which HDS to buy to mod?

[Lolaralph]

I want to get one of the new HDS Ra's to mod to an XP-E, i was originally going to get the 120T, thinking why spend the extra money for the 170 only to switch out the emitter, then a thought dawned on me, how does Henry get the extra 50 lumens from the more expensive model, they both use Osram Golden Dragons,does the 170 have a higher output driver, or does it simply use a more efficient Golden Dragon than the 120 version?

 

[Flucero28]

In my honest opinion you would be best getting an HDS with an XPG emitter already in it. The XPE and XPG footprint are the same, so all you would need to do is pull the LED/PCB board out of the light, re-flow the XPE onto the board and put it back in the light.

 

[Lolaralph]

Flucero28,
Thanks for the advice,I agree that would probably be the easiest way, but I don't want to spend $200 on the XP-G only to swap out the emitter,nor do I want a rotary. So the question remains, should I buy the 170 or the 120

 

[Flucero28]

In that case the 120 would do just fine. There's one on the marketplace right now for only $80.

 

[Viper715]

120 for sure there drive currents are the same. As you stated the 170 I'd just a more efficient emitter.

 

[Lolaralph]

Thanks for the input guys, it figures the 120t on the marketplace is gone already, looks like I'll try to find the best deal on a new one, any ideas on that one?

 

[bansuri]

GoingGear has a 10% off coupon + free shipping on orders over $50. I've always had great service when ordering.
Coupon plus many more on this page:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?181841-quot-CPF-Specials-quot-webpages-dealers

 

[Pöbel]

The 170 does have a more efficient emitter. Still the 120 might have an emitter which just barely missed the 170 specification. Thus drive current on the 120 light should be a little lower on max compared to a 170.

I went for the 120 as modding hosts as I cannot justify spending more money on a hand selected emitter I am going to swap anyway. I only use burst for short times, never had to use high for extended times in the last years (that's what other lights besides my edc are for) this the extra runtime on the 120 comes in handy.

 

[Flucero28]

I could be wrong but I don't think any of the dealer offered cpf discounts apply to HDS lights/accessories.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

 

[think2x]

I could be wrong but I don't think any of the dealer offered cpf discounts apply to HDS lights/accessories.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

I put one in the cart at GoingGear once and applied the discount and it worked, though I didn't pull the trigger.

 

[BaldGuy45]

To my knowledge, almost everyone is out of HDS and it going to be several weeks until they are back in stock. A email to HDS was replied to stating around 3 or 4 weeks but since have learned there is some kind of part vendor production problem. Could be longer. I have a EX170 ordered and was told not to really expect it until end of Jan-first of Feb.

 

[Lolaralph]

Again, thanks for all the input, that is what makes cpf so cool, Pobel mentioned that he thought that the 120 has a lower output driver, while Viper715 thinks it is just the emitter efficiency. I always thought the emitters made the difference, does anyone else agree/disagree with either opinion.

 

[Pöbel]

Both of us are right. the higher models do have more efficient emitters! The emitter ending up in a 120 is most certainly not able to reach the specs for a 170 light. Still it probably is not driven as hard as the 170 to reach it's 120 lumens.

Also, if there is enough demand for the lower spec lights but Henry only has the "better" emitters available these might still end up in a low spec light.

I do not think that HDS is intentionally buying different bin emitters. It's just a question of testing & selecting.

As always, it involves a little gambling.

Maybe my English is not good enough to really express my point.

 

[Lolaralph]

Both of us are right. the higher models do have more efficient emitters! The emitter ending up in a 120 is most certainly not able to reach the specs for a 170 light. Still it probably is not driven as hard as the 170 to reach it's 120 lumens.

Also, if there is enough demand for the lower spec lights but Henry only has the "better" emitters available these might still end up in a low spec light.

I do not think that HDS is intentionally buying different bin emitters. It's just a question of testing & selecting.

As always, it involves a little gambling.

Maybe my English is not good enough to really express my point.

Pobel,
Your english is fine, and I do appreciate your input, I think I'll probably go the XP-E with a 120T, as soon as I can find one. I really want to be able to do away with the 10 second burst that is on my current HDS.