HDS Systems EDC # 16

[curby]

I made this for my own OCD tendencies, but hopefully it'll also help aggravate the condition in others. :naughty:

Lumens at each Output Level: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YbCrAqeS8NdTJjMJdxnWVhgrjJWqdxa6Il70hBSryZ0/edit?usp=sharing

Let me know if there are mistakes in my modeling of the output levels.

 

[calflash]

Thanks curby. I like charts like that.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

I made this for my own OCD tendencies, but hopefully it'll also help aggravate the condition in others. :naughty:

Lumens at each Output Level: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YbCrAqeS8NdTJjMJdxnWVhgrjJWqdxa6Il70hBSryZ0/edit?usp=sharing

Let me know if there are mistakes in my modeling of the output levels.

Oh my! Makes me think I'm looking at the calibrator!

 

[curby]

If you have some real numbers, please let me know if my hypothetical values are reasonable.

 

[slumber]

Never realized twelve of the twenty four setting are below one lumen. Makes the "double step / half as many settings" in the new Tactical quite sensible.

 

[curby]

Yeah, I always thought that you guys were nuts for wanting sub-lumen output levels ... until I realized that 3 lumens can be overkill in a dark room. Now I'm down to about 1.5 lumens on low and considering going lower.

 

[fnj]

0.1 lumens can be appropriate for certain situations. I keep a homemade with an estimated 0.1 lumens going in my room 24x7 - a single AA lasts at least 6 months. I tend to see below-0.1 as mostly a gimmick, but that's my problem. Having the entire range is a definite positive.

I agree that 24 steps can be seen as kind of obsessive overkill. It's basically the smallest steps which can be seen as being at all significant. In a clicky, where choosing settings from the steps is just a mostly-one-time setup thing, there is no merit in finding fault with it, but for a selector ring which is used frequently, I can see where cutting the number of steps in half makes a lot of sense.

 

[bondr006]

but for a selector ring which is used frequently, I can see where cutting the number of steps in half makes a lot of sense.

I respectfully disagree. I like the ability to fine tune, especially on the lower end with the Rotary. You don't need the minute adjustments when dealing with the higher outputs. When dealing with the lows, fine tuning can be critical to your night vision. That's one of the many reasons I like Henry's lights, is the ability to minutely adjust the low settings. Besides, there's really not all that much distance to travel from low to high when using the rotary adjustment.

 

[curby]

tl;dr it's fine like it is, but having a totally smooth ramp (effectively infinite levels) for the Rotary would be awesome.

Walter Levin teaches us that women are always right. Wait, I mean he teaches us that an informative way to approach a problem is to take it to extremes. If you consider a light with practically infinite output levels, that would be fine for a rotary-style interface because your hands have the dexterity to twist the controller back and forth to find an appropriate level in a fraction of a second. For a push-button interface, you would have to click an insane number of times to reach the desired level. Alternately, you could hold the button down as it ramps up and down, but a fast ramp would make it easy to miss your desired level and a slow ramp would still take a long time. Either way, such a clicky would be burdensome to use, so we see that having many levels is better for the rotary.

Of course, HDS lights don't have practically infinite levels. But even in a more reasonable range of 20-30 levels, it makes sense to pre-program a clicky light to specific levels as opposed to cycling through all available levels during use as most lights with 2-4 levels do. On the other hand, it doesn't matter for the Rotary since it can easily produce roughly the desired brightness (whether out of 3, or 30, or 3000 levels).

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

I made this for my own OCD tendencies, but hopefully it'll also help aggravate the condition in others. :naughty:

Lumens at each Output Level: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YbCrAqeS8NdTJjMJdxnWVhgrjJWqdxa6Il70hBSryZ0/edit?usp=sharing

Let me know if there are mistakes in my modeling of the output levels.

Earlier manuals used to include a chart like this giving values for each level, but for whatever reason it switched over to a line graph in the more recent manuals.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

0.1 lumens can be appropriate for certain situations. I keep a homemade with an estimated 0.1 lumens going in my room 24x7 - a single AA lasts at least 6 months. I tend to see below-0.1 as mostly a gimmick, but that's my problem. Having the entire range is a definite positive.

I agree that 24 steps can be seen as kind of obsessive overkill. It's basically the smallest steps which can be seen as being at all significant. In a clicky, where choosing settings from the steps is just a mostly-one-time setup thing, there is no merit in finding fault with it, but for a selector ring which is used frequently, I can see where cutting the number of steps in half makes a lot of sense.

Why is less than 0.1 lumen a "gimmick"? Why not less than 0.5 lumen? Oh, I know, it's because you find 0.1 lumen useful. Well, for those of us who find less than 0.1 useful, it's not a gimmick. When my eyes are dark adapted, 0.07 lumen -- the lowest output on my high CRI Rotary -- is more than enough to see by, and there are times I wish my Rotary could go even lower.

I also don't see how it's a bad thing to have access to all 24-levels through a rotary interface. Just turn the dial until you have as much light as you need. What's wrong with that?

 

[DucS2R]

I agree, if your eyes are completely dark adapted (as is required for when doing visual astronomy), it is amazing how little light is required to read charts, etc. on a moonless night. I usually use my Ra twisty with the red light to save my night vision, but really low levels of light can be very useful in specialized situations.

 

[kaichu dento]

I tend to see below-0.1 as mostly a gimmick, but that's my problem.

Why is less than 0.1 lumen a "gimmick"? Why not less than 0.5 lumen? Oh, I know, it's because you find 0.1 lumen useful. Well, for those of us who find less than 0.1 useful, it's not a gimmick. When my eyes are dark adapted, 0.07 lumen -- the lowest output on my high CRI Rotary -- is more than enough to see by, and there are times I wish my Rotary could go even lower.

+1
There, now I didn't have to bother writing a response to that nonsense.

 

[carrot]

Raves for the Rotary:

I know I'm tremendously late to the party but I just acquired a Rotary and it's been my EDC for two weeks now. This is the U2 of the future. This light easily has the best UI of any light I've ever used and it is both satisfying and useful.

If it were just a little slimmer and had a decent pocket clip it would be simply unbeatable.

 

[Cerealand]

I'm waiting for a rotary clip!

 

[Luciaro]

You know for an upgrade led if Henry do this for light without loose warranty?

 

[Xplorer866]

I'm considering picking up one of these guys but I've got a few questions.

Whats the ETA on the 17670 battery extension?

I've read that the ability to tail-stand is not a feature of the flushed button version and it does stick out a tiny but. Air pressure causes the button to puff out while the end cap is being screwed on. But is it possible to get the button to sit flush if it's held down while being screwed on?

Is the sapphire lens with the AR coating worth it? Does the AR coating scratch off easily?

Who's currently making/selling Ti bezels?

 

[slumber]

I'm considering picking up one of these guys but I've got a few questions.

Whats the ETA on the 17670 battery extension?

I've read that the ability to tail-stand is not a feature of the flushed button version and it does stick out a tiny but. Air pressure causes the button to puff out while the end cap is being screwed on. But is it possible to get the button to sit flush if it's held down while being screwed on?

Is the sapphire lens with the AR coating worth it? Does the AR coating scratch off easily?

Who's currently making/selling Ti bezels?

No definite ETA on the 17670 tubes.

The flat clickys usually tail stand well (even though it's not an advertised feature). Once the rubber stretches a bit, they still tail stand, however, they may have some wobble.

Both the sapphire and regular lenses have AR coating and AR coating in all lenses is susceptible to rubbing off, the sapphire lens is just more resistant to scratching (the lens not the coating). I don't personally believe it's worth the extra $.

 

[Xplorer866]

No definite ETA on the 17670 tubes.

The flat clickys usually tail stand well (even though it's not an advertised feature). Once the rubber stretches a bit, they still tail stand, however, they may have some wobble.

Both the sapphire and regular lenses have AR coating and AR coating in all lenses is susceptible to rubbing off, the sapphire lens is just more resistant to scratching (the lens not the coating). I don't personally believe it's worth the extra $.

Thanks for the response!

 

[tongkang]

Request outdoor beam shot 170rotary vs 250rotary or 200rotary please guys..anyone?
Thank you :twothumbs