I recommend Panasonic for primaries (check out eBay for reasonably prices in quantity) and AW IMR16340 for rechargeables. I have and use both, primarily using the rechargeables but keep a few dozen primaries on-hand as well.
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Flashlights
- Thread starter Need2Know
- Start date
I recommend Panasonic for primaries (check out eBay for reasonably prices in quantity) and AW IMR16340 for rechargeables. I have and use both, primarily using the rechargeables but keep a few dozen primaries on-hand as well.
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- Jan 12, 2011
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I just got a shipment of 50 Panasonics cr123's from a site I have PM'd a few who requested info.
I paid $1.35 ea. if memory serves.
Nice battery. Made in USA as are Surefires and Duracells. The site has a house brand (made in China) the test very well and I think can be had for about $.90 ea.
I paid $1.35 ea. if memory serves.
Nice battery. Made in USA as are Surefires and Duracells. The site has a house brand (made in China) the test very well and I think can be had for about $.90 ea.
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ML-
I would offer, Like what you like - don't worry about what others see or say. Your Lights-Your eyes.....like what you like.
Few follow-ups to answer a couple of your comments or observations.
The "clicky" swith on the HDS doesn't click because it is an electronic actuator not a mechanical one. Reportedly tested and reliable for 1,000,000 + on/off cycles.
The 200 (IMO) is much more desireable in a rotary because of the "right tool" feeling it engenders. I use the rotary all the time.
Yes, you bought some "expensive" lights - I have priced some of the trully custom Ti lights and (for me) they simply pierce a ceiling I never knew I had - just too much $$ for what the offer.
I have compared my lesser lumen HDS's to some higher rated offerings and find the "ratings" to be more subjective than they should be but since some rate OTF and some rate the LED itself and blah blah.
I go out back and shoot them into the woods, now it's problematic in the sense that by the time I can test them - I already bought them but, they can be returned. It is maddening that different manufacturers rate things making unrealistic representations in order to sell product.
All the more reason (IMO) to support the more reputable builders.
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- Sep 6, 2012
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- 948
I am very much enjoying HDS with Nichia 219. They only made a few or they can be modded. I think it's my favorite emitter except...
I also really like the MC-E with the quad die and similar color 4500K in the Prometheus. The beam is just amazing, bright, wide, even. Lights with this emitter are not easy to find though.
I have so many lights and really need to start doing some beam shots.
I also really like the MC-E with the quad die and similar color 4500K in the Prometheus. The beam is just amazing, bright, wide, even. Lights with this emitter are not easy to find though.
I have so many lights and really need to start doing some beam shots.
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- Jan 12, 2011
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Guys..... great thread and as for "private" flashlight advice, that's what this thread (by N2K) I won't speak for him but I will say - ask here. I'll tell you what I think and I'm sure several other In-the-Light so to speak members will share knowlege.
I'm not holding back on you, I will steer you the best way for you based on what you tell me. I couldn't care less about my preferences when it comes to your light.... tell me what you think you like or want and I promise I/we will direct you to some options.
No need for secrecy or "hey, whats really the one to get".
I'm not holding back on you, I will steer you the best way for you based on what you tell me. I couldn't care less about my preferences when it comes to your light.... tell me what you think you like or want and I promise I/we will direct you to some options.
No need for secrecy or "hey, whats really the one to get".
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- Feb 11, 2012
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My HDS LE 140 clicky arrived yesterday and I am very pleased with the build quality, appears to be brighter than other torches I have that are rated higher in lumens. I have finally realized there are so many factors involved with matching the right light for your intended purpose. Selecting the "right" torch is like having the right sized and grind Hinderer for intended purpose.
I have zeroed in on Hinderer 3.5 inch XM 18 spanto grind for my my EDC needs, right now HDS is leading the pack for EDC flashlight, just need to dial it in. Thanks all for the great dialogue and informative info.
I have zeroed in on Hinderer 3.5 inch XM 18 spanto grind for my my EDC needs, right now HDS is leading the pack for EDC flashlight, just need to dial it in. Thanks all for the great dialogue and informative info.
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- Jan 12, 2011
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Good. Glad to hear it F.O. - My feelings regarding EDC lights as we sit currently. I am simply no longer interested with anything made elsewhere.
I want flexibility on battery(s). I want as close to Hinderer Quality as I can get (and that includes weight) I need the thing to "work" when I need it to, If I fished it out and turned it "on" it's probably because I needed it to.
I need it to suit me and my needs (one handed ops, rotary or programmable, dependable and reliable, utilitarian in both form and function)
LOW needs to be low more than High needs to be a weapon.... I want the thing regulated so the runtime is respectable as well as consistent.
I don't need it to be the first thing I opt to save if the flood waters take my pants because I still owe 59 payments on it.
The HDS is still in my pocket right next to my wallet and my Hinderer Wharnie
I want flexibility on battery(s). I want as close to Hinderer Quality as I can get (and that includes weight) I need the thing to "work" when I need it to, If I fished it out and turned it "on" it's probably because I needed it to.
I need it to suit me and my needs (one handed ops, rotary or programmable, dependable and reliable, utilitarian in both form and function)
LOW needs to be low more than High needs to be a weapon.... I want the thing regulated so the runtime is respectable as well as consistent.
I don't need it to be the first thing I opt to save if the flood waters take my pants because I still owe 59 payments on it.
The HDS is still in my pocket right next to my wallet and my Hinderer Wharnie
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- Aug 31, 2011
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- 7,247
Yes, the HDS are quality lights and mine have yet to fail to function. I cannot make that same claim about foreign-made lights. Even some of the nicer ones have a flicker or failure or other anomaly from time to time.
But, I'm not done with my light quest and have not given up on other makers. That said, I'll buy a custom built or hand assembled limited piece or a next-generation HDS before I'll jump in and throw another $50-$200 on a mass produced light. Speaking only to my primary that seeks to meet the parameters posted early on in this thread.
But, I'm not done with my light quest and have not given up on other makers. That said, I'll buy a custom built or hand assembled limited piece or a next-generation HDS before I'll jump in and throw another $50-$200 on a mass produced light. Speaking only to my primary that seeks to meet the parameters posted early on in this thread.
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- Feb 20, 2011
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- 333
Alas my HCRI is stuck in Monroe N.Y. USPS....for over a day!... its like 40miles away might as well be 400..... no estimates on arrival was supposed to be here yesterday. Congrats FO glad you like the 140! ...Ugghhh just realized the shipper shipped to the wrong building number! just emailed him, its right on my invoice but wrong on his shipping email....now I've got to go through postal hell to try to get it corrected, probably I can't do a thing, and its got to go through the vendor,......nooooooowaaaaaaaay I bet it's got to be returned and re-shipped, uuuugggggghhhhhhhh , ok I'm an adult, stop whining suck it up, waaaaaa waaaaa i want my flashlight, i want my flashlight....STOP IT SUCK IT UP! ok guys please post more HDS pics to satiate my inner child, Please please, hey rubi can you do more beam shots or something? No wait I got it, N2K can fix this, its not about the HDS, its about the perfect light right, thats the ticket, I can wait its ok, that HDS is ok, but its not perfect,...... right?
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I feel your frustration Wowcoop, it will get sorted out and your elation upon arrival will be magnified. So frustrating when one has to relinquish control to another to have something done for you.
In 2012 I won Rick's lottery early on and was able to buy my one and only custom, had it shipped from Atlanta using two day, super duper nothing can go wrong shipping with a boat load of insurance on it. Well 4 days later following the on line tracking that read like a novelette and numerous telephone calls that get directed to the abyss with the empty suit telling me that my insurance will cover the package if it doesn't get delivered and I can purchase a replacement ( yea right like that is an option). Does the insurance cover the flight to Atlanta, hotel accommodations, waiting through two Hinderer lotteries and excitement of finally landing a custom.
Well it finally arrived and my excitement was just overwhelming and it is my favorite knife because of the whole journey to make it finally into my hands.
Good luck my friend and the wait will be worth the aggravation.
In 2012 I won Rick's lottery early on and was able to buy my one and only custom, had it shipped from Atlanta using two day, super duper nothing can go wrong shipping with a boat load of insurance on it. Well 4 days later following the on line tracking that read like a novelette and numerous telephone calls that get directed to the abyss with the empty suit telling me that my insurance will cover the package if it doesn't get delivered and I can purchase a replacement ( yea right like that is an option). Does the insurance cover the flight to Atlanta, hotel accommodations, waiting through two Hinderer lotteries and excitement of finally landing a custom.
Well it finally arrived and my excitement was just overwhelming and it is my favorite knife because of the whole journey to make it finally into my hands.
Good luck my friend and the wait will be worth the aggravation.
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- Aug 31, 2011
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Final, wowcoop, and the rest...had I known early on that this thread would become what it seems to have become; I would have changed my order of one 200 Rotary into two. That way allowing a limited unofficial type pass-around to trusted folks.
Now, it's a bit too late for various reasons. Hindsight and such...
Now, it's a bit too late for various reasons. Hindsight and such...
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- Sep 6, 2012
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- 948
The older HDS have much better knurling unfortunately...
this is for people who commented that the HDS is slippery, I am finding that applies much more to their newest runs.
I guess slippery and available is better than nice knurling not available but it is worth noting.
this is for people who commented that the HDS is slippery, I am finding that applies much more to their newest runs.
I guess slippery and available is better than nice knurling not available but it is worth noting.
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- May 1, 2011
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- 74
Two modded SF L1 lights, each with 600 lumens on max. 
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- Feb 11, 2012
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N2K it certainly is strange how after a year and one half and eighteen pages later how your initial post evolved ! That is what I call a good thread, inviting many different ideas with respect and enlightenment among all participants.
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@franz: It sure is a shame the older lights had the less-slippery texture. Bring it back!
@Hiro: If they were smaller, maybe...what is the OAL?
@Final: I'm in rarefied space around here. No Mod responsibilities but an unearned respect all the same. I recognize it, never abuse it and am grateful for it.
@Hiro: If they were smaller, maybe...what is the OAL?
@Final: I'm in rarefied space around here. No Mod responsibilities but an unearned respect all the same. I recognize it, never abuse it and am grateful for it.
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- Jan 4, 2013
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It may be of some interest to a few people around here, so I thought I'd share my early thoughts on the Lens Light mini. I'll try and take post up a few photos later, but for now a least a little review for anyone who may be interested.
A few years ago I created a simple person scale for rating any item I purchased. I try specifically not break it down too much in ratings (especially since it is largely for myself) and because often the intangibles are difficult to quantify. The scale is a simple 1-10. One is the worst, generally meaning there was some terrible flaw, 2-4 usually meant the item had some positives but not enough for me to keep, 5 was the break even point where I would keep the item, 7.5 was the point where I was reasonably satisfied where finding an improvement is a low priority, and 9-10 is rarefied air of complete satisfaction. My scale is totally and completely subjective, but to be totally forthright- I'd rate the Lens Light Mini a firm 7.
The upsides are rather predictable. The light isn't as warm as some, but much warmer than I expected and actually creates pretty nice colors outside. The aspheric lens creates clean, pretty lines, and focusing feature is actually pretty fun to play with. Coming from my zebralight sc52 (which was my previous EDC), it is really easy to see the lens light is in a totally different class. It's warmer, more durable, better at throw, better at flood, and possesses a user interface that is actually practical. There really is no major flaw or area that this light is bad in, but neither is it perfect.
There are only really three issues I have with the light, and the first two are simple design choices. The aspheric lens makes a really pretty ring of light and in most situations (especially indoors) is really pleasing and fun, but outdoors when surveying a broad landscape you don't have that gradual spill helps your eyes adjust to the periphery. The flood covers a pretty large area, but outside of that area be prepared for blackness. The second is a pretty common complaint and one that I chose to ignore (mea culpa), is that there are only two modes and you must be careful which mode you leave your light on. With a 5 lumen mode and a 300 lumen mode, there is no useful super low for not ruining your night vision (or waking you or your significant other up on a late night bathroom trip), and though the 300 lumen isn't overpowering for most things it does mean that you can't really adjust down well to conserve battery life. Both are design choices that I can certainly defend as reasonable choices, but that I'm personally not 100% sold on. The third issue, I feel like is probably just me being picky and having a difference of opinion with the industry standard. While the flashlight can probably throw some light 200 yards as advertised (and one of these days, I'll get around to setting up full on yardage tests), I'm pretty skeptical at just how much or how useful the light would be at that distance. At 35 yards, I can flood the side of our workshop full on with no issues, but by about 80 yards not much visible light. Fully focused, I can see details pretty well at over 100 yards and I can tell I haven't exhausted the lights abilities, but neither can I imagine being able to see much detail at all 200 yards. I suspect that is more the industry standard for how far perceived light can be visible, but I don't see myself being able to easily identify a rabbit at 200 yards.
It seems there is far more negative about the light than positive, but that really isn't the case. I'm happy with this light, I see myself keeping it, but neither is this the end all be all for me. I need to set up a few more detailed and scientific tests on distances and the light. I also will probably adjust a little to the idiosyncrasies of an aspheric lens. I'm happy with this as a first attempt to find a light that hits a personal 9-10 range for me. It's not quite right, but at least it can keep me happy till I feel more confident that my second attempt is right in that range or this may have to tide me over till such a light is invented.
Crappy indoor pictures for now. Photos taken with an iphone 4 of a hallway and part of an extremely messy game room since the house is under construction. The distance from where I stand to the back window visible is roughly 45 feet.
300 Lumen mode, fully flood
300 Lumen mode, fully focused
5 Lumen mode, fully flood (basic low, indoor setting for me)
I'll try to measure out this distances between barns or something one day for real outdoor testing.
A few years ago I created a simple person scale for rating any item I purchased. I try specifically not break it down too much in ratings (especially since it is largely for myself) and because often the intangibles are difficult to quantify. The scale is a simple 1-10. One is the worst, generally meaning there was some terrible flaw, 2-4 usually meant the item had some positives but not enough for me to keep, 5 was the break even point where I would keep the item, 7.5 was the point where I was reasonably satisfied where finding an improvement is a low priority, and 9-10 is rarefied air of complete satisfaction. My scale is totally and completely subjective, but to be totally forthright- I'd rate the Lens Light Mini a firm 7.
The upsides are rather predictable. The light isn't as warm as some, but much warmer than I expected and actually creates pretty nice colors outside. The aspheric lens creates clean, pretty lines, and focusing feature is actually pretty fun to play with. Coming from my zebralight sc52 (which was my previous EDC), it is really easy to see the lens light is in a totally different class. It's warmer, more durable, better at throw, better at flood, and possesses a user interface that is actually practical. There really is no major flaw or area that this light is bad in, but neither is it perfect.
There are only really three issues I have with the light, and the first two are simple design choices. The aspheric lens makes a really pretty ring of light and in most situations (especially indoors) is really pleasing and fun, but outdoors when surveying a broad landscape you don't have that gradual spill helps your eyes adjust to the periphery. The flood covers a pretty large area, but outside of that area be prepared for blackness. The second is a pretty common complaint and one that I chose to ignore (mea culpa), is that there are only two modes and you must be careful which mode you leave your light on. With a 5 lumen mode and a 300 lumen mode, there is no useful super low for not ruining your night vision (or waking you or your significant other up on a late night bathroom trip), and though the 300 lumen isn't overpowering for most things it does mean that you can't really adjust down well to conserve battery life. Both are design choices that I can certainly defend as reasonable choices, but that I'm personally not 100% sold on. The third issue, I feel like is probably just me being picky and having a difference of opinion with the industry standard. While the flashlight can probably throw some light 200 yards as advertised (and one of these days, I'll get around to setting up full on yardage tests), I'm pretty skeptical at just how much or how useful the light would be at that distance. At 35 yards, I can flood the side of our workshop full on with no issues, but by about 80 yards not much visible light. Fully focused, I can see details pretty well at over 100 yards and I can tell I haven't exhausted the lights abilities, but neither can I imagine being able to see much detail at all 200 yards. I suspect that is more the industry standard for how far perceived light can be visible, but I don't see myself being able to easily identify a rabbit at 200 yards.
It seems there is far more negative about the light than positive, but that really isn't the case. I'm happy with this light, I see myself keeping it, but neither is this the end all be all for me. I need to set up a few more detailed and scientific tests on distances and the light. I also will probably adjust a little to the idiosyncrasies of an aspheric lens. I'm happy with this as a first attempt to find a light that hits a personal 9-10 range for me. It's not quite right, but at least it can keep me happy till I feel more confident that my second attempt is right in that range or this may have to tide me over till such a light is invented.
Crappy indoor pictures for now. Photos taken with an iphone 4 of a hallway and part of an extremely messy game room since the house is under construction. The distance from where I stand to the back window visible is roughly 45 feet.
300 Lumen mode, fully flood
300 Lumen mode, fully focused
5 Lumen mode, fully flood (basic low, indoor setting for me)
I'll try to measure out this distances between barns or something one day for real outdoor testing.
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- Jun 17, 2012
- Messages
- 1,584
HDS LE 200 Clicky on the way.... This thread finally broke me this morning