Gladius for CHEAP

If anybody's on the fence about this, I'd say go for it. If I didn't already have one I'd snap up this deal in a heartbeat. This is a great price for a great flashlight, I can't believe they're listing them at that price, it's a steal.

I'm very tempted to get a backup at that price because I wouldn't want to be without it if I lost it or it was damaged beyond use/repair.

How does anyone find the strobe? In other words, in a darkened environment, does the strobe appear bright enough to disorient a suspect?

Law

LawLight said:

How does anyone find the strobe? In other words, in a darkened environment, does the strobe appear bright enough to disorient a suspect?

Law

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If you just go up to someone and strobe them, they will be like, "Uh, why are you strobing me with your flashlight?"

It will be annoying and that's about it.

However, if you are rushing someone, or avoiding their attacks, and you strobe them, they will not be able to tell what is going on. It is difficult enough to track all the movement in an actual "dynamic situation," and then all of a sudden you have this bright flashing which is very good at demanding your attention. When things are moving around, the strobe significantly reduces your ability to stay on top of the situation; it is really difficult to not lose track of what is going on.

My take is that its best use is in cloaking movement during "engagements." It disorients peole to the extent that they lose track of where you are, so they *tend* not to be able to engage you back effectively.

I think you need movement with the strobing to make it work as an engagement tool.

I use the srobe all the time as a signalling device, to say "I am over here" at night.

Scott

I found the battery changing process, which many have criticized, is also very intuitive. After you do it a couple of times, you could do it by feel in the dark upside down. (Place cap on body, rotate with gentle force until it engages, then screw the cap down.)

Very good, Scott. Thanks for the reply.

Law

Glad to see you guys are all checking out the Gladius and it's standing up well to scrutiny. I must say, as I think I've mentioned somewhere else, that I am very impressed with the Gladius. It's refreshing to see that they're not just another "Quick! Get a 6P clone out there! Quick, throw an LED module in a 6P clone to get some market share!" In a sea of competion, they built an excellent LED light around the tactics and techniques used and it really works! Bugs have been taken care of and customers have been very satisfied. I personally don't know that I'd care of a light with a strobe option, but that's neither here nor there and has nothing to do with the quality of the light. It's not just a rebranded, stamped out Surefire clone, it's its own design and I think stands up well despite the overwhelming selection of lights out there.

I enjoy my Gladius quite a bit as well. In fact, I even made a little clip of its use in the Mod-U-Lok holster.

It's an excellent light.

The user interface is great. Intuitive and a good big easy action control. Momentary full on and strobe give full blast from the off. Programmability on the variable gives me the option to start the ramp up from minimum - ideal when you're trying to be discreet or preserve something of your night vision.

I got one of these as soon as they were released and it is so versatile that I must have passed over half a dozen lights that I fancied just because the gladius could already do a better job than each of them !

Definately not a light for a flashaholic

Incidentally - while the early ceramic coat on mine looks good but isn't durable, the new HA black on the gladius and falcata is a dull matt black and seems MUCH tougher.

Cheers

Soooo tempting! I will miss out on this great deal for hopes of a "starless" version of the tail cap. It must go in the pocket for me.

just ordered one. I played with one over a year ago when they were pretty new and i said, "that's cool, not $250 cool, but definately about $120-130 cool" So i kept my word and snatched one up. It's gonna be fun strobing drunks at work.

Got mine today. Don't ask me how they got HA to feel like ceramic coat, but i'll take it. I like it even more than i did the passaround one, though i'm guess that's because this one's mine. ^_^

man, this is a great deal, the thing sells for at least $264 CAD here....too bad they only ship UPS, the brokerage fees once I get the thing here will completely negate the savings.

And I thought it was great when the price dropped to $160, but I'm still happy, it's a fabulous light at any price! The tailcap is much easier to use compared to the early version, which was a pain.

daloosh

It was a tight fit, but i managed to get a Surefire beamshaper (F24?) on the bezel. The only holster i own that it'll now fit is bezel-up in the Nighthawk! one, but i can live with that for a tool of this caliber. If i ever decide to list select torches in my sig, this will definitely make the cut.

Archangel said:

It was a tight fit, but i managed to get a Surefire beamshaper (F24?) on the bezel. The only holster i own that it'll now fit is bezel-up in the Nighthawk! one, but i can live with that for a tool of this caliber. If i ever decide to list select torches in my sig, this will definitely make the cut.

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I remember seeing posts about the FM34 beamshaper fitting tightly on the Gladius bezel. Here's a thread about it: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/120211

A search on "gladius beamshaper" or "gladius FM34" shows a bunch of stuff.

I EDC my Gladius the exact same way as you do, Archangel - bezel up in the MUL with an FM34.

The Beamshaper is indeed a tight fit. Sliding it straight on is a bit tough, but it moves easily if you rotate while you push. When locking the latch, don't go slowly - the tightest point is not when the latch is closed, but when it's somewhere in the middle. Go past this point quickly, and you'll minimize the stress duration.

A superb tool, IMO.

The one i'm using isn't the FM34. Mine looks like this. I'm pretty sure it's the F24 because i have another that looks similar but is larger. That one is on my Barbolight U-04.

Huh - I didn't know there was more than one style of Beamshaper. What are the differences between the F24 and FM34?

Found this on ebay...$119.95


http://cgi.ebay.com/NIB-Blackhawk-N...yZ106987QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I really want to play with one before I put alot of dough down on a light, but the price on these has really dropped. I feel kinda bad for those who bought them for $250+.

yekim said:

Found this on ebay...$119.95...

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Nice price, but then add $10 for shipping...I didn't see where they're giving you the free Blackhawk holster? They're selling it for $30, but LApolicegear is giving it to you with the torch.

Listen to us "nickel & diming" these low prices compared to what they originally sold for!