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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Gladius light (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 9/10/2006 12:40:17 AM EDT
| So the prices have sure dropped on these lights lately. Those of you that have them and use them in a work related environment (mil or leo) do you think they are worth it? 250 was too much but 150 makes me very tempted. Advise? Experiences? Thanks |
| Worth is purely subjective. I have one, and I use one in a LE capacity. I like mine. For twice the lumens rating, and about $25 less than the Gladius, you can pick up the Night Ops Falcata. I plan to purchase one. Then I will just have to decide which one to put on my belt, and which one gets mounted to the AR. |
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I really wanted to like the Gladius, because i wanted the Strobe feature. Well, I had a friend who had a Gladius, and I wanted to see what the strobe would do to me. I stood in a completely dark garage for 20 min, to let my eyes adapt (to give the Gladius it's best chance).... i told my friend to blast me whenever he felt like it,(i didnt want a warning, or to know it was coming) cause i wanted to see how disoriented i would be. Not a damn thing happened. I could stare at the flashing light with no problems. I could have easily opened up on the area the light was coming from with a firearm. If you are buying it for the ability to adjust the levels to suite your needs, and for the increased throw... that's cool.... but if you want it for the strobe.... well.... Just give it a try before you buy it. |
Alone the strobe isn't a magical cure that makes people fall over and wet themselves. You were also prepared to deal with it and knew what was coming. It sounds like the two of you were just standing on opposite ends of a dark garage with a strobe light, well, that is like a mini rave. IF you had maybe used it in some other way, like your friend was going to try to take you to the ground, you probably would have found it harder to gauge distance and you would have likely lost your peripheral vision. The strobe really makes manipulating fine things by eyesite harder and is great for masking movement. The strobe has its places, and just like with low light training, you have to know when to and when not to use lights in certain ways. Its like using a wrench for a hammer, it will work, but not as well. |
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Following up with the last post....Well stated I might add... The strobe function simply gives you a reactionary gap and an increased ability to move within than gap in many cases….Not all. REPEAT not all! NOTHING that I am aware of from firearms on down should be relied on with 100% certainty. Across the spectrum people react differently to the same stimulus. Sometimes folks react quite dramatically to the strobing light, sometimes it's, so what? My wife is one of those…”So What?” persons. She still cannot tell exactly what distance I am at, and does not have good situational awareness, but the strobe in and of itself does not bother her. If you stand there at the same place and the same angle and just strobe…Well you have done little. If you have a couple of people quickly closing on you that are strobing and moving off-angle, I don't care who you are, your capacity to formulate and execute a good counter-offense is limited. I have literally a hundred emails for LE folks that have used the strobe with positive results. I have several from “civilians” that have used it in self-defense successfully. I have several emails from officers that were befuddled as to why the subject kept on fighting….. Whether you use your body, Tasers, knives, firearms, EXPECT the guy to keep coming. Where people get the idea that folks drop on contact is a mystery to me. Light (momentary, constant On, strobing) all have their time and place and should always be shored up with force options right behind it. The Gladius is cool (in my biased opinion), but it is one tool that is part of a much larger spectrum of equipment, tactics and personal skills. Respectfully, Ken J. Good |
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A fellow officer was in a foot chase with a suspect. I moved into position to cut him off as he came around the back side of a residence. Unknown to me the suspect was running with a handgun in one hand and possibly moving into position of cover to fire upon the pursuing officer. As he rounded the house I blasted him in the face with a momentary flash of light from my Gladius and quickly flanked him. As I did it, I saw him immediately throw the handgun and with the look of "I just defecated in my pants" dropped to the ground and gave up. I would argue that it did have that effect of drop on contact, but being a student of one of Ken's classes, I realize also that it was a combination of things that resulted in his sudden change of heart. Nonetheless, I still love the Gladius for all of its many features and will go ahead and give full credit to it for the outcome on that evening. Ken, I never got around to sending you an e-mail about this incident as I know you enjoy feedback. So this is my testimony...I would not hesitate to purchase the Gladius, but know how it is best employed. Training and familiarization is the next logical step. I still have a lot more of that to do! |
| The best thing about the strobe is the ability for it to not allow someone to tell distance. I tried it on several friends who let me strobe them and they felt it was not effecitve at disorientation. However I was able to move latterally and close in simultaneously and when the light went off I was right next to them. Everyone was suprised and they could not tell the distance was being closed... they all thought I was just circling latterally. Thats the primary advantage for the strobe IMO. Inability of the person being strobed to determine distance to the flash is a good tool. |
There are only two kinds of BOCRAP customers. Those who have been screwed, and those who are waiting to be screwed. "Sugarman" their ONLY after the credit card company reversed the charges was the matter cleared up. A Google serch will reveal many UNHAPPY former BOCRAP victims. Paladin |
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STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!!!! LAPOLICEGEAR.COM is blowing Gladius's out for $129.99!!!!!! I've been watching them for a few weeks, last week they were $169, then 150, then today they are $129. They have CR123 batteries (battery station label, said to be good on CP forums) $30 for 25pc. Just got mine a few minutes, Git on it!!!!! |
Was thinking there is some new version coming out and they want to sell off current stock before releasing new technology...? |
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I think it's a combintaion of the fact that these are ceramic coated lights, and more importantly, the Gladius's performance is being equaled by cheap lights from China. The new lights might not be as tactical as a Gladius or have ALL the features, but they do have *most* of them. At half the price. The Gladius is only a 3 watt light. It's a quality LED though, way better than the 3w and most 5w LED's that are sold. The problem is that technology marches on and now we are seeing 7 and 8 watt LED modules available, it's only a matter of time before someone fits an appropriate heat sink on them and makes a light that out-classes the Gladius with brute horsepower. Dave |
I got my original Gladius from LA Police Gear. The website said it was in stock and it took 3 weeks to get here{ 4 phone calls later}. (Was drop shipped from Blackhawk). But, it IS a great light and the price was right at the time, so it was worth the wait. |
I got my original Gladius from LA Police Gear. The website said it was in stock and it took 3 weeks to get here{ 4 phone calls later}. (Was drop shipped from Blackhawk). But, it IS a great light and the price was right at the time, so it was worth the wait. Well, I got my package today.. A nice Gerber knife, 25 batteries for the Gladius, No Gladius and No Holster-they are on Backorder.  That tells me the price reduction is all the way from Night-Ops/BlackHawk as LAPG wouldn't backorder a light they were blowing out at roughly half what I bought my last Gladius for from ADCO.Dave |
| You guys are telling me that there are people here that do not have a Gladius yet? Go get them while prices are good, everyone should own at least one Gladius. Everyone that I show mine to ends up buying one. I ende up sticking mine on my M4gery so now I will be getting another for a hand held light. I do not see how people can live with out owning at least one. |
My name is Jimmy, I am a flashaholic. It started with a Surefire 6Z. Then I had to get a G2. THen each vehicle needed a G2. Then I needed a light for my rifle. Then I found Pentagon lights. I needed a 9V pentagon for my 20" Then I got a Gladius. Liked it so much I got a second one. One for carry, one for my carbine. Now I want to get a Falcata. Oh I forgot i won a Gladius too ( I have 3  )
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Mr. Good, Are there any plans to create an incandescent light with the Gladius' strobe feature? I like the strobe feature a lot, the color-quality and throw was good for an LED. Almost everything about my Gladius was desirable, with the exception that I felt the beam was weaker than I prefer. For that reason alone I was forced to sell it. After all, the first thing I need the light to do is put out a bright enough light. Second, I believe the effectiveness of the strobe feature, especially as distance is increased, is hobbled by the low light output. Can an incandescent light be made to stand up to heavily-repeated short-duration on-off cycles? I believe a strobing incandescent light would be more effective, even if it didn't allow for any of the other special digitally-controlled features. Battery life would be shorter too, but that is not an issue to me and many others who are used to incandescent taclights. If that is not an option, what about a 9v Gladius? To give you an idea of my preferences.. For pocket carry, etc. I typically use incandescent SF 6v lights. Weapons-mounted gets incandescent SF 9v lights. Just one civie's opinion here though. |
They have begun selling their Falcata incandescent in 6 and 9 volt versions. LAPoliceGear.com has them available. An incandescent lamp can NOT be cycled rapidly like an LED. The filament has a distinct period of "decay" while it cools off during which it goes from white to orange before extinguishing. Higher power LED's are becoming available, so maybe down the road enough output to satisfy your need may become available. Battery breakthroughs are also needed, as run times are already close to the 1 hour minimum most expect from a tactical light. Until then, just keep "getting by" with 9 volt Surfire systems. If you need more light than a P91, strap on an M4 with 500 lumen N62 lamp (thank you Calvin at Brightflashlight!) and press on. BTW, the Gladius during almost total dark last night on my State park hike performed well above my expectations. Spotting deer at distances exceeding 50 yards was no problem, and the Strobe function make them all turn and stare. 20 or 30 frontal head shots were presented at one time, which I now realize is why the 30 round AR15 magazine was invented!  Does anyone know if the OD or Tan are still ceramic finish or anodized? Paladin |
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Only the Black Gladius lights are Type III HA at this time. As reported by PALADIN-hgwt, LED's really hold their own in very dark conditions. They are a bit anemic as the ambient light levels increase. Neither “light engine” (LED or Incandescent) meets all the entire spectrum of capabilities/features desires people want in a light. (Digitally controlled, strobe, variable light levels, long runtime, lamp life, shock durability, throw, etc). That is why hybrids are out there as well. As previously stated, LED’s are continually being released with more and more output. They will eventually push out more and more xenon lamps but they are not there yet. I carry several lights on my person when operating. I still carry (dare I say it…) SureFire M3T until we come up with our own larger reflector depending on what we are doing. I carry a 9V incand Falcata 9v (which I like better than the light it replaced SF – M3) and the Gladius for indoor work. I have an SF M500 B or A/B on my AR for the sheer volume of light since I don’t have any other tools IR or visible lasers on it. Ken J. Good Night-Ops Illumination Tools |
I find your post kind of confusing. My Gladius has more output than my P60 6V Surefire lamps. Are you looking for something to replace 9V Surefires or 6V Surefires? The Gladius already outperforms The 6V Surefires IMO. |
After playing with the 9v Falcata for the first time this weekend I have to speak up and say two thumbs up for the above combo!! The 9v Falcata has superb performance for 1.25" reflector that providesexcellent white light and a nice round beam. It has a bit more throw than most other comparable 9v lights and is fairly close to even the SL TL-3* though it has a 1.5" reflector. I personally feel the tailcap is a little oversized but the push button itself feels perfect. I would love to see a 6v & 9v version of the Gladius with this std. clicker tailcap, combine that with the 9v Falcata and you would have three superb lights that would also be suitable for weapons mounted use. Ken, what's next for the Falcata line? I'm sure some folks will be requesting tapeswitches for them. Any chance of a more streamlined tailcap for the general user? Thanks for your input on a great light! * The TL-3 is just a great light for throw, it's not exactly in the same league as a tactical light. |
That is a good point. I was comparing the Gladius vs. SF 9v. The reason for this was because the Gladius was more in line with the size of the SF 9v and was too big for me to pocket-carry comfortably. That is indeed an unfair comparison though isn't it? My mistake. I apologize. I'd agree the Gladius is brighter than 6v SF incandescents, atleast at close ranges. However my eyes have a harder time IDing things with LED light vs. incandescents so the extra brightness puts them to "about even" in visibility/usability for me. I'd still like to see a higher power version of the Gladius though. I think it would REALLY rock. 
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If you compare LED-Incandesccent Low light short-med range LED will probably look better Low light med-long rang probably a toss up LED is less distinct. Medium light short-med range The LED will "blend" with the other light sources and become indistinct. Inc-will still be a distinct beam Longer range just gets worse for LED Higher Light - LED will be drowned out. How effective LED seems is much more dependent on the conditions you use it under, than incandescents. So the amount of preceived light a higher lumen rated LED puts out in a medium ambient light environment, might seem like less than a lower lumen rated incandescent. |
I am not sure. He got replacements for free and he wrote Blackhawk (or whatever company guise they use...NightOps) about the incidents suggesting they use an aluminum cap with more positive settings, but they did not respond with anything. He is in Iraq right now and he left me his carbine when he went over seas and the Gladius is mounted in a DD offset mount on his HGs. it looks pretty well used. The controls do feel pretty mushy and the tail cap feels fragile compared to my Surefires and the Pentagons I have handled. I do like the strobe feature though. I remember a few different instructors at Gunsite saying they have had problems with it either sticking in particular modes, like strobe or constant on when they were turning the tailcap or having them not work sometimes... This is all anecdotal I will admit, and my only experience is handling my buddy's around my house, but it does feel "cheesy" compared to the aforementioned lights. |
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I am directly involved in the replacement of tailcaps and general customer service issues for the Gladius light since its release. Unfortunately, we have had to replace quite a few tailcaps on this light. The primary reason we have had to replace them is NOT because of the tailcap itself. The primary reason is that we had a run of Gladius lights were produced with the internal flex circuit out of spec (basically too long). This out of spec circuit has caused a host of problems for users. Battery drain, intermittent function, and other strange mode shifts. The problems you said the Gunsite instructors were having certainly might fall into that category. Too solve the issue and to eliminate tolerance stacking we re-designed the tailcap by eliminating material that did not need to be there. From there we, BlackHawk under that strange brand name "Night-Ops", subsequently replaced ANY customers' tailcap/light that was experiencing any problems whatsoever. Again, I have personally addressed far too many than I wanted to, but we stand behind the product. Lights that are produced now are exceptionally well made as we have learned from our mistakes. The tailcap itself is actually quite strong as it is made of high-impact plastic. It sits on an aluminum base/pillar that rises into the internal part of the rotary dial, the body itself. In fact in toe-to-toe drop testing with the other guys' flashlights at Motorola testing labs, the Gladius simply smoked anything it faced. The tests were not conducted to try and make other flashlights look bad, but prove to ourselves that the design we intended to go with was sound. 5 lights were chosen from a lot of 30 production samples submitted. Each light was drop 5 times through 26 angles/planes on concrete suspend 4’ off the ground. That is 130 drops a piece. 4 of the 5 lights sailed through it. 1 of the 5 experienced function problems on one channel that was later identified as a manufacturing assembly issue on the front end of the circuitry. The greatest venerability the Gladius faces from a drop with respect to the tailcap is when the light is dropped in lock-out mode when the cap is depressed and locked. The assembly has much less “give” when in this mode. To date we have replaced a handful (I know of only 4 - there of could be more) that have been broken in this manner in the field. There are several 10,000 lights out there now. I have also seen the tailcap push-button cap come off, but the light is still fully functionally. I am going to contact our Q/A department and getting the EXACT statistics in terms of what we have actually addressed from customers that have contacted us. If you friend had 2, then I want to know about it. I would appreciate it if you have him contact me directly. I will leave you with this. The tailcap does not have the feel I would like it to have if I could re-wind the clock and do it all over again. But, making it aluminum would not necessarily make it any stronger. In fact it would probably make in more venerable and problems if dropped directly on itself to bending as aluminum was less give than more pliable plastic. In other words it would directly transfer the shock as opposed to dispersing it. Additionally due to the part itself, the price of the light would have been higher than it already was; something nobody wanted. [email protected] |
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FWIW, I'd rather have a 'cheesy feeling' plastic tailcap that gives when subject to impact, has no parts to wear out, and is completely water tight than the industry standard straight-up clicky cap with the controls for the different function elsewhere on the light. If the controls were on the head, it would be a two hand operation and if the controls were on the tail separate of the cap it would require the user to have the light properly indexed in the hand before they would be accessible. Neither of those scenarios would work well in the environment the Gladius was designed for, so the current design is the best compromise. I think most people would be satisfied if the clicks were more positive with a stronger detent force, but then you'd have trouble manipulating the ring with gloves on etc. Dave |
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kenjgood: I have one of the Gladius lights and have been very impressed with it. My tailcap has started to do this: When rotating the shroud that selects the light mode, it rotates farther than those three settings and makes a clicking noise when doing so. Is this similar to the tailcap problems you're talking about? If it weren't for the fact that my light continues to work, I'd have probably sent it back for examination or repair. But something's usually got to get to the point of complete uselessness in order for me to have it repaired. Do I need a new tailcap or not? |
No, it is supposed to do this. Part of the design of the tailcap was so that a super strong man could torque the tailcap overly far and it wouldn't break. I bet it took quite a bit of time to work out correctly. This is basically a rachet action that keeps the tailcap from busting if twisted to far, you are feeling the plastic teeth slipping instead of the tailcap breaking. This is a good design. Especially when you combine this with a magnetic switch. The tailcap issues Ken are talking about basically involve the light becoming possesed and it doesn't work as it should. Electrical voodoo if you will. On a side note, they did spend some serious time testing these lights out. I saw the pile of comparison lights tested from the other guys. They honestly had an 8,000$ pile of trashed high end LED lights from the big guys that I saw. I am eagerly awaiting the release of their next product line... |
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Hmmmm something MUST be wrong with mine. I've dropped it off a 6 foot ladder, had it fall out of my boat into the water and fortunately it was quickly retreved (boat was going 58 MPH, I've had it clamped to my HG with a DD Offset and it went through 500 rounds of 5.56 in one range session. I just CAN'T get it to fail... no mater WHAT I do... hell, it won't even burn out the battery!! I haven't changed them once in 3 months of near daily use. I MUST be doing something wrong. 
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kenjgood, great post. I sent my buddy an MSN IM but he communicates randomly and sometimes I don't hear from him for a couple of weeks so we will have to wait. Like I said, I have his rig here and I am messing with the Gladius as I type and the tail cap feels easy to break to me. I mean no offense to NightOps or anyone else out there, but this is just my personal opinion/feeling, as I have not witnessed it being broke. The "clicks" or positions between modes feels spongy and I feel like I can easily overturn it the cap beyond the last mode and crack it, it has slop that allows it to wiggle around. When he left he took a bunch of stuff, I know he took his ACOG and Surefires for sure so he had ability to bring some gear but he left the Gladius here with me. |
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As stated in an earlier post, I would get back to you based on the actual numbers, not what I knew off-hand. Per our Quality Assurance Managers numbers which I have in front of me in the form of a spreadsheet that tracks these issues, the total percentage of Gladius Tailcaps assemblies replaced since Dec 2005 for shattered parts after being dropped in one manner or another is in the neighborhood of .035% of all the lights that have been manufactured. That is 3 one-hundredths of a percent. An issue of course if you are the one that has a broken tailcap; but most would not consider this a design flaw. I did hear of a first from the Q/A manger. A customer shattered the actual pushbutton cap or it cracked. The light could still be operated, but obviously this part needed to be replaced. |
You do realise that the Gladius has magnetic switching and there is no physical link like other flashlights right? Thats why the controls feel the way they do vs say a triditional clicky type tailcap. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Gladius light (Page 1 of 2)
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