# First HID



## recDNA (Jul 26, 2010)

I've been around LED's for some time now but I'm a HID newbie.

I was brought here by beamshots of the AE 25 watt HID blowing away LED "throwers".

My first attempt at a purchase was the Stanley HID. I visited Walmart today and although the Stanley is a great deal and would do everything I want it is just too big to carry.

I am looking for a flashlight shaped HID I can carry. My requirements include:

Under 2 pounds

Less than 12 inches in length 

Flashlight shape with reflector 4" or less

I understand the small reflector diminishes throw but I am looking for a throwy rather than floody spotlight...or as throwy as I can get within my size requirements.

Price under $500 (better if MUCH under $500 LOL)

Very dependable with good reports from several trusted CPFers.

Sold by an American distributer with a good rep. No overseas transactions. No fly by night outfits.

Thanks for any help you can provide.lovecpf


----------



## AEHaas (Jul 26, 2010)

Consider this one:

http://www.batteryjunction.com/class1div1-aex20-ep.html

It can be made short, medium or long depending on the battery you put on it. The larger battery will probably give over 2 1/2 hours of use. It is among the most durable lights.

aehaas


----------



## dudemar (Jul 26, 2010)

There are very few tube-style lights out there that are of good quality that are under $500.

If you really like the Xenide I'd say go for it. As AEHaas said they are very durable and are great lights.

If price is an issue I would say the best deal is the Tactical 26W because it's only $230. It comes with:

-4300K bulb
-2 batteries
-smooth reflector
-HA

If you're willing to compromise on design there's the Titanium N30 and L35.


----------



## recDNA (Jul 26, 2010)

AEHaas said:


> Consider this one:
> 
> http://www.batteryjunction.com/class1div1-aex20-ep.html
> 
> ...


 
Thanks. I am also intrigued by the class1div2 25 watt model and the shorty 24 watt model. *I haven't been able to find lux measurements* anywhere. Beamshots seem to show the 25 watt model throws much further than the 20 watt model. I have no idea how good the throw is in the 24 watt model.


----------



## recDNA (Jul 26, 2010)

dudemar said:


> There are very few tube-style lights out there that are of good quality that are under $500.
> 
> I would say the best deal right now would be for the Tactical 26W because it's only $230. It comes with:
> 
> ...


 
"Tactical" is the brandname? I know, total noob question.

Any idea of what the lux is? 

Yes, I'm determined to go with tube design as long as it is reliable.


----------



## dudemar (Jul 26, 2010)

Yes that is the name. You can find beamshots over at CPFMP under "Dealer's Corner".


----------



## recDNA (Jul 28, 2010)

dudemar said:


> Yes that is the name. You can find beamshots over at CPFMP under "Dealer's Corner".


 
Sounds like Tactical HID's are floody from what I've read. Anybody got throw numbers on the focused beam?


----------



## dudemar (Jul 28, 2010)

I'm not sure which beam shots you're referring to, but the new models appear to have smooth reflectors. The older models had orange peel reflectors so they were floody.

The new 26W definitely has a smooth reflector:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=226689


----------



## recDNA (Jul 28, 2010)

dudemar said:


> I'm not sure which beam shots you're referring to, but the new models appear to have smooth reflectors. The older models had orange peel reflectors so they were floody.
> 
> The new 26W definitely has a smooth reflector:
> 
> http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=226689



Still doesn't look like a tight beam even in their own beamshot. The furthest shot they show is 100 yards. I'd expect 5 times that distance from an hid. My tk40 can light a guy at 100 yards.


----------



## dudemar (Jul 29, 2010)

There are a few factors to consider:

-It's easy to dismiss a flashlight by beamshots alone, as photos can only tell so much. In the end your own two eyes are the best way to pass judgment. Unless you've actually handled an HID and are able to compare it to an LED, it's premature to draw conclusions.

-As you know the Xenide 25W (at 1500 lumens) blows away LED "throwers". The Tactical is 1800 lumens with a 4300K bulb. Not only is it brighter than the Xenide, colors will contrast much better in real-world use. In terms of throw I would hazard to guess the 26W can hold its own.

-There is also the L30 from Titanium Innovations.

At the moment the Tactical is as good as it gets for a tube-style HID with a 2"-3" diameter reflector at the price range you mentioned. Off the bat I can't think of many other tube-style HIDs with similar specs at that price point



recDNA said:


> Still doesn't look like a tight beam even in their own beamshot. The furthest shot they show is 100 yards. I'd expect 5 times that distance from an hid. My tk40 can light a guy at 100 yards.



You can expect something like that from a Polarion. Here's a quote from their FAQ:

_In optimal conditions you see objects up to a 1.5 km away. However, atmospheric conditions can dramatically reduce that distance especially when there is a high moisture content in the air.

In practical terms the 35-50 watt Polarion HID Searchlights can easily allow you do see a person in the 400-500 meter range as well as give you substantial lateral coverage of the area._


----------



## recDNA (Jul 29, 2010)

The AE 25 watt looks like I would out throw the Tactical 26 watt. I'm really hindered by the lack of lux numbers. Too bad these flashlights don't get the detailed reviews the leds do.


----------



## dudemar (Jul 29, 2010)

I guess it bears repeating...



dudemar said:


> -*It's easy to dismiss a flashlight by beamshots alone, as photos can only tell so much.* In the end your own two eyes are the best way to pass judgment. *Unless you've actually handled an HID and are able to compare it to an LED, it's premature to draw conclusions.*


----------



## afraidofdark (Aug 1, 2010)

I consider myself an HID noob as well, my only experience is with NiteRider bike HIDs and an older Amondo Tech (now Titanium) N30. But with a sample size of two I will second the comment that the 4300k color temperature (on the N30) is really a wonderful thing to have in an HID. 

And as an aside, while it's not the form factor recDNA is looking for, I will say the N30 is one of those lights that makes me happy to own it every time I turn it on  It must be some combination of the great color temp, plus all that throw and flood.

dudemar* thank you* for the pointer to the Tactical lights, I'm thinking I need to look into a hand-held HID and these look very nice.


----------



## Larbo (Aug 1, 2010)

Check out this one. :twothumbs http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=226689


----------



## recDNA (Aug 1, 2010)

not enough throw. Only good for 200 yards. The point of an hid for me is throw. I have plenty of flood lights.


----------



## Patriot (Aug 1, 2010)

dudemar said:


> There are a few factors to consider:
> 
> -It's easy to dismiss a flashlight by beamshots alone, as photos can only tell so much. In the end your own two eyes are the best way to pass judgment. Unless you've actually handled an HID and are able to compare it to an LED, it's premature to draw conclusions.
> 
> ...





recDNA, what Dudemar states above is right on the money. It's also clear to me that the Tactical 26W with smooth reflector is not, "floody." You might consider it floody, but it's not going to be any more floody than a AE25W, when you take into consideration the reflector size, texture, and wattage. In any case, I can promise that it's going the make your TK40 look pretty sad, especially if you're currently impressed with the TK40 at 100 yards. 

You just don't have a lot of choices when it comes to a smooth reflectored, tube style light and you've already ruled out the AE25W by your length requirements alone.


----------



## recDNA (Aug 1, 2010)

The AE 25 WATT tube meets all needs but price. The throw of the tac 26 is inadequate for my needs. Even dealer says only good for 200 yards.
Sometimes the best thing is to wait for a better match or a price drop on the AE.


----------



## linty (Aug 1, 2010)

Hi, don't know if you checked, but Tactical HID also has a separate website:

http://tacticalhid.info/

and they have a 35w hid one there too. I bought it about... maybe 6 months ago, I and It's great. I'm on vacation now though so I can't go measure it to see if it fits your reqs.


----------



## MannyDLights (Sep 1, 2010)

I just got this and I'm loving it ....... 75 minutes runtime, Small, and yes powerful over 50,000 lux

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...507870&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_3109wt_919


----------



## ma_sha1 (Sep 2, 2010)

recDNA said:


> I've been around LED's for some time now but I'm a HID newbie.
> 
> I was brought here by beamshots of the AE 25 watt HID blowing away LED "throwers".



I used incans & HIDs as benchmark for leds mods.

Based on my personal experience, when I surpassed the mag1185 in throw with SST/Mag Rebel build, I sold the 1185 & got one that's well reviewed on CPF: *Oracle 24W HID*.

It's much better than my mag 1185 (25,000lux @ 1 meter) but not as throwy to the naked eye as my SST-90/4AA DD mag Rebel SMO 50,000 lux @ 1 meter & was demolished my my MagDragon 125,000 lux @ 1 meter.

I got a Stanley HID but returned it as it's just too big for my liking, I am going to build a more compact 35W or 50W HID myself. 

I would suggest you go to 35W HID at least, if you have a real thrower LED, may be disapointed by 24W HID lux. 
The AE 25W seems to be an exception, appears to throw better than typical 24W HIDs.


just my 2 cents


----------



## Fusion_m8 (Sep 2, 2010)

I recall that we were both looking to get a good 1st HID thrower and were hesitant about the Tactical HID 26W SMO because we weren't sure how well it will throw, but loved the cool looking and modern tubular design. 

Well, I got the L35 and I can say I'm glad I did. The throw performance, brightness and build quality FAR outweighs the odd looking design.

The gang at BatteryJunction were fantastic to deal with, very professional and patient with fussy customers like me.

I _might_ get the Tactical HID 26w as a 2nd HID. But if you only have to get just one, I highly recommend the L35, can never go wrong with the build quality and performance.

Good luck!

Gav



recDNA said:


> not enough throw. Only good for 200 yards. The point of an hid for me is throw. I have plenty of flood lights.


----------

