sapphire vs ucl is it worth it?

[SaVaGe]

Hello folks
Soon im going to order an HDS dont know which one yet. Im going to edc this light.
Is it worth it to spend an extra $30 for the sapphire lens vs. Ucl? Pls. Help.

 

[shane45_1911]

No.

(Do a search - this has been covered many times 🙂 )

 

[Theatre Booth Guy]

Luckily for me, most people seem to think "no" is the easy choice - when I get a Rotary, it will have the sapphire. For me, the slight light loss is worth the extra resistance to breakage. I also remember Henry seeming surprised that it turned out to be worth the extra cost in his eyes. Not for everyone but it does seem well suited to the nearly bulletproof HDS lights to me.

 

[pjandyho]

Luckily for me, most people seem to think "no" is the easy choice - when I get a Rotary, it will have the sapphire. For me, the slight light loss is worth the extra resistance to breakage. I also remember Henry seeming surprised that it turned out to be worth the extra cost in his eyes. Not for everyone but it does seem well suited to the nearly bulletproof HDS lights to me.

I would suggest you do a search regarding this. Many have said that sapphire is highly scratch resistant alright but in no way is it shatter-proof due to it's brittle nature. In fact, sapphire is more prone to breaking than glass. Also, I don't recall Henry ever mentioning that sapphire is worth the extra money. None of his personal light uses sapphire and he is selling the sapphire lens mainly because people are requesting for it. He did mention too that there really is no benefit of having the sapphire lens other than the boasting rights.

 

[kaichu dento]

Luckily for me, most people seem to think "no" is the easy choice - when I get a Rotary, it will have the sapphire. For me, the slight light loss is worth the extra resistance to breakage. I also remember Henry seeming surprised that it turned out to be worth the extra cost in his eyes. Not for everyone but it does seem well suited to the nearly bulletproof HDS lights to me.

No is not only the "easy choice", but the same choice of Henry himself who offers the sapphire because people like the idea of it. Sapphire is my favorite watch crystal material but there is little chance of the lens on a Clicky ever facing impacts and scrapes like those encountered by a watch. Still, although don't see any reason to spend the extra price of the sapphire, it's okay if the individual just happens to want it.

At any rate, you got Henry's suggestion exactly backwards - he does not think it's worth the extra expense.

 

[brembo]

If your light is likely to encounter sharp hard things in your pocket AND smallish scratches are going to bother you...the sapphire material might make sense. I have a Tag-Heuer watch with the sapphire window and I'll be damned if it isn't looking factory fresh after 20 years of day-to-day wear. It's very, very hard to scratch. I bought a Seiko dive watch to wear when wearing the Tag was not appropriate (skiing, rock climbing...etc) and after "just" 12 years it's window is pretty well hosed. The Tag's bezel has been replaced twice due to big hits, but the crystal still looks pristine. It's had a tough life.

 

[TyJo]

I too was under the impression that Henry didn't think the sapphire was a significant upgrade. The glass should be scratch resistant enough, and it is well protected by the bezel. If my lens somehow manages to get scratched I would just order another glass window from HDS. I think the glass/sapphire question really comes down to personal preference, similar to tint, UI, and other flashlight characteristics.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

I've been using UCLs for years and I love them. I've never damaged one but bear in mind that it doesn't cost much to order a couple extra UCLs and o-rings as backup stock.

 

[SaVaGe]

I've been using UCLs for years and I love them. I've never damaged one but bear in mind that it doesn't cost much to order a couple extra UCLs and o-rings as backup stock.

hmm. Good idea!!!!