Question regarding RA/HDS versions - L.E.D. used and regulation -

I am tempted to get an RA flashlight as most of the users are happy with them .

Though, I have some things to clarify before . What emitters are they using ?

- 100 and 120 - SSC P4
- 140 OSRAM GDP
- 170 CREE XR-E ?

According to light-reviews.com , both 85 TWISTY and 140 CLICKIE seem to have OSRAMs !?

Is there any connection between a narrow beam/wide one and the emitter used , or that will only be up to the reflector - less or more orange peeled - ?

I am also left in the fog in regards to the REGULATION !
On RA website it's stated that the runtime should be the same for all the versions BUT for the 140 CLICKIE you get 2hrs+ in excellent regulation http://light-reviews.com/ra_clicky/ while for the 85 TWISTIE you get 1hr+ of regulation http://light-reviews.com/ra_twisty/

Should I expect a different runtime for the 120 and 170 lumens versions ? I couldn't find any other graphic for the RA runtime .
So Henry is using different circuit for each version ? It should have been the same graphic as long as the circuit used was the same, isn't it ? And the output difference should be justified only by the efficiency of the L.E.D. used ...

I am tempted by a 120/140 lumens - burst lumens - TACTICAL version with narrow beam , the 170 one will be too expensive for me . Though, I would only look for a version which provides 2hrs on regulation with a primary CR123 - or 1hr with a RCR123 - .
The most convenient priced seems the 120 lumens version as for the 140 one you would have to paied an extra 40$ to get only 20 extra lumens - BURST lumens - as in fact the difference of lumens is only 15 - 100 minus 85 on MAX mode -
I wouldn't go with a light having a runtime graphic similar to HDS 85 TWISTY or NOVATAC 120P - regulation for a short time -

Any input will be welcome .
Thank you !

The twisty 100s used a SSC P4, while twisty 85 used the Osram emitter. Clicky 120 and 140 executive used SSC P4, as did HI CRI 100. Clicky 140 tactical and 170 tactical used Osram emitters. Sometimes these are also called wide vs. narrow, P4 being wide beam profile, Osram being narrow. The new 200s use Cree XP-G.

As far as regulation, Henry sets all his lights up to get at least 1 hr runtime on high and calibrates them to put out the stated lumens exactly. Efficiencies vary from LED to LED so it's possible that the unit you read about was a more efficient one, so when it was set to 170 lm, that emitter was able to achieve longer runtimes. Or maybe that guy didn't actually have it on high. I don't think that long of runtime is typical.

Thank you for the hints !
If 120 and 140 EXECUTIVE use P4s and the 140 TACTICAL - OSRAM , what about the 120 TACTICAL ?
The one I read about - and reviewed - was a 140 TACTICAL not 170 .
I am aware that the LED efficiency could vary a bit even if it's about the same bin , but though , the 2 runtime graphics for the 85 respectively 140 version were different , not quite similar !

While using the same emitter and being driven different 140 and 170 have different output and should have different runtime as a result : 100 and 120 lumens on MAXIMUM, at least they are advertised so .

So buying an RA it's a lottery in regards to the real runtime / regulation ? Tint like tint ...

I'm not sure if there even was a 120 tactical. Right now the 120 is basically Henry's budget offering, I'm not sure if he's still making 140s, and 170s and 200s are really the main production lights along with the rotary. Check out his main website, it's kinda confusing with you looking at reviews for lights may not even be in production anymore. Unless you're looking at buying used, you'd be better off checking up on current models.

And no, I don't think it's fair to say that it's a runtime lottery. Henry promises a 1.25 hr typical runtime on high for Clickies. He chooses emitters and calibrates the output on each light to achieve that runtime. If you have a very good emitter that nearly qualifies for a 170 but doesn't quite and it ends up in a 140, you obviously will get extra runtime. You may get more than 1.25 hrs, but you won't get less. The twisty 85 graph looks like it's probably fairly normal. The 140 graph looks like it had exceptionally long runtime on high; must have been a very good emitter. I would not count on 2+ hrs on high. Expect the 1.25 Henry promises and if you get more be happy.

There are literally thousands of posts about these lights on CPF. I highly suggest doing some searching. You will probably find better answers from people smarter than me.

I recommend looking at the new 200 Rotary, or Clicky if for some reason you don't like the Rotary UI. I think the price difference is worth it. I agree with nbp on the search, type HDS Systems or something similar and you'll find a lot of useful information on the different models.

I just received a brand new Tactical 120 from Going Gear, so they are current models. Check HDS Systems website for what the current lineup consists of:

http://www.hdslights.com/?id=Home

The 120 uses Osram Golden Dragon emitters (yes, I checked), and the UI is exactly the same as the 170 and 200. I don't get the impression that the 120 is a budget, stripped-down version from what is published on the HDS website. It seems that at least for current models, they all share the same features and construction.

I have to say that I had reservations about 120 lumens being bright enough to satisfy me, but the combination of brightness and beam pattern with the Golden Dragons makes it just great. It has the best beam pattern of any of my lights. A small hotspot with a good amount of spill, and the transition from hotspot to spill is absolutely seamless. It's hard to believe it is only 120 lumens. I haven't seen the 170, but I would have a hard time justifying a 60% increase in cost for the perceptible increase in output. I think the 120 hits the sweetspot in price versus performance in HDS current lineup.

Thank you for your input !
I agree with you , the 120 TACTICAL is more worthing to be bought as you'd have to spend 40% more to get 20% more lumens - 140 - or 60% more to get 40% more lumens - 170 -
The 120 TACTICAL isn't quite a 120 lumens flashlight , on MAXIMUM it should have around 85 lumens as far as I have read, so the same brightness with an E1L which runs about 4hrs on a primary CR123 .
How's the throw comparative to other 1 x CR123 flashlight ? Does it outhrow a SUREFIRE E1L for instance ?
Also , have you done a runtime with a RCR123 on MAXIMUM ?

The 100 and 140 are no longer in the lineup from what I can see, and comparing reviews of the older models that used different emitters to the current ones using Golden Dragon or Cree XPG doen't really make sense. As far as output, the current 120 sure seems to be conservatively rated. There's supposed to be a step-down to one level lower brightness after the light has been on for a certain amount of time, but I haven't noticed it in the short time that I've had it. I don't have an E1L, but I do have an E1B rated at 110 lumens. The E1B will out-throw the HDS 120, but has very little spill with its TIR optic. It's almost like a spotlight, whereas the 120 has a more useful beam pattern for every day use, in my opinion. I have only used them on primary CR123A, and haven't done any runtime testing.

radu1976 said:

The 120 TACTICAL isn't quite a 120 lumens flashlight , on MAXIMUM it should have around 85 lumens as far as I have read...

Click to expand...

It is 120 lumens. If burst is enabled it will step down to 85 lumens to conserve battery after 40 seconds. If it is the old UI it will step down after 10 seconds. The step down is barely noticeable, it is there to conserve battery life, burst must be enabled in order for this feature to work. The 120 is not stripped down, but it is the budget offering, if there is such as thing from HDS. It uses an older emitter that is less efficient, and the new rotary UI is available, which I consider far superior to the regular clicky interface.