Gladius mods-who?

Phil_B

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 2, 2004
Messages
406
Location
Near Beverley,Yorkshire ,UK.
I've tried to get in touch with GladiusX1 to get a light modded. No joy, not perhaps doing them anymore.
It'll cost a fortune with silly postage charges etc (they want the same to post it back as to do the work!) at Blackhawk so;

Who's modding the Gladius with SSC (or Cree if they fit) and a new reflector, that wants some work?

Thanks for getting this far, Phil.
 
I had ordered a Gladius from the night ops store but cancelled it today. It was $225 and change and while the form factor may be great, it's twice the price of other lamps and 80-100 lumens short on output. Compound that with the fact I was waiting for 3 weeks and it still hadn't shipped made me happy to cancel.

The holster is nice though so I bought a Surefire 6P and a Malkoff drop in, then I bought the holster from another store. Total cost ~$150. That same combo was $244 from Night ops store for the Gladius/holster combo.
 
I don't know why, but when I compared my stock Gladius to a Seouled one several weeks ago, I could not tell the difference (eyeball) between them in either throw or overall output. I tried both lights both up-close and hundreds of feet away in an outdoor/wilderness setting, but I just couldn't discern the mod as being any brighter, even side-by-side. Kind of disappointing. I might have noticed more if I had tried them on a white wall or by ceiling bounce.
 
Apologies, as I know this won't help you. However, it might save you some money and possibly your light:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=172819

Personally, before I assumed I got burned by not having a light sent back to me, I'd consider that:

1) Postal services are risky in that many articles are lost daily.
2) The B/S/T forum is full of sellers who use the disclaimer "Once the light leaves my possession, it's no longer my responsibility" and for good reason.
3) Anytime I receive goods in the mail without a hitch, I count myself lucky.

I'm not saying "don't use the mailing system", but when we do use it, its with a certain understanding regarding the risks involved. IMHO.
 
I don't know why, but when I compared my stock Gladius to a Seouled one several weeks ago, I could not tell the difference (eyeball) between them in either throw or overall output...
Quite the opposite results of mine. I bought an as new one in the B/S/T with this upgrade. I compared mine to a non-modded one & there was quite a difference, immediately noticeable. I'm really not good with beamshots or I'd attempt it.
 
I don't know why, but when I compared my stock Gladius to a Seouled one several weeks ago, I could not tell the difference (eyeball) between them in either throw or overall output. I tried both lights both up-close and hundreds of feet away in an outdoor/wilderness setting, but I just couldn't discern the mod as being any brighter, even side-by-side. Kind of disappointing. I might have noticed more if I had tried them on a white wall or by ceiling bounce.

It could be that you had a very good one as stock, but mine has a nasty green tint, artifacts straight out of a text book, and is out performed by my SF L1.
BUT, I love the shape and feel of the thing, so I'm going to throw some cash at it.
Also, it's got a bit scruffy now, (adds history and character) happily that's through use though.
 
Personally, before I assumed I got burned by not having a light sent back to me, I'd consider that:

1) Postal services are risky in that many articles are lost daily.
2) The B/S/T forum is full of sellers who use the disclaimer "Once the light leaves my possession, it's no longer my responsibility" and for good reason.
3) Anytime I receive goods in the mail without a hitch, I count myself lucky.

I'm not saying "don't use the mailing system", but when we do use it, its with a certain understanding regarding the risks involved. IMHO.

With apologies in advance for not posting "on topic", I feel compelled to respond to Carl`s post quoted above.

Carl...I would normally agree with you, for over my years as a CPF`er I`ve participated in several transactions where I got burned by sending money and not getting any product in return. Fortunately, though, that is a truly rare occurrence on the CPF.

In those unfortunate events, I`ve typically let the matter slide, and have simply chalked it up to a "bad eperience" that one encounters periodically in life. (As an attorney for over 30 years, I`ve learned to pick my personal legal battles carefully.)

Having said that, though, the several GladiusX1 events described above in this thread show a pattern on GladiusX1`s part pointing to intentional misconduct...and not just poor business practices and/or shipping problems.

If you yourself ever elect to deal with GladiusX1, a lot of us will be exceptionally eager to learn how your own experience turns out. Care to join "The Club"? :D

Best wishes to you.

:)
 
Last edited:
Carpe,
I understand your point. No, with red flags such as these, I don't want to join the club. However, if I ever do send a significantly expensive light out by mail, I would decide in my mind that, if I never saw it again, I would be disappointed but still ok with that by the end of the day. If, on the other hand, losing the light meant significant consternation on my part, i wouldn't do it.
 
I just did some whitewalling with my Gladius and my Nitecore DI. The DI has a warmer, slightly greener tint (but still very white), while the Gladius's is a bit cool, with a hint of purple (but still very white). On ceiling bounce, the DI did seem to have more output (resoundingly confirmed by my luxmeter). Whenever I actually looked at the beams, though, I couldn't see much difference. This could account for my previous experience, which didn't involve any ceiling bounce tests.

So, the Seoul versions are definitely making more light, but darned if I can tell the difference. :( (This is why I prefer modding side-emitters, because then you get a nicer beam to boot.)
 
Anytime a 1AA can give a 2XCR123 a run for its money, that says a lot. Thats a 1.5V vs a 6V light!
 
TigerhawkT3

I find it remarkable that you did not note any significant difference between the original Luxeon III and the P4 as the output and throw differential is quite noticeable.

All my Gladius lights have been modded because of the significant change.
 
Top