Don't make the mistake of confusing different with more advanced. Simply because new items are available and different does not make them more advanced. Pick one edc light that:
1. you can custom program that also uses both primary and lithium ion batteries, and
2. you can program that can switch from preset programming to pure momentary on the fly, and
3. keeps the light output constant from the time you put in a new battery until the time the battery cannot supply enough power for the selected setting, and
4. that allows you to program the light to step down the power from maximum lumens at 40 seconds to extend battery time, and
5. that comes with two dozen preset brightness levels plus strobes and SOS that can be custom programmed to the owners needs, and
6. comes with potted electronics, and
7. has springs in the battery compartment at both the positive and negative terminals, and
8. has a programmable automatic power shut-off, and
9. has a programmable locator flash, and
10. can be programmed in the field without the use of a computer, and
11. possesses a outer design that is both tactile and shaped in a way that is easy to grip with two fingers on the draw without taking time for thought or hand manipulation.
Toykeeper's Anduril firmware does much of what you listed. Comparing the Fireflies E07 with Anduril to your list:
1. no - li-ion only
2. yes
3. no. Output is constant on regulated modes, but not on FET modes. However, the regulated modes are still higher output than a 300 lumen HDS.
4. no. Timed stepdowns are considered obsolete by most manufacturers. Nowadays, most lights use dynamic stepdowns with a temperature sensor.
5. 150 brightness levels with either stepped or stepless dimming. You could program preset levels, but it wouldn't be easy.
6. no. Electronics are not potted. Still, potting electronics is not hard. I don't pot mine because I like being able to access them to mod them. But it would be simple enough to do slathering on some Arctic Alumina epoxy on top of the driver board.
7. yes. Lots of lights feature springs at both ends. And unlike the HDS, the E07 uses better Be-CU low-resistance springs.
8. yes. Anduril comes with an auto-shotoff mode that can be programmed easily without a computer.
9. yes. E07 comes with aux LEDs that can be set to locator flash mode without a computer.
10. depends. Most of the functions mimicing what the HDS does you can program in the field without a computer. However, the source code is free so if you have a computer you can modify the firmware more.
11. outer design is a matter of personal preference. Lots of lights have designs that make them easy to draw and use out in the field. HDS is in no way unique.
The E07 is a bigger class of light than an HDS so it's not quite a fair comparison. (E07 with 21700 installed is around 170g, compared to 102g for rotary with CR123).
But on the upside, when comparting the E07 to the HDS,
the E07 has 27x the max lumen output and uses a battery holding 7x as much capacity.
That's a colossal difference in output! and while the E07 is bigger, it is still a lot more convenient (and cheaper) than carrying around 27 HDS duct-taped together for when you really need the power of 8 car-headlights in your pocket.
