Surefire Titan on CNN 'Lust-worthy' Gadgets List

[matrixshaman]

Ok Surefire we like you but this just isn't right. This is straight from an article today on CNN. Yes I'm thrilled to see a flashlight included in the new techie geek article on 'Lust worthy gadgets' but REALLY - the FIRST dimmable LED flashlight??? WTH? The quote: "SureFire Titan: The first dimmable LED flashlight can be a bright task lamp or a battery-saving faint glow that won't wake your bunkmate." Turn the bezel of its three-inch titanium tube, and a resistor adjusts brightness from 0 to 70 lumens. $500; surefire.com" Can I start a list of dimmable LED lights. Full dimming: Gladius, Gatlight come to mind. Many levels of dimming, HDS EDC, Dexlight and a bout a gazillion other new LED lights that all have some level of dimming. Even Surefire had LED lights that could be dimmed or have a low level of illumination before the Titan. I'd certainly call the Surefire U2 dimmable. But any way I look at it the SF Titan is NOT the first dimmable LED light. The interesting thing too in this is that they have posted the $500 price for a flashlight - that's going to be wakeup news for a lot of people.

 

[SureF1reFan]

The Titan is very 'lust-worthy'

Well it just shows that you shouldn't aways believe the Media...

 

[270winchester]

Usually in a house a dimmable light is a smooth dial that adjusts the light output without noticable discrete levels of brightness.

that seems to be the characteristic with the Titan. The Gatlight was way too limited production to make it into the media. They were certainly dimmable but outside of CPF and the circle immediate to Mobile I can't see how it can be made known to the public.

 

[CRC123]

Isn't the Titan claimed to be infinately dimmable (i.e. 1 lumens, 2 lumens, 3 lumens, etc.) from 0-70 rather than just having a few stages? As far as I understand the Gladius (designed by Insight Technology, otherwise known as the H2X Typhoon) is adjustable in stages - which is not a benefit in a true tactical environment. It is true the article shouldn't have said "First" but there are few lights that compare regardless of the function. It's just sexy! :thumbsup:

 

[gearbox]

The primary stipulation of "dimmable" being a potentiometer/rheostat?

 

[Phredd]

Can someone please post a link? I wonder if it was Surefire that said "first dim-able" or if it was CNN that misquoted Surefire.

Phredd

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

The Titan is the first LED light with continuoulsy dimmable switch system with INFINITE levels of brightness between zero to maximum. The Gladius can't do that.

Key word: inifinite, not dimmable.

 

[Manzerick]

+1 .. That's the way I understood it.

Now... where is my new U2 with this new technology?????

The Titan is the first LED light with continuoulsy dimmable switch system with INFINITE levels of brightness between zero to maximum. The Gladius can't do that.

Key word: inifinite, not dimmable.

 

[Ken J. Good]

Point of Clarification:

The Gladius and the Typhoon were NOT designed by Insight.

These lights were designed by Blackhawk and the internal team there.

Insight simply manufactures the Gladius for Blackhawk under the brand name of Night-Ops.

Insight manufactures and distributes the Typhoon under license.

Unfortunately there are folks who like to distort the story by intent and some by repeating the story without full understanding of the actual situation.

Best to everybody.

 

[CRC123]

Point of Clarification:

The Gladius and the Typhoon were NOT designed by Insight.

These lights were designed by Blackhawk and the internal team there.

Insight simply manufactures the Gladius for Blackhawk under the brand name of Night-Ops.

Insight manufactures and distributes the Typhoon under license.

Unfortunately there are folks who like to distort the story by intent and some by repeating the story without full understanding of the actual situation.

Best to everybody.

I appologize, I mis-wrote. The ones who manufacture and distribute typically overshaddow who designs the product.
Chrysler "manufactures & distributes" vehicles "designed" by a man named Trevor Creed. But nobody focuses on who he is becuase the car isn't sold by him.

 

[matrixshaman]

Here's the link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/07/01/la.popsci.megagoods/index.html
The statement whether by CNN or Surefire simply said it is the First dimmable LED light. That is the only thing I take issue with - other lights ARE dimmable. They didn't say 'infinitely' in the article. But I thought the the later versions of the Gatlight claimed that. The article said also it could go from 0 to 70 Lumens (nothing about 'infinite' steps) so again there are many lights that could claim that. I'm not putting down the Titan - I'd be thrilled to have one but it's not going to happen any time soon at $500. I'm just saying whoever - however it got written up does not seem correct. I also think any light with one of goldserve's FluPic is probably a candidate for dimmable if not infinitely dimmable (I'll have to check that as I forget). Technology Associates also have had dimmable lights for a long time and the ZZZ light could be said to be infinitely auto-dimming (It fades to zero after 15 minutes) but while it is an LED light I wouldn't call it a flashlight.
I just looked at Surefire's web site to see what is says there. It states not just that it is the first but that it is the "only fully variable-output flashlight". Maybe I'll need to check some old threads again but I'd swear that the Gatlight was laying claim to that.
I'm not picking of Surefire here either - PK's development of the Titan is one sweet deal but I just would like discussion of whether this is indeed the "first dimmable LED light" as CNN stated and whether it is indeed the "only fully variable-output flashlight". Didn't one of Mr. Bulk's lights also have a fully variable output? (Not sure just a vague recollection).

 

[matrixshaman]

One other note - if this is truly the only 'fully variable-output flashlight' then I guess I'm surprised. With today's lights and electronics it would be fairly easy to make such a light (although not so easy to do in such a sweet package as the Titan).

 

[matrixshaman]

I haven't verified this extensively but I found another light that someone states is 'infinitely variable' in a message thread here. That's the Striker VG - which I had a fuzzy recollection of it having that but didn't want to mention it until I found some verification. I'm checking further on that.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the Gatlight V1, 2 and 3 all have variable output control, and I'm likely to have my gatlight V3 in my hands before surefire gets the titans out the door.
I must agree that either Surefire is blowing smoke or CNN is jumping to conclusions.

 

[greenLED]

The Titan is the first LED light with continuoulsy dimmable switch system with INFINITE levels of brightness between zero to maximum. The Gladius can't do that.

Key word: inifinite, not dimmable.

Plus, all of those light output levels are fully regulated.

 

[LukeA]

It's not infinite; it has 1000 levels. Those levels are still so close to each other that you probably can't discern the difference between two consecutive levels, though.

 

[matrixshaman]

Yes - having re-read some of the Gatlight info I'm going to cry 'foul' on SF for claiming to have the first variable-output flashlight. If nothing else the Gatlight fits that exact description and was certainly available before the Titan. Gatlight has a current web site here: www.gatlight.com and www.lumencraft.net is selling them. Does any of this really matter? Well probably not a whole lot unless you are Gatlight or anyone who thinks they had a 'dimmable' light or variable light first. Just another thread for intellectual discussion.... :thinking:

 

[wintermute]

I can build an infinitely dimming capable flashlight anytime you would like. Send me $500 and I can use a variety of boards to do this. Just go look at TaskLED - there are plenty of drivers there where you can use an external potentiometer to infinitely adjust brightness (well down to 50mA would be friggin low). Shark can do that as well if I remember correctly. $500 for a mass produced flashlight...pfft. I'd rather have a one-off from Don or something.

I know, how dare I say anything bad about SureFire?? Let the flames begin. :devil:

 

[Size15's]

$500 for a mass produced flashlight...pfft. I'd rather have a one-off from Don or something.

I know, how dare I say anything bad about SureFire?? Let the flames begin. :devil:

We don't have any rule against saying bad things about SureFire but we do have a rule against flaming and baiting. I'm sure you didn't mean to bait members into breaking the rules did you

Whilst you are entitled to have opinions of your own, it is my opinion that 100 Titans does not mass production make.
Not that it matters since they were all spoken for a long while ago so nobody now has the option of buying one whether they want to, or not...

Al

 

[wintermute]

We don't have any rule against saying bad things about SureFire but we do have a rule against flaming and baiting. I'm sure you didn't mean to bait members into breaking the rules did you

Whilst you are entitled to have opinions of your own, it is my opinion that 100 Titans does not mass production make.
Not that it matters since they were all spoken for a long while ago so nobody now has the option of buying one whether they want to, or not...

Al

Any time I ever say anything other then "SureFire is the best flashlight maker in the world" someone gets on my case. I've seen documentaries on the SureFire production and I've read countless documents on their excellent build quality. I think they are an amazing manufacturer, but some around here in the flashlight world worship SureFire like Christians worship Jesus, and defend them as such. I think there are plenty of excellent SureFire models out there, and there are plenty of models which are just regular stuff overpriced - regardless, I only made the statement about the flaming because I knew it would come from someone.

Regarding the 100 produced - ok, but you're still buying a SureFire...a company that produces thousands upon thousands of flashlights. You could have a custom light built by someone on here with the same build quality, the same functions, and the same price - and the exact same thing wouldn't be in the hands of anyone else in the world. That's what I meant to imply about mass produced, the company...not the individual flashlight. There's a big difference between 1 of 100, and one of a kind.

I have however lost a bit of respect for SureFire over the last half year or so due to their glacier pace of bringing out new models with the higher efficiency LEDs. Once those models start rolling out, we'll see how they look for the future.