Flashlights

Looks like the HDS EDC Rotary is popping up on various sites now that Henery has his parts. After reading his FAQ,s on his site a tremendous amount of information was gleaned about not only HDS but about anything flashlight.

One of his of factoids was that the circuitry in the HDS Rotary 250 distinguishes between off the shelf CR123's and RCR123's and keeps the voltage constant without any boost in lumens generally associated with rechargeables.

I've had mine now for a few days and could not be happier, even w/o a clip it is carried. I was working on a faulty hot water heater located in a 4 ' crawl space in one of my apartments yesterday and it ran for a very long time providing me with the exact amount of light needed with plenty of flood. Generally this task is relegated to a shop light with extension cords now all I need is my HDS, screwdriver, ohm/voltage meter' XM 18 and of course my eye glasses. ( high speed low drag operation).
 
Final, welcome to the HDS crowd. The power regulation and battery conservation are features these lights sport with pride. However I find some of it annoying; in that the light does things (normally decrease output or flash) at the most inopportune times.

I'm about to religiously run 2-3 RCRs (swapping every day or three) to keep the available power from reaching the low-power flash(es) (if possible), but the step-down in output while running the light is a parental control I guess I have to tolerate.
 
I echo N2K's welcome to (what I find to be a Great Light) HDS Systems and the 200 rotary. You and I discussed it at length at the NYCKS but I will mention again for the benefit of those weighing options. Certainly N2K's useage and experience can (and must) vary significantly from my own.
I have several lights as most of us do but, EDC my rotary. Carry it and use it everyday. Got my rotary last October (4 months ago) came with a Duracell and have put two(2) Surefires in its arrival - the Third battery is still going strong. The "blink" N2K refers too is what tipped me off to swap out a fresh battery. I found it helpful as I usually find myself in a depleted battery at the worst possible time scenario. I have about 140 batteries in the "on-deck" circle so, I'd rather swap out and be good rather than be surprised at the wrong time. The step-down mentioned is not something I can say I have experienced maybe my useage is different (i.e. shorter useage times in duration) I have a tendency to use my light in very short bursts (20-30 seconds and usually much shorter)
So, 3 batteries.... 4 months and counting. I'm not going to be doing much different battery wise. I may or may not keep the current four(4) HDS's as I really only carry the rotary... I use the rotary function CONSTANTLY to dial in just the right light for the task, even outside but especially up close work inside.
I am rarely at full-blast, literally use the entire spectrum though. Absolutely a Requirement in my EDC at this point and the fact that the rotary is tail mounted along with the switch it is very convenient for one-hand use with no re-positioning required. I can't recall ever having a tool function become a requirement but that configuration has - will never carry a light other than that.
So, Congrats again. Enjoy.
 
Step down most often happens when running "wide open" for not too long, but more than short bursts. I do have all my HDS programmed for momentary too.

Open her up and run until you see it and you'll see what I'm talking about. As for dialing the rotary, I tend to adjust it down before turning the light on, then dial it up to the need, but this is only inside. I use my light out at night quite a bit.
 
As for the way I equip them:

Away from home / comfort: 200 Rotary tactical w/ 200 raised clicky (sand) backup
Inside / comfort: Exec 170 flush clicky
Nightstand: 120 HiCRI
 
Spoke with Henry yesterday, and my 250 should be coming soon as it is in the mail.....Sadly he confirmed to me that the 120HCRI has been discontinued because he can't get the proper LED's any longer......the new 170 while not a true HICRI, will be taking over as the recommended light for natural color rendering needs (its rated at 85 as opposed to over 90 for color rendering).... His lights are an engineering marvel to me as are his quality requirements. All of his lights contain a voltage meter, a temperature sensor, and a power regulation circuit. He really tests and certifies that every light meets or exceeds the stated real lumen value with a standard 123 battery installed. Pretty incredible when you think of it, then couple that with the potted electronics and the 60 foot water depth protection, I'm convinced as far as pocket light goes the HDS is the only game in town, at least for me......
 
Good news Woocoop, Kwazyjuice I'm sure you will see yours soon, if not there are some sites that have them. They are the same price and you can always cancel your order with HDS. The PayPal refund may get a little tricky though. Also wanted to mention there is no pocket clip that comes with the EDC Rotary 200/250, Henry said they are still working on that. I carry mine in a belt knife pouch.
 
Yeah I'm sure I will :) It will be 5 weeks this Friday. So I will give Henry a chance to ship it in the 4-6 weeks.

I'm thinking I should get a tracking notice by next week. I'll shoot Henry an email next week to see what his ETA is.

I'm just so excited!
 
For me, I find the wait similar to other quality high-anticipation items. The first takes what seems like forever to arrive; but as the collection grows, so does the ability to tolerate longer delivery times...
 
That's for sure! I have definitely acquired that skill since getting into knives.I don't get overzealous as I used too. Taking the sit backed approach. But 4-6 weeks definitely is the longest I've had to wait :)
 
Henry has stated that the rotary clips are in production. He will have the proto at shot show.
 
Sometimes you make me smile with your interpretation and understanding of some things I post. I'm aware of the links and info. and I did agree with your opinion in like the first few words of that post awhile back, then went on to simplify an example of how anyone can easy see a difference in output by rotating their HDS Rotary control.
 
That's why he stepped up his lumen output to 250 so the difference from 170 to 250 was his stated 41%. So people would buy his next light up if they already had the 170. Not only that if you notice the one step down in brightness, why wouldn't you notice the step up, right? :)

I know nothing just adding my 2 cents around here
 
I never thought I'd need to post this, I assume a level of education and understanding around here...but here goes...

I do my homework before buying things and give different weight to opinions of others based on what I've already learned from life/others. So, I knew what I was getting into in the HDS UI and power management.

Pull a light (any) from anyone's pocket, show someone else only the beam (not the tool) and have them guess the output...some of us may get pretty close, others not a chance.
But, turn a light on, then manipulate the output and Bam! Like a slap to the face, the difference is noticed.
 
Hopefully ALL can agree that this thread is a Discussion thread at this juncture, the reason it is allowed to remain (and not moved to Gadgets) is because of the obvious
appeal Flashlights and other gadget/tools have for Knife people. Whether it is Flashlights, guns, gear, boots or watches - Knife people have a tendency to "like" all of the above.
The "Search" premise which launched this thread I'm fairly sure was known to the Op (N2K) to be a catalyst for discussion more than a likely mystery product producing casting of a line into a dark ocean of possibility. Translation: There simply aren't any magic secret lights out there that none of us have heard of.
That said, I will advance a perspective that Lights are not that different than knives (or any of the afore mentioned gadgets for that matter) in that they serve a purpose and after that singular purpose is addressed the remainder of detail is where the debate begins. What do I mean?
Knives - Cut
Watches- Tell time
Guns- Shoot
Lights- illuminate
Boots- protect your feet
on and on - you get the point.

Here on RHK "We" seem to ALL agree that we like/love our Hinderer Knives (yes, other RHK products as well but focus on the knife for the purpose of this discussion)
Most of us own or have owned other knives BUT we are here for a reason possibly many reasons, some commonly shared and perhaps some unique to just us.
"IF" all we cared about was cutting things - we would have a $1.99 box cutter from Wallyworld in out pocket and be done with it. Same holds true with any of the other gadgets mentioned, need to know what time it is? look at your cell phone, we all have one of those and btw add that to the ever growing list of gadgets we spend copious amounts of time pondering.
Here, in this thread, the subject has been "Flashlights" the thing that turns darkness to light.
Possibly hits us in our reptillian brain much like Man's oldest tool does.
As Humans, We "need" to feel safe and secure. Knives, guns, flashlights, etc... gives us what we need whether we realize that is the motivation or not (Ooops another debate topic :))
We have discussed many attributes of the flashlight over the 34 odd pages of this thread mostly we have gone round and round about lumens (output/brightness) call it what you will. Occasionally the subject has addressed weight, size, tactile feel, user interface (UI), durability, the Clip, etc... Not unlike the issues we have mostly come to accept about our beloved XM . It isn't light weight nor does "one" fit ALL.
Some like the 3.5" spanto Flipper while the next likes the 24 or a non-flipper 3.5" etc etc.
My point is this - Flashlights are no different than any other gadget quest - the "One" perfect one does not exist and it never will.
I happen to wear a certain watch and carry a certain knife and have an EDC flashlight that - I LIKE and that works for ME.
Same holds true for my choice of footwear, truck I drive and area I live.
To debate any of those choices while mildly entertaining at times is simply a human exercise. The rest of the animal kingdom while they communicate, simply make their choices and move on.
So, lets have fun - that's what we do and lets all just agree that my Flashlight is the best one and ..... that was a joke calm down.

Have Fun :)
 
Right on.

Sometimes I did feel like my mentioning of things I somewhat dislike about this/ that may be misread. But it's more of a pro/con examination of the tools. And in the case of HDS lights, the pros outweigh the cons enough that I choose to equip them.

Moving this thread would kill it. Locking it would...well...suck for lack of a better term.

I hope to someday be praising a Hinderer flashlight in this thread, but no pressure.;)
 
No intention of moving or locking anymore than several other threads in the RHK forum that address our common yet "other than knives" interests.
This sub-forum is like a neighborhood or club, the knives brought us together the common interests kept us coming back, flashlights represents one of many of those common interests.
I believe as long as we all keep the lines between fact and opinion clear, discussions like this one can be productive. I have the utmost respect for anyone that goes out on a limb, invests time/capital/personal sacrifice to "risk" bringing a product to market especially in "our" current climate.
Any Man or Woman that does that and does so with integrity should be applauded - IF those applause translate to patronage than so much the better.
I will support the stand alone Patriot/Pioneer any day over the alternative even if that support means a little sacrifice on my part.
 
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