A brief history of the HDS universe

[Hondo]

I know where two of those 27 HCRI Clickies went

 

[Lithium466]

I know where one is

 

[Tixx]

Thank you!

 

[djj]

Good news was Hogo said reviving that low mode efficiency is on Henry's to-do list for next gen of the driver.

That is very good news. I haven't been able to justify a new HDS purchase since my HiCRI Rotary 120, but that might do it.

 

[redryder]

Me too!

I know where one is

 

[mraymer]

Reading this thread made me nostalgic so I got some of my older lights out and tossed a battery in to fire them up again. Excluding the smaller AA/AAA Arc flashlights, buying and selling, I only have a few remaining. All except the blue one has been carried and used. I typically don't buy a light to collect and only admire, but put them to use. I made an exception for the blue Arc LS.

Arc4+, Blue Arc/Lumileds LS, Arc LSH-P, and my Arc6

The HDS is what first got me into this mess. I saw one in a banner ad on a webpage. I had already clicked past it, going back brought up a different ad. I had no ideal who made it, just remembered what it looked like. Then I spent a great deal of time on eBay searching for that flashlight that I had a fleeting glimpse of in a banner advertisement. Took me a while, but after searching for "flashlight" and scrolling through page after page I finally saw another light like the one in the banner ad. I've bought and sold quite a few of these. Actually just realized I only have four HDS lights. As was the same with my Arc flashlights, only one of these hasn't been carried, second from the left with the 2x123 battery tube. After looking at them, it's pretty evident since the lettering still looks new on it. All of the others have been carried and used quite a bit. Sometimes I wish I had kept all of them that I've had in my possession, but that's greedy. I couldn't justify having so many. I do regret getting rid of all of my U60's, but they commanded the higher asking price, so I sold.

HDS B60LE/2xAA, HDS B42XRGT/2x123, HDS B42XRGT/1x123, HDS Clicky 170 LE

As for the later lights, the Novatac series, I had a couple of them. Sold both and never replaced them. Sometimes when I see one go up for sale I think of picking it up for "the collection" but then the thought fades away as I know I wouldn't use it and it would simply sit in a box, wasted.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

Ah, yes, the infamous Arc AAA, packaged to look like a Maglite Solitaire, and for which Arc was successfully sued.

 

[Hondo]

The way I heard it, it was over the company name being run circumferentially around the head of the light, as Mag does. Because there are soooo many other possible places to label a knurled AAA flashlight.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

The way I heard it, it was over the company name being run circumferentially around the head of the light, as Mag does. Because there are soooo many other possible places to label a knurled AAA flashlight.

Probably that, and the packaging was a direct ripoff of how Maglite packaged their AAA Solitaires.

 

[sween1911]

I love this thread! Great info here. I had an HDS Clicky while I was modding my beloved Novatac 85T. Once I was happy with the Novatac, I let the HDS go but I always loved the UI and durability.

 

[ven]

Love all the pics and info, super cool stuff
Ano stripped 120e
Previous measurements
Low – 10 lm, 140 cd
High – 30 lm, 420 cd
Turbo – 106 lm, 1520 cd


Now with 219bt 4000k
Low – 26 lm, 280 cd
High – 100 lm, 950 cd
Turbo – 310 lm, 3100

Good thing for me now is i can just click and every time i get around 26lm of usefulness. As i dont do sub lumen, it works out pretty much perfect as a general user.



Pic from CRX


Dad n lad

 

[Lithium466]

Nice light! But what is turbo mode?

 

[ven]

Nice light! But what is turbo mode?

Well it is actually high, just way i copied and pasted it. Low 1 click, 2 click med and press hold for high. I just stuck with the turbo...........which it kind of is now at over 300lm

 

[Hondo]

Very nice - I really like the sculpting work on the noctigon! They need to make that a stock size option .

 

[ven]

Thanks hondo, its certainly a fav of mine and never too far from arms reach. I find 1 click and it is all i need 95% of the time............simple 1 click UI just works for me at times . It can get old clicking through modes............The smaller form is a winner to Love the 4000k 219bt........

 

[Ozythemandias]

Man I love this thread.

Does anyone own one of the original Action Lights?

 

[torchsarecool]

Ven that 120e looks awesome!! Nice work

 

[Hondo]

More proof positive that the old models are not dim, they were just built with lower efficiency emitters. With a modern update, the output is right there with the latest models. Actually, some of the old drivers were set to higher drive currents than the new ones, so you might find them even brighter, like ven's 310 HCRI here. Need the higher runtime? Program it down a level, and it's a 220 HCRI (each level increments by the square root of 2, so every two levels is exactly a doubling in brightness).

 

[WJA]

Thanks for the history thread. Back in.....1999 maybe, I had a little money and wanted a good headlamp. I had a decent amount of discussion and correspondence with Henry about financing his idea for a LED module to fit a waterproof Princeton Tec headlamp body. I ended up doing something else with my money, but now I regret it. I wonder if Henry would remember.

 

[ven]

Even more proof Hondo, that a more to date LED does give out more lumens. Another Novatac(just love the small form/simple UI.)Mod carried out by CRX on BLF.
Before
High – 54lm
Low – 8lm
After Nichia 219C D280 5000k 80CRI
High – 220lm
Low – 38lm

A jump from 54lm to 220lm which is quite a jump.

Little family, all nichia 219c 5000k/219b 4000k/219b 4000k

219c 5000k /219b 4000k



The actual cool LED in originally was imo quite good. By that i mean it was a pure white, no blues in there at all. Colours where acceptable , but still found i would pick up a 4000-5000k light . So having a good few of the 219b's in various forms, another 219c 5000k 80 was favorable this time.
Cheers