Gents, I had a Gladius over the weekend for examination and stacked it up next to my U2 with some interesting results. There are no "cons" to either light that I could see, but different sets of "pros."
One thing I was wondering about was differences in output. The only light meter I have is an old Weston (circa 1960) which measures 0 - 1600 of something. It is a consistent device, but I have no idea what the increments of measure are.
Anyway, on momentary "on," the Gladius registers a solid "1600," while the U2 bounces the needle up off the scale. On its lowest level, the Gladius doesn't register at all, while the U2 on level 1 registers 400.
In the strobe mode, the Gladius bounces the needle to 400, suggesting that all that flash is no brighter than a U2's lowest level. It sure seems brighter than that, but apparently not. Also, I put a SF FM35 red filter on the Gladius (which just barely fit) to check out the strobe effect and it was pretty dim. There is no way you could shine it through your windshield and pull somebody over - too dim. With the filter off it is another story and I was seeing spots for a long time after a test flash.
Another question I had was their respective performance over an 8-hour period. I put a Pila 168s in the Gladius, a 168a in the U2 and calibrated the Gladius to the same light level as the U2 on level 1. This is a job because the Gladius tailcap is like a dimmer switch and you have to hit it just right.
Both lights ran 8 hours and still had plenty of juice.
Then I calibrated the Gladius to the U2's level 3, which registered 850 on my meter. This is the equivalent to an Arc LS2 and I find that level useful because I can usually see the floor/stairs in smoke filled environments. More light tends to light up the smoke instead.
After 8 hours the U2 was still going strong at all levels including level 6. The Gladius was all but dead and even momentary "on" would only produce mid-range light levels. There was nothing fair about this test since the 168a holds more juice than a 168s, but I always carry a 168a in the U2 and was curious.
That strobe feature on the Gladius is interesting. It would be nice to know what the current draw is in this mode but that is tough to measure since the electronics are in the tailcap. Therefore, you can't measure current draw in the usual way and I haven't figured out a way to do it. IIRC, LEDs use most of their juice while firing up so there could be major current draw in strobe mode.
One thing I will say about the strobe is it is disconcerting to have that shined in your eyes. Whether or not it will incapacitate a guy remains to be seen, but it certainly won't cheer him up.
As far as beams go, the Gladius out-throws the U2 but not by much. The U2 out-floods the Gladius, but again it is not alot. Either light is in the same category but they have slightly different inclinations.
Personally, I think if you are in Fire/Search & Rescue you might be happier with the U2 because of light output v. burn time. However, if you have alot of hostile public contacts or spend considerable time crawling on your belly with a knife in your teeth the Gladius is just the thing. It can be dimmed way down and the strobe is interesting indeed.
One thing I was wondering about was differences in output. The only light meter I have is an old Weston (circa 1960) which measures 0 - 1600 of something. It is a consistent device, but I have no idea what the increments of measure are.
Anyway, on momentary "on," the Gladius registers a solid "1600," while the U2 bounces the needle up off the scale. On its lowest level, the Gladius doesn't register at all, while the U2 on level 1 registers 400.
In the strobe mode, the Gladius bounces the needle to 400, suggesting that all that flash is no brighter than a U2's lowest level. It sure seems brighter than that, but apparently not. Also, I put a SF FM35 red filter on the Gladius (which just barely fit) to check out the strobe effect and it was pretty dim. There is no way you could shine it through your windshield and pull somebody over - too dim. With the filter off it is another story and I was seeing spots for a long time after a test flash.
Another question I had was their respective performance over an 8-hour period. I put a Pila 168s in the Gladius, a 168a in the U2 and calibrated the Gladius to the same light level as the U2 on level 1. This is a job because the Gladius tailcap is like a dimmer switch and you have to hit it just right.
Both lights ran 8 hours and still had plenty of juice.
Then I calibrated the Gladius to the U2's level 3, which registered 850 on my meter. This is the equivalent to an Arc LS2 and I find that level useful because I can usually see the floor/stairs in smoke filled environments. More light tends to light up the smoke instead.
After 8 hours the U2 was still going strong at all levels including level 6. The Gladius was all but dead and even momentary "on" would only produce mid-range light levels. There was nothing fair about this test since the 168a holds more juice than a 168s, but I always carry a 168a in the U2 and was curious.
That strobe feature on the Gladius is interesting. It would be nice to know what the current draw is in this mode but that is tough to measure since the electronics are in the tailcap. Therefore, you can't measure current draw in the usual way and I haven't figured out a way to do it. IIRC, LEDs use most of their juice while firing up so there could be major current draw in strobe mode.
One thing I will say about the strobe is it is disconcerting to have that shined in your eyes. Whether or not it will incapacitate a guy remains to be seen, but it certainly won't cheer him up.
As far as beams go, the Gladius out-throws the U2 but not by much. The U2 out-floods the Gladius, but again it is not alot. Either light is in the same category but they have slightly different inclinations.
Personally, I think if you are in Fire/Search & Rescue you might be happier with the U2 because of light output v. burn time. However, if you have alot of hostile public contacts or spend considerable time crawling on your belly with a knife in your teeth the Gladius is just the thing. It can be dimmed way down and the strobe is interesting indeed.
