Richie086
Enlightened
Hey folks,
I'm really happy about this purchase, so I thought I'd post some thoughts and show a few photos.
First of all, the way Jason from Tactical HID packaged this flashlight, if the outer box had been crushed in
shipping, I doubt the flashlight itself would have caught any damage. It was obvious time was spent
to ensure all would arrive in perfect condition.
The flashlight comes in a nice lockable case, fit and finish of the flashlight was flawless. The 2200 mAh Li-ion battery required about 30 minutes top-off charge. I installed the battery into the flashlight and reinstalled the rear tail cap. The threads on the tail cap were excellent and came lubricated and a gasket sealed things up.
On the first charge, runtime was exactly as expected at 45+ minutes. Recharge time is about 3 hours or less. Much like my AEX-25w, the Tactical HID 24w had a warmer than expected beam, which was another plus for it. The manual states it has the "optional" 6000k bulb. I'd like to know what the "standard" color temp is out of curiousity. Full brightness takes about 10 seconds or less. The instructions rate it at 4 seconds. So again, this was great and got to full brightness as quick as any of my other HID's. To update the runtime, I've recharged it 4x already and the runtime increased to 50+ minutes. So after a few charge and discharge cycles, battery efficiency increased.
This nice looking lockable case was hiding under the bubble wrap.
Excellent presentation makes for big smiles. The package
includes the home charger, car charger, owners manual,
and instruction on how to change the combination lock
on the case.
Side by side with my AEX-25w. You just have to love the compact
size of the TacHID 24w. At 9-1/4" long and 1 lb -9.2oz with the
battery installed, it's very light and comfortable in the hand.
BTW...the AEX amber lens fits pretty well on the TacHID 24w. Just
don't press it down to far or it'll be difficult to release...LOL
The upper part of the shrub is the spot beam
of the TacHID 24w. The lower section is the
AEX-25w. Note the red hue surrounding the
AEX-25w's corona. Not liking that at all.
The photo above is not meant to be a shootout between
the two flashlights. It wouldn't be fair to compare
them due to the differences in reflector design. Each
is designed for a different purpose. One flashlight is strickly
a thrower, the other is designed to give moderate spot and
flood. IMHO, each does an excellent job for their respective reflector
design.
It should be noted the TacHID 24w has an OP reflector designed
for moderate spot and flood beams. The AEX-25 is simply a
thrower. After using them both tonight, I found the TacHID
can adjust to a very good flood beam with about 12-14 turns
(half turns actually) of the bezel. The bezel has "stops" at each
end. So you can only turn it so many times before it can't be
turned anymore. I was happy it was designed this way because I
wasn't sure if I turned it to far if the bezel would come off in my hand.
The flood lit up nearly 100 yards in front of me. It would have been
better if the spotlight adjustment could produce a tighter beam, but
having two types of beams is obviously an advantageous feature.
When my wife and I go for walks at night, the TACHID 24w is the
one I'll be grabbing. Not to mention it's much easier and lighter to
carry. I'm also going to come up with a nice lanyard for it.
I'm really happy about this purchase, so I thought I'd post some thoughts and show a few photos.
First of all, the way Jason from Tactical HID packaged this flashlight, if the outer box had been crushed in
shipping, I doubt the flashlight itself would have caught any damage. It was obvious time was spent
to ensure all would arrive in perfect condition.
The flashlight comes in a nice lockable case, fit and finish of the flashlight was flawless. The 2200 mAh Li-ion battery required about 30 minutes top-off charge. I installed the battery into the flashlight and reinstalled the rear tail cap. The threads on the tail cap were excellent and came lubricated and a gasket sealed things up.
On the first charge, runtime was exactly as expected at 45+ minutes. Recharge time is about 3 hours or less. Much like my AEX-25w, the Tactical HID 24w had a warmer than expected beam, which was another plus for it. The manual states it has the "optional" 6000k bulb. I'd like to know what the "standard" color temp is out of curiousity. Full brightness takes about 10 seconds or less. The instructions rate it at 4 seconds. So again, this was great and got to full brightness as quick as any of my other HID's. To update the runtime, I've recharged it 4x already and the runtime increased to 50+ minutes. So after a few charge and discharge cycles, battery efficiency increased.
This nice looking lockable case was hiding under the bubble wrap.
Excellent presentation makes for big smiles. The package
includes the home charger, car charger, owners manual,
and instruction on how to change the combination lock
on the case.
Side by side with my AEX-25w. You just have to love the compact
size of the TacHID 24w. At 9-1/4" long and 1 lb -9.2oz with the
battery installed, it's very light and comfortable in the hand.
BTW...the AEX amber lens fits pretty well on the TacHID 24w. Just
don't press it down to far or it'll be difficult to release...LOL
The upper part of the shrub is the spot beam
of the TacHID 24w. The lower section is the
AEX-25w. Note the red hue surrounding the
AEX-25w's corona. Not liking that at all.
The photo above is not meant to be a shootout between
the two flashlights. It wouldn't be fair to compare
them due to the differences in reflector design. Each
is designed for a different purpose. One flashlight is strickly
a thrower, the other is designed to give moderate spot and
flood. IMHO, each does an excellent job for their respective reflector
design.
It should be noted the TacHID 24w has an OP reflector designed
for moderate spot and flood beams. The AEX-25 is simply a
thrower. After using them both tonight, I found the TacHID
can adjust to a very good flood beam with about 12-14 turns
(half turns actually) of the bezel. The bezel has "stops" at each
end. So you can only turn it so many times before it can't be
turned anymore. I was happy it was designed this way because I
wasn't sure if I turned it to far if the bezel would come off in my hand.
The flood lit up nearly 100 yards in front of me. It would have been
better if the spotlight adjustment could produce a tighter beam, but
having two types of beams is obviously an advantageous feature.
When my wife and I go for walks at night, the TACHID 24w is the
one I'll be grabbing. Not to mention it's much easier and lighter to
carry. I'm also going to come up with a nice lanyard for it.
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