Surprised they never ventured out into 21700 based lights.
Yea, CR123 is another no no for me 
1 Thank
I have a tactical rotary sporting nichia 219b. I respect the light, have no plan to sell it, but don’t use it much. It feels very well made. It is a little too big for a 16340 light.
I’ve had several, they quite reliable, especially clicky versions. Rotary can get wet the tail and the tail can fail, but none of mine died completely. Rotary has a bad clip. Repair time - as lucky, can be fast, or can be long enough.
About maximum luminous flux has already been written on the forum, this is based on the maximum current that is recommended for the CR123 (it seems 1 ampere, although many no longer observe this, for example, the SF takes more than 1.5 from the cell in some lamps). If other manufacturers were guided by the same current from the battery, the brightness their flashlights would be about the same.
I do not think that ultra-compact and lightweight flashlights are sufficiently shock resistant (except Pelican, example L1 1930 or Tracker Pocket 2140). If I had a lot of money, I would buy different lights and make a quality crash test. Maybe in the future.
They offer three battery tube configuration options. In addition to CR123, they have double AA and 18650 tubes as options.
OG commented about this early on in the development thread: FW3A, a TLF/BLF EDC flashlight - SST-20 available, coupon codes public - #300 by fritz15
You posted a thread two years ago (BLF/Lumintop FW3A Inventor) and said you would never own an HDS because of the price and that the quality was not there. Fun money burning a hole in the pocket now?
I appreciate the HDS design and the innovation from when they were developed but I can’t see myself ever buying one of these. Price aside, I think that “modern” lights just give us more in so many ways, at a bare fraction of the cost…not to mention cell platform choices like 21700 which up the ante even more. I have always wondered why the infinitely-configurable UI never caught on more than it did, though…we could still totally do that with simple software interfaces and I’ll bet a lot of people would love it. But…ramping is so simple and easy and ultimately gets us to the same places.
If it were only the price of the TS10.
In all seriousness, I can see paying for quality and I can probably see paying up to $150 for this but $300+ is a bit crazy.
I think that price reflects American workers wanting top wages (and rightly so.)
I agree, and these are all small “shops” and they need to actually make a living. The only US boutique lights that have every really got me thinking about buying were some from Fraz. They’re not as expensive but they’re not cheap either - biggest problem is that they’re hardly ever available, and when they are they sell out lickety split. He’s got some neat approaches and has adopted a lot of variability with his lights taking different battery types.
I have FWXX, I own multiple of Hank’s lights, olights, Skylumen mods, and fancy customs and I like them, a lot, but they are no HDS! If you haven’t tried one, do it. Hard to go back. Just the sheer reliability. You can do a battery change underwater(I haven’t needed to, yet). They are actually bulletproof, seen the video. AND EMP proof, cause that’s a thing…. Bright enough for most uses and extended use without nut roasting. Add a HDSRB (pricey but cool) if you actually need more throw…
To each his/her own but they reek of quality. I suppose they don’t much fit the Budget moniker but damn fine lights.
Overhyped garbage.
I’d bought a HDS Rotary. The quality of the machining was horrendous, it had sharp burrs like a rasp that were literally gouging the skin off my palms, not even no-name $5 Chinese flashlights have as bad quality.
Then when I complained, the owner started racist rants against the Chinese (while I am not exactly a fan of the CCP regime, I have only utmost respect for the Chinese people, their work ethic and historic accomplishments as a civilization).
Furthermore the Rotary UI has this weird latency where the light level change lags a turn by about 100ms from a turn. Never experienced that with any light with a rotary UI like my Surefire T1As.
I have a number of US-made lights from Surefire, Elektrolumens, used to have Mag-Lites. Sadly, HDS is proof US-made does not always mean quality.
This makes no sense, at all! Any proof? Texts? Emails? Better photos?
It only makes “no sense” if you are blinded by the cognitive dissonance of rationalizing having spent $300 on a substandard product. Or maybe you just got lucky and got one that wasn’t machined on a lathe with a worn-out bit, who knows?
Here’s my email to Henry:
Here is his response:
Needless to say, I took him up on his refund offer, instead of my original request for an exchange.
Thanks for the reply, I would have loved to feel that abrasiveness myself. I agree with Henry on all counts and disagree with your assessment and conclusion. Further, I applaud his money back guarantee. Nevertheless, you are clearly entitled to your opinions.
I guess I got lucky 3 times. My last one was more like $400.
Seems like his knowledge of Chinese lights might be a bit outdated. Or maybe he has never heard Convoy or Sofirn and is thinking of no-name lights on Amazon. Maybe someone should ship him a nice Convoy so he can see what he is really up against…
It’s great to discuss the pluses and minuses of a company, but attacking them, or providing their email responses (without the context of the original email) is not providing anything useful at best and completely unfair at worst. I will note that even in the case referenced, HDS offered a full refund.
I think HDS response was very generous.
If knurling grips onto fabric like Velcro I think fazal was right to complain.
Sure hds refunded him but saying “you should not be one of our customers” is a bit arrogant and leaves a sour taste.
I’ve had hds over the years. I’ve sold them all. I think they are “good” and over built. The time to manufacture and fix is ridiculous. They definitely don’t care about fit and finish, which, while generally fine, it’s tough to accept on that price point. I’m sure some will defend the durability etc. I’m just much happier owning multiple lights that use larger batteries, have great build and features, and cost significantly less.
To each their own. I’m not into the hype. But I won’t disparage those who like them. Just not my thing. I’d be into a rotary with a standard 18350 body, good clip, at half the cost. None of this exists so not for me.
A timely mention. I’ve been edc’ing an old Fraz 26650 for the last couple of months. Always hated the QTC material but the rest of that light will last until the end of time. It’s a beast.
If the QTC material fails is it replaceable?