Gladius replacement that uses RC123's ?

[Thioden]

Hi guy's,
I've been lurking this forum for months now and i've learnt a lot ! long gone are the day's I thought my Maglite was the brightest flashlight there was.
Since i've been reading the forum i've bought a fenix L1D-CE and L2D-CE and I love both of em. Now, lately i've been reading up on the gladius. It looks like a realy interresting light, but unfortunately, the 123 batteries are too expensive where I live ( Belgium, Europe ).
From what i've picked up here, it doesn't take rechargeable's.
So, now i'm wondering... is there some kind of tactical light out there that's similar to the gladius ( output, throw, size, modes ) that does take rechargeables?

Thanks for any info !

 

[TigerhawkT3]

The Gladius can use rechargeables; just make sure they're the "3.0V" type. I recently read of someone who used 3.7s with no damage to the light (so far), but it's really easy to find a cell/charger combo. For example:

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1641

It comes with a wall charger, car charger, and four cells. They ship internationally with UPS.

Also make sure you get a Surefire FM34 Beamshaper.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Hi guy's,
I've been lurking this forum for months now and i've learnt a lot ! long gone are the day's I thought my Maglite was the brightest flashlight there was.
Since i've been reading the forum i've bought a fenix L1D-CE and L2D-CE and I love both of em. Now, lately i've been reading up on the gladius. It looks like a realy interresting light, but unfortunately, the 123 batteries are too expensive where I live ( Belgium, Europe ).
From what i've picked up here, it doesn't take rechargeable's.
So, now i'm wondering... is there some kind of tactical light out there that's similar to the gladius ( output, throw, size, modes ) that does take rechargeables?

Thanks for any info !

Welcome to CPF.
I don't have one of these, but it sounds like what you want. It's the LumaHunter MRV.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=162392

 

[TigerhawkT3]

Welcome to CPF.I don't have one of these, but it sounds like what you want. It's the LumaHunter MRV.http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=162392

If it's okay for the OP that the MRV only has two output levels instead of a 1-100% range like the Gladius, the MRV looks like a great light - I almost bought one before I remembered that I'm waiting for another Lumapower product that they've hinted at a few times.

 

[Art Vandelay]

If it's okay for the OP that the MRV only has two output levels instead of a 1-100% range like the Gladius, the MRV looks like a great light - I almost bought one before I remembered that I'm waiting for another Lumapower product that they've hinted at a few times.

That is true. For some people the LumaHunter MRV would be too bright. On the "low" setting the LumaHunter has 9,600 lux @ one meter with a 18650 rechargeable, or 9,800 lux @ one meter with two primary CR123As. The Gladius has a lux of 3,000 @ one meter on "high" with two primary CR123As.

 

[Thioden]

Hey, thanks for the quick reply's !

That LumaHunter MRV looks like a nice light, but it lacks some of the things i realy like about the gladius. Like TigerhawkT3 said, being able to dim the light, realy dim the light that is, is very usefull. Also the way they switch modes on the gladius looks like its a faster ( or easier ) then the MRV.

From what I gathered here and on Flashlightreviews.com, the LED Logic Striker-VG could be a likely substitute. It can use AA and CR123A batteries. I'm not sure if it can take the rechargeable 123A's though... Can anyone confirm this?

-EDIT-
Ok, so after checking the website I discovered that the Striker-VG does indeed take rechargeables. So that would be a major plus for me. But the position of the button does bother me and also the way they change modes.

1. Hold down button for "momentary on" up to 2 seconds. After that, flashlight blinks twice hand goes into "constant on"
2. Continued holding past 2 seconds dims light to desired level
3. Double tap in any mode initiates "instant strobe"
4. Single tap in any position turns unit off

For instance, nr. 1 does this means that you can only use the light in momentary one mode for up to 2 seconds? Any longer and it will stay on? Or am I missing the point here?

 

[cliff]

Thioden:

Personally, I am liking my Fenix P3D better than the Gladius. It is brighter, strobes the same, is about half the size and uses any type of RCR123 you can find. It does not dim down as far as a Gladius, but dims down about the same as my U2. Also, they are about 1/4 the price.

 

[Thioden]

Hmm, ... Cliff i actualy forgot about the P3D-CE, . It's way cheaper then a gladius and it's got the free shipping. Thanks for reminding me !
When you say it's brighter, is there a big difference?
I've just checked flashlightreviews for the P2D-CE review and they say:

P2D max
Throw : 2200 (46.90)
Overall Output : 8200 (82.00)

and the gladius :

Gladius High/Momentary
Throw : 3000 (54.77)
Overall Output : 3800 (38.00)

So there's not that big a difference between them in terms of throw, but the P2D-CE does beat the gladius for overall output. That's very interresting, cause the P2D has got 135 lumens on max and the P3D is rated at 160 lumens ( source: fenix-store.com). I'd realy like to see a P3D-CE compared to a Gladius.

Has this been done, or can someone compare a P3D-CE to a gladius? Beamshots? Pretty please ?

 

[Art Vandelay]

P2D - 2 oz, 1 cell, about 3 inches long
Gladius - 5.6 oz, 2 cells, about 6 inches long

FlashlightReviews.com is reviewing the P3D soon. According to the site it's in the mail.

 

[Blindasabat]

Need to clear some things up from other replies.

The Gladius (Typhoon version is down to about $120 if you look. I got one for $110, but it was at a reputedly risky store to order from.

For the price, the P3D still is a good deal and a nice small size, but if you can swing a Gladius and then drop in an SSC P4 (GLADIUSX1 mods them for $40) then the output gets more even with better features.

The Gladius/Typhoon UI and switching rocks the house down. Dimming nice and low is very nice. Fenix needs to make low and medium a lot lower to be more useful. Also, the P3D stobe is way weak - too slow to have the effect the Gladius does. The Gladius is just done better with more thougt into making it extremely useful.

You can use the Striker VG (at least the one I have) momentary for infinite amount of time. The AA option was never released though. I got it as a cheaper alternative to the Gladius (at the time) and it does work very well. Stobe is good too. The Striker I have has this UI:

1. Press and hold for any length of time for momentary, release for off. Perfect for tactical use.
2. Click twice rapidly for strobe at any time. Click and release for off.
3. Click once then quickly press-hold (~ 1 sec.) for constant on at highest output, indicated by steady light.
4. Continued holding after constant-on activation (> 1 sec.) causes dimming and give 2-3 seconds for the light to display the range of outputs available, cycling through them repeatedly. Release at desired level. Click and release for off.

The Striker VG button location does not bother me. Tailstands nicely and throws like a maniac. I have only used 3.0V RCR123's in it though as I have not seen that 3.7V RCR123's are OK. Did you see that somewhere?

Hey, thanks for the quick reply's !
From what I gathered here and on Flashlightreviews.com, the LED Logic Striker-VG could be a likely substitute. It can use AA and CR123A batteries. I'm not sure if it can take the rechargeable 123A's though... Can anyone confirm this?

-EDIT-
Ok, so after checking the website I discovered that the Striker-VG does indeed take rechargeables. So that would be a major plus for me. But the position of the button does bother me and also the way they change modes.

For instance, nr. 1 does this means that you can only use the light in momentary one mode for up to 2 seconds? Any longer and it will stay on? Or am I missing the point here?

 

[zifnab69]

The best of the best flashlight,
a gladius moded to use sscp4
Wonderfull....

I use the 180-200 lumens strob in tactical training situation .... the bad guy hand up immediately when he take it in the eyes ( he was in the dark for a long time)
The power of a 980ma sscp4 with the incredible selector of the gladius....
a very very low level without flickering
and you can use 3v rechargeables as "Lips" say.

look at here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=159743

 

[AvidHiker]

Current UI for the Striker has no limit to press-and-hold operation. Still available with a Seoul P4 from BatteryJunction I believe ($175). Dims plenty low, any lower would have little, if any use. Can take 3.7V rechargables with no problem. Throw is fantastic.

Button presses:
1 - Press and release is always momentary.
2 - Double Press is on. Continue to hold for dimming.
3 - Tactical Strobe.

 

[c0t0d0s0]

For what it's worth... I've been through a couple of sets of 3.7V RCR123's in my Seouled Gladius - including a continuous runtime test - and it works just fine. I get about 1 hour of runtime at full power on AW RCR123's before the protection kicks in.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I have read several posts from people who say that 3.0 rechargeables work in the Gladius. I don't have a Gladius, but based on that, I assume that it must be OK at least most of the time. What gives me a little concern is what manufacturer says about the Gladius and rechargeables on their Web page. What they say about the Gladius makes me think that the Gladius may have some problems with rechargeables.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The Gladius has not been specifically designed to accept rechargeable batteries, nor have we adequately tested rechargeable batteries in this light. If you put rechargeable batteries into the light that exceed it's maximum voltage load, you do so at your own risk. You will void your warrantee. You can quite possibly damage the circuit thereby rending the light inoperable.

Additionally, Pila brand rechargeable batteries installed in the Gladius will signal the power management circuit that the batteries are low in power. The Gladius will begin to emit a double flash in momentary and constant on Channels, which is the pre-programmed low battery power indication."[/font][/font][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]http://night-ops.com/glad-faqs.html
[/font][/font][/font]

 

[c0t0d0s0]

Well, I figured that I had already voided my warrantee when I put the Seoul in, so this is not a major concern to me. And the circuit appears to be doing just fine. Are there any documented cases of anyone blowing their light on 3.7V rechargeables?

When powered by a single li-ion cell such as Pila168S/17650 the light will indeed throw a double flash battery warning. Obviously, this is not happening on a pair of RCR123's.

 

[Thioden]

Blindasabat,

Thanks for clearing that up. Also, I wasn't aware that there are 2 manufacturers for the Gladius / Typhoon. I've looked around a bit and if consistently found the Typhoon labeled one to be cheaper. But some research here shows that they're in fact the same light.
Best I've found is $175 ( +/- 130€ ) with shipping to Belgium. At that price , I might actually be tempted to buy one and just try my luck with a pair of 3.0V rechargeable's.
Now i need to go looking for the batteries, cause batteryspace's shipping charges are just a tad to high... $43 to ship a $23 charger and batteries? There's bound to be a local or at least European supplier for the batteries. Wish me luck !

 

[Blindasabat]

As far as I know, Insight makes them for BlackHawk. It sounds like BlackHawk had an exclusive contract for a certain period of time. After that, Insight apparently can sell them as well. BlackHawk probably paid for development, so Insight can sell them more cheaply.
Botac was where I got mine and they are still $115 now, but some say they have had problems with orders and service there.

Wish me luck!

Good Luck!

 

[TigerhawkT3]

You can try CPFer AW for 3V Li-Ions, or check Unforgiven's small package forwarding service (sticky thread in the Dealer's Corner).

Good luck! :wave:

 

[cliff]

When you say it's brighter, is there a big difference?

There is a visible difference, but it is not huge. I can't say that the P3D stomps either the Gladius or U2 in the throw/output category, but it is an improvement over both. Runtime seems to as good or better also.

What I like about the P3D is how little space it takes up on my belt. Belts are getting crowded these days, and if I can get a thing which works better/as well and takes up less space, I'm all for it.

Also, the UI is pretty good with the P3D. There is alot less fooling around to change light levels, and the "reverse" clickie is tactical enough for my purposes.

 

[PeteBroccolo]

I bought a Gladius and gave it to my son along with 4 of e-lectronics.net's RCR123A 600 mAh 3.0 volt ic protected regulated li-ion cells plus a charger with AC & DC cords; he uses it as his always-on-the-duty-belt main duty light and is very happy with this set-up. And, with his junior service, he is working a LOT of 00:dark hours!