Thats a good point. Due to the excellent design of the reflector, you really get the feeling of a much bigger light. Keep in mind this is with a single CR123 battery.
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agree completely
The HDS focuses 15 candela per lumen into the Hotspot
by contrast the TS10 does 2 candela per lumen… iow, at the same lumens the HDS hotspot is 7.5x brighter:
200 HDS lumens is as bright on target, as 1500 TS10 lumens.
This is because the HDS focuses the light into a smaller hotspot.
iow, the HDS Focuses more LUX on target:
similar to this example:
both beams have the same total lumens, but the HDS has much higher brightness intensity (LUX), within its focused hotspot.
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Great information and well presented.
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I’ve said here before that people should not look “first” at the price of a flashlight.
The size, including battery, form, UI, beam profile, LED options, how or “if” you are going to carry and use it are all very important.
I went to the HDS website and looked at the specs /options and skimmed through the UI PDF.
They look like they were way ahead of their time 10 years ago. Many other lights have caught up and exceed the specs ect, in most but not all regards. I doubt if anybody else is gold plating switch contacts.
I’m not sure why anybody is trying to compare the light mentioned here to a ts10.
The obvious comparison would be to an fw3a or fw1a. I seem to recall when the fw3a was in development the comparison was made or mentioned to the HDS line. And Fritz no doubt was influenced by it. I’ve carried the fw1a everyday since it came out. It has not failed me. Would I carry it into a cave as my only light? No. I wouldn’t have to because I carry two lights every day. Actually three for the last couple of weeks cuz I’m experimenting with a possible replacement for it in the convoy s6 with a short tube with a color and tint that I like. So it is a shorter package yet it throws farther. I don’t like the UI. The main reason I carry the FW1a is because of how far it throws.
The point is every light has trade-offs. If you like it and you’re going to carry it and use it then get whatever you like. If you’re not going to carry it and use it you can still get whatever you like.
I don’t believe I would ever carry or use any of the HDS lineup at any price.
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I think its only fair to compare $300 lights with other $300 lights. You dont put a heavyweight in the ring with a lightweight. It just isnt fair.
You compare a Rolls Royce with a Bentley.
You compare a Camry with an Accord.
I would compare a FW3A with a Wurkkos of your choice.
Surely there are more criteria to consider than just price… Should I spend $300 on an HDS to compare it to a $300 Acebeam X75? Or a Weltool LEP?
In my mind, price is simply another factor, among many, to compare… I can’t imagine excluding other rotaries, other tough-built lights, other caving / adventure lights or any number of other things from comparison just because they don’t have a similar price point.
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I am suprised at how many posts in this thread are critical of HDS. Did somebody call the Price Police, because this is BudgetLF?
Im not sure why so many posts are about comparing HDS to something else. Seems like a bunch of Debbie Downers, tooting their horn about why their light is better than the light someone else has.
I think those posts are missing the point of what an HDS IS, and instead spending a lot of time on what it is Not.
The bottom line is pretty much every person with something to say against HDS has never tried one. They are just here to tell us why they dont want one. This totally misses the point of a post about a new light that someone is sharing with us.
It is rude, disrespectful, and a hijack, to spend so much time posting about why you dont want an HDS… We dont really need to hear it. Youre just self justifying your Negative Nellie position.
Im not telling anybody to get an HDS. Please dont come here telling me why you think I should not. If you dont want one, that is fine. Why are you posting?
Please just let this be a thread about a light. Instead of a thread about why you dont have one.
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Well, you should do this before you buy it, same way you buy a car or a house.
You dont buy a house before you know it works for your family.
Does HDS still have year+ lead times?
I bought mine on Monday, got it on Tuesday.
Last one I ordered was about a week from order to mailbox
The complaints in this thread are all over the place.
Nothing so far holding any water.
Like the complaints on Amazon, hot air.
I ordered a custom rotary as well as a couple 18350 tubes in November 2020 and received them September 2022.
I ordered another custom rotary in May 2021 and received it in April 2022, before the first one.
I just read the “tour” on CPF and I understand a little better.
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That’s kinda MY point… Maybe I misunderstood what you meant by only comparing $300 lights to $300 lights, then?
This seems a bit restrictive to me… Only comment on lights I own? Or, only say nice things about them?
Or maybe I’m confused…?
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I don’t know about others but you dragged the ts10 into this. I think that was a silly light to compare so I pointed to two others that are at least the same size and shape. I’m not looking at price. The two lights that I carry and use every day are a whole lot more useful which does make them better EDIT in many measurable ways. But they are different and in many ways not in the same class. Comparing lights is kind of what goes on around here. You can’t look at any light in a vacuum.
Somewhere on his site it looked like HDS was trying to trademark “EDC”. He might need a little tiny bit of bashing. Maybe I misunderstood his use of “EDC” with a tiny TM after it.
Buy what you think will make you happy. Don’t look at price first.
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Sorry. Post got screwed up. I’ve got a couple rotaries now. I’ll probably not keep both, but that’s only because I rarely need or want doubles.
I’ve been around decades so have bought and sold many lights (HDS included). Yes, they are expensive. In some ways it is worth it. In some ways not.
In any case. This is our hobby. I like many things about the rotaries and dislike others (size, cost). That said, they are good /great lights and I can see why many people like them. I can say somewhat similar things about Zebralight.
This is a post about getting an HDS grail. I say, enjoy it. It’s a great light.
Now try to find an 18350 body for it. You won’t regret it. 
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So far, not one single persosn has made an argument not to get an HDS.
The statement includes:
Its too expensive.
Its too small.
Its too weak.
I can get 20 Wurkkos for the same price.
I can get 30 Sofirns for the same price.
The delivery time is over one year.
All truly incorrect statements whch can be proven over and over.
If you own one and want to make a comment, positive or negative, by all means. Go for it.
But if you dont own one, never touched one, dont even know someone that has seen one, you are really missing out. Its completely misrepresentaive to speak negatively of something you never even seen, owned, or even touched.
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I owned one. It’s a luxury light sold under the pretense of ruggedness. Rotaries are not for caving, or any dirty/sandy/gritty situations. Also not recommended to rotate while submerged.
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I welcome statements from an owner such as yourself. Thank You