HDS Flashlights? Whats the big deal?

[flashoholic]

Hello, I've been away from the scene for a little while but pardon me if I'm missing something. There seems to be some nice hype for the HDS flashlights that will begin shipping shortly but can anyone tell me why ? From what i've seen their strongest flashlight for presale on their website is 3.2" long and is up to 60 lumens on full brightness. (http://www.hdssystems.com/EdcUltimate.html) It also costs between $199-$250. The Nuwai Q-III is 3.6" long and has an output of up to 75 lumens on full brightness and costs $50. (http://store.advancedmart.com/nu3waluposil.html)

HDS is claiming big breakthroughs with their new flashlights, but where are they? The only place I can find the price is for all the extra features it has that frankly I personally am uninterested in (custom brightness, strobe, locator flash, button locks) Sure these are NICE features but are they really necessary? $250? I know you diehards are probably going to chew me out but I just can't justify that type of price on a flashlight of this nature.

 

[flashoholic]

oh yeah, I forgot to mention that those HDS lights are butt-ugly IMHO /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Sengoku]

I dont have both lights but i read somewhere the output of the Q-III is only as bright as an Arc4 which is around 33 lumens, i think nuwai was being a bit exaggerated!

 

[RonnieBarlow]

I think the main appeal of the HDS lights is the fact they are basically improved ARCs.

You can look elsewhere for the politics of the whole ARC story, but I think most people still want a light as solid as the ARC... and HDS appears to be offering this.

Vaporware? Perhaps. Only time will tell.

 

[Trev1960]

The most advanced led flashlight (IMO). Robust deign, built to handle tough enviroments. Use many different batteries without having different light engines. Very bright for the size. User selectable light output, mutli light leves, small size.

 

[JonSidneyB]

Brightness is not everything. But also different lights are for both different jobs and different people. There are a great many really good lights that I might not find useful, some of the lights if find most useful might be of little use to another person.

If the features that come in a product do not suit your needs, it may suit another.

Thats why we have lots of heads in a sockets set and have different flavors of ice cream.

 

[Robban]

If the price was a bit more reasonable I would be interested but at that kind of price level I just can't justify it. Sure it's a nice light but not THAT nice. I thought I spent a lot on my L4...

Oh and just to be safe, I'm not trying to crap on the company in any way shape or form /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Commander]

[ QUOTE ]
Robban said:
If the price was a bit more reasonable I would be interested but at that kind of price level I just can't justify it. Sure it's a nice light but not THAT nice. I thought I spent a lot on my L4...

Oh and just to be safe, I'm not trying to crap on the company in any way shape or form /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

If it's the best I pay what ever it takes.

For me lights is not a toy but a tool.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Dukester]

Interesting Thread… I guess it shows us how diverse this forum is. I, myself think that I am in the minority here in this forum. A lot of the folks don’t really use their flashlights at all with the exception of shinning the light at the wall or ceiling and then they sit on the shelf collecting dust. Some think that “Throw is over Rated”, don’t really know how they came up with that conclusion??? Over rated maybe for their needs but could not be rated enough for my needs… Some are willing to pay top dollar for a small but practical “EDC” flashlight but that same light to me would be useless for my practical uses. It cracks me up when I see some of the beam shot’s from some of these high dollar hi tech mega torches when you could achieve the same or better beams from a light that may be a third or quarter the cost. Some of these EDC Flashlights are bright enough maybe to maneuver out of a bedroom or a “Walk-In Closet” but hey, maybe that is all you need and you want it with all the whistle & bells. You see, I actually treat my lights as tools needed to run my dogs on wooded acreage. I need throw for my uses to keep an eye on my four dogs. I need flashlights that will punch out to a minimum of 100yds. Give me a light that simply turns on & off, is rechargeable and throws a beam at a minimum of 100yds and I am as happy as a lark…

These are just my thoughts and I do surely realize that there are people in this forum who merely collect flashlights as a hobby. Just goes to show you how diverse we are…

JonSidneyB makes a good point...

 

[thesurefire]

To me the bottom lines come down to how they perform. If it really is 60 lumens and is significantly better than my 4+ hey ill probably get one. If not, I wont.

I think Dukester makes a good point. I would not spend more then about 80$ on a light if I didn't use it, however, I'm willing to pay $200 for a light I EDC if that means that I get the best, the brightest, and one that will is of top quality. this is why I bought my Arc4.

 

[Trev1960]

Great point Duester,I too have often wondered how many of these lights get used and how many sit on the shelf at home collecting dust. By looking at the lights of most people, many seem never to be used.

I work shift in heavy industry, I need (want) a small EDC that gives a good quality light level with decent throw. I am using an Aleph1 at the moment and have ordered the HDS Ultimate. The reason is for the above and for what I see as the usefull feature of user selectable low light levels and so on.

We are all different and have different need, I would like to think most of these light do get used, but I doubt it.

 

[voodoogreg]

I think the answer is were light geeks and this is new cool light. i too, "use" my light's and like my hand made 1500-3500 grand guitar amps, i pay for something that's tip top and will not lay down on me. It's a tool and the better the tool, me less the fool. for me the multiple level's is a big deal, and no matter how ugly some think the HDS is it fill's the niche of arc owner's who DID have there expensive
arc 4's lay down on them.If the HDS light's live up to the claim's, it will fill that niche pretty damn well. And if i remember right the basic is about the same balpark price as the LSH-P, an one level light, that is not as powerful as the the HDS basic is spec'd to be.
It's not a cancer cure, just a flashlight.VDG

 

[HesNot]

I have a pretty pared down collection these days (not including non-modded Mags I have 6 lights) and use every one for different purposes. I use my Arc AAA red late at night to navigate around the house after my wife and son are in bed. I use my Arc AAA for general EDC tasks. I use my Minimag with Madmax Lite LuxIII for general around the house utility and my Strion for when I need a much brighter and longer throwing light. For me, the Arc 4 could fill the roles of the ArcAAA red, Arc AAA, Minimag w/ Madmax (which replaced an LSHP on a 2xaa pack) pretty well by using the dimmest setting for late night navigation, setting secondary to roughly the AAA level (which was much brighter), setting primary to the LSHP/Madmax brightness and using burst when I needed to "go to 11" for a few seconds. It didn't really supplant the Strion or other bigger lights but it was awfully nice to put the Arc4+ in my pocket and know I was covered for about 90% of what I'd use a light for during the day. The best part was that everyone could customize those levels to meet their own particular needs. I have an Arc4+ that hasn't been 100% reliable (working on it though).

The HDS lights - if they fulfill expectations which after being one of the first to jump on the Arc4 bandwagon I'm not about to make premature predictions on that - promise some improvements over the Arc4+ (brigher at the highest settings for one) and hopefully rock solid reliability. If Henry can produce a reliable light that is well built and functions like or better than the Arc4+ he'll make a lot of sales. If you haven't carried an Arc4+ daily (working properly) it's hard to understand how easily that light when adjusted to your tastes became the default choice to pop in your pocket. While I didn't use a lot of the features (SOS lock out etc..) simply the adjustable light and the intelligent stepdown as the battery drained made it a winner.

Enough people around here have a bitter taste from the 4+ and are wisely waiting to see if the lights actually hit the market and live up to what everyone hopes they'll be - reliable and better Arc4+s - but if you're looking for a powerful and small light that fit a LOT of practical needs the promise of the 4+ was about the best I've handled, perhaps Henry will make the promise a reality.

 

[idleprocess]

My read on "ultimate EDC" type lights, in a single sentence:
The Arc4, HDS, and most of the beloved "boutique" lights (from Mr Bulk, Jets22, McGizmo, D.Speck, CNC Dan, and the like) are designed to offer the broadest possible performance in the most compact package available.

An underlooked feature of the Arc4 (and upcoming HDS lights, which are descendents of the Arc4) is its wide range of power sources.

I have a VIP and carry it daily. The 3 brightness levels and multiple reflectors are more than adequate for my applications.

Are there cheaper, brighter, longer-running, more durable, more waterproof lights available? Sure. Are there any that score as high on all points as the VIP (in my subjective judgement)? No.

 

[Harrkev]

[ QUOTE ]
idleprocess said:
An underlooked feature of the Arc4 (and upcoming HDS lights, which are descendents of the Arc4) is its wide range of power sources.


[/ QUOTE ]

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the Arc4 only work on a single 123? I know that the head COULD work on a pair of AA batteries, but only if somebody made a body for it, which, if I recall correctly, Peter did NOT want to make.

I also heard talk of a 2x123 holder, but did anybody ever get one?

Just wondering.

 

[this_is_nascar]

In all fairness to Arc and the Arc4, the Arc4 would work very nicely on 2x123. I used my Arc4x lights this way for extended runtime.

 

[chrisse242]

[ QUOTE ]
this_is_nascar said:
In all fairness to Arc and the Arc4, the Arc4 would work very nicely on 2x123. I used my Arc4x lights this way for extended runtime.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't forget about single li-ion setups of any size. I'm still waiting for someone to make a tube for pila150 sized cells. With this tube and a bare cell of that size the arc4 would be perfect for me. A tad longer than now, longer runtime...

Chrisse

 

[Ocelot]

Some of it is "truth in advertising".

From flashlightreviews.com, looking at both throw and overall output, the Nuwai Q3 actually has *less* of both throw and overall output than some flashlights with a 1W luxeon star. So the fact that it has a 3W luxeon star, and isn't as bright as a 1W, makes me think that the HDS light will be MUCH brighter than the Nuwai. Not to mention have many features.

Lest you think I'm biased, I'm not planning on buying either light.

Scott

 

[RonnieBarlow]

I would certainly hope that a $200 flashlight would have more features than one that's barely $50.

I'm sure the HDS light will be brighter than the Q-III. Will it be as good a value? We shall see...

 

[270winchester]

considering the HDS may very well be the most sophisticated flahslight ever made, it is a big deal. Sure a Nuwai may be a good value, but it's what's inside. Hmm, a nonregulated Taiwan made light that probably could be sold for 20 bucks in mass quantity versus a state of the art light that has...well...all you can ever wish for in a small light. I say that's a pretty big deal

Nick