When EDCing, how to you carry it? Clipped to the waist of your pants?

It seems kind of big for an EDC, at least to me. Since I carry in my front pocket, I'm limited to a much smaller light - an ARC AAA Premium.

KenK: "When EDCing, how to you carry it? Clipped to the waist of your pants? "

Coat pocket, belt pouch. I'm planning on the A2 for throw and close up in general, but am planning on a Fenix LOPSE AAA for my keychain. This gives me two options with some pretty good overlap.

I was also thinking about a Huntlight FT02 - it uses 1 123 or 2 AA, just for fun...

Right now, I EDC a very old CMG Infinity (original) and a AA Mag with the Niteize, so I have nowhere to go put up... <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Still not bad choices even now, if you're talking about getting stuck someplace very dark. Considering most people don't carry any light sources (unless you count cell phone and MP3 player screens), that's still ahead of the game. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Here is a comparison of my HDS U85 vs on of my SF E2e lights. The color of the photos is a bit off -- the E2e looks somewhat yellow in real life (compared to the U85) where my U85 looks stark white.

The U85 can hold it's own in throw and hotspot with the E2e and has a bit more spill. The beam pattern of the U60 is the same, although not quite as bright.

That said, the very _white_ beam does look different outdoors than the warm beams we have become used to. In the end, I'm not sure if the incandescents are really "better", but more what we are used to. That said, I can certainly see how some would prefer the incandescent.

Interestingly, HDS used to offer what they called guaranteed tint, or "GT". These had beams a bit more on the warm side which might be more acceptable to those who prefer a warmer tone.

In regards to the HDS U60 vs A2 runtimes, this is probably a bit of a case of apples to oranges. The HDS will continue to step down as the batteries run down. Usually you change the batteries because you want to, rather than you have to.

In addition, having the four different levels easily accessible, you tend to only use as much light as you need.

These issues tend to cause the effective runtime of the HDS lights to be very impressive. It's pretty hard to envision totally running out of light with an HDS.

Also the standard HDS battery configuration is 1x123A vs the 2x123A for both the A2 and SF L2. There is a optional 2x123A battery pack for the HDS which increases runtime 3-4x instead of the 2x you might expect. This further induces the impression of seemingly endless runtime.

Personally, I carry my U85 with a prototype 18650 lithium ion rechargeable battery pack (the HDS was designed for lithium ion as well and operates at full capacity in this configuration) using a 2600mah battery. In addition, I carry the 2x123a battery pack with 2x123a cells as backup power.

The gotcha is that HDS merged with a company called NovaTac and are now re-gearing their operations. The HDS lights are not currently in production and are difficult to obtain. This is why I didn't suggest them previously.

It sounds like they will announce their new lights at SHOT in February and a new U85 is likely to be the new backbone of their product line. However, no rumors to when you might be able to get one.

All in all, the U85 with the extended battery packs pretty much ended my quest for the perfect EDC light.

-john

Great post, John. I am very excited to see the new flashlight developments in 2007.

Ahh, John? You forgot your light sabre on the rail there.

I use a John Willis sheath for my A2 and my G2.

I had an A2 in "pilot vison" which was yellow/green. I bought it becasue it was a good deal and wanted to compare it to L2... In my opinion A2 is a waste of money. As a hybrid light it is a good idea but specs are really not that impressive especially on the LED mode (power). Get the L2... Same run time on more powerful setting (better "reach") and more light on lower setting. No chances of light burning out and it is cheaper. Had them both and A2 went to Ebay.