Is the Horus the lowest cost Titan light?

lyrrag

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I am looking to buy a titanium light at reasonable cost and am considering the Horus FD 1.3 . I plan to use it as an EDC in addition to my keychain ARC aaa. I EDC other lights but hope Titanium is more scratch resistant similar to Stainless without the weight.

Thanks for any replies that might come this way.

lyrrag
 

AvidHiker

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Well, you certainly don't have many choices! Titanium is most certainly one of the most inert metals available, so will be even less likely to corrode or otherwise react with a contaminant than stainless steel or aluminum. But, for this application, none of these materials are likely to show any signs of corrosion (except maybe with extended salt water exposure).

As for scratch resistance, my feeling is that its very dependent on the surface finish so its difficult to say which is better. Additionally, alloy composition differs widely for both materials which will have a strong influence on hardness. Isn't Horus claiming relatively pure Ti? In that case, I don't believe it will be particularly strong as some alloying elements are needed (Al and V most commonly I think) to impart the excellent mechanical properties most people associate with titanium. Hardness can be improved with alloying, but is also dependant on the method of forming (eg, casting, forging...) and heat treatment. I'd guess that the surface hardness of your average untreated titanium (no anodizing or other coating) versus stainless steel falls in the same ballpark, so both are just as likely to scratch. I have heard some say that scratches in Ti tend to be more noticable due to the oxide that forms being darker, but I don't have enough experience to say myself.

So I think its safe to say, yes, titanium is similar to (and in many respects better than) stainless without the weight. Would love to see a scuff test on some polished surfaces of each metal for a good comparison, maybe I'll take a look around when I have some time.
 
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Kiessling

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Titan scratches fairly easy. If you don't want no stinkin' scratches, ti is not for you. If you want durable, tough, relatively light weight, corrosion resitance and intertia to the elements ... ti is for you.

bernie
 
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Scabal

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Titan scratches fairly easy. If you don't want no stinkin' scratches, ti is not for you. If you want durable, tough, relatively light weight, corrosion resitance and intertia to the elements ... ti is for you.

bernie

Hi Kiessling,

I can not agree with you no more.

Tip : Scrub sponge can remove slightly surface scratches. :D Just for TA grade pure Titanium.


Best Regards,
Steven
 

AvidHiker

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Indeed, most metals will burn violently when "finely divided", ie powdered. You may be thinking of magnesium, another metal that when properly alloyed has excellent mechanical properties but is terribly prone to corrosion (and therefore not widely used for flashlights) unless properly protected. Titanium is highly inert under normal conditions because it (like aluminum and stainless) forms a highly adherent (and inert) oxide layer immediately upon exposure to air.

As for buffing out surface scratches, thats certainly a good way to manage scratching if your so inclined, but I still don't think it should be any easier to do this for titanium versus stainless steel. Again, it probably also depends on the surface finish - for example if you have a "brushed" finish on stainless, and you want to maintain the original finish, you probably don't want to go at it with a scotchbrite pad. The same goes for titanium, buffing out scratches may permanantly alter the original finish.
I believe that's where Kiessling is coming from being a fellow Surefire Titan owner. The Titan has what I would describe as a slightly textured, almost matte finish (bead blasted?). If you were to try and buff out a scratch on the Titan, you would have to buff the whole light and end up with a totally different finish (smoother and shinier I would imagine). I really like the original Titan finish, so I will just let the scratches accumulate - it adds character!

You have to be realistic with an EDC, unless its coated with CVD diamond or some such high tech coating (don't forget HAIII aluminum, its certainly quite good if done right) you WILL notice signs of wear almost immediately. Them's the breaks.
 
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