Ra Clicky Part 3

[HDS_Systems]

[Note: this thread is continued from the previous thead. The post below is from the first post of the thread made on May 23, 2008]


I know many of you have been waiting a long time for this announcement. Wait no longer.

This thread is to discuss the technical aspects of the upcoming Ra Clicky flashlight. A preliminary description can be viewed here. We will be expanding the information available over the next month.

Henry.

 

[SaturnNyne]

What you will see if you look closely are many improvements over the previous designs that were the starting point for the prototype's mechanical design . . . Improved positive contact protection. Elimination of a couple of battery compartment issues.

That has me curious! Thanks for sharing a few more details.

Sat, I don't think anyone thought he might have grabbed bodies on the way out. Henry is a business man plain and simple. No insults there. I think you'd agree by Henry's own description that it at least sounds Novatac-ish.

To be clear, I'm not insulted, I don't think anyone was being intentionally insulting, and I don't think anyone actually believed that's what happened. I don't mean anyone actually suggested something like that happened in any way. It's just that it was poorly worded, referring to them as "NovaTac bodies" conjures disagreeable images of something that isn't true. Yes, clearly they're NovaTac-style (to what degree we don't know precisely yet, but probably very very similar), but they're not NT bodies, they're EDC bodies without the EDC model name. That brand has nothing to do with them except that the protos will look more like the EDC they marketed than the previous HDS EDC. Beyond that, I think we should limit our mentioning of competing companies in a Ra thread, just as Henry himself does.

The difference between a puppy and a flashohlic is a puppy eventually stops whining!

Good call.

 

[Sgt. LED]

When they start shipping I will give these a good hard look.
At a cursory glance I do like them. We shall see what the ship date actually ends up being, delays are not always a bad thing if it means a bug free product.
Good luck Henry!

 

[hojobones]

do you think the 120c would run cooler color wise than the gt? Cooler is fine with me, warmer not so much. Also, is the bezel also available in black? This light is looking like my next must have!

 

[Thujone]

do you think the 120c would run cooler color wise than the gt? Cooler is fine with me, warmer not so much. Also, is the bezel also available in black? This light is looking like my next must have!

This is my question but reversed... The GT seems to be on the cool side, hoping that the other models run warmer

 

[Dead_Nuts]

I almost bought another high-end light yesterday. Not in place of the Clicky, but just so I would have something new to play with. How sick am I? It was a very nice light, but didn't offer anything that my current collection doesn't already offer me. I was counting on the Clicky being my September fix, but instead I had to send a 50% deposit on a custom pistol. Now, I have that to wait for -- maybe I'll stop whining about this light.

Nah!

 

[karlthev]

This is my question but reversed... The GT seems to be on the cool side, hoping that the other models run warmer

Hmmm, my HDSU60GT is much warmer than my HDSU60....luck of the draw...?


karl

 

[Enzo Morocioli]

Now, I have that to wait for -- maybe I'll stop whining about this light.
Nah!

Man, I know what you mean.

I want to discuss this light more, such as what the tailcap button looks and feels like, what the clip looks like and how it feels in the hand, and the signal path improvement. Pretty much everything I want to know about will be learned of when the Clicky gets into our hands, but dang, curiosity is running very high.

I can only imagine what Henry feels right now, having many of us nearly frothing at the mouth over this torch.. (maybe that's just me......)

Let's all just send massive waves of encouragement and support to Henry and his vendors.. :tinfoil:

 

[Oddjob]

I almost bought another high-end light yesterday. Not in place of the Clicky, but just so I would have something new to play with. How sick am I? It was a very nice light, but didn't offer anything that my current collection doesn't already offer me. I was counting on the Clicky being my September fix, but instead I had to send a 50% deposit on a custom pistol. Now, I have that to wait for -- maybe I'll stop whining about this light.

Nah!

I know what you mean. I bought a AMc Mule yesterday probably movitated by wanting something new to play with. Fortunately the mule offers something I don't have in my collection and its something I have wanted for a while now anyways.

 

[cave dave]

I think maybe I'll buy a Ra Clicky and then never visit CPF again.


I wonder how that would work out.

So is a 18650 tube planned for the Ra clicky? This thread has been running so long I can't remember.

 

[Bronco]

I want to discuss this light more, such as what the tailcap button looks and feels like...

I'll second that emotion.

Do you guys think the "clicky" on this light is really going to click, or do you suppose it's going to be more of a "mushy" like on the old HDCs?

 

[toby_pra]

This will be a nice CLICK i hope...

 

[Enzo Morocioli]

This will be a nice CLICK i hope...

Haha...

For me.. I hope it's as quiet as possible...

 

[HDS_Systems]

HojoBones,

GT makes no difference in the operating temperature or the runtime. Statistically, the 100s will run cooler and have longer runtimes than the 120s, even though both meet the same minimum runtime specifications.

Black may become an option in the future.

Thujone,

If you look at the statistical distribution of LED - admittedly difficult to come by - you will see that it is more difficult to get LEDs that are lower in color temperature while still close to the black body curve. This is why early LEDs of lower color temperature tended to be greenish. In very broad terms, LEDs using the standard technology tend to range from greenish yellow to blue-purplish, crossing the black body curve in the range of 6500 degrees K. The GT tints with acceptable output are only produced roughly 1% of the time - making them fairly rare. Getting lower in color temperature at the same output levels is even rarer.

Cave Dave,

We are planning on a 17670 for the Ra Clicky. I will be using them to explore Snowy River (Ft Stanton, New Mexico). For those of you who don't know, the Snowy River formation is now thought to be the longest single formation in the world - over 4.1 miles long - with no end in sight. Mapping trips are exceeding 24 hours in length - over 16 hours of travel (5 hours of which is crawling) and 8 hours of mapping. Not your average walk through the park.

Bronco,

The Ra Clicky really goes click. We strive for no mush.

Henry.

 

[orcinus]

The Ra Clicky really goes click. We strive for no mush.

:laughing:

Sounds like a great tagline

 

[lumenlover2]

Hope it`s not a loud click like on my fenix lights... otherwise i won`t have to use low mode at night for not waking anyone up the click will do it

 

[orcinus]

Buy an additional Twisty for the silent night walks

 

[karlthev]

Henry, my reference to "warmer" was in relation to color temperature.


Karl

 

[Thujone]

Cave Dave,

We are planning on a 17670 for the Ra Clicky. I will be using them to explore Snowy River (Ft Stanton, New Mexico). For those of you who don't know, the Snowy River formation is now thought to be the longest single formation in the world - over 4.1 miles long - with no end in sight. Mapping trips are exceeding 24 hours in length - over 16 hours of travel (5 hours of which is crawling) and 8 hours of mapping. Not your average walk through the park.

Henry.

This sounds like an amazing trip. I did some research, looks like it is neigh impossible to get into though.

Areas of Fort Stanton Cave are open to those who get permits from the BLM, but Snowy River - deep in the cave behind locked metal gates - is off-limits. It's unlikely Snowy River ever will be open to anything but research because of the fragility of the tiny calcite crystals and microbes on the cave walls.

How did you luck out? Consider me jealous! Enjoy your trip and be safe!

 

[SaturnNyne]

I think maybe I'll buy a Ra Clicky and then never visit CPF again.

Excellent plan!

I wonder how that would work out.

Probably well, for a week or two.

We are planning on a 17670 for the Ra Clicky. I will be using them to explore Snowy River (Ft Stanton, New Mexico). For those of you who don't know, the Snowy River formation is now thought to be the longest single formation in the world - over 4.1 miles long - with no end in sight. Mapping trips are exceeding 24 hours in length - over 16 hours of travel (5 hours of which is crawling) and 8 hours of mapping.

That sounds like an incredible trip, I hope you'll tell us about it when you return. It'd also be nice to hear any other stories you'd like to share; I know you're active in caving and S&R, so you must have some good adventures under your belt.

That reminds me of the question I've been meaning to ask for over a month:
What settings do you use, Henry? Are the factory settings what you find preferable and have set on your own light, or are they just what you think will work best for the most customers? What are the priorities and uses that influence your own choice of levels and settings? Which varieties of your lights do you use and carry? I don't want to pry, but I hope you wouldn't mind sharing a little.

The Ra Clicky really goes click. We strive for no mush.

Does it click to a greater degree than past switches though? Is it more audible?