Best Kept Secret?

MDJAK

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I'm rather new to this hobby and this forum but am greatly enjoying all aspects of it. I'm very fortunate in that I can afford to buy toys, have a very understanding wife who is all for whatever I want to do.

So, since getting into this, I've visited only the LED part of the forum, almost ignorant or blind to this section. In fact, when looking at how many people are viewing, it seems the overwhelming interest is in LEDs.

I'm not sure why that is, but since discovering this section, and finding youtube videos of Polarion lights, I now know what I want.

In the short time I'm into this, I've amassed (if that's the right word, though probably an exaggeration thus far), a Jetbeam RRT3, the Tiny Monster, a Zebra SC600. and various Surefire lights.

However, I now got the jones bad for an HID, and I want a Polarion. Not sure what the heck I'll use it for, as all I do now is light up my large backyard when I play with my dogs, or go out on 3 mile walks at night.

The Polarion would probably be overkill for that, but I've been told that Overkill is my middle name, and I'm damn proud of it.

So, I ask you, as I hearken back to the title of this post, are HID lights the best kept secret? Are they not as popular because they are quite pricey?

Does the price equate to not only many fold increase in brightness and throw, or does the price also stand for quality construction and materials that cannot be found in lights a quarter of the price and less, or both?

mark
 

BVH

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LED's are good - I keep one in my pocket all the time. But...they are NOT as fun as having and using HID's, in my humble opinion. As with LED's, there are low, medium and high quality lights. Polarion being in the HIGH quality arena. There's nothing like holding a Polarion in your hand. It probably is a little over the top for walking the dog but then, most of us HID junkies want over the top Lumens even though we don't necessarily need them. If you can afford one, definitely get one to experience it. There's lots of other fun HIDs, too that don't cost nearly as much but provide lots of joy!
 

FRITZHID

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i'm an HID junky myself, altho my LEDs have their place, 1 EDC, 1 nightstand red, and 1 in the car as a standby, all with Lithiums. but HIDs are by far my fav's. i currently own the Stanley HID 35w, semi modded, with more mods in the works, including a Short Arc version! ;)
i'm also working on a 100w F&F mod, possibly for production in my local area since many seem to be impressed by my Stanley but are unable to find them in any local wallyworlds.
IMO if i had the funds (and understanding that your wife has, lol) i'd have my hands on the newest Maxabeam, great light for the $, especially since they now are available with Lithium batts!
just watchout, you could end up like BVH and end up with a 5' Carbon Arc in your back yard and guys in blue with big guns/hand cuffs knocking at your door cause you accidentally lit up an aircraft! lmao (not say'n BVH ever had that happen, but it could)
Good Luck in your HID endeavors and welcome to the HIGH BEAM section of CPF!
 

StarHalo

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HID lights aren't a secret, the majority of the mind-blowing beamshots on this site are HID (the smaller minority being xenon short-arc). Just be aware that it's so bright that it cannot be used at all in an urban or suburban setting. It's a bit like owning a race car; there's a very limited and specific time and place to use it, but it's totally worth it once you do..
 

Mr. Tone

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I love LED's and have a lot of great current LED flashlights. However, HID really blows them away for massive lumens and throw. For example, my Titanium Innovations N30 has about 5x the candlepower of my Thrunite Catapult V3 and 3-4x the amount of lumens.

As someone said, in a urban/suburban area you would not be welcome using an HID light. You can't avoid being noticed and also noticing everything within a minimum of 500 yards.

If you don't want to spend too much at first just to get your feet wet go with the T.I. N30. It is under $200 and about the size of a 6 volt floating lantern/spotlight. It is a favorite around here. If you want Rolex quality and don't mind the $$$ go with Polarion. There are a lot of threads around to see what Polarion is all about.
 
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MikeAusC

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But keep in mind that if you instantly need maximum brightness, you can do that with an LED - not with HID.

And once you've turned it off, you can immediately turn an LED on again - not an HID.

And dimming . . . . .
 

BVH

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A typical 35 Watt HID will immediately light off with about 600 to 1000 Lumens. Many HID's can instantly re-strike. If done regularly, instead of 3000 hours of bulb life, you may end up with 1000 hours, which can last the lifetime of ownership of an HID light so no real realized negative affects. Dimming...well can't offer any remedies there.
 

MDJAK

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Very interesting and educational replies. Much appreciated.
 

Mr. Tone

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MDJAK, you have got to check out some of BVH's threads. He has and has had some of the coolest and most powerful lights I have seen on this forum. If you haven't yet seen it you need to check out his thread on the 60" Carbon Arc from WWII. There is nothing that I have seen here that has more lumens and candlepower than that beast. It needed it's own trailer and generator, now that's serious!
 

Greenbean

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I impress many a LEO buddy with my Stanley HID spotlight with a 4300K bulb I installed.

It's absolutely stupid bright compared to anything they have in or on a cruiser... HAHAHA
 

JulianP

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LEDs are great for lighting up the room. HIDs are great for lighting up all the rooms in the street (just ask my neighbours). Short-arc lights are good for lighting up the room... in the next suburb.
 

yifu

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LEDs are great for lighting up the room. HIDs are great for lighting up all the rooms in the street (just ask my neighbours). Short-arc lights are good for lighting up the room... in the next suburb.
Well said.
 

eai2l

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BTW for noobs like me, after searching, i found out that the n30 is made by titanium innovations, but seems to be discontinued.
 

Mr. Tone

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BTW for noobs like me, after searching, i found out that the n30 is made by titanium innovations, but seems to be discontinued.

I just went to BatteryJunction to check on your statement and there is no N30 on the Titanium Innovations product page. I wonder what gives? Maybe MattK will let us all know what is going on at some point as this seems odd.
 

MDJAK

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MDJAK, you have got to check out some of BVH's threads. He has and has had some of the coolest and most powerful lights I have seen on this forum. If you haven't yet seen it you need to check out his thread on the 60" Carbon Arc from WWII. There is nothing that I have seen here that has more lumens and candlepower than that beast. It needed it's own trailer and generator, now that's serious!

I definitely will.
 

Patriot

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They may only be less popular due to the fact that most 35W and higher HID's are fairly large when compared to most LED lights. That is to say, that HIDs typically reside in a different size category of illumination tool as compared to LED. Also, we don't have as many high quality manufacturers to chose from and the best HIDs available are quite expensive.

They are truly "secrets" in that the amount of throw per given lumen rating is usually much greater than most LED lights. Even a small 10W HID is capable of producing some incredible lux readings although the total lumen output would be unimpressive by today's LED standards.

I used to think of HID as the exotic or unlimited realm of portable lighting but obviously LED's are developing at an amazing rate and with cutting edge technology. They have the advantage of being clustered together in a single device allowing multiplied output, albeit at the drawback of limited, practical frontal area and thermal management. The XM18 for example reportedly possesses tremendous performance but due to the aforementioned reasons it seems better suited to industrial application that it does the spelunker, woodsman, or dog walker.

I do think HID is exotic in the sense of pure performance, after all, most military or commercial lighting involves some form of HID tech. On the extreme enthusiast side and as Mr. Tone wrote, everyone should see some of the projects and beamshots posted by member BVH. For light junkie like me, it's only natural I'd be drawn to a device capable of the highest order of throw, impressive total lumen output, great efficiency and color, and all in a package 3-4 inches in diameter.
 

MDJAK

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Appreciate the insight here. But I must ask Patriot. I watched your video comparing 3 different HIDs and the SR 90. It seemed as if the SR 90 held up real well. Am I wrong about that? I recently got one. I like it for its throw but am always looking for more spill as I walk winding dark roads.

Looking forward to receiving my first HID.
 
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