HDS Systems EDC # 19

[kaichu dento]

I think, lastly: battery size/device dia.:

What are the benefits of the 18650 over cr123a/16340? I imagine that it will just be runtime and no other benefit.
I heard that the diameter is 1" on the 123 device. If this is so, what is the diameter on the 18650?

Same diameter for both tubes.

I see you already chose to pass on the sapphire, which is generally the better choice, and I say that as one who won't buy a watch unless it has a sapphire crystal. Lots of people like to cite theoretical weaknesses in sapphire and titanium but the fact of the matter is they are both excellent materials and the real reason not to get a sapphire lens on your HDS is that there just really is no benefit.

 

[Mobileschoney]

Haha I see, as usual Henry's idea of "flawed" is of another premise.

On another note, I'm trying to find a new primary light for EDC. I'm currently debating between the BOSS 35 and the Rotary. The way I see it, the Rotary simply has the best interface out there; all the programming in the world doesn't matter much when you have a variable brightness control. The main reason why I would go with the BOSS is because it's simply a boss! The output is insane on it even on one cell and a lot of people seem really happy with theirs in the BOSS 35 thread. I'm leaning toward the BOSS, but the HDS seems much more practical not to mention cheaper. What's your guys' opinion on the two?

I actually talked to Henry on the phone the other day about the orange blems. He said when the cerakote was applied it wasn't applied evenly. He said to notice this you'd probably have to take the light out into sunlight and roll it around and you might see different shades of color but said it really wasn't noticeable. I've heard cerakote chips so I was concerned these were chipped but that's not the case. In the end I went with a standard black and silver bezel. Henry did say he won't be applying cerakote to any more lights, so if you want it here is your chance.

As for the BOSS va the Rotary, Hmm, that's a tough one. I have a BOSS and my second Rotary is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. I am glad I don't have to choose but if I did have to my BOSS would probably win. It's so light weight, very EDC able with the clip, size, form factor. It can go from insanely bright to very low and has a secondary LED color if that interests you. Plus having the 371D driver
It is a hoot to program the modes via your cell phone or computer screen. Ok on top of that the 7075 Aluminum Patina lights are very cool looking.

In saying all that I'm glad I don't have to choose. I'm glad my new Hi Cri Rotary is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. It is a light that has withstood the test of time. It's interface is second to none, it has tremendous versatility, it looks cool, man it's a HDS, what other light is on thread #19!?

I have seen the question posed time and time again that if you had to rely on one light and one light only to be there for you which one would it be. The answer I usually see is HDS, tough choice.

 

[coffeecup66]

....11111

 

[emarkd]

Hi all,

Just a short question: how come there aren't too many beamshot comparisons including HDS lights ? They do after all seem highly praised on all levels.
Mysterrrriiioooo ...

Cheers.

I posted some a couple of pages ago, if you want to go look. As to why other people don't do so often, well I don't know. I can say that my HDS lights have a better, cleaner beam shape than just about anything else I own, including lights that cost a lot more.

 

[bkpdle]

Regarding the Sapphire discussion from above. Henry settled this a while ago. UCL is the better choice. See his post:

I think this may be an apples and oranges comparison. Allow me to explain.

One assumption in the statement is that the glass lens is fairly delicate and prone to catastrophic failure. Our lens and lens housing design do an excellent job of protecting the lens and keeping it from breaking. The pummeled light was exposed to severe abuse and the lens never broke.

The design being referred to is very similar to the design we used for the EDC Ultimate and EDC Basic flashlights. That design was prone to catastrophic failure and that design did benefit from using a sapphire lens. The new design is totally different and there is almost no practical benefit from going to sapphire.

Another assumption in the statement is that glass is somehow prone to scratching and sapphire is not. Granted, sapphire is more scratch resistant than glass is. However, in a well recessed design such as our new design, there are very few opportunities for the lens to be scratched. Even with scratching, most of the scratches will end up in the center of the lens. However, the center of the lens has the least affect on light output and beam pattern. The exterior parts of the lens - the parts that are the least likely to scratch - are the parts that have the most affect on the beam pattern and the total light output.

It would take a lot of scratching - a very noticeable amount - before the light output from an ultra-clear lens would fall below that of a sapphire lens with no scratches. However, in real use, a sapphire lens would also be accumulating scratches but at a slower rate. In practical terms, even heavy users may never see the day when their ultra-clear lens accumulated enough scratches that they got less light out compared to using a sapphire lens under the same conditions.

Increasing the cost of the flashlight by $40 while decreasing the performance by 10 to 15% does not seem like a customer pleaser to me. Does sapphire give you bragging rights? You bet. Does it bring any practical benefits in this particular application? No.

Henry.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...licky-Part-2&p=2570619&viewfull=1#post2570619

 

[coffeecup66]

I posted some a couple of pages ago, if you want to go look. As to why other people don't do so often, well I don't know. I can say that my HDS lights have a better, cleaner beam shape than just about anything else I own, including lights that cost a lot more.

Hi emarkd,
I did see and appreciate those beamshots btw, thanks.

I have a foot in the audio world where shootouts of multi-thousand euros/dollar microphones, pre-amps or compressors are rather common, although IMO, a lot more complicated to achieve. You find 10000 reviews and comparisons of BMWs, Jaguars, Audis, Porsches and/or Aston Martins, etc ... but it's quite tough to find a good beamshot shootout including a 200lm Nichia 219 HDS Rotary ! :duh2:

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers.

 

[ven]

Not the best beam pic of the 200lm hi cri,


Its a real nice beam and can be too bright on full whack, i would guess most my uses are 60-140lm ish.............

 

[coffeecup66]

Thank you ven ! :thumbsup:

Are all the other shots in that photobucket file done with the same light ?

 

[ven]

Welcome
No mr cup, have various beam pics scattered through here over last few years(says which light with pics)
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Vens-various-Vinh-light-pics-amp-random-ones

iirc the haiku with xpl HI 4000k is after it followed by a d25Cvn de-dome.

Next time i venture out, i will take the HDS with me for some better pics and close up beam profile pics. Along with the haiku(you can say this has one of the nicest tradition type beams as well imo), the beam profile is " perfect" so to speak. Nice amount of usable spill with a nice hot spot thats not too intense.

 

[thermal guy]

There was a small run. They currently sell for around $900. There's one currently available http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...i-Ra-HDS-with-Unique-Wvaltakis-Custom-Ti-Clip

I wonder how many of us nuts would have to agree to buy a titanium HDS for Henry to do another run of them😀🤔🤔.

I'LL GO FIRST I'D ORDER ONE IN A HARTBEAT!!

 

[coffeecup66]

Thanks for the link Mr Ven , I'm off to take a thorough look at all that good visual information !

Cheers.

 

[emarkd]

I wonder how many of us nuts would have to agree to buy a titanium HDS for Henry to do another run of them樂樂.

I'LL GO FIRST I'D ORDER ONE IN A HARTBEAT!!

My sense is that Henry tends to run his business however he damn well pleases no matter what this enthusiast community has to say, but on the off chance that this could happen I would also love to have a Ti HDS light. I just can't justify the $1000 pricetag that the older ones still command, but I'd happily pay quite a premium over the current price of the aluminum lights. I think paying McGizmo money for a Ti HDS is a no-brainer, and in fact I'd sell one of my Gizmo's to fund it if I had to.

So if there's a list put me on it.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

Don't go sapphire. There is absolutely no advantage and you get LESS light.

That's not entirely accurate. All HDS lights are individually calibrated after assembly, so a 200 lumen HDS is guaranteed to put out 200 lumens regardless of what lens is in place. What you lose is efficiency since you need to run the LED hotter to get the same output you would get through a glass lens. You will still get the minimum guaranteed runtime, but you might not get as much "extra" with a sapphire lens.

I agree that sapphire lenses don't have any worthwhile advantage to justify the added expense. Henry only makes them for people who want a little "bling" in their lights.

 

[thermal guy]

My sense is that Henry tends to run his business however he damn well pleases no matter what this enthusiast community has to say, but on the off chance that this could happen I would also love to have a Ti HDS light. I just can't justify the $1000 pricetag that the older ones still command, but I'd happily pay quite a premium over the current price of the aluminum lights. I think paying McGizmo money for a Ti HDS is a no-brainer, and in fact I'd sell one of my Gizmo's to fund it if I had to.

THATS TWO😀

So if there's a list put me on it.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

Hey, is the cerakote worth it? I read somewhere that it's a lot stronger than anodizing I think. Henry is currently offering the orange for $20. Catch is that it's "blemished seconds only". Can anyone who's gotten one recently in orange cerakote comment on the quality of it?

Never owned anything with Cerakote, but from what I understand, it does chip and rub off much, much easier than anodizing, especially the heavy-duty anodizing that HDS uses. However, HDS lights are anodized first and then run through the Cerakote process, so it's not like you're going to see bare metal when the Cerakote chips. Again, it's another one of those "bling" options like the sapphire lenses that doesn't really have any practical benefit, unless it's something like a safety orange to make the light easier to find when dropped.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

My sense is that Henry tends to run his business however he damn well pleases no matter what this enthusiast community has to say, but on the off chance that this could happen I would also love to have a Ti HDS light. I just can't justify the $1000 pricetag that the older ones still command, but I'd happily pay quite a premium over the current price of the aluminum lights. I think paying McGizmo money for a Ti HDS is a no-brainer, and in fact I'd sell one of my Gizmo's to fund it if I had to.

So if there's a list put me on it.

You might need to sell several McGizmo lights to pay for a limited edition custom titanium Rotary since I suspect such a beast would easily cost $2000.

 

[kaichu dento]

Regarding the Sapphire discussion from above. Henry settled this a while ago. UCL is the better choice.

You may have missed some of the misleading posts suggesting that sapphire was more likely to break, which I always liken to the poor conductivity of both heat and electricity through titanium.
Limitations easily found on paper, hard to find in application.

Sapphire is great, but useless on a flashlight, cerakoting it's nice for either appearance-sale or additional visibility, but definitely more prone to wear.

 

[thermal guy]

I'm betting if as I say enough ppl legitimately what one there might be a chance that he would come through with a run. As for cost🤔 Ya they would be up there.

 

[nbp]

I'm betting if as I say enough ppl legitimately what one there might be a chance that he would come through with a run. As for cost🤔 Ya they would be up there.

Hogo did a Ti run feeler thread awhile ago and at the price point he was indicating not a lot of people were jumping in. Certainly not enough that Henry ever moved forward with a run of them. A search should turn up that thread for you.

 

[AVService]

Never owned anything with Cerakote, but from what I understand, it does chip and rub off much, much easier than anodizing, especially the heavy-duty anodizing that HDS uses. However, HDS lights are anodized first and then run through the Cerakote process, so it's not like you're going to see bare metal when the Cerakote chips. Again, it's another one of those "bling" options like the sapphire lenses that doesn't really have any practical benefit, unless it's something like a safety orange to make the light easier to find when dropped.

I have one in OD green and I am pretty much scared to use it for fear of chipping,it seems like it is just painted on really althogh I am sure it is more than that.

I was under the impression that the lights were made both by stripping of the Anodizing first and then coated in the batch that I have and with the cerakote over the anodize as they are currently?
From what I remember Henry was somewhat loathe to have any coated at first for fear of getting consistent quality and ruggedness in the finish.

I might be wrong and might have it backwards but either way the coating is not even remotely as rugged as the Anno. that is for certain.