@Lightbringer: You are talking about Novatac, and it didn’t end well 
But I see your point. Actually 3 years ago entry level HDS was priced at 99$…and it was said that at that price HDS wasn’t making any money on it. Then to solve the backlog issues they switched to more expensive suppliers. Actually I think quality went up in the process, ano is now matching more often, knurling is better, etc. Which at this price point is quite the minimum. Probably the marketing model is far from the best, and from a manufacturing standpoint : small batches, local companies, complex designs (battery tube for example), made in the USA, it add a non negligible cost.
I don’t think HDS are a graal of flashlight, they are very robust and can take a beating, surely have a nice programmable UI (clicky or rotary), they feel solid in the hand…then the driver is not that efficient at low levels, a 18350 tube would be nice, more power too…but at the end, even a 120 lumens HDS (like I had) was more than enough. I don’t know, there’s just something about these lights.
I bought my first one almost by chance, it was a time when they were long and painful to get, and it get to my attention. I read many threads about them, thinking “what a fuss for a ”meh” flashlight”. Still I thought the versatile UI could be interesting, programming too…I picked the closest dealer, registered to get a “back in stock” alert, and forgot about it. Several months later, I was on a work trip, alone in a hotel room one night, and got a mail about an HDS now being in stock, I was bored and thought “why not”! ~125€ and a few days later, my HDS arrived. I wasn’t impressed, the UI was complicated, programming a nightmare, it was delivered without packaging in a plastic bag…plus it was so expensive. I played with it like 5 minutes, and put it in a drawer.
A few weeks/months later, I remembered the HDS, and was feeling guilty about spending so much money for a light, and decided to force me to edc it. Then all the UI took sense, programming was logical and efficient, switching between the 4 modes was intuitive and easy, the beam was great, it was powerful enough, and the included primary lasted a long time! It really grew on me, and suddenly other lights, more powerful lights (the HDS was 120 lumens! 120!!! even for 2012-2013, that wasn’t much) didn’t attracted me that much. The HDS cured my flashaholism for at least a year, it was unimpressive but yet all what I needed, and the light I picked every time I needed one. Don’t judge me wrong, I had maybe 80 lights in my “collection” at that time, and spent many of my free time modding them, trying new stuff, ordering obscure parts on Chinese websites just to see if they could fit or be put to use somewhere…but all of the sudden (and to the great joy of my girlfriend), it was over.
Fortunately, my flashaholism wasn’t over forever, and nowadays I still enjoy modding stuffs, putting new emitters, trying new drivers, otherwise I won’t be there on BLF
But I still liked my HDS, and used it a lot, until it was stolen. Time to order a new one? Definitely. Here, take my kidney, I have another one!
Sorry for the OT, didn’t meant to derail this thread. I’m just here to enjoy my hobby, with people who are here for the same reasons. I deal with nasty people everyday at work, and I don’t want that when I’m not at work. I like relaxing here, talking with interesting and nice people, really nice people around the world, who share the same interests. I had great time with BLF peoples, I had great time with CPF people…I even made some friends, and went to some flashlight meeting with other members, many of them are on both forums 
Now there’s definitely things I can’t appreciate with CPF and wish it could be different, but either I look elsewhere, or I go to BLF, or I just buy a new light to compensate the frustration. It is a hobby, and it will stay a relaxing and enjoying hobby.
Cheers to all nice BLFers, and may the arrogant and on CPF or elsewhere go f* themselves.
