HDS Systems #23

[jonathannnc]

Ra twisty tr85 next to my nb30 rotary… you can’t get much better than this! Love the red low on the tr85 and the tint on the golden dragon is PURE white. Sw30 is no slouch either :)

 

[gravelrash]

Awesome clip!!

Dark Sucks blue anodize titanium clip for HDS, if anyone is wondering. I see they are out of stock on their site currently, but it is a great clip. Rarely I do have to give it a little bend to keep it at the tension I like.

 

[gravelrash]

Ra twisty tr85 next to my nb30 rotary… you can’t get much better than this! Love the red low on the tr85 and the tint on the golden dragon is PURE white. Sw30 is no slouch either :)

What year is that Ra Twisty from?

 

[jonathannnc]

What year is that Ra Twisty from?

It’s a v1 so it dates back to 2008-2009 which I found on the HDS site. It’s very very clean

 

[Modernflame]

What made you go with that instead of rotary? - About to pull the trigger on an HDS here shortly. - But might need to get 1 rot and 1 clicky haha

I'm an old school Clichy fan. I own a rotary but I have Vulcan mind melded with the executive user interface.

 

[Lights and Guns]

I'm an old school Clichy fan. I own a rotary but I have Vulcan mind melded with the executive user interface.

Gotcha, I ended up going with a rotary. I think it makes the most sense for a first HDS
The rotary is what appeals to me for EDC tasks/carry - having precisely the exact amount of light needed for each individual task seems quite unbeatable. That in itself holds a majority of the value with a light like this. That alone is the reason I'm even buying one.
Along with that, that's one of the biggest features that sticks out to me about HDS in general that sets it apart from the competition, I'm not sure if its accurate but for every 10 sold, its a 9:1 ratio (rotary to clicky).
Again I think thats just due to the fact that the rotary is really quite unique and no other company has been able to do it quite as well, or at all. - With all that said, I still may end up getting a clicky in the future if I fall in love with the rotary, just to have it in the collection.

 

[Showngo]

I’ve got 5 rotaries and one clicky. The clicky isn’t like anything else on the market and is absolutely stellar.

But I didn’t feel the need for more than one, and I constantly have to hold myself back from buying more rotary models, as they are perfection. Help me when/if 519a models drop.

Hitting the exact amount of light and knowing exactly how bright it will be (confidentially) before I turn it on is so good.

 

[ilikeguns40]

I’ve owned both. While I like both I prefer the clicky. I like the clip options along with the tailcap is easily user replaceable and can swap from flush to raised tailcaps easily, I’m around a lot of dirt at work and I felt the rotary could be a potential long term issue if dirt and debris would accumulate inside the ring

 

[ilikeguns40]

Gotcha, I ended up going with a rotary. I think it makes the most sense for a first HDS
The rotary is what appeals to me for EDC tasks/carry - having precisely the exact amount of light needed for each individual task seems quite unbeatable. That in itself holds a majority of the value with a light like this. That alone is the reason I'm even buying one.
Along with that, that's one of the biggest features that sticks out to me about HDS in general that sets it apart from the competition, I'm not sure if its accurate but for every 10 sold, its a 9:1 ratio (rotary to clicky).
Again I think thats just due to the fact that the rotary is really quite unique and no other company has been able to do it quite as well, or at all. - With all that said, I still may end up getting a clicky in the future if I fall in love with the rotary, just to have it in the collection.

Which LED did you go with?

 

[Lights and Guns]

I’ve owned both. While I like both I prefer the clicky. I like the clip options along with the tailcap is easily user replaceable and can swap from flush to raised tailcaps easily, I’m around a lot of dirt at work and I felt the rotary could be a potential long term issue if dirt and debris would accumulate inside the ring

That's fair. I don't necessarily mind about the lack of a pocket clip (okay, maybe a little) but truth be told I do like the look of the light more without one. - I'm intending on just throwing it in my pocket. I usually like to conceal anything that MIGHT be able to paint you are having a firearm on you, and somebody seeing a knife and light clipped to you pants pockets a decent clue that guy is either a cop or CCW holder. (At least here anyway)

I am not ever in dirty/dusty environments. So I am not worried about the longevity of the rotary in that regard. With that said, that is 1 HUGE benefit of the clicky, and you nailed it, that it's user serviceable. Thats actually the MAIN thing that was making my decision between rotary or clicky a little difficult. Reason being is because I've done a lot of digging and MOST of the time, people who do have an issue or need to send back their HDS seem to have an issue with the rotary itself. Then again, the amount of people who have used rotaries for YEARS, and have never had an issue HEAVILY outweigh the few that have by a tremendous margin (by the looks of the endless threads I've gone through at this point).

To your point about Switching between raised or flush tail cap button. That is not a concern for me, sure I guess it's nice to be able to do (I guess?) however, I think most would have a preference and just roll with that type not change constantly.

I think for EDC flush would be beneficial especially with it being thrown in a pocket or bag. Nearly impossible to turn on accidently. Not so much with a raised button though.

 

[Lights and Guns]

Which LED did you go with?

Ended up going with the NB40

I was between the 40 and 45 but after another user shared the beams side by side (tint wise) It was still a very hard choice, I had a slight preference to the 40. It seemed like the tint was damn near perfect, not too warm, not too cool and Hi Cri so color rendition should be quite good.

 

[ilikeguns40]

Seems the rotary fits your preferences better. That’s good. You will really enjoy it, I like my HDS without a clip most of the time. Feels so much better in hand and it goes right in my front pocket. Can’t go wrong with NB40 or NB45. You’ll enjoy the NB40.

 

[Lights and Guns]

Seems the rotary fits your preferences better. That’s good. You will really enjoy it, I like my HDS without a clip most of the time. Feels so much better in hand and it goes right in my front pocket. Can’t go wrong with NB40 or NB45. You’ll enjoy the NB40.

Thanks I appreciate it.
If I do end up loving the light.
I can see myself grabbing a clicky for best of both worlds.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

From what I have been calibrating recently, Rotary is outselling the Executive by probably 20 to 1 now, maybe even higher than that.

 

[JohnSmith]

Does the Rotary rubber boot generally have a longer “travel” to activate the button compared to the Executive? I have numerous clickies and the button seems to feel closer to the rubber boot, resulting a more responsive, tactile click than my Rotary. Just wondering if the slightly longer rotary cap necessarily puts a little more distance between the boot and the button, making the click feel a bit mushy.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

Same distance and same button... though there have been different lengths of the nipple on the underside of the button over the years.

 

[Lithium466]

Wasn't there a white plastic disc under the button that initially wasn't there on the rotaries? I remember having that discussion but not the outcome.

 

[neco]

The button on my rotaries are definitely more squishy/mushy feeling compared to my clickies. Clickies have a more satisfying tactile/mechanical response.

 

[wayben]

My one clicky takes much less movement than my four rotaries, kind of like a single vs two stage trigger.
Wayne

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

Yes, the white disk is still there in the Executives.