I have been thinking about buying this light for over ten years now. What held me back was the price (look it up.) Finally bit the bullet and bought it. Many thanks to Jon_Slider for answering my many basic questions. Love it. The pictures don’t do it justice. All I can say is an extremely well engineered light. Every little detail about it was thought out. Here are some pics.
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Congratulations and thanks for the pics. So glad you are happy w the light.
I like my Rotary a lot too. Such a simple and intuitive UI. This one has my favorite LED, the sw45k. Added a Tritium Bezel too:
I tried a couple of clip options, the one on the left is not my light, but imo it is the best clip option:
clip install instructions here
However, I ended up going back to no clip… the light is just so much nicer to hold without one.
In addition to the Rotary interface, the light can also be programmed to have a couple of fixed modes. I set mine up to produce Strobe on Triple Clic, which I find useful for alerting cars when I am a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
The programming interface requires reading the manual. It is not easy, and I dont try to memorize it. I just use the manual to get the light set up to my liking. But except for strobe, the Rotary dial has access to all 24 output levels. Programming is optional, not required.
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Guys I’ve read the specs and saw the price… And imo these just do not come together.
What can justify the price? Surely not the numbers in specs. Not the material either. Then what it is?
This somehow reminds me of Veblen effect which I know from my lecturer at university but I hope you got better explanation 
The price is the price. I held off for about 5 years before I allowed myself to own one. Im glad to have it.
If you want an inexpensive alternative, I recommend a Jetbeam RRT-01.
Some of the differences are
HDS is made in USA, where labor is much more expensive than China.
They are built by a man that is a caver, so ultimate reliability is top priority. An HDS will not break if dropped.
The lens is 3mm thick, on the Jetbeam it is thinner.
The Electronics are potted, the Jetbeam is not.
There is LVP, that the Jetbeam lacks.
A zebra is potted, but the UI is not intuitive. And zebra lenses can break when dropped.
Anduril lights have the UI that has features most similar to an HDS, but Anduril lights are not potted, and I would not need a bit more time to teach someone how to use one. To teach how to use the HDS requires no time at all… Just turn it on, and turn the dial.
The HDS is a rather throwy light at 15 candela per lumen. By contrast a TS10 is about 2 candela per lumen.
I like the HDS, and the RRT-01, and the TS10.
I cant stomach the Zebra UI, but Im spoiled by Rotaries and Anduril. If a Zebra is ever available with Anduril, I will probably buy one.
Its good to have choices 
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I don’t have a HDS nor do I want one, nor have I held or tried one so this is a generic statement that might or might not pertain to this brand. I do have and use some expensive tools though. My impression is that while the Veblen effect is very much real, with tools the relationship of price vs. build quality is not always linear. You’re not necessarily paying for more premium input materials or raw specs but also for tighter tolerances/ higher precision and tighter quality control, both of which lead to higher engineering, labour and tooling costs and higher percentage of rejects.
Higher claimed reliability also leads to the manufacturer expecting to be held liable should that reliability not be delivered.
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Yeah, I know. But on the other hand there’s ‘value for money’. We all know what kind of flashlight we can get for $300-350.
There’s an urban legend from Rolls Royce salon saying that if you ask what Is the price it means you cannot afford it.
The sure thing is I either haven’t grown up to such purchases or it’s simply too expensive for me.
And even that is too expensive for me in terms for what you get. Surely a classic legendary light but for that price I’d choose different flashlight.
Anyway most important is that you are happy with your HDS and let’s stay with this
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Veblen effect?
Hear the one about two Russian Oligarchs?
Boris: Great tie - Where did yo get it?
Lenoid: Thanks. I got it at Muski’s for $500.
Boris: Too bad. You could have gotten the same one across the street at Pytors for $600…
All the Best,
Jeff
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Malkoff, weltool t17, and elzetta are potted too for 1/2 -1/3 the price
Ive been looking at hds too for years but have not seen any good bean shot comparisons i don’t see 300 lumens being bright enough
Anyone have beam shots and runtime on 18650 battery max output?
Expensive yes, worth it, who knows. Is a Rolls Royce worth it when you can get a Cadillac for 25% of the price?
Will it last longer, who knows. Are there other potted lights for less money, yes.
These questions are relevant and irrelevant at the same time.
At the end of the day, its a hobby. Enjoy $10 lights as well as $1000 lights.
If it puts smile on your face when you hold it and press the button, it was all worth it.
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About the irrelevance and disrespect of criticizing the price of someones new Tesla.
Imagine one day a neighbor comes over and says:
Hey how are you?
I hope Im not interrupting, I just wanted to share how happy I am
I just got my new Tesla.
I have wanted one forever.
I would like to show it to you, are you busy, or can you come outside for a moment?
I walk out and smile and say kind words of congratulations, like:
Im really happy for you, thats a great car!
I bet youre going to love how it drives.
what I dont say:
Heh, those are too expensive, I could buy a couple of Subarus for what you paid for that thing.
Does it have a Turbo? Whats the gas mileage?
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I do agree. Having said that, if you did ask me if I would pay those prices, I would answer: “there is no way in h*ll I would ever pay HDS prices for a flashlight - no matter how overbuilt they are, you are insane.” Respectfully and in a tongue-in-cheek manner of course.
However, how people want to spend their disposable income is completely their decision and right. Just as it’s my right to go ‘tut tut’ on The internet about their decisions 
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The spec sheet is probably the absolute worst way to get the measure of an HDS light. You kinda have to live with one for a while.
They aren’t just potted electronics, but generally overbuilt to a comical degree. Henry used to say they’d work after an EMP. I’ve never found a way to test that claim. I can say that I’ve never thrown more at one than it could handle, and they’ve never been babied.
My most used is a Ra Clicky from 2010. Osram Golden Dragon +, a screaming 170 lumens. 5500K, .0079 DUV, ~65 CRI. Sounds terrible, right?
Incredibly useful light that has saved my bacon multiple times. They have a pretty deep reflector, so that 170 lumens is way more useful than you’d guess. Unless I need a searchlight or a warehouse lighter, it’s always been more than enough. It never really gets hot. Runtimes on the little 16340 it takes are fine since the light is tuned for it. You really can do a battery swap underwater, I did it under duress during a hurricane.
The rotary I have is the Samsung emitter. A step up with 325 lumens and ~92 CRI. 5000K
I bought that one to replace my 100 lumen high CRI Clicky that I somehow misplaced. Hoping it shows back up now, you know how that goes.
I haven’t had it long enough to have abused it nearly as much as my others, but it’s just an upgrade in almost every way.
I’ve got a lot of lights, some cheaper and some more expensive. Many brighter and many with more beautiful tints, by spec and by eye. When I absolutely need a light I can rely on, I still grab the HDS. It has never failed me, or the job I gave it. If I lost it tomorrow I’d buy another the next day.
It’s that sort of light. Not everybody is in the market for it, but those that are have a really nice option.
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To play devil’s advocate: On a geopolitical level (ok I know politics is frowned upon), perhaps Malakoff to HDS is the “real cost” of lights, from low to high end. The real cost of “giving away” the USA manufacturing base will be realised at a later date, at which point, we will realise how “expensive” these cheap lights really are.
I’m on an okay salary and can’t justify an HDS; I can absolutely understand their appeal though, congratulations on your new light, I hope it brings you much enjoyment for a long time.
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The comparison to Malkoff and Elzetta is somewhat reasonable. Perhaps the premium is for the cult following. Not sure.
Typically premiums for luxury items are not linear, they are exponential.
Again from the vehicle perspective, Porsche-$150,000. Ferrari-$500,000. Bugatti-$2,000,000.
Prices of luxury, low volume items really make no sense. I mean, how can any recreational vehicle with four wheels cost $2,000,000.
Most people, myself included would say, for $2M I can buy, two houses and ten luxury cars. Unfortunately it does not work that way.
Congrats zoulas on your new HDS!!!
And thank you for supporting a USA company. 
Which LED did you get? And how do you like the rotary control?
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Cree XP-G2. I know not the best choice but it was default. The rotaty control is fabulous. Cant imagine why other companies dont use it. The mechanism is silky smooth. Its bigger than I imagined and much heavier that it looks.
If you are a super critical person and like well engineered things, you will love this light.
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It’s interesting how they offer many different high CRI 219B LEDs, but only 1 519A LED.
It’s possible that they couldn’t supply him with the bin choice he preferred in the number he requested.
On the right is a modded 140 that originally came w a 219a, it now produces 190 lumens w a DeDomed 4500K 519a… It still has a very nice smooth action, despite being over 10 years old:
the tailbutton had swelled a bit and made tailstanding wobbly. I mailed it to Henry and he replaced the button and shipped it out within 3 days of it reaching him. It now tailstands fine.
He would not even let me reimburse for postage.
“I cant remember the last time we charged for a button replacement.”
When I twist the tail on my HDS it makes me smile. It feels like the dial on a microscope or a Nikon lens. Smooth, totally grit free, and it stops and stays where I put it.
The rotary dial is a thing of beauty. No Malkoff, no Oveready, No McGizmo anywhere in the known galaxy of clicky UI lights, can touch the feel and function of the HDS Rotary dial .
For me, its all about the dial… the rest is gravy.
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Every part of a HDS light is machined by a small American business. And small means 1-3 people. Everything local to HDS.
I am sure cheaper alternatives could be found while keeping the light exactly the same quality wise, but that is not what Henry (the owner of HDS) wants.
HDS has two employees.
You do not buy a HDS light if you are looking for best bang of your buck.
I still enjoy my Clicky from 2009(!).
I widened the tube to accept 18350 and currently it sports a 519a 4500k dedomed. Mighty fine light.
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