Nobody talks about the Heliotek HTE... Why?

They even recently released a new version of their HTE. Why doesnt anybody talk about their experiences with them? I was considering buying one in the future.

I can't get over how intensely ugly that light is. I know, dumb reason to not buying a light, but for me a light has to be at least somewhat aestetically pleasing to consider. My other gripe is that using alkalines voids the warantee.

Cost of ownership is fairly high for this light. That and it's ugly. Getting past the ugly part though, Energizer has exclusive rights to produce the batteries, and therefore have a monopoly and can charge whatever they want. If you want to keep your warranty (and you probably should if you plan on testing the quality of the components) then you've got to buy only those batteries, and only from Energizer.

A five star light is just not worth the money if it costs so much to maintain. If it suits your needs perfectly though, it might be worth it. For the casual flashaholic though...what a hassle!

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Mags said:
They even recently released a new version of their HTE. Why doesnt anybody talk about their experiences with them?

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They're ugly, expensive and awkward.

Never heard of it until today...so I just looked it up.

My god! My dog could poop out a better looking light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

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BatteryCharger said:
Never heard of it until today...so I just looked it up.

My god! My dog could poop out a better looking light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

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LOL! And probably true. (that is how ugly this light is)

Sure, it's a physically ugly flashlight, but flashlights are meant to be tools, not jewels. So I did not take into account its physical appearance when I rated it.

It is nothing special. why would I get it over a Surefire E2L? I wouldnt, its too big, and like they said its ugly. It looks like a 3 year old put some legos together and walla! The ugliest light in the market.

-David

I didn't think anyone could make a flashlight as ugly as the Reactor... but compared to the Heliotek... it's a beaut!

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The_LED_Museum said:
Sure, it's a physically ugly flashlight, but flashlights are meant to be tools, not jewels. So I did not take into account its physical appearance when I rated it.

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They're supposed to be pretty when you spend 100 smackers on them. Why else would you spend that much? You can slap a luxeon in just about anything for well under half that...

You guys crack me up...

It is obvious that you have never held one in your hand. It's a great light.

I used mine all weekend and found it very comfortable to hold and use. It also out threw my Brinkman XL and my Q3, and a few other lights I had with me.

The funny thing is that in the pitch black of the woods, I did not notice the shape of the light at all. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nana.gif I did notice that it was capable of a very diffused light for trail walkiing, and with a slight squeeze you also had a very tight spot for distance work.

A full 7 hours of rock steady regulated light output will not have me changing batteries all that often. With that kind of performance, I think I can afford to put Energizer Lithium's in it.

Your E2L would sink to the bottom of the lake where this light will float at the surface. If I have to back pack into an area, weight matters.

Perhaps you folks should check out the reviews section for some more information on the light...

Tom

I know that this light has many excellent features but the fact that it takes 2AA's but is twice as large as a minimag really puts me off.

ha ha, that thing is ODD looking
if your going to waste so much space, why not balance the space out with some batteries.
i hate most of the reflectors out there, for thier rings and stuff, but wasting that much space on the reflector is not an improvement.
i do like the SPOT, and the ability to change to flood, ALL with a nicer beam instead of donut rings with black holes.
3 AAs and no curcuit trash, or 3Cs and it would be great.
WTF is a l-91 and how do you find them at the campground trading post

l91 is my missprint of L91 which is Energizer's name for the Lithium Battery. FWIW..I also did a runtime plot using Batery Station's Li light...no difference between the two.

it's just too expensive for me. i also don't know how i feel about the switch.

but other than that it looks like an awesome light that i'd trust my life with in the Maine woods in the middle of winter, or elsewhere. the light has some of the best regulation you can get your hands on.

i have no problem voiding the warranty, so the battery selection isn't a big concern. besides, it might be a karmic repercussion for their buyers to use other brands and just lie to them if they have a problem. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif

The only real extra the HTE has over the ProPolymer Luxeon is the diffuser. That must be one mighty fine diffuser to be worth $67 USD....