Things I've discovered about the Novatac EDC's...

I received my Novatac 120P yesterday and have spent the morning taking it apart and tinkering with it. Here's what I've discovered;

1. The old HDS bezel ring fits perfectly
2. Although the old HDS glass lens are a TINY bit thinner than the Novatac polycarbonate lens, it can still be replaced and I am almost certain waterproofness will not be compromised
3. The new Novatac reflector can NOT be substituted for the old HDS smooth reflector (the height of the old one is too short and WILL compromise waterproofness)

What else have you guys noticed?

Oh, and another thing, you can scratch off the ugly 'www.novatac.com' etching on the tailcap. Not completely, but still good enough so that it doesn't stand out. It comes off like liquid paper.

treasurydept said:

Oh, and another thing, you can scratch off the ugly 'www.novatac.com' etching on the tailcap. Not completely, but still good enough so that it doesn't stand out. It comes off like liquid paper.

Click to expand...

Not quite the laser engraving of the old HDS's...what about the lettering on the body?

~Chip

Yep same thing on the body. If your lettering looks uneven or worn in parts (which all of my lights had), then I think it looks much nicer if you scratch all of it off and even it out.

Silk screened on? Ack

treasurydept said:

I received my Novatac 120P yesterday and have spent the morning taking it apart and tinkering with it. Here's what I've discovered;

3. The new Novatac reflector can NOT be substituted for the old HDS smooth reflector (the height of the old one is too short and WILL compromise waterproofness)

What else have you guys noticed?

Click to expand...

TD, have you tried a thicker o-ring or GitD ring?

Just how much shorter is the HDS reflector?

I wish mine would hurry up and get here and I could answer this myself.


CFU

treasurydept said:

I received my Novatac 120P yesterday and have spent the morning taking it apart and tinkering with it. Here's what I've discovered;

1. The old HDS bezel ring fits perfectly
2. Although the old HDS glass lens are a TINY bit thinner than the Novatac polycarbonate lens, it can still be replaced and I am almost certain waterproofness will not be compromised
3. The new Novatac reflector can NOT be substituted for the old HDS smooth reflector (the height of the old one is too short and WILL compromise waterproofness)

What else have you guys noticed?

Click to expand...

I got mine this morning (thanks John @ Lighthound) and I've discovered some things too (I'll add them to this list):
4. The clip looks ugly but has a very useful function: you can hook your middle finger into the recess when holding the light in 'hypodermic' mode;
5. The button is much easier to press so the light can be gripped between 2nd and 3rd fingers and switched with the thumb;
6. The quality of internal and external engineering, AFAICS, is identical to HDS - maybe the threads are a bit grittier;
7. Tailstanding is secure - there is no protrusion of the switch.
8. With the clip on, changing batteries is a little more awkward.
9. There is considerable flashing on and off when changing batteries, masking the 'battery change' light procedure. It took me several goes to get it right.
10. Subjectively, the beam is broader than my U60 and the colour is less white. Overall, the U60 stands up very well in comparison - but I'm very satisfied with the 120P.

What did you use to scratch it off?

treasurydept said:

Oh, and another thing, you can scratch off the ugly 'www.novatac.com' etching on the tailcap. Not completely, but still good enough so that it doesn't stand out. It comes off like liquid paper.

Click to expand...

Frank Maddix said:

I got mine this morning (thanks John @ Lighthound) and I've discovered some things too (I'll add them to this list):
4. The clip looks ugly but has a very useful function: you can hook your middle finger into the recess when holding the light in 'hypodermic' mode;
5. The button is much easier to press so the light can be gripped between 2nd and 3rd fingers and switched with the thumb;
6. The quality of internal and external engineering, AFAICS, is identical to HDS - maybe the threads are a bit grittier;
7. Tailstanding is secure - there is no protrusion of the switch.
8. With the clip on, changing batteries is a little more awkward.
9. There is considerable flashing on and off when changing batteries, masking the 'battery change' light procedure. It took me several goes to get it right.
10. Subjectively, the beam is broader than my U60 and the colour is less white. Overall, the U60 stands up very well in comparison - but I'm very satisfied with the 120P.

Click to expand...

Here's a pic of what I meant about the clip:
http://www.frank-maddix.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Novatac/EDC120P.jpg
It's a good grip because all you have to do is tense your thumb muscle (more like squeezing a trigger than pulling it).
You do of course need the small split ring and the Carabina.

treasurydept said:

Yep same thing on the body. If your lettering looks uneven or worn in parts (which all of my lights had), then I think it looks much nicer if you scratch all of it off and even it out.

Click to expand...

This is great news because I really dislike the lettering on the Novatacs.

2nd the "what did you use to remove it?"

9volt said:

This is great news because I really dislike the lettering on the Novatacs.

2nd the "what did you use to remove it?"

Click to expand...

also curious about this:candle:

one thing i discovered is the Ti bezel looks better on the novatac and the anodized one looks better on my slate PD
What do you think?

The lettering isn't silk screened... It's definitely laser etched, but there seems to be a layer of white on top of the etching that comes off. You can remove it just by using your fingernails. It comes off really easily, you'll see.

CFU, I haven't tried a thicker o-ring as I don't have one. The one in the Novatac is already pretty thick; thicker than that of the HDS I think.

I've discovered that I need to click a little faster to access the options menu on my 120p compared to my HDS. When I first tried to access the options menu on the Novatac I clicked the same speed that I do on my HDS. After a couple of failed attempts I clicked a little faster and then it worked.

Hi all,
Mine is not here yet either, but I would like to order a glass lens and GITD o-ring for when it does. I would be forever grateful if someone could give a definite answer whether the old HDS lens will fit and what size o-ring I need to order?
Thanks :thumbsup:

treasurydept said:

The lettering isn't silk screened... It's definitely laser etched, but there seems to be a layer of white on top of the etching that comes off. You can remove it just by using your fingernails. It comes off really easily, you'll see...

Click to expand...

Henry made an interesting statment in a post about laser engraving a while back that was an eye opener to me and may be relevant to your post. I can't find Henry's post but IIRC he said that when you laser engrave a pattern on anodized aluminum, the finished pattern you see is not actually the aluminum beneath the ano -- but actually a ceramic which is created from what used to be the ano surface before it was hit by the laser. He also stated that this ceramic by-product would wear off to reveal the aluminum beneath it.

As I stated, I can't find the post and I certainly don't have the science to back it up -- but Henry's post fits my reality map perfectly. If you get a new light or have one laser engraved the engraved part is very white -- nearly 'stark raving white,' like this one:

(No, it's not the same Gonz.)

As you can see, the fresh laser engraved lettering in the above pic does not look at all like aluminum. It looks like something else. While I don't have a pic of my old HDS EDC, the lettering is very subtle these days. When cleaned up any number of the ways suggested -- it is still subtle -- to say the least. In that regard it fits Henry's discription perfectly -- when it was new and the lettering was white, I was seeing the ceramic, and now I'm seeing the aluminum.

I can't prove it but it makes sense to me.

The lettering on my HDS comes back bright white with a toothbrush and some toothpaste, but since it dims back down quickly (what can I say, I get dirty) I usually leave it "incognito".

~Chip

SunnyQueensland said:

Hi all,
Mine is not here yet either, but I would like to order a glass lens and GITD o-ring for when it does. I would be forever grateful if someone could give a definite answer whether the old HDS lens will fit and what size o-ring I need to order?
Thanks :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

O ring size is either (I ordered them from LightHound):

Glow In The Dark GITD O-Ring 7/8" size $0.40 2 $0.80
Glow In The Dark GITD O-Ring 3/4" size $0.40 2 $0.80

I'm not sure which size is in my light (I think its the 7/8" but just order both)

And the HDS Glass Lens fits in the Novatac just fine. I have a great seal and a nice glow on my nightstand.

Imworking said:

O ring size is either (I ordered them from LightHound):

Glow In The Dark GITD O-Ring 7/8" size $0.40 2 $0.80
Glow In The Dark GITD O-Ring 3/4" size $0.40 2 $0.80

I'm not sure which size is in my light (I think its the 7/8" but just order both)

And the HDS Glass Lens fits in the Novatac just fine. I have a great seal and a nice glow on my nightstand.

Click to expand...

Could you post a pic of the light with the new lens and the GID o ring?
Thanks,

LawLight

Hmmm... that's very interesting what you've said about the white lettering actually being ceramic powder...

Do you guys know if the Novatac reflector fits into the HDS?

Alex