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Posted: 9/14/2007 6:28:44 AM EDT
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Anyone have any experience with this? It's only for incandescent bulbs, and sounds a little unlikely. But what do I know? It would be cheaper than buying a bunch of Gladius lights for some AR-15 rifles that need lights... edit: I like the Gladius, I have two. And I know Insights makes a clone of the Gladius. But how well does this tailcap work? |
That's kinda what Glenn thought when I told him about the tailcap, which would be the impetus behind this thread. I have no clue of the technicalities of it, I just would like a strobe for the lights I already have without dropping $250 on the Gladius whiz-bang available in my local copshops. |
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I have experience with this. First off, I flat out refuse to strobe an INCAN. That is just the fastest way I can think of to prematurely destroy a bulb. LEDS on the other hand, I will strobe all day long, and not worry. Secondly. The strobe function on this, is a DIFFERENT frequency than the Gladius. The gladius is MUCH MORE DISORIENTING when on strobe function. I was using both the gladius and this tailcap on a surefire with a cree upgrade at the same time. Although the Surefire with the cree was brighter, the gladius strobe rate "worked better." IE: it disoriented me more. I blasted myself with one light, and then the other. The switch does work as advertised. Push and HOLD for strobe, and push and release for on /off. And there is a delay before the strobe starts... it is like this: Push... LIGHT....................... STROBE*STROBE*STROBE. Unlike the gladius which, when set on the strobe setting, IMMEDIATELY starts strobing. PUSH..STROBE*STROBE*STROBE I personally didn't like the way the User interface was set up. As a weapon light, I like the gladius better. Sometimes, you will want to only use the strobe setting, and sometimes you want to use the momentary-on setting. The way I have been trained to use a weapon light, the flash-bulb method, doesn't work well for me when using the Lightsaver tailcap. It takes too long to start the strobe. I would have already turned the light off, and moved, before it starts strobing. I like the gladius when using the flash-bulb technique. strobe-move, strobe-move, strobe- identify target, MOVE, strobe- SHOOT. the light saver tailcap isn't fast enough. but that's just me. some one else jump in here and give an opinion. i have to admit, the gladius was well thought out. |
I have both also. And I agree 100%. I'd consider it a waste of money to add it on to the Surefire. It's worthless as a strobing "weapon light" and if you only want to use the strobe feature as an attention getting signal, you're better off just using the original tailcap and just tapping it a few times. |
LArgely due to this one post, and about an hour of internet research, I bought the Gladius from Strategos and had the upgrade done. I will compare it to my SF lights; but it looks like it may 'take the cake'. |
You are very right. Blackhawk contracted insight to make the light and sometime earlier this year that contract ran out and insight started making the light under its own name. |
Allow me to freestyle about the awesome-ness of the gladius. First off. I Hated the gladius when it came out, i thought it was all marketing BS, being heavily pushed by KenJGood, (a search of my name on arfcom will prove this). Then... some one lent me one. Just a REGULAR one, not even a Cree modded one. My opinion changed. The FIRST thing i did, was change the "constant-on setting" to start at LOW power. This is huge. This makes it the best light I have ever used. You then have 2 settings at full power for tactical use, and one that doesn't destroy night vision. Here is something else most people might not know. You can turn the switch to constant on, and then ramp it to the setting you want to use for navigation... (most of the time, i use the LOWEST setting possible). Then, TURN the switch to the strobe position. The light STAYS on the low, constant-on output.... But, you are just a PRESS away from strobe. So, if the need arises for strobe, BOOM, it is right there. |
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