch the wts and see how long they last (when priced reasonably).

 

[RCS1300]

When searching for your next light consider the LED selection an important part of the decision.

One other thing I have learned with using LED flashlights for over 8 years is that the LED emitter selection is important. In the first few years, I wanted a bright light that could illuminate at a distance. After several years I got tired of the eyesore of those LED's, especially inside the house, as they had a blue tint to them. The blue tint washed out the rich colors of wood furniture, green plants, and red flowers. As a result I started learning about Color Rendering and the Color Rendering Index. I found that the nichia 219B and probably the nichia 219C emitters provided illumination that kept the richness of the brown, green, and red colors without sacrificing too much distance illumination. Now when I look at light beams I distinguish between the "color wash out" LED's and the LED's that illuminate and keep illuminated colors rich and true.