ra/hds

total noob question

i'm very interested in the ra/hds lights, they are held in very high regard aren't they? and they are some of the toughest/most reliable lights out there no?

my question is do they only come in cr123 versions, are there or will there ever be an AAversion?

i fully understand that cr123 primaries are a superior power source but AA and AAA lsd nimh batteries are what i am comfortable using

also on a side note, how are ra/hds considered when compared to surefire lights? another company that is highly regarded and that i have no experience of.

thanks guys, i have learned a lot here and now have some lights, mainly fenix that i really love and trust

Grab a beer and read through this: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/289558 (and the 10 parts of the thread before this one, if you like) .. and all your questions shall be answered. Including some you didn't know you had. :nana:

There wil be a 2 x AA version pretty soon, but never an AA I'm afraid, as they are designed for 3 Volt.

HDS and Surefire have in common that they are very high quality and made in USA, but that's all. HDS are completely programmable, while Surefires are designed for a special purpose, mostly only one mode or perhaps two, thus many different models.

Henk_Lu said:

There wil be a 2 x AA version pretty soon, but never an AA I'm afraid, as they are designed for 3 Volt.

HDS and Surefire have in common that they are very high quality and made in USA, but that's all. HDS are completely programmable, while Surefires are designed for a special purpose, mostly only one mode or perhaps two, thus many different models.

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mr. lu, thank you

is that because 1aa battery=1.5v and 1 cr123=3v? so there could never be a single aa?

2xaa is actually my favorite format but i hadn't considered it

thanks again and also is there a quality difference considered between surefire and hds/ra?

fannin said:

mr. lu, thank you

is that because 1aa battery=1.5v and 1 cr123=3v? so there could never be a single aa?

2xaa is actually my favorite format but i hadn't considered it

thanks again and also is there a quality difference considered between surefire and hds/ra?

Click to expand...

Mr. lu, that's nice! :duh2: I'm Henk from Luxembourg actually...

Indeed, one AA is 1,5V and many flashlight makers consider them as not enough powerfull in single use. LEDs are driven at 3V, you need a bost circuit for AA and a single cell doesn't deliver enough current to drive an actual emitter to its limit.

I guess Henry wants to limit its offer to the actual single-cell lights, 2 x AA can be used without a problem.

As SF and HDS can't really be compared, we can't compare the quality neither. Both are known to be high quality, both can fail as well. While SF may have problems with the clicky switches, HDS sometimes have problems with the electronics. QC is very high though and you're quite unlikely to experience any problems, if you are unlucky, both manufacturers offer an excellent customer service! :thumbsup:

Connor said:

Grab a beer and read through this: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/289558 (and the 10 parts of the thread before this one, if you like) .. and all your questions shall be answered. Including some you didn't know you had. :nana:

Click to expand...

thanks connor, interesting read, can't do beer right now but the kettle's on

Henk_Lu said:

Mr. lu, that's nice! :duh2: I'm Henk from Luxembourg actually...

Indeed, one AA is 1,5V and many flashlight makers consider them as not enough powerfull in single use. LEDs are driven at 3V, you need a bost circuit for AA and a single cell doesn't deliver enough current to drive an actual emitter to its limit.

I guess Henry wants to limit its offer to the actual single-cell lights, 2 x AA can be used without a problem.

As SF and HDS can't really be compared, we can't compare the quality neither. Both are known to be high quality, both can fail as well. While SF may have problems with the clicky switches, HDS sometimes have problems with the electronics. QC is very high though and you're quite unlikely to experience any problems, if you are unlucky, both manufacturers offer an excellent customer service! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

interesting henk, interesting thank you

OT i know (but it is my thread so hopefully it'll be forgiven). concerning this boost thing that a single aa light needs and a 2xAA light doesn't
does that man that a fenix ld20 and ld10 (or any equivalent lights, i chose as an example fenix because i'm used to them) have different heads and different...qualities or characteristics? i thought they were the same and interchangeable.

i understand now how we can't compare SF and HDS if HDS are programmable and SF are single mode, i thought we could because they are both similarly priced and usa made

how's life in luxembourg? i'm in the u.k. and can't say i particularly rate it here lol

thanks again

I myself am interested in HDS. I find that they are great, along with Surefire.

My line up will end as: Jetbeam, HDS, and Surefire (3 flashlights).

I like C123 over AA because of the form factor being a bit shorter, which makes the HDS easier to pocket carry. As well, you can have two HDS lights, one with the R19670 or 17670, and one C123/RCR123 light. It will be pricey, but you can acquire both over time.

Sorry to threadjack, but a mod said I have to use a pre-existing HDS thread for this question. For HDS owners, how much better at rendering colours is the HDS CRI compared to the regular LED lights that you have? Would you say 60 times out of 100 the HDS CRI is better, or more like 40/100, or more like 90 times out of 100?

CPFBiology said:

Sorry to threadjack, but a mod said I have to use a pre-existing HDS thread for this question. For HDS owners, how much better at rendering colours is the HDS CRI compared to the regular LED lights that you have?

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That didn't mean you should just pick ANY existing HDS thread. You should have looked for one relevant to your particular question. This thread isn't it. If you had looked more carefully, you would have found this one. Please take your question there.

fannin said:

i understand now how we can't compare SF and HDS if HDS are programmable and SF are single mode, i thought we could because they are both similarly priced and usa made

Click to expand...

We can compare them in that they're both excellent products backed by topnotch customer service; however, the actual products offered serve different purposes and can't really be directly compared. But you really can't go wrong with either brand.

fannin said:

interesting henk, interesting thank you

OT i know (but it is my thread so hopefully it'll be forgiven). concerning this boost thing that a single aa light needs and a 2xAA light doesn't
does that man that a fenix ld20 and ld10 (or any equivalent lights, i chose as an example fenix because i'm used to them) have different heads and different...qualities or characteristics? i thought they were the same and interchangeable.

i understand now how we can't compare SF and HDS if HDS are programmable and SF are single mode, i thought we could because they are both similarly priced and usa made

how's life in luxembourg? i'm in the u.k. and can't say i particularly rate it here lol

thanks again

Click to expand...

I think the heads on the Fenix are indeed interchangeable. That means they have the same circuit, probably a boost circuit. There are 3 types of circuits : boost, buck and a combination. Each one of the different circuits can be designed for different voltages. The one of the Fenix is designed to work with 1xAA or 2xAA, the one of the HDS for 1xCR123A or 1x li-ion.

I'm not an electronic specialist, but I know that the efficiency of the circuit changes and I guess the greater the input voltage span is, the less efficiency it has. This can be wrong however.

In case of your Fenixes, the same head will bring for example 120 Lumen on 1xAA and 180 Lumen on 2xAA (XR-E Q5). The same LED with 2 x CR123A brings 225 Lumen, but with another circuit.

If you're interested in more in-depth information, you may search CPF and have a look at the electronics section.

Life in Luxembourg is quite lazy, we're still in summer holiday, but I have to work... :shakehead

Actually, I believe there was a custom run of 1 AA battery compartments made available not too long ago. But you had to pre-pay. I believe only 8 or so were made.

The Ra Clicky is designed to run from 1.8v to 4.5v, so the 1AA battery compartments required a 14500 Lithium Ion cell to be used.

John_Galt said:

Actually, I believe there was a custom run of 1 AA battery compartments made available not too long ago. But you had to pre-pay. I believe only 8 or so were made.

The Ra Clicky is designed to run from 1.8v to 4.5v, so the 1AA battery compartments required a 14500 Lithium Ion cell to be used.

Click to expand...

I heard about that and I wonder why I didn't know about it?

A few weeks ago, there was a thread about a 17500, but it was closed. Perhaps you mean that one? I commited to one and asked the original poster to be informed if it would happen, but I never heard of it again... :sigh:

Henk Lu,

The project never actually commenced unfortunately as sometimes happens. I was told this by PM from jslappa, who was originally organising it. Kudos to him for actually making the attempt.

On a more positive note I e-mailed Henry today and he confirmed that the 2xAA tubes are in production. He will have them available on the website as soon as they are ready so we could be looking at next month at the latest, all being well. I hope that was okay for me to share with the others, Henry?

I will be getting two at least and possibly a couple of spares for future HDS lights. I keep telling the UK stockist to get them when they become available. I might still order a couple from the US to get them sooner but I know Customs always grabs my US packages!

Henk_Lu said:

Mr. lu, that's nice! :duh2: I'm Henk from Luxembourg actually...

Indeed, one AA is 1,5V and many flashlight makers consider them as not enough powerfull in single use. LEDs are driven at 3V, you need a bost circuit for AA and a single cell doesn't deliver enough current to drive an actual emitter to its limit.

I guess Henry wants to limit its offer to the actual single-cell lights, 2 x AA can be used without a problem.

As SF and HDS can't really be compared, we can't compare the quality neither. Both are known to be high quality, both can fail as well. While SF may have problems with the clicky switches, HDS sometimes have problems with the electronics. QC is very high though and you're quite unlikely to experience any problems, if you are unlucky, both manufacturers offer an excellent customer service! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

All lights can be compared.