Not quite sure I get the Ra lights thing....

They seem to be very well built. But I don't understand the high price. Is it because they are well made?

Something like the D10 seems to be brighter. Better UI. Cheaper.

If it's because they are so well made then that's reasonable. I own Surefires for that reason. Just wondering.

Their price is attributed to high quality craftsmanship and ability to withstand incredible abuse. However, I have seen a number of threads in the last few months from people who have been disappointed in their RA purchases.

For the record I don't own one, so this is all hearsay on my part.

Henry has been neck deep in flashlights for quite a while. He has been leading the way with LED lights.

http://www.ralights.com/?id=Pioneer

If you read his posts on this message board, you will see that it isn't just the shape of the light, it isn't just the UI, it isn't just the driver. He has put consideration into every single part of his lights.

Some things that stick out in my mind are that he protects the lens in his lights with an O-ring on both sides to cushion the lens. You don't need a sapphire lens, but you can have one if you want. He uses a microprocessor for regulation and programming. He uses a "constant power" regulator because there can be thermal runaway with a constant current driver.

His light only puts out 120 lumens? Well, 200 lumens isn't much brighter than 120 lumens to your eye and 200 lumens will give you half the runtime.

I think one of the things aside from the high durability of Ra lights which makes the price high is the high quality circuit design. Whether the UI is better or not is a very subjective thing, but the flat regulation with proper step-down is very rare in flashlights.

When you lead the pack in innovation, theres gonna be a little extra cost in R&D.
also, when he specs a light at 120 lumens, you can damn well know that thats at least 120 lumens- usually a tad more, where as probably 75 percent of flashlight makers over rate their outputs.

Something like a Nitecore D10 is a great performer for the money and has a very fun UI to play with, but nowhere near the extremely durable build quality of a Ra (I own both).

Taken from the Ra Lights website:

This production Ra Twisty was dropped repeatedly from a height exceeding 6 meters (20 feet) on to concrete, pavement and rocks. After over 20 drops, the light was repeatedly thrown at concrete, pavement and rocks. The light still functions normally. The glass lens did not break even with this severe punishment. Can your flashlight survive this kind of treatment?

I almost went for one today on the marketplace - of all the manufacturers out there that I don't have this is what I would like to try the most.

But probably won't....

Well it isn't cheap getting the God of the sun to let you use his name you know.
Think about it.

Ra lights are very well made lights. It feels very rugged and is built like a tank. When you examine the thickness of the aluminium used, the internal construction, you have alot of confidence carrying this light whereever you go.

Secondly the circuit design, designed to draw energy in an efficient manner. It also drops in output, when it gets too hot. I think Henry always leads the pack when it comes to design and innovation. This techology was used a few years already in their EDC lineup.

So if you think of the history of Ra lights, the innovations, leading edge design, it certainly warrants the higher prices. They are also made in the USA, compared to most other manufacturers these days producing lights from China.

The Ra lights are already alot cheaper, than the previous EDC models!.

Perhaps I'll have to try one.

I'm sitting on the fence too, Brasso, but the only thing that's holding me back is throw... from beamshots I've seen, it looks like even the tactical version is not going to keep up with something like a fenix or quark, which is the minimum necessary throw for an EDC, in my opinion.

But, intelligent circuitry AND made in USA? :twothumbs

Big Win!

We typically lag in high-end consumer electronics, letting the Asian nations take care of the innovating. To our loss.

Is there a "turbo head" or something avail for these guys, from one of the modders perhaps?

So is Novatac still the next best thing?

A 3 inch pocketable CR123 light is not meant to have but so much throw; that is not what it is designed for; neither is the Novatac.

I cant wait to receive my 170cn that I ordered on Sat. It will be my first and probably not my last of the RA Lights. :thumbsup:

RA is what ARC was eight years ago.

If Henry could figure out a way to engineer a bezel down deep carry pocket clip I'd be all over one. Seems trivial but the lack of this feature on this expensive of an aluminum light is a deal breaker for me!

The clip is an important feature for me too. I really like my Ra Clicky, and it's currently my nightstand light. But, the Ra sits on my desk all day while I carry my EX10, only because of the clip. It's proving very difficult to get 3rd party clips for these too.

Ra makes the finest lights available. Try one and see what all the fuss is about. The problems and glitches have only led to a more robust product because Henry never stops refining the lights.

The HDS / Ra Clicky is simply outstanding and it does everything and more that I want in a 1 x 123 light.

Novatac is the next best thing and it is a fantastic light as well. You can't go wrong with a Novatac, but you go more right with the HDS / Ra.

:)> said:

Ra makes the finest lights available. Try one and see what all the fuss is about. The problems and glitches have only led to a more robust product because Henry never stops refining the lights.

The HDS / Ra Clicky is simply outstanding and it does everything and more that I want in a 1 x 123 light.

Novatac is the next best thing and it is a fantastic light as well. You can't go wrong with a Novatac, but you go more right with the HDS / Ra.

Click to expand...

+1 Agreed 100%!

Of the ~25 lights I own, 4 of them are Novatac 120P's and 1 is an Ra Twisty 100Tw. The biggest plus in my book is the incredible user interface. Second would be the extreme durability. At any given time I have at least two of these lights near or on me.

The only reason I have a D10 is because it's a battery vampire, but with the impending release of the Novatac Classic it may find its way to the Marketplace.

I haven't had the "NEED" to pick up an Ra Clicky yet... although I have a feeling that will change this year!

That is funny

I just agreed 100% with you in the other thread like this onelovecpf