8 ms·

I was once a flashlight nerd. My (American-made except for LED) HDS with it's high-CRI Cree LED is my best flashlight ($200). Not as bright as a non-high-CRI LE

by bcook 12y ago

I was once a flashlight nerd. My (American-made except for LED) HDS with it's high-CRI Cree LED is my best flashlight ($200). Not as bright as a non-high-CRI LED, but in the forest the better color rendering gives me better depth perception (lots of browns and reds). The official HDS website has some great papers written by the guy who runs HDS. It was a one-man operation the last time I checked.

wyager 12y ago
Same here; my most expensive light is my HDS Systems light. The thing is so over-engineered, it will probably outlast me. For those not initiated, HDS is often regarded as the best mass-produced (as opposed to hand-made) flashlight brand available. Another contender for this title is surefire.
jonah 12y ago
Aren't some cree modules US made? Or even weren't they all until recently?
- bcook 12y ago
  Hmm... I had to go look this up, and you are partly right. Here is a snippet from http://hdssystems.com/Content/LightFaq/#Made http://hdssystems.com/Content/LightFaq/#Made "Even though the wafers - the heart and sole of the LED and the part that converts electricity into light - are manufactured in the USA, the wafers are packaged into LED emitters outside the USA, so the LEDs are considered to be of foreign origin."
  - jonah 12y ago
    To add a little more detail, through 2008 they were entirely made in Durham, SC. At that time Cree purchased a factory in Shenzhen to do the packaging.[1] [1] http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?185936-Where-are-Cree-LED-s-manufactured&p=2309971&viewfull=1#post2309971 http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?185936-Wh...
scotch_drinker 12y ago
Which HDS do you have? I'd like to have a better flashlight for getting through the woods in the dark.
- bcook 12y ago
  I think it is the EDC Executive with orange cerakote. The programmability of the thing is awesome. There is a locator beacon function that I would have loved to have on my lost Fenix P2D Q5. Honestly though, if you just want a good flashlight, Fenix and Zebralight are more than good enough. For the woods though, I definitely advise getting the highest CRI you can. The warmer tints usually have better CRI. With standard CRI LEDs (~70 CRI) I experienced a strange effect. Standing in a field and shining the light (Fenix P2D) into the tree line, the treeline and much of the forest behind it would be illuminated enough to make out details, but I could not judge the distance of anything behind the treeline. It was like the treeline was a wall where my depth perception stopped. With my high-CRI LED, even though it is not as bright (120 vs 180 lumens) I am able to see "better". It is all subjective though. There are some good threads on CPF showing picture comparisons between high and low-CRI. For me though, the differences at the conscious level are very subtle. Lots of vision comprehension is below the conscious level. OK, I am done babbling. :)

by bcook 12y ago

wyager 12y ago

Same here; my most expensive light is my HDS Systems light. The thing is so over-engineered, it will probably outlast me. For those not initiated, HDS is often regarded as the best mass-produced (as opposed to hand-made) flashlight brand available. Another contender for this title is surefire.

jonah 12y ago

Aren't some cree modules US made? Or even weren't they all until recently?

bcook 12y ago
Hmm... I had to go look this up, and you are partly right. Here is a snippet from http://hdssystems.com/Content/LightFaq/#Made http://hdssystems.com/Content/LightFaq/#Made "Even though the wafers - the heart and sole of the LED and the part that converts electricity into light - are manufactured in the USA, the wafers are packaged into LED emitters outside the USA, so the LEDs are considered to be of foreign origin."
- jonah 12y ago
  To add a little more detail, through 2008 they were entirely made in Durham, SC. At that time Cree purchased a factory in Shenzhen to do the packaging.[1] [1] http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?185936-Where-are-Cree-LED-s-manufactured&p=2309971&viewfull=1#post2309971 http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?185936-Wh...

scotch_drinker 12y ago

Which HDS do you have? I'd like to have a better flashlight for getting through the woods in the dark.

bcook 12y ago
I think it is the EDC Executive with orange cerakote. The programmability of the thing is awesome. There is a locator beacon function that I would have loved to have on my lost Fenix P2D Q5. Honestly though, if you just want a good flashlight, Fenix and Zebralight are more than good enough. For the woods though, I definitely advise getting the highest CRI you can. The warmer tints usually have better CRI. With standard CRI LEDs (~70 CRI) I experienced a strange effect. Standing in a field and shining the light (Fenix P2D) into the tree line, the treeline and much of the forest behind it would be illuminated enough to make out details, but I could not judge the distance of anything behind the treeline. It was like the treeline was a wall where my depth perception stopped. With my high-CRI LED, even though it is not as bright (120 vs 180 lumens) I am able to see "better". It is all subjective though. There are some good threads on CPF showing picture comparisons between high and low-CRI. For me though, the differences at the conscious level are very subtle. Lots of vision comprehension is below the conscious level. OK, I am done babbling. :)