Wishlist for new Ra Lights

Hi guys,

I'm a big fan of Henrys Ra Lights, he makes excellent lights and has a first rate costumer service. It seems that he is hard at work with a new Twisty (and perhaps an upgrade to the Clicky?) so I'm proposing that we give him a hand by suggesting what we'd like to see in his lights so that he can sell even more lights that we can buy so that he can sell even more still… you get the point.

I've just gotten a new Quark Ti 123 and love the CREE XP-G so here's hoping that the new RA's will have them. Other than the led the Ra is better in most respects but the Quark was sold at a very fair price and is an excellent value.

I'd like the Clicky to be slightly smaller, perhaps like the Twisty and it must tail stand.

Please let us decide what level the light will run at. To have the max level capped at a few seconds is driving me mad. I'd like to be the judge of how much runtime I need and to risk my led if I'd like to. Perhaps this could be done by limiting the warranty to one year?

Finally I'd love to have the Ti option, if possible at a smaller premium than before, perhaps by not making them upgradeable?

Cheers

K

The next interation of the Clicky should have a hole on the very end of the tail cap to attach a split ring or lanyard.

I found it cumbersome to attach a lanyard to the older HDS EDC 42 and that was one of the reasons I got rid of it.

A 2 cell neutral SST-50 model oo:

+1 on the LED.

A 295 Lumen hellburner would be nice. :devil:

Does the step-down on max really bother you that much ? I tend to think of it as a turbo "bonus" on top of the 1-hour runtime level. The alternative would be a lower maximum or a shorter runtime - having a quick blast available when needed seems a reasonable compromise IMHO.

Moonshadow said:

+1 on the LED.

A 295 Lumen hellburner would be nice. :devil:

Does the step-down on max really bother you that much ? I tend to think of it as a turbo "bonus" on top of the 1-hour runtime level. The alternative would be a lower maximum or a shorter runtime - having a quick blast available when needed seems a reasonable compromise IMHO.

Click to expand...

Perhaps I'm too negative but I look at it the other way around, I think it's like having a throttled car, you know it can go faster but you can only use it for a very limited period of time instead of going down the highway at full blast all the time…

I can't say that it has bothered me that much in the past but now it does since with the "turbo" the Ra can hold its own against the XP-G, without it the difference between the two is quite noticeable. This is very frustrating since the Ra is, in most respects (durability, UI etc), the perfect light for me and I'd like it to stay that way.

Cheers

K

Fair enough, but the GDP is a less efficient emitter than the XP-G, so the fact that the RA can hold its own - even if only for a little while - is a testament to the burst mode.

Now when we finally get an XP-G in there: 235 out the front for an hour, and 320 on burst . . . best of both worlds

Honestly, a twisty with the same low low, same perfect mid, and a screaming, at the edge of what's a good idea of the LED or battery (for continuous runs...no need to get stupid), whichever comes first kinda high.
THAT is the light I want from Henry.


I'd buy at least two of them right now.

It'd also be nice to not have to pay extra because of what lumen count high mode is set at.

I mean if all parts are the same otherwise....................:shrug:

Clicky 2xCR123A for me!
And then I can stop buying flashlights.

A new led could be a nice thing...

1. Bring the twisty back.
2. Give the twisty a locator flash.
3. Update the emitters. GDP's are okay, but there are much better performing emitters now. The old HDS's used Luxeons, so what is wrong with K2's? Also, the Crees are much floodier than they used to be. (There might be some history here that I don't know.)
4. Give us a high output model. I understand the point of an hour of runtime, but it would be nice to see a second model with a half hour runtime.
5. Two cell or 18650 models! (I have a 17670 twisty and don't really use it only because I never find an instance where I will need that much light! I think an 18650 clickie would be nice. I have a Novatac 18650 that I use daily.)

I can think of more.

If he put a thread on stainless ring at the tailcap like the thread-on bezel then there would be additional protection at that tail end plus he could offer different depth rings that could allow for tail standing (barely recessed), protruding, or fully recessed as desired.

rechargeable 123 cells just dont have enough capacity for me.

18650 or a C cell twisty please.

4 levels

140 60 20 2.

70/30 flood/spot. (no hotspot, even transition) 30 degree beam?

locator flash would be a nice addition, 1 flash every 10 seconds and comes on automatically if the light hasn't been used in 24 hours.

indestructible.

tail stands.

$150.

I would snap up a Twisty, if it had 1) 2 hours on high (at the same output, 100lm), and a 4th mode, a 30 second burst of 150+ lumens, that slowly imperceptibly faded back to the regular 100lm output.

Heck, even if it just had two hours of output on high, before stepping down to the next lower mode. That would be great. The toughest, longest lasting, survival flashlight available.


I believe the old twisty, with red output option had a second, smaller LED die off to one side of the emmitter, right? Wouldn't it be great if it had a green die, or even both a green and red die? Does Seoul make custom LED's?

BTW, what is the efficiency of the GDP that Ra currently uses. Apparently very low, by my math (not truly knowing how to calculate runtimes, or various efficiencies) assuming that a CR123 has ~1400mA, and you can use 80% of that, before battery voltage drops too low to be useable efficiently, and that the driver is ~80% efficient, you should still get more than 2.5 hours of runtime at ~ 100 lumens. Thsi also does not take into account the loss of efficiency of the emitter as it begins to heat up, due to the minimal heat-sinking mass.

John_Galt said:

I would snap up a Twisty, if it had 1) 2 hours on high (at the same output, 100lm), and a 4th mode, a 30 second burst of 150+ lumens, that slowly imperceptibly faded back to the regular 100lm output.

Click to expand...

Just get the 18650 tube and find an 18650 that fits in it.

Though, I find that medium for 8 hours will get me through just about anything.

More efficient and warmer emitters and a smaller size.

I really liked the EDC100WW I got to test in the passaround a while go, but 100L for 1 hour is (even for me) a little old. When neutral XP-G come out, I really hope Henry puts them in a regular model. Even an XP-E Q4 5B would rock. K2 TFFC would be good for extended max since they are way tougher than GDP's, but Rebel 100 neutral would probably be better because it is more efficient (at least at low-mid levels).

I have been wishing for a slimmer HDS and Ra forever. 1" diameter is just not pocketable for me. I think the only reason for 1" is for weapon mounts? I pocket an EX10 R2 WG for it's size. A bezel down deep carry clip would do well too - it should fit on the TC fine. Keep the tactical TC option - I love it!

I am continually tempted by the EDC Tactical Clicky, but always say to myself: "I love the UI, but the size and output don't impress me compared to lights I already have." And I already have an HDS U60/120 SSC and a SuperNova NT120/90 Hi CRI SSC. I'd sell the NT if the Ra was smaller with more warm Lumens!

Wow, I meant this to be short.

Moonshadow said:

Fair enough, but the GDP is a less efficient emitter than the XP-G, so the fact that the RA can hold its own - even if only for a little while - is a testament to the burst mode.

Now when we finally get an XP-G in there: 235 out the front for an hour, and 320 on burst . . . best of both worlds

Click to expand...

I agree the Ra is by no means obsolete; it's just that it could be better. I have several newer and stronger lights but I keep going back to the Ra because of the superior UI and ergonomics.

With an aftermarket clip it fits perfectly in the hand and is extremely versatile. I use a really low level to check on the kids at night, the high when travelling to very dark places (no or erratic electricity) in third world countries and a middle level for everything else.

I'd also like it to be a little smaller. I still have my HDS U60 GT (sort of, I gave it to my daughter but since she is four years old and lives at home I still have access. My son who is seven got my Novatac 120p. They both love running around with their lights in the garden at night. My wife thinks we are all crazy.) and love the size and finish of it. The gray color and laser engraving are really nice. Finish is not that important to me but since Henry has shown that he can make first rate anodizing I'd like to see it again and I prefer the grey color to black.

Cheers

K

You could say that I'm a fan as well...

For the Clicky, true tailstanding is my #1 wish. I do miss the very long battery life of the old EDC at the low settings also (but understand the tradeoff for longer life at high outputs).

On the Twisty, I'd like a fourth setting since the old EDC and the new Clicky have me spoiled.

My last far-fetched wish is a single AA Ra light. Partly for the smaller diameter and partly for the easy availability of the cells.

To me, Henry's designs seem to be at the limits of current technology - I'm sure they will continue to push the limits and impress!

I'm a big fan of the Clicky as well, got two ones, 140C & 170Cn, about the only lights which disappear in my pocket on a regulary basis.

As for a wishlist, I say : evolution instead of revolution

- The light could shrink a bit (actual size due to toughness?)
- They weight should go down a bit (toughness in cause as well?)
- More efficient and more powerfull emitters : XPG!
- Sapphire lens with diamond coating on the outside
- Tailstaning without wobbling for the flush button
- Neutral white option

No hurry please, I still want to enjoy my actual Clicky! :huh:

As for a Twisty, my wishlist would be about the same, and a trit slot would be nice!

Henk_Lu said:

I'm a big fan of the Clicky as well, got two ones, 140C & 170Cn, about the only lights which disappear in my pocket on a regulary basis.

As for a wishlist, I say : evolution instead of revolution

- The light could shrink a bit (actual size due to toughness?)
- They weight should go down a bit (toughness in cause as well?)
- More efficient and more powerfull emitters : XPG!
- Sapphire lens with diamond coating on the outside
- Tailstaning without wobbling for the flush button
- Neutral white option

No hurry please, I still want to enjoy my actual Clicky! :huh:

As for a Twisty, my wishlist would be about the same, and a trit slot would be nice!

Click to expand...

I couldn't have said it better, I would like add,
-different color other than black
-fix the bezel off-set from the main tube (mine is very noticeable)
-fix the ano sub par with industry standards C'mon Man.
-NO burst configuration, just give me the max and let me worry about how long. make it an option in the programing menu.
- different emitter options other than currentlovecpf

BlindAsABat,

I can help you with your first two items - more efficient and warmer emitters. We just received a long awaited shipment of high CRI warm white emitters. They are now on the custom built flashlight page. The CRI (color rendering index) of 93 is the highest in the industry.

We are looking at the XP-G, but don't expect too much from the natural white. All warm-white LEDs are less efficient in lumens/watt compared to cool-white LEDs. The reason is fairly obvious if you overlay the spectral curves and then overlay the eye sensitivity curve on top of that. Although the warm-white LEDs are emitting roughly the same number of mW at all frequencies, the warm-white LEDs are emitting a fair bit of that beyond the sensitive part of the curve at the red end of the spectrum. I.e., there is a fair amount of emission in the long wave red and short inferred. Those emissions do not count toward lumens.

As far as the smaller diameter, we are still considering that. The current lights are actually 0.040 smaller than the older lights. But 1 inch is dictated by quite a few factors and it is hard to go smaller without sacrificing quite a few things.

Brian,

We keep looking at the AA market...

Henk_Lu,

We continue to work on the tail standing issue.

Henry.