matrixshaman
Flashlight Enthusiast
I read your first post yaesumofo but not much else in this thread so far as I've got a couple things I'd like to say. Having 2 HDS U60's (one GT) and one Novatac I've compared them. I like the UI improvements on the Novatac and it's a sweet light I'm glad to own. But it took me several on-off cycles in a ceiling bounce test (all white walls) to finally decide that the Novatac is indeed brighter than the HDS. I guess my expectation of a 120 Lumen light was a little high. I also think it might have been better with a Cree if the reflector was done just right. It appears they opted for the best possible looking beam and that was well accomplished. I have not yet had much real world use with the Novatac at night but I think it's going to be an excellent light. I do believe my personal preference would likely have included a bit more throw - but still have a lot of flood like it does - if that's possible. I've also found the Seoul SSC LED's to be a bit bluish and with some concern about color changing and longevity I would favor the Cree if it's ringiness can be tamed. A Q5 bin Cree would probably produce some real brightness with the right drive currents. Maybe even make a 'turbo' mode that could only be activated by holding down the button. I'm not sure on the Rebel yet as I've only got one light with a smooth reflector and it's bright but certainly not pretty. If the Rebel can be made to produce a smooth quality beam with the right reflector it might be a good choice also but at this point I'd probably still favor a good bin Cree.
The one other thing that was mentioned during the Novatac development - a programmable UI with a USB cable would be really nice -- IF there are enough options to make it a benefit. The current options are not that hard to set with the built in UI but I do think I'd probably get a kick out of having the ability to program it with the computer. This option would be nice but not something I'd probably want to have to pay mega-bucks for. I'm not really sure how often I would use it either unless there were really a lot of complex options built in to the light. That reminds me of an option that just popped into mind - which would probably only be feasible if there is a computer programmable interface - an option to have the light turn itself on at a preset time - sort of a wakeup light that comes on the same time your alarm comes on. That would be a kick. Could we also get it programmed to do dishes? That would be really high on my priority list
Ok I might have gone overboard on that last one ....
The one other thing that was mentioned during the Novatac development - a programmable UI with a USB cable would be really nice -- IF there are enough options to make it a benefit. The current options are not that hard to set with the built in UI but I do think I'd probably get a kick out of having the ability to program it with the computer. This option would be nice but not something I'd probably want to have to pay mega-bucks for. I'm not really sure how often I would use it either unless there were really a lot of complex options built in to the light. That reminds me of an option that just popped into mind - which would probably only be feasible if there is a computer programmable interface - an option to have the light turn itself on at a preset time - sort of a wakeup light that comes on the same time your alarm comes on. That would be a kick. Could we also get it programmed to do dishes? That would be really high on my priority list
Ok I might have gone overboard on that last one ....