Question for any Gladius owners

I have a question for any one who has a Night Ops gladius. In the constant on mode, if you select a lower brightness level, and then turn the light off, but dont change the mode, when you turn the light back on, will it go back to the lower setting you selected, or does it only turn back onto the full mode, and you have to re select the lower setting again. in other words, is there a way to get it to turn on to a lower mode without having to go through the high setting.

travlingtexanman said:

I have a question for any one who has a Night Ops gladius. In the constant on mode, if you select a lower brightness level, and then turn the light off, but dont change the mode, when you turn the light back on, will it go back to the lower setting you selected, or does it only turn back onto the full mode, and you have to re select the lower setting again. in other words, is there a way to get it to turn on to a lower mode without having to go through the high setting.

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turns back on at the last brightness level you had selected/used while previously on. in other words, it remembers the last level you had the light output adjusted to.

does NOT turn back on at the highest level (you could easily do that by selecting the MOMENTARY max-output mode).

is my description clear?

Yes it is and thank you. I guess the only other question is is it worth getting? hehehe, but no thank you for answering my question so quickly.

The Gladius is one outstanding light with many merits. The sad fact is that since it's original entry onto the market it has not seen any development.

Only after a Canadian CPF'er decided to upgrade the LED did Blackhawk decide that they'd get in the act and offer it with a third party contractor who'd upgrade the LED for those who wanted a more powerful Gladius.

It's a pity that Blackhawk dont change the LED at factory rather than mess around with third parties needing to 'upgrade' the LED?

The real motivator behind the Gladius was a guy called Ken Good and this light was his and a few others 'baby'. Unfortunately Ken's moved on and Blackhawk 'appear' to just see the Gladius as one of their flashlight range?

Real shame!

Doug:shakehead

Just to be clear:

The factory setting turns the light on at the highest brightness always.

This can be changed to either turning on at the lowest level or to remember the last brightness settings (in constant on mode).

travlingtexanman said:

Yes it is and thank you. I guess the only other question is is it worth getting? hehehe, but no thank you for answering my question so quickly.

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i'm glad that i purchased one. used it through a few sets of primaries and now it is semi-retired. i'll use it again some time, no doubt. this is pretty standard for most of my "collection" of headlamps and flashlights.

you should know that it has a pretty tight spot. at a distance it is a good size, but up close (~15' or so) it is still pretty tight.

there is a cheaper version (~$100 less, IIRC) of it with another brand name and different model name too, which i'm also forgetting both at the moment (typhoon, harpoon, or some such name - sorry for my "old-timers").

hopefully, someone here will help out by posting with the actual clone brand and model name and perhaps an assessment of how it compares to a Night Ops Gladius. i've read that they're identical, but don't just go by my word as i also can' find the link that i saved to that webpage either.

Its the Insight Typhoon H2X... ard $115-125, supposedly made from the same factory that produced the Gladius under Blackhawk/Nightops.

I have a Typhoon. It is identical to the Gladius in everyway. As I understand it, LED Candle is correct. Insight Technologies is the OEM manufacturer of the Gladius for Blackhawk. They now also offer it under their own branding and the Typhoon.

My review should answer most of your questions.

www.geocities.com/tigerhawkt3/gladius.htm

The review linked above does an excellent job (among other things) of explaining the different user settings for "channel 3." I have mine set so it remembers the last brightness level, but you can make it suit your needs.

The Gladius remains an outstanding light. I recently had mine upgraded to the Seoul emitter and am very pleased with both the brightness and the workmanship. Turnaround time was about two weeks.

see, i am really tempted to buy a gladius, but then i look at the Novatac 120p. It seems to do every thing the gladius does, but is half the size. is it worth getting a gladius when there are lights like the Novatac ones?

I had a stock Gladius for a while and sold it. It had a narrow beam and stunningly good throw.

It is a tactical light and may not suit other needs quite as well. I found the Gladius more difficult to carry than other lights due to the 4 anti-roll spikes on its tailcap. It wasn't so bad in a large jacket pocket, but was uncomfortable in smaller pockets.

I owned a Blackhawk holster especially designed for the Gladius, but the flashlight's unique shape restricted the number of other compatible holsters.

half-watt said:

there is a cheaper version (~$100 less, IIRC) of it with another brand name and different model name too, which i'm also forgetting both at the moment (typhoon, harpoon, or some such name - sorry for my "old-timers").

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It's the Typhoon H2X...
But where do you found it at 100$ ???

For the more i'm not very agree saying Novatac 120p do the same as gladius /typhoon....
i don't like the clic clic clic to change level or mod, i prefer the gladius rotating dial ( more intuitive)

zifnab69 said:

It's the Typhoon H2X...
But where do you found it at 100$ ???

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I've never heard of the typhoon selling for $100.00? However, I know that www.LApolicegear.com has it for $139.00. Hope this helps.

I purchased one to mostly help out a Dealer who's an aquaintence of mine.

Is it worth it? Depends on what you're looking for.

The selector switch on mine is well-fitted. Seen another one at a different B&M store being sold for over $300 that was poorly-fitted.

If you want an LED light with various modes and levels of light, a Gladius might be ideal. But you will need to get holster for it, unless it's going to be your nightstand light.

Personally, I prefer carrying 2 or 3 lights on me. A primary light with one, very bright level of output. (Usually a Surefire L4). And 1 or 2 other lights with lower output levels or modes. A Photon II is usually on my house keys. I also carry an Inova microlight for its signal / strobe feature. I find this set up works well.

No doubt a Gladius can easily do the job of all three. But if something happens to it, there's no other light on you that you can use, if out & about in public.

Best to look at your own needs, and determine for yourself if it's the right light for you. Then, if you can get it at or below retail; I'd say it would be worth it.