HDS Design... My observations

Now, we all know HDS has a point of pride in being, what has been called "bomb proof" (I have yet to blow one up to see if it is true, but that is on my list). I certainly see several different lights out there claiming "Worlds toughest flashlight" blah blah blah, a title HDS doesn't, and won't claim, simply because how the heck do you quantify and test this? Just more marketing BS to sell lights with even less backing those those claims than typical lumen output or run time claims.

I used to figure... well, being potted makes it tough, but Henry has gone way beyond just potting. To me, any light that isn't so much as potted, is simply a toy to use around the house (of which I have far too many). Henry specifically engineers the electronics to withstand stupid amounts of G-forces. Not long ago, we were looking at different switches (just the tiny component part) and Henry was comparing weights of the switches. These things are tiny... they get mounted on a circuit board... soldered on then epoxied as well. I'm pretty much shaking my head thinking... huh? Henry explains it has to do with shear strength and the forces necessary to make the switch "fail" and goes on to compare about 50 different switches, narrowing it down to about 20, then dissecting these little switches under a microscope, then designing ways to shield them from electromagnetic interference... (I should think one would have bigger problems in an EMP than if one's flashlight is still working).

It just makes me wonder if any other company that claims "worlds toughest/strongest/most reliable flashlight" goes through 1/100th this much engineering. In 10 years, the end user of HDS lights has seen very little change in these lights simply because all the changes are internal where they can't be seen... and Henry has done a horrible job of explaining this to the end user... Great job engineering, horrible communicating these changes and the benefits of these changes... that no one sees... unless it is a software upgrade... and for every software upgrade, there were probably 2-3 hardware upgrades unknown to the end user... and that is continuing.

Hogokansatsukan said:

Henry has done a horrible job of explaining this to the end user

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Henry is really good at explaining that sort of thing. I just wish he'd write more often than every 3 years.

I am surprised that the HDS light is not the first choice of State and Local police around the Country and around the World.

This attention to detail and how the items work together as a light is precisely what attracted me to HDS systems as a brand.

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Hey Hogo, I watch a guy on YouTube named Derek Bristol. He makes really good caving videos and does gear reviews including some high end caving lights. Although not high end, in a Zebralight review he mentioned that the magnetic field generated by the battery can interfere with compass or DistoX readings when doing surveys. I'm wondering if that was Henry's purpose for protecting the light from electromagnetic interference?

Hogo, can you put together an appendix of unadvertised changes to the HDS? Or at the very least, can you mention a few more here?We'd love to obsess over these things.

Great thread, by the way. Thanks.

Thanks for sharing, Hogo. Stuff like this is why a AA HDS is in my go-everywhere bag... :thumbsup:

I would have to ask Henry... and this would take days!
I will certainly post all the new ones... that I know about. He doesn't always tell me either! I see him on solid works and ask what he's doing and it's always some tweak here or change there... often for something I have very little understanding of. I will say there are some neat things coming... a Henry "two weeks" away, but they are coming.

I imagine Henry's work would become very boring if he allowed the thing to plateau and never improve. It's those tweaks that make it fascinating.
He probably doesn't think anyone but him would be that interested.
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Hogo, thank you for sharing Henry's ethos about his lights. I was using mine on the ride back from the bottlo (liquor store) and now find I have a deeper appreciation for the " toughest work of art" I own.

I wonder if there is a way to further simplify or reduce the amount of electronic parts inside. Also is there anything inside that can fail / disintegrate after 10 or 20 years (even when not used)? Capacitors used to fail after 10-15 years, but I am not sure if there are any inside HDS (probably no) and if that's still an issue. A lot of the plastic parts tend to get more brittle by time. Probably same for rubber gaskets .. On the other hand, I don't need a flashlight to last a lifetime, but knowing it will turn on after 10 or 20 years is nice...

Daniel_sk said:

I don't need a flashlight to last a lifetime, but knowing it will turn on after 10 or 20 years is nice...

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My oldest HDS was made in 2004 and still works quite literally like new. I've never even replaced the o-rings or switch boot, although its a simple job when the time finally comes. I'm sure the parts inside have a lifespan specification provided by their manufacturer, and I'm sure its not "forever", but I'd be willing to bet this one still has tons of life left.

Thanks, that's quite impressive. I am contemplating about buying a HDS (I had a Ra Rotary with that double white/red LED many years ago, but sold it). What about the rotary component? Are there metal plates touching/scraping metal while being operated? But I guess I would have to turn it a milion times to destroy the contacts.... I remember the SF U2 had a magnetic rotary switch with no moving parts.

Magnetic systems (Hall effect sensors) like you mentioned are used by lots of flashlights but the HDS Rotary has mechanical contacts. They're gold-plated "fingers" atop gold contacts. Gold is perfect for this application because it's basically inert, it will not oxidize or corrode, and it's highly resistant to abrasion or frictional wear. I don't know what the lifespan of those gold fingers is, but I do know the Rotary had been around a long time now and I've never heard of one just wearing out.

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Dan, there's pictures of the rotary mechanism here....
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...stems-EDC-19&p=5115167&viewfull=1#post5115167

There's a few banks in the tail(can't rmember how many) of gold plated combs which brush over gold plated plates to send the signals to the driver in the head.
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Thanks guys! The link with pictures of the inside is very helpful.

You should try one, pick it up on the WTS Forum, if you don't like it you can probably sell it again for the same price and just lose the shipping cost.
There's a guy on here called indigon, his signature is...
"Do yourself a favor, pick up an HDS Rotary and EDC it for a week.. -You can thank me later."
I cannot say more. I bought my first HDS from him.
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Daniel_sk
I ve had both clickies and rotaries and still have a few that I don't see going anywhere.
Only 1 of those is from 2014 and another one's tail from around the same time period. Never had a failure on a rotary or a Clicky but clickies aren't for me.
Henry's design is amazing and very adaptable for different situations. many think 200, 250, or even 325 lumens isn't much but with HDS it's plenty of you have the right emitter, reflector, and lens. I ve taken several lights, bought several parts used and new, switched and tweaked and figure I have some of the best configurations there is that give the best of what a HDS has to offer.
In addition you can buy a Clicky as in the high noon case (they don't do any more high noons), get you a Rotary tail... and have the head programmed to a rotary or tactical rotary.
You can take a rotary and have it reprogrammed to a Clicky... but you d have to get a Clicky tail. Costly but worth it in the long run. Basically options are many and that's something no other manufacturer will offer as far as I m aware.

Another note: the older rotary tails I prefer because they are very smooth and quiet. The switch takes about 2.5 lbs weight or what I call "trigger weight" to activate the light. The newer tails are very robust and improved design but I ve not seen one as smooth as the older ones and the trigger pull weight to activate runs up as far as 7.5 lbs. depending on your use you may want 2.5 or you may want 7-7.5 lbs the latter being much more stiff. If however the weight was at about 5 lbs that would be the best in my opinion.

But if you can only buy one then go for the rotary for sure unless it's a case of getting a discontinued emitter and Clicky is the only option.
My recommendation is the 325 NLT xpg-3. Great throw, nice useful tint and though it's not hi cri it's still an excellent all around light and there are still ways to improve what you see.

Thank you . I don't want to take this thread too much off-topic, but I think I would only settle on one HDS for now, I am kind of a minimalist. So I guess rotary would be a better choice. On the other hand I prefer simple solutions and clicky sounds more simple... Tough decision. I had the SF U2 which had variable 7 (?) levels and I felt like I don't need that many options, I need low/medium and then maximum. But that's probably okay as long as I can get the rotary behave this way and hide the rest of options. I found a Rotary XP-L 325 in EU for a quite good price (new). I would prefer the XP-G3 but this is sold out in EU and it's quite expensive to get from US... I think I don't prefer a warm-white option, more like neutral or I can "tolerate" a slightly cooler temperature as long as it's not blueish....

Henry's emitters are as close to clean white as you can get. It's only when you cross beams that you'll see the difference.
The straight 325 XP-L is an excellent choice.
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