If there is anyone else out there who has actually held and used a Gladius I'd like to hear from you as well because I'm a little underwhelmed.
I went to my local camping place (they carry a lot of unusual lights) and they had just gotten the Gladius in. Funny enough I had my Inova T4 with me 'cause I was looking for a sheath so I was able to compare the two lights side by side.
Now don't get me wrong as the Gladius has some very cool features.
I really liked the ability to completely operate the light one handed, especially the one-handed dimming.
I really liked the sheer range of light you get from low to high.
I liked the different modes, the strobe really is dazzling.
The ceramic coating looks and feels neat.
The overall shape and balance of the light is very nice.
Good beam control (as seen down a dark alley behind the store) though really not much different from the T4, the Gladius just has a nicer sidespill.
However in the end it just failed to impress me. For the price tag attached to that light I felt that...
-The lock-out was ANNOYING! It's far too easy to trigger the light ON just before it locks and then you have a locked ON light.
-The detents for switching "modes" were not nearly as positive as I'd like them to be.
-The modes need some sort of witness marks so you know by feel exactly what mode you are in before you trigger the light. I'd hate to need the disorienting strobe and turn on another mode.
-The whole mode switching ring felt loose and also felt like you could break it if you slammed it from one end to the other in a panic situation. This may not be true but that is sure how it felt.
-The demo light already had a nick on the fins, how long will that ceramic coating really hold up?
-And the absolute worst of all, the delicate "line up the nub with the slot" procedure for changing batteries. Okay, it's an LED based light so you may not need to change batts often, but Good LORD! For a tactical light in that price range I should be able to flawlessly change batteries, in the dark, by feel alone, in a few seconds -even in a high stress situation. :thumbsdow :thumbsdow :thumbsdow