HDS / Ra - Show us your used (and even better, abused) flashlight!!!

I have read A LOT of testimonies from owners of Novatac / Ra / HDS flashlights about their "durable" flashlights!!!
In the HDS Customer testimonials, someone can read stories where these flashlights get LOT OF ABUSE without any problem...!!!
Even HDS has such a flashlight in their homepage, dropped many times, without any problem...

Since I believe most members here (including me, until now at least) are very delicate with their flashlights,
please all of you that have used your flashlight A LOT without remorse,
SHOW THEM to us (PHOTOS of used and worn!!!)
Thanks

Would be interesting. Since the release of the rotary is still recent and I doubt I would get any response but I would like to see a worn rotary if there is any.

Look here for a well abused Ra

I'm amazed by the fact that (except for a very "fresh" picture of a shooted HDS) no one has come with a picture of a "used" flashlight!!!
Where are all these guys that "swear" by the HDS "strength" and even hammer nails with their flashlights???
Please, spare sometime to upload a few photos, I start to think that the famous HDS durability is in a myth (calling Mythbusters...)

(no offense here guys, just trying to persuade you show off)

In all fairness, it is not a $19.90 light that one would not mind smashing. It costs $199 for the rotary. Would you contribute your's for the cause? :devil:

The few times I've dropped my HDS lights haven't done enough damage to post a pic.
It is an error to take the lack of pics as evidence of a myth, this subject has been discussed for years and to expect a 1 day old post to rally all HDS users to take the effort to take pictures, upload them to a hosting site, then post them is, uh, optimistic.

tx101 said:

Look here for a well abused Ra

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LOL! Great link! I hadn't seen that.

bansuri said:

The few times I've dropped my HDS lights haven't done enough damage to post a pic.
It is an error to take the lack of pics as evidence of a myth, this subject has been discussed for years and to expect a 1 day old post to rally all HDS users to take the effort to take pictures, upload them to a hosting site, then post them is, uh, optimistic.

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Woah! Said it all man! I did drop my rotary and clickies plenty of times but they leave not a single scratch. I think one need to really abuse it to see something worthy of the camera.

pjandyho said:

In all fairness, it is not a $19.90 light that one would not mind smashing. It costs $199 for the rotary. Would you contribute your's for the cause? :devil:

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Yep... I can't imagine anybody casually subjecting their HDS to destructive testing.

bansuri said:

The few times I've dropped my HDS lights haven't done enough damage to post a pic.

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My Clicky has taken a few several foot falls onto pavement, and I have to look very closely to find any evidence of it. Certainly nothing picture worthy.

I've been continuously EDCing my Clicky since I got it early last year, and apart from some minor anno wear and an orange paracord turk's head that's seen better days, I don't have much to post either. I suppose there's a little scuffing on the SS bezel too, does that count? :nana:

I dont think the OP is looking for pics of lights that were intentionally thrown at a brick wall repeatedly or dragged behind a truck down the highway for 5 miles.

I think he is interested in starting a pic thread of these particular lights after having been used as tools without concern for their appearance etc like you would a shelf queen.

There have been other pic threads of well used lights like Surefire and they were very entertaining. I know I am always afraid to actually use my expensive lights outside in the real world but that is what they were designed for . When I see sane poeple who actually use their lights I secretly envy their ability to do it . I actually tok my most expensive light out front of the house last night and let it illuminate the pavement on the driveway but then I scurried back inside before I fumbled it and wasnt over the grass. Thats was exciting!!! Maybe I will push the envelope a bit further tonite

Now lets see the pics you lazy CPFrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol... where's Hogo's Shorty when you need him?

purelite said:

I think he is interested in starting a pic thread of these particular lights after having been used as tools without concern for their appearance etc like you would a shelf queen.

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I don't think anybody who owns an HDS treats it like a shelf queen. These are lights that are just begging to be used. I think it's down to the fact that they have to be subjected to some fairly extreme and unusual abuse (such as being shot) before they'll show any significant signs of damage. That's a testament to the quality of these lights.

Zeruel said:

lol... where's Hogo's Shorty when you need him?

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These lights were already returned to Henry, so I can't take more photos of them. After shooting them, I used them in the T.I.T. H.E.A.D. skit, so just excuse the Fun Tac.

Shot with a .22LR Savage Bolt Action Rifle from about 10 yards:


Shot with a Walther .380 at about 7 yards:



Shot with a 9mm carbine at about 15 yards:



The link above, shows this light that took the .380 round right in the bezel:



I don't abuse my lights...

I kill them.

I sorta feel sorry for the fellow shot with a .380. Can someone please get him a stretcher and call 911 :laughing:.

Murderer!! LOL! Did you shoot that light with battery installed? Seems to have zipped straight through.

suprised nobody else has a used and abused light. All my anodizing is gone, (chemically stripped... nasty stuff being used most days) I have painted it all sorts of colours and the paint always wears off. Probably hundreds of drops onto concrete as I just drop the light when I need to grab something in the lab, and when I'm at work in the coal mine, it generally gets thrown around. Made it off the highwall at least once, has had my car parked on top of it, and it still works.

I will upload a photo on monday when I get to work. Still looks fine (silver and dirty) but still fine

Nothing worse than a "show us" thread without the show part. While mine doesn't get babied, it hasn't sustained any real damage/wear.

The AR coating is blemished here.


and it generally stays DIRTY (this was a fairly clean day)


Aside from a few nicks in the tail and bezel that's all I've got.

I've had three Ra/HDS lights and although none of them have anymore damage than a few missing ano specks, the weak link is the AR coating. This is with only moderate use.

On all the lights the AR coating has chipped - looks awful and shows up in the beam pattern at close range. Apart from that, the construction is almost bullet proof; as proved by Hogokansatsuken's post above :laughing:

Good job!