Mine seems to last a long time. I never really time it, I use li-ion 90% of the time. For my usage I replace and charge about once a week regardless of what's left of battery capacity
HDS Systems #23
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Nice...I must have been expecting too much out of mine back then, they only did about 38 minutes on max before heavily stepping down to around 20 lumens over the course of an hour, into some PDM mode. Now, if someone could swap the guts of an executive to some Anduril 2 based triple and driver....
On CR123 it always worked for about an hour at maximum before it started to decrease, even with old batteries (12-15 years old). Used surefire, duracell and golden power. That was more than a year ago, now only 16340, but a few 123 are just lying in my pocket just in case. I'll check the runtime on 123 again in the coming days
Sorry, but I have to strongly disagree with this one. If you swap the HDS driver with an anduril developed driver, there goes your lifetime warranty, no longer will the HDS be a genuine product, half Chinese/half USA made light, and will jeopardize reliability and so on. HDS driver is probably one of the best there is in the current market. If your worried about efficiency and runtimes I would strongly suggest reaching out to HDS and see if they can update your older light with new firmware
It's the equivalent of putting a 2024 Honda motor into a 69 Camaro. Just isn't right
Henry and Hogo would probably have a heart attack if they saw this post.
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Lol. You sound like you sell ferarris :X
All joking aside, that warranty, as well as the lights, are pretty much bulletproof the way they are. I just happened to have gotten less than what I was led to expect from either of my samples, they've long been since sold to fellow members, although I do regret selling the tactical nichia based rotary if for form only.
All I know is, back then, when compared to my other existing lights using the same brand and form factor batteries, (including a low voltage malkoff dropin) the malkoff ran for about 55 minutes at near full brightness before slow tapering down, whereas the HDS ran for about 38 minutes near max before doing noticable step downs over the course of an hour before settling at 20 lumens for the rest of the battery life. Turning it off and letting it rest a few minutes before turning it back on got me reduced brightness, which quickly stepped back down to the 20 lumen mode. 16340's lasted even shorter, around 25 minutes on max before stepping down super quick.
Based on my limited sample of 2 HDS, I don't know that I'd buy another simply for my poor experience with the runtimes, especially when compared to something equally as solid like Malkoffs...
***I really wanted to love them, and for everything except the battery life, I did.
What year were your models around? I'd highly suggest a newer updated rotary. Rotary destroys Anduril IMO based on simplicity. So easy my grandma could operate it
Warmer CCT LEDs won't be as efficient as cooler CCT LEDs. I tend to stay 4000k and above. 4500k-5000k I get well over an hour on high with newer current HDS models with Li-ion and CR123. The stock 250 lumen 6200k low CRI will be more efficient than the high CRI Nichia emitters. Said to run 1.65 hours based on HDS website
I never really care about efficiency or runtimes. Considering I use li-ion and have so many rechargeable and primaries laying around
My Malkoffs and the ones I've used only ran for about 15-25 minutes on high, but they were either 300-500 lumen, and potentially bad considering there is no LVP cutoff. Can easily over discharge li-ion in a Malkoff
Warmer CCT LEDs won't be as efficient as cooler CCT LEDs. I tend to stay 4000k and above. 4500k-5000k I get well over an hour on high with newer current HDS models with Li-ion and CR123. The stock 250 lumen 6200k low CRI will be more efficient than the high CRI Nichia emitters. Said to run 1.65 hours based on HDS website
I never really care about efficiency or runtimes. Considering I use li-ion and have so many rechargeable and primaries laying around
My Malkoffs and the ones I've used only ran for about 15-25 minutes on high, but they were either 300-500 lumen, and potentially bad considering there is no LVP cutoff. Can easily over discharge li-ion in a Malkoff
Around 2015 or so. With "efficiency", it's just the lumen per watt output. If two LED's of different color temp and HighCRI are run at the same drive levels, they will have the same electrical efficiency, but the output efficiency is lower because less lumens. If you boost the highcri to run the same brightness as nonhighcri, then the efficiency is proportionately lower. The Malkoff ran at around 250 lumens, the tac nichia rotary around 200 lumens, and the standard rotary around 250 lumens.
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Last time someone posted an actual sample of a Zebralight that had its guts swapped to Anduril, it triggered a psychiatric break and meltdown in a user on here; no really, it actually happened.
There's no reason to put Anduril in an HDS body. Just use one of the many fine stock Hanklights or source the original FW3A. The discontinued (but still available on the secondary) FW3A is very similar in size and format, can take a higher capacity 18650, and also operates via a tail e-switch.
That must've been when I was on hiatus from CPF...do you have any references that I could find the thread for my toilet reading?
From my limited HDS experience, the two that I have since sold had abysmal battery life...that alone would have been enough for me to try and have the guts swapped...as I mentioned to another user, one was purchased in 2015, and the other was from a fellow cpfer, I can't remember who, but in practice, the lights were always near dead when I needed them...like I had some quantum field perpetually draining them or something. Granted, I also did have a 4d maglite that I constantly had to get new batteries for, so maybe the place I was at had bad electrical shielding or something, induction draining etc...all I know is, contrary to everyone else's stellar runtime experiences, mine were absolutely terrible.
I know everyone's time is very valuable, so I'd like to ask if someone were willing to take a timelapse video of the runtime on their HDS on max, whether 16340 or cr123a undisturbed...I would be extremely grateful, and I'll paypal you f&f for a pair of cr123A. I know it's not much to give, but to ask you to drain a cell, I feel like I should replace that one and a second.
***P.s. the Lumintop fw3a looks like a Temu HDS...the HDS just has this premium feel to it, maybe the knurling, the finish, the heft...or the combination of the three...but even though I have sold them for close to a decade now, I will never forget the handfeel. I prefer the dryish anodizing of the surefires and weltools, but when it comes to the handfeel, I have yet to hold another flashlight that isn't custom (like the old Macs) that even comes close. I still REALLY want to give HDS another chance, but it HAS to deliver on runtimes...real numbers on sustained maximum without stepdown unless the batteries are near critical. 38 minutes at 200 HCRI lumens followed by a rapid series of stepdowns was extremely inefficient, even by the standards back then...
Again, I REALLY want to give them another go, but don't want to tie up almost $300 in a light that will end up cementing my dismissal of HDS as a practical carry based on a simple inefficiency...
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Random Dan
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I'd be curious to know some efficiency numbers for the HDS driver. Is it linear or buck on li-ion?
When I had the ones I bought in ~2015, their lower modes had PDM, like PWM but not all the way to 0. That's why I'm willing for one, or a couple members to test their HDS with an uncut video timelapse, up to two each, and I'll paypal them for the cost of 2-4× cr123A, respective depending on whether they consumed 1 or 2 cr123A. The offer only stands for up to 3 members, at a maximum of 2 cells each, regardless if cr123a or 16340. The most batteries total I'll pay for is 12 cells, because I'm not made of money, lol.
The stipulation is to record the cell going into the flashlight, then turn on the flashlight on max and let it run on max without cutting or editing the video, and trying not to change the ambient lighting of the video as that could affect the autoexposure.
I will try to do a test on a fresh CR123 and li-ion when I have time and knowing I'll have no interruptions
1 taker!
Random Dan
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Well I got curious so I started a very informal test.
- HDS rotary 200 nichia 219b with burst mode on (because I couldn't be bothered to turn it off)
- Battery station CR123 that expired a few years ago but still read 3.08v
First step down (besides the 40sec one) was at about 1:25. Now it's been going almost 1:50 and it's stepped down by five levels.
- HDS rotary 200 nichia 219b with burst mode on (because I couldn't be bothered to turn it off)
- Battery station CR123 that expired a few years ago but still read 3.08v
First step down (besides the 40sec one) was at about 1:25. Now it's been going almost 1:50 and it's stepped down by five levels.
Random Dan
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The next unscintific test had two contenders, both with a freshly charged vapcell 800mAh 16340:
HDS rotary 200 high noon with burst disabled
Malkoff MDC LMH neutral li-ion
The Malkoff started off a little brighter, but not by much. After 25 min the HDS was definitely the brighter of the two. At 38 minutes the Malkoff shut off with the battery at 2.7v. The high noon is still going strong.
HDS rotary 200 high noon with burst disabled
Malkoff MDC LMH neutral li-ion
The Malkoff started off a little brighter, but not by much. After 25 min the HDS was definitely the brighter of the two. At 38 minutes the Malkoff shut off with the battery at 2.7v. The high noon is still going strong.
If you don't mind, what circa are your respective HDS?
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Random Dan
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That's a great question. Whenever the high noon and NB45 were first offered? Someone in this thread must remember...
After an hour the high noon had dropped 5 levels so I pulled the cell and it was at 3.07v.
The NB45 with expired CR123 has now stepped down pretty dim but is still producing light after over 2:40. By comparison to another rotary I think it's on level 12. Definitely won't leave you in the dark by surprise!
Thanks for testing! For the 16340 test where the light had stepped down 5 times, did you happen to record around when the first stepdown was, and was it large enough to warrant "definitely not close to max" anymore?
Hogokansatsukan
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Good thing I was at work when I saw the post. My partner managed to get ROSC from me…
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HOGO! If you could perhaps clarify...realistically, how long should we expect the light to run on max without stepdowns, and would the experience I described be in alignment with practical testing? Tactical 219 rotary purchased in 2015 from dealer, IS, now Illumn...
***to recap:
Cr123a, 38 minutes on max, stepdowns over the course of 1 hour before hitting sub-tactical (<50), then a while longer at around 20 lumens, total runtime around just under 2 hours
16340, 25 minutes on max, stepdowns over 25 minutes until subtactical, then a little while longer around 20 lumens, total runtime under an hour?
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