Best Alternate to HDS Systems Rotary?

alexinc

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What, in your opinion, are the viable competitors to HDS Systems Rotary? I am really interested in one for EDC (pairing it with a Benchmade Mini Griptilian) but the $300 pricetag is gut wrenching. Any competitors that have a rotary for brightness, tailcap on/off, and made in USA that are more in the $150-$175 and under range?
 

flatline

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Are you just looking for a rotary mechanism? Or do you like the HDS for other reasons as well?

A friend of mine, after dragging his feet for 2 years, finally bought the HDS rotary with his Christmas + Birthday money this year. Now he's talking about buying another.

My advice to you is to buy the HDS. If you don't like it, it sells easy on the marketplace so you won't be out much money. But if you DO like it, you can keep it forever.

--flatline
 

Sos24

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Not U.S. made and not the same quality but
- Nitecore SRT3 (discontinued)
- Sunwayman V10R, V11R
- Jetbeam RRT-01 Raptor

I'be tried the SRT3, V11R and Raptor. To me all three are good lights, but not the same quality as an HDS. If you are really wanting an HDS Rotary, I'd save for one. They frequently come up on the used market so you might find one that way.
 

alexinc

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I think y'all are right, I probably won't be happy with a cheaper alternative. Dah, that price though! I looked back on and the used HDS didn't really sell for much lower than what they sell for brand new. I think a lot of them were upgraded versions than the base model, but still - most of the ones I saw were like $20-$30 in savings. At that point, not worth it to me I'd rather have a brand spanking new one!
 

WarriorOfLight

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You may think about getting a Stainless Steel Rotary. Even if it is @ $590, this light will than not only 100% indestructible, it will than be 1000% indestructible. Currently the pre-order is still possible.
 

alexinc

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Man, even if I had the money I just could never pay $600 without feeling guilty. Trying to buy another firearm as well;)
 

alexinc

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Would like to know if anyone thinks the clip on the HDS is just too clunky and better without it?
 

WarriorOfLight

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Man, even if I had the money I just could never pay $600 without feeling guilty. Trying to buy another firearm as well;)

That was the wrong answer :D, but the reason is I am not addicted to firearms at all. I like a good looking flashlight more:
Gm2hzm8.jpg

From L. to r. Black with SS Bezel, Bronze Bare Aluminium, Titanium, Brass, Black with Black Bezel

And my HDS Backup Strategy as of 2018:
ELh3jbs.jpg


Would like to know if anyone thinks the clip on the HDS is just too clunky and better without it?
The Rotary Clip is not that bad, but I personally do not use a clip on my Rotaries. Only my Clickies have a Clip!
 
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daffy

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That was the wrong answer :D, but the reason is I am not addicted to firearms at all. I like a good looking flashlight more:
Gm2hzm8.jpg

From L. to r. Black with SS Bezel, Bronze Bare Aluminium, Titanium, Brass, Black with Black Bezel

And my HDS Backup Strategy as of 2018:
ELh3jbs.jpg



The Rotary Clip is not that bad, but I personally do not use a clip on my Rotaries. Only my Clickies have a Clip!
I spot a distinct lack of back up lights... :)
 

DayofReckoning

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Alex, look into the HDS systems lights, and you may find there can be far more hype and fanboyism than actual substance to those lights, and we will go into detail on that. But for recommending a light, the question is, does it have to be a rotary light? If not, I would recommend Zebralight for the following reasons.

(a.) All electronics are fully potted just like the HDS for ruggedness, and the lights have a strong reputation of robustness and reliability. More so than any other Chinese maker.

(b.) The 18650 model is SMALLER and LIGHTER than an HDS 16340 model, all while offering nearly 7 times the battery capacity in a smaller and lighter package.

(c.) Can not only output over 7 times as much light as the brightest HDS, but also has the option of running a reduced output equal or better to the HDS, and still provide just as good, if not better runtimes, along with no overheating due to the excellent design. All while having access to 1000's of lumens at an instant if you need it, and not being stuck with the paltry 325 lumen output of the HDS.

(d.) Zebralight is much more efficient at lower brightness levels. The HDS is actually inefficient at it's lower output settings. This is documented.

(e.) Most Zebralight models have more throw than comparable HDS models. The HDS has a throwy punchy hotspot, but Zebralight can win on sheer grunt. They also make an SC600W HI model that would be a good comparison to HDS on throw.

(f.) Machining, threads, and anodizing are phenomenal and of the highest quality available. Hold one in hand, and you will be convinced. I've held the best, and I am convinced. Hold the HDS and Zebralight as the same time, and tell us if you see anything to justify triple the price.

(g.) The UI and what is best a subject thing, but I, along with many, many others feel the Zebralight UI is the best on the market. Not only does it allow you to fully customize each and every output level (six in total), but it allows you to instantly choose between Low, Medium, and High all instantly. You also have three different mode groups you can configure and save. The HDS does not have this capability.

(h.) No compromised drill hole in the tailcap. Yes, the HDS design actually contains a literal drill hole in the tailcap, which they used to actually send out just bare until customers started complaining. Now, they fill the hole with a small plug. Some will argue that this hole isn't a compromise, that it's above the Orings. This is false. The drill hole is completely a compromised design, and an exceptionally poor one at that. The water/material that could potentially enter the light and be stopped by the oring would never had entered in the first place had the hole not been there. Furthermore, I recall a report of someone getting sand inside the hole, and having to have the light disassembled to remove it. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...HDS-Rotary-Why-is-there-a-hole-in-the-tailcap

(i.) Quality control. At HDS, emitters that are lazily and sloppy off center, cracks in reflectors, ringy beams, LED's that aren't even properly soldered to the pad, poor quality knurling jobs, and cerekote that the fingernail peels right off are considered "Cosmetic" issues and are not covered by warranty. In fact, the QA is poor enough that they have actually made a page on their site dedicated to addressing this, and proclaim that these poor workmanship practices have no bearing on the lights actually performance or utility. Basically, charge for perfection, but provide less than that. Google these issues here on CPF, you may be surprised. https://www.hdssystems.com/Content/LightFaq/

(j.) Not sure where you are located, but to us American's, being made in the USA is an important thing. And Zebralight, although manufactured in China, is a US based company, and the lights are designed right here in the US by Americans.

(k.) Costs 1/3rd of what HDS wants for what can be argued is a lesser light. $89 to $99 dollars versus over $300 for the base model Rotary. If one wanted an 18650 HDS, which is double the size and weight of a Zebralight, jack that price up to over $400. Ouch.

Hype and fanboyism is a very powerful thing. One not need to look any further than the first page of this thread for it. You indicate that you want an HDS, but are leery of the price, and a suggestion comes in to go all in and buy a special run edition of the same exact light, but in an exotic metal/finish, for double the price of what you have already indicated is too much money. :shakehead

Some of the responses you can expect to see is "But the HDS can be smashed off the wall over and over, be shot by shotguns, and still survive". Yeah, so can other lights too. Check into how many failures of HDS's you can find reports of, you may be surprised. It's far from the totally indestructible light the hype would lead you to believe.

And finally, don't get hung up on the "Made in the USA" part too much. What you will find is many of these USA made premium lights are filled with overseas parts that are no different than what other makers are using, instead you pay a premium for the name branding.

If you don't NEED that rotary, then I suggest you really give Zebralight a look. They are similar to HDS in that, they have been perfecting their design of the same light for years now, each and every new model being generally the same as last, but with refined improvements. Basically, the same as HDS claims, only with real performance and data to back up the said improvements.

EDIT: Also noticed you asked for a tailcap switch. The Zebralight has the traditional type switch position, but it is very good, well placed, recessed yet easy to find, and feels very natural and easy to use.
 
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carrot

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Tell us how you really feel, DayofReckoning. My HDS and Zebralight get along fine.

OP indicated they wanted specifically a rotary switch. There are nearly no (modern) flashlights on the market that have a rotary switch, and the only one that is any good at all is the HDS Rotary.

Zebralight makes a fine light. I am happy to own and carry them. When I took a long hiatus from the flashlight game, I carried nothing but an SC52d for a few years. Seriously.

HDS also makes a fine light. I do not feel they are overpriced; they have a unique offering and are priced accordingly. Any component that can be, is sourced from the USA, as evidenced by the headaches HDS goes through as they lose vendors shuttering due to overseas competitors.

I only own four of these things. Each one is, as far as I can see, flawless, but they have also been dropped, dinged, and generally beat up a bit. Don calls his beautiful art "tool lights" and warns that they may come with tooling marks, fingerprints, maybe even a hair. I think Henry is allowed to play by the same rules, given that they are disclosed as such up front. An HDS light is ugly, and it is meant to be used and beaten up.

I went through all of my lights and I discovered that my 10 year old HDS Clicky with SSC P4 High CRI is the oldest light that still meets modern standards: CRI, warm tint, rechargeable. HDS is an anachronism, simultaneously outdated and cutting-edge. In a sea of lights that are really same-y, HDS is pretty special. (By the way, I've been carrying it.)

My first HDS Rotary is 6 years old now. My Zebralight SC52d is 5 years old now.

I would agree that Zebralight represents a steal of a value in the flashlight world, with class-leading electronics in a jaw-droppingly small package. They are even good-looking. I vacillate on a daily basis whether I like my SC64c LE best or my HDS Rotary SS40.

But they are very different lights, and if OP strongly desires an HDS then I think buying something else will ultimately be a compromise.
 
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lion504

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HDS quality is great, and the customer service is amazing. The HDS driver includes many additional features not avail in ZL UI: true momentary, pseudo momentary, locator beacon, auto turn off, candlemode, etc. Also, firmware is upgradeable down the road. These are features I'm willing to pay extra for, YMMV.

"The drill hole is completely a compromised design, and an exceptionally poor one at that." - Wow, this is quite a claim. Conjecture, or based on first-hand engineering analysis? Even if this claim is true, it's comparing apples (non-Rotary ZL) to oranges (HDS Rotary). The better comparison IMHO is the ZL clicky to the HDS Clicky. And the HDS Clicky does not have this hole.
 
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PoliceScannerMan

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Like others have said go with the HDS! Worst case u sell it for slightly less than you paid. The new Samsung 300L rotary is coming out soon and sounds like it's got a good beam.
 

DayofReckoning

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Tell us how you really feel, DayofReckoning. My HDS and Zebralight get along fine.

OP indicated they wanted specifically a rotary switch. There are nearly no (modern) flashlights on the market that have a rotary switch, and the only one that is any good at all is the HDS Rotary.

Zebralight makes a fine light. I am happy to own and carry them. When I took a long hiatus from the flashlight game, I carried nothing but an SC52d for a few years. Seriously.

HDS also makes a fine light. I do not feel they are overpriced; they have a unique offering and are priced accordingly. Any component that can be, is sourced from the USA, as evidenced by the headaches HDS goes through as they lose vendors shuttering due to overseas competitors.

I only own four of these things. Each one is, as far as I can see, flawless, but they have also been dropped, dinged, and generally beat up a bit. Don calls his beautiful art "tool lights" and warns that they may come with tooling marks, fingerprints, maybe even a hair. I think Henry is allowed to play by the same rules, given that they are disclosed as such up front. An HDS light is ugly, and it is meant to be used and beaten up.

I went through all of my lights and I discovered that my 10 year old HDS Clicky with SSC P4 High CRI is the oldest light that still meets modern standards: CRI, warm tint, rechargeable. HDS is an anachronism, simultaneously outdated and cutting-edge. In a sea of lights that are really same-y, HDS is pretty special. (By the way, I've been carrying it.)

My first HDS Rotary is 6 years old now. My Zebralight SC52d is 5 years old now.

I would agree that Zebralight represents a steal of a value in the flashlight world, with class-leading electronics in a jaw-droppingly small package. They are even good-looking. I vacillate on a daily basis whether I like my SC64c LE best or my HDS Rotary SS40.

But they are very different lights, and if OP strongly desires an HDS then I think buying something else will ultimately be a compromise.


Carrot, my first goal was to simply offer the OP a different option and consideration. Although my suggestion does not exactly suggest a light of what the OP asked for, I just simply wanted to offer a choice that may meet some of his standards, and let him know that there are other UI's that can be a useful as a Rotary. If the OP disregards my advice, no harm at all, and no offense taken.

As far as how I feel? Well, I see suggestions here to the OP that they abandon their instinct, and spend far more than the budget they put forth for something else, with no real numbers or substance put into what is justifying the cost of that HDS they are suggesting the OP pony up their hard earned cash for. I simply choose the Zebralight for comparison as that is the closest light that I feel compares to the HDS, as far out variable light output, and that I am knowledgeable enough to confidently suggest, and in a price point they suggested.

The second comment I'm afraid is a combination of bias and also being misinformed. There are many other, high quality rotaries on the market. The Jetbeam RRT-01 is one recent example. We have a few members here that are very familiar with some of the other models available, though admittedly some of the very fine models such as the Sunwayman's are discontinued and must be picked up second hand. What's "better" mean? In what regard, and what usefulness? You mean ruggedness and durability? Absolutely, the HDS is better than the Jetbeam. Performance? The HDS I'm afraid is quite the slouch compared to some of the competition.

If you do not feel that they are overpriced, and are in the current market "priced accordingly", and that the rotary control of the HDS is unique, despite other high quality models on the market having the same thing, can you please tell us what exactly makes them not overpriced? Can we provide some numbers and data on that? Or is it simply one of those "just hold one and you'll know" type of things? I don't doubt they are built extremely tough, it's the lackluster performance is what takes a very big chunk out of the "it's worth it" value of the HDS lights, in my opinion. Combine that with the very, very good durability of the "lesser" lights.


Carrot, I'm glad that you own both, and I appreciate that you can use both happily together. But the OP asked for a suitable replacement for the HDS, so I imagine that it's of priority to them to get the best one they can for the money they have to spend/want to spend. The OP indicated that the HDS's price is "gut wrenching" from which I agree. Having both doesn't sound like a viable option.

The third comment. I'm glad your lights are flawless. So are many others of the highest quality lights of other brands. Problem with that, is many others HDS's are not. If the run of the mill Chinese lights can get centered emitters, the HDS should. Sorry, the explanation and excuse that HDS gives on their site doesn't hold water, non centered emitters are the result of poor workmanship, period. There is no excuse, especially for that price, and despite what some may say, they can in fact affect the beam pattern.

Although I chose to directly compare the HDS to the Zebralight here, I also wanted to take this opportunity to bring up several key issues with the HDS lights that potential buyers should be aware of in a sea of praise.

I agree with some of the things you brought up. But much of what is there is the same old strawman, tiresome, opinionated arguments that are repeated at nauseum over this light. More about feelings than facts many times. But I do agree they are very different lights indeed.

With that said, if the OP can be convinced to get an HDS, good for them. In fact, looking now since beginning typing this, I see a WTB from them. Whatever they end up with, I hope the light meets their needs.
 
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DayofReckoning

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HDS quality is great, and the customer service is amazing. The HDS driver includes many additional features not avail in ZL UI: true momentary, pseudo momentary, locator beacon, auto turn off, candlemode, etc. Also, firmware is upgradeable down the road. These are features I'm willing to pay extra for, YMMV.

"The drill hole is completely a compromised design, and an exceptionally poor one at that." - Wow, this is quite a claim. Conjecture, or based on first-hand engineering analysis? Even if this claim is true, it's comparing apples (non-Rotary ZL) to oranges (HDS Rotary). The better comparison IMHO is the ZL clicky to the HDS Clicky. And the HDS Clicky does not have this hole.

Good points made about the HDS Lion.

The drill hole, not conjecture, common sense. Tell me, what is a stronger, and a more integral design. An HDS with a drill hole, or one without? Don't need an engineering degree to figure that one out.
 

alexinc

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I appreciate the discussion. This is the kind of stuff I like to read. For reference I like to support brands made in USA. I am just sick of Chinese junk and the disposable nature from stuff made there. I will research zebra light as I am not opposed to it completely. For example, I use Goruck backpacks, benchmade folding knives. I like quality but I want value as well. I know that at times brands develop a cult following and prices are justified even if value does not follow. It is what happened to goruck as well. I guess that's what I am trying to find out with hds but I've never held one. And yes I'm not some torch connoisseur that will appreciate the connectors inside or not overdriving the parts or etc. I just want a high quality light that is rugged but also up to date on modern day performance related to price. Even charging 50 bucks for the clip alone makes me not want a rotary but the executive instead. I don't care about exotic metals, I prefer base models (not just in lights but all products. I'm a classics sort of guy.

I put a wtb to see if there were any more reasonable price to be had. Most of the used prices I saw were just 20-30 bucks less than buying brand new. I guess it's good to see high resale value but at those price points it makes more sense to buy from the company.
 

DayofReckoning

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I also missed Archimedes post, the Surefire and Peak are very good, low cost suggestions for the OP that are very well made and reliable.
 

DayofReckoning

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I appreciate the discussion. This is the kind of stuff I like to read. For reference I like to support brands made in USA. I am just sick of Chinese junk and the disposable nature from stuff made there. I will research zebra light as I am not opposed to it completely. For example, I use Goruck backpacks, benchmade folding knives. I like quality but I want value as well. I know that at times brands develop a cult following and prices are justified even if value does not follow. It is what happened to goruck as well. I guess that's what I am trying to find out with hds but I've never held one. And yes I'm not some torch connoisseur that will appreciate the connectors inside or not overdriving the parts or etc. I just want a high quality light that is rugged but also up to date on modern day performance related to price. Even charging 50 bucks for the clip alone makes me not want a rotary but the executive instead. I don't care about exotic metals, I prefer base models (not just in lights but all products. I'm a classics sort of guy.

I put a wtb to see if there were any more reasonable price to be had. Most of the used prices I saw were just 20-30 bucks less than buying brand new. I guess it's good to see high resale value but at those price points it makes more sense to buy from the company.

I despise having the buy overseas lights Alex, I take pride in buying American. But I'm afraid that, in my opinion, overseas lights have come just too far ahead in value and performance. Having Zebralight based in Texas, and knowing the lights are designed there by Americans is the best compromise I have found, and takes some of that "Chinese made" sting away.
 
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