HDS Systems light

[DaveH]

I'm seriously considering one of these, in particular the all-in-one model. Last couple of knives I've sold have included some various lights I felt I no longer needed.

Hopefully that will make it easiet to justify getting one.

http://www.hdssystems.com/ActionLight.htm

DaveH

 

[DavidW]

First place I saw them were at Inner Mountain Outfitters. He seems to carry the full line. Factory pricing though.

------------------
"A knifeless man is a lifeless man"
-Nordic proverb

[This message has been edited by DavidW (edited 08-13-2000).]

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I've been waiting a long time for the new model HDS 24 led light. It will have 7 brightness levels,
instead of the 3. I hear also the brightest level on the '7' will be brighter than the 3 level model, and the dimmmest will be dimmer, allowing better control of brightness as the battery voltage drops. Also Henry at HDS told me he would incorporate an idea of mine into the new model:
A 'by-pass strip' so a spare lithium D can be carried in the unused D cell space in the tandem battery, pack as a spare. Of course when using 2 alkaline D cells the bypass strip is moved out of the way and both batteries are in the circuit.
both batteries would be in the circuit.)

 

[DavidW]

Ted,

Am I correct in assuming you own an HDS? If so, how about a review in a new thread. Compare it to common LED lights like the Photon, Lightwave, eternalight, Trek Seven, etc.

------------------
"A knifeless man is a lifeless man"
-Nordic proverb

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Yes, I own a 3-level HDS with a single D lithium battery compartment.. I can tell you it has nearly twice the beam spread of the Lightwave,
and is brighter on high, nearly twice as bright I'd say, just shining it outside at night on a wall, not as bright as the Lightwave (4 led) on medium setting..
Of course it is built like a rock, be sure to check the weight at their site..

 

[DaveH]

If you get a new one will you be selling your old one?

DaveH

[This message has been edited by DaveH (edited 08-17-2000).]

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

mmm maybe... HDS promises, if I recall, a very liberal return policy... I was plannig on returning the 3-level when the 7-level came out..I bought the 3 after waiting 4 or 5 months for the 7 - so I think, (I hope) Henry of HDS would swap with me.. maybe I should email HDS again and ask, it has been a very long time.. stay tuned..

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

..OK. I emailed Henry THEN went to the HDS site
where I read this under 'description':".. The light provides 5 brightness settings ranging from the extremely bright Overdrive setting that is brighter than most flashlights to the frugal Dim.." - BUT at another spot on the site, on a comparison chart, the "overdrive" level was listed as "N/A" and the number of brightness levels given as FOUR...

 

[DaveH]

I think the overdrive is limited to 30 seconds max, probably then not worth listing as a real "Setting".

I was seriously thinking of the 3 setting, but then the new ones sound so much better, so I'm waiting. ( a dual bay, 48 LED, all-in-one would be pretty cool too )

I was thinking of getting one on the hard (military) anodize, any comments concerning finishes?

DaveH

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

..re: HDS Headlamp;
I assume the military hard finish stays newer- looking longer, anything more I do not know.
I don't think Henry of HDS will mind if I post his recent email to me about the new lamp:
(I asked Henry how many settings the new lamp had

"...Well, 5 settings actually. But only 4 may be used on a continuous basis. The new High setting is quite similar in brightness to the
old High setting. It is just more precise unit to unit. The Overdrive setting is much brighter but you can only use it for 30 seconds out of 5 minutes - to prevent overheating. And the switch
lock and SOS modes are new.
We still have not developed the battery bypass strip.
We have not started shipping the new units yet, which is why we have been fairly quite about them. We took on an additional project that
has taken a lot of our time so the new ActionLight models have taken a lot longer to get to market than we thought.
We don't offer any trade-ins, but I'm sure you can find someone who would like an older Action Light for a good price..." (-Henry)



Henry.

 

[DaveH]

Thanks for the info, I emailed Henry as well, latest arrival time for the new units looks like October.

 

[SteveY]

I can tell you it has nearly twice the beam spread of the Lightwave, and is brighter on high, nearly twice as bright I'd say, just shining it outside at night on a wall, not as bright as the Lightwave (4 led) on medium setting..

I am surprise and disappointed to learn that HDS with 24 leds is only twice as bright as the lightwave2000 that only have 4 leds.

Since the Eternal light is about the same brightness as the Lightwave, can I conclude that if I buy 3 eternal lights, I would have more light than the action light?

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The Lightwave uses 40 milliamps per bulb at over 4.5 volts with three alkaline AA cells, the HDS lamp, I'm guessing, uses around 25-30 ma at 3 volts - the voltage of the single lithium D cell I was using, these differences are going to affect bulb life and color, in addition to brightness and duration - so the amount of light you are getting has to be measured against these variables..

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

HDS - $300, TREK-7 $60, Eternalight-E $60, Lightwave $29

For the its price and not even 4X the brightness output of Lightwave?

So what are the rest of the money paying for? Fancy aluminum casing and electronic circuit?

Maybe I'll just wait for Lightwave Illuminator or C.Crane to come out with a headlight version of TREK-7.

2d_edge

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Have you read about the HDS lamp? --
http://www.hdssystems.com/ActionLight.htm

..waterproof to 100 meters, non-corroding materials for switch and battery contacts (cobalt gold!?) - bombproof construction, interchangeable wires (long for belt battery, short for helmet mount), wide beam, very long run times using the 'forever' mode brightness setting, even after the battery seems to have died, interchangeable battery packs..a very reliable lamp.. I think the high price is justified..

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Waterproof to 100 meters and its not even categorized or rated as a dive light. Was HDS designed for use and illuminate marine life at up to 100 meters underwater?

Electronic circuit with various modes should not cost a lot...ex. Eternalight.

If flashlight is properly constructed and waterproof I would not need gold switch and battery contacts and worry of corrosion, although Gold is good conductor of electricity.

This is also bombproof construction but costs less. It can be done for less money.

I still think it costs too much, maybe because I really do not have that much money to spend on a flashlight.

[This message has been edited by 2d_edge (edited 09-02-2000).]

 

[DavidW]

I think the primay target for the HDS was cavers/spelunkers/csr and not divers. The bulbs won't die unless you really go out of your way to fry them. I don't see a continuous runtime but I think it's up there compared to regular incandescents.

------------------
"A knifeless man is a lifeless man"
-Nordic proverb <comment>Made you look</comment>

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The gold cobalt contact points are actually pieces of a very fine mesh screen alloy material, mounted in a ring frame; they are designed to be not only non-corroding, but also self- cleaning, thereby eliminating this posibility of failure.These are at the battery contact points..very neat.
I think there are some underwater pictures taken with the Action Light (in a stream, I think) at the HDS site: http://www.hdssystems.com/ActionLightFAQ.htm.
(check for underwater pics 2/3s of the way down)
They claim superior color rendition, and beam
spread.
The Scout light also seems a little pricey at $70 for a hollow plastic tube and four hours of burn time..


[This message has been edited by Ted (edited 09-02-2000).]

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Specs on Action Light including battery life and color temperature, materials used
-- ( from the above HDS url) --

Action Light Features:

White LED Bulbs 24
Bulb Life Unbreakable bulbs
Over 100,000 hours (total bulb life, of course) on High setting
Bulbs never need replacing
Power Source Single
lithium battery 2.0V - 3.8V
4W
Battery Contacts Flexible
Cobalt-Gold
Battery Shelf Life 10 years
Battery Cord Attachments: Gate terminal block andÊstrainÊrelief
Brightness Settings: 5
2x-4x-4x-4x spacing
Hours of Light:
With Lithium Batteries - Overdrive
12 - High
50 - Medium
200 - Low
700 - Dim
SlowDieTM Circuitry High power settings dim slowly as battery dies
FOREVER ModeTM Hours of light from nearly dead batteries on lowest setting
Beam Pattern Optimized for best night vision
Beam Angle 1,Ê3ÊandÊ6Êf-stops 20¡/40¡/80¡
Color Temperature 6500¡K
Color Rendering Index 85 - superior color rendering
Waterproof 100m (328ft)
Intrinsically Safe Yes
Lens Scratch resistant polycarbonate
with replaceable lens protector
Construction Aircraft aluminum case
316 stainless steel hardware
Finish Military Type III hard anodize: black
Type II anodize: Red, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Silver
Light Mounting World-standard blade (3/4" flat hook) with swivel
Light Weight 397g (14oz) 198g (7oz)
Light Dimensions 90mm by 81mm
by 54mm (3.5"
by 3.2" by 2.1") 98mm by 41mm by 54mm
(3.9" by 1.6" by 2.1")
Temperature Range -40¡ to 50¡C (-40¡ to 122¡F)

Note: the Overdrive setting allows you to see over 50% further.Ê However, it is limited to a 20% usage factor not to exceed 30 seconds per use to prevent damage to the array.Ê The light switches back to the High setting automatically when this usage limit is exceeded.

 

[DaveH]

There are several things that determine the price of a product. I believe is difficult to rate HDS price/value as bad because:

- These are probably custom manufactured, not assembly line products. (Would also explain the delay in getting the new ones out)

- By the specs, it took a ton of engineering and research to get the design ready. The design costs still need to be covered by sales, even if the final product may not seem to contain materials to justify the price. Consider engineering and research an invisible extra ingredient.

- Market volume is and will be small, driving the cost per unit up.

I think this is a wonderful design, I'd be proud to own one. A tribute to quality first.

DaveH