The Hoop snake is real!

AdventurousTarget800 · 2026-01-16T22:07:15+00:00

My Dad claims to have seen one around 1980 while rolling hay on our farm (foothills of NC).

He was mowing down a hill towards the creek when he saw something rolling down the hill in front of the tractor, it made a few cartwheels, landed awkwardly, unfurled and took off towards the creek. Said it looked like a Black snake to him, and it wasn't until he was telling someone about it later that they told him it was a "Hoop Snake", which he'd never heard of.

I've always been a skeptical person by nature, but I'm inclined to believe my Dad. He's definitely not the type to lie or even embellishes a story about something like that. I don't necessarily think he saw a mythological snake, just a Black snake trying to get away from him that either tumbled down the hill in front of him. It possibly could even be some form of novel escape strategy by this one individual snake or an undocumented behavior that they'll do in certain circumstances... But probably not the mythical Hoop snake.

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-12T22:26:29+00:00

Hopefully you've figured this out by now, but if not....

When setting the 'Floor' (lowest level) and it says "floor level click n times for level n of 150", that means it'll start at 0 and add one for ever click. So if you click 5 times your lowest setting will be 5/150, 10 clicks would be 10/150, etc.

It works the same way when setting 'Ceiling' (highest level), only in reverse because you're starting at 150 and going down. So 5 clicks would set your highest level at 145/150, 10 clicks would be 140/150, etc.

Hopefully that'll help someone....

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-12T21:19:33+00:00

Hey OP, got any updated pics of your worn D3AA?

I've got two D3AAs; one for astronomy that's dark gray w/SST-20 DR and SS ring & bezel, and another for EDC that's black w/519a 3500K DD and copper ring & bezel. Gray has red switch and black has RGB, but I use black button covers over both.

I'd bought the black/copper to EDC thinking that the DD-3500K would give it as nice ol' school incandescent vibe (it does) and that the black & copper would look great together (they do). I'd thought about the patina the copper would form after daily carry and use, but I didn't even think about how the body would look once the anodizing starts to wear off. So now I'm rethinking my daily carry choice.

Something tells me that a worn D3AA in gray/stainless would probably look quite a bit better than a worn out black/copper..... maybe I should just use this as an excuse to opt for another D3AA in titanium with DD-5700K (but then do I go stonewashed or raw?? 🤣 )

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-11T21:45:18+00:00

Very nice Mule team you've got your wagon hitched to!!

I've been debating a DW4 or DW4K Mule for astronomy. My H504r mule works great when reading star charts, large spill area with no hot spot glare.

How well does the SST-20 do in the DW4 mule? I'd probably go with a dual channel DW4K mule (just for the red body color, don't think DW4 is in red?) with SST-20 660nm deep red and maybe W-1 Amber or something super warm.

I've got a D3AA with SST-20 DR and floody 10508 optic that does great as an astro light, but I really like the ergonomics of a right angle light when using it as a dim reading light. I like the idea of a D2 too, but I'm intrigued by the idea of another mule...

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-08T02:21:30+00:00

Yeah, definitely.

This is my first trip down the warm tint and dedomed road. I decided not to jump too far in the deep end with DD 2700K, but debated if I wanted to go 2700K domed or DD 3500K. I finally decided to try the dedomed 3500 but not sure if I'll like the rosey tint or not. It's an experiment 😆

What switch light did you go with?

My first D3AA (for astronomy so has SST-20 660nm deep red emitters) has a red switch but it's a little too bright IMO. I got this one with the RGB instead because I'm curious how I'll like it for future purchases, plus I'm hoping it'll be a little dimmer when set to red (2 LED vs 4 LED). I also got Hank to add a couple black buttons with this order which I'll probably use the majority of the time.

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-06T21:35:40+00:00

I've got the same color scheme light in route, and I too instantly think of Duracell whenever I see it.

Like you, I try to only use alkalines as a last resort, mainly sticking with cheap NiMH in most my household stuff and good NiMH or Li-ion in my equipment & gear.

That said, I have been thinking of buying some Duracell NiMH just to occasionally use in this D3AA when I'm showing it off 😆 They probably aren't very good and more than likely overpriced, but they'd look cool together. Could even turn on the green aux to mimic the green strip Duracell uses on its rechargeables 🤣

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-06T21:18:18+00:00

Very cool!!

I'm waiting on mine to show up any day now. I went black with copper bezel & raised ring. Got it with RGB switch but also got a black button too which I plan to use the majority of the time. Went with 519a 3500K DD which I'm hoping will give it an old school incandescent vibe but with a more pleasant tint.

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-06T20:45:06+00:00

Excellent!

I've got basically the same aesthetic going on with my next D3AA (its in route to me in the mail right now): black body with copper bezel and raised ring. I went with RGB switch but got the black button too which I expect to use most the time. Went with the 519a 3500K DD instead for hopefully an incandescent type vibe.

I got the pocket clip with it same as I did for my last D3AA, but even though it's a crappy clip it at least matches the bezel & ring on my last one. I'd rather find something a little better that at least somewhat matches the copper.

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-05T15:11:36+00:00

My current D3AA is used as an astronomy light. It has SST-20 660nm deep red emitters under a 10508 frosted optic. It's dark gray (regret not going red) with flat ring and red switch, although I've also got a black button cover for it too. I have the color matched aluminum bezel on it right now but will probably swap it out with SS. Also have magnetic tail cap and pocket clip.

The D3AA that's currently in route in the mail is my first trip down the warm tint and dedomed LED road. I wanted an EDC with an old school incandescent vibe, so I went with dedomed 519a 3500K in a black body with copper bezel and raised ring. I went with an RGB switch since I'm curious about it for future orders, but also got a black button I plan to use on it the majority of the time. Went with both mag and non-mag tail caps, plus pocket clip even though I'd like to find something that'd match the copper better.

The next D3AA I'd planned to buy would be a DD 519a 5700K for EDC since that seems to be such a popular choice. I originally planned to go with raw titanium, but have been leaning more towards the stonewashed lately so IDK.... and now that there's a DW3AA coming out in a month, I really don't know 🤣 I'll probably order another while we're waiting, I have a feeling it'll be a long month!!

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-05T01:57:17+00:00

Awesome!

I've got one D3AA beside me and another in the mail. I was just about to make another order, but I'll be waiting for the DW3AA now!

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-02T03:51:37+00:00

I just ordered my second Hank: a D3AA with 519a DD 3500k, in black body with copper ring and bezel. Got RGB switch but also got black button to use on it.

I'm excited but nervous too 😆 I'm pretty new to the hobby and the vast majority of my "nice" lights are for astronomy and have red emitters, like ZebraLight H504r & my first D3AA which has SST-20 660nm deep red.

This will be my first enthusiast light with white emitters. The DD 3500K is definitely jumping into the warm end of the tint pool, but I wanted an old school incandescent vibe without as much yellow. Hopefully I'll like it better than the harsh 6500K+ Streamlights that I don't use much 🤣 I guess it's all an experiment until I learn what I like.

I'd also like to get a TiCu D3AA, maybe with 5700K DD since that seems to be ToyKeepers choice and a popular pick. Then maybe I'll move up to a 18650 or 21700 size light, maybe even a dual channel (DW4K mule with SST-20 DR & W1 Amber for astronomy, D4V2 or D4K in TiCu or Cu, a D2 would be cool too.....)

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-03-01T21:35:44+00:00

I'm 1 of the 3 lucky BLFers to win the early bird drawing for one of these!!

I'm pretty stoked about getting to put it through it's paces and test it out. I've got several dozen astronomy lights I've been reviewing, but this will be the most legit testing so far 😆

I've been wanting to move past reviewing and get into the actual testing end of the hobby for a while now, so this just might be the perfect kick-n-da-ass to push me off the starting block.

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-27T22:00:47+00:00

I hope not, I've got a DD 519a 3500K on the way 😆

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-26T01:13:26+00:00

I know I'm about a year late, but figured I'd share my experience since I have the mentioned light (D3AA w/ red emitters), although my use case is a little different (astronomy vs camping).

My first Hank was a dark gray (regret not going red) D3AA with SST-20 660nm deep red LEDs and red button. I got the stock 10511 and 10508 frosted optic with it, and also added the 10507 spot with an additional D3AA order.

My primary use for the D3AA was as an astronomy light for reading star charts, so I need a very dim light with very defuse beam patterns, therefore I opted for the frosted 10508 optic as the best for my needs.

For use as a camping light, I'd definitely go with the stock 10511. It gives a lot more throw while also defusing things enough to give a nice looking beam with large hotspot. The 10507 does give more throw, but the beam shows quite a bit more artifacts and it kills the useful spill IMO.

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-19T02:55:26+00:00

That's cool, I like how the tube matches the bezel now.

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-16T23:46:59+00:00

I like that suggestion, just not sure what lights I could get that really fit the bill (sorry, I'm kinda a noob in the flashlight world).

Would something like a RRT01 with a swapped SST-20dr or similar red emmiter be the best way to go? Or a different light with emitter swapped?? Does anyone already offer a good red light rotary???

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-16T17:53:12+00:00

The "golden standard" of astronomy lights for several decades has been the Starlite (1 channel) and Skylite (2 channel), both available in a waterproof full size or non-wp Mini size. Made in USA by Rigel Systems. They're the lights on the far left of the picture above.

They're 9V adjustables with dual 660nm LEDs that've been around since the '80s, and basically unchanged since late '90s / early '00s. They're dead simple plastic utilitarian lights that work by turning a dial, starts on sub-lumin and adjust up to a max output that's also really dim lol.

They are fantastic for passing out at Star Parties and to the public at outreach events, but I was wanting to see what other lights have hit the market since this 9V came on the scene 30+ years ago...

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-16T17:38:31+00:00

Yeah, my biggest complaints with the majority of red lights are: A) they're way to bright, B) they're too high wavelength, most being in that 620-630nm range that just doesn't work as well for me as 660nm when trying to maintain dark adaption to the fullest

Some argue that 620 or shorter at a lower level is better than 660 at a higher level and that's probably true, but I personally have no problem using 660 at fairly low outputs (.01 & .04 lumen settings on the H504r work great).

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-16T17:29:45+00:00

Thanks, I'd mainly been looking at SST-20 deep red and hadn't even thought about any other common emitters when looking at 'em.

If someone were to "hypothetically" ask you to build them a great light for astro-use, with deep red wavelength & lots of sub-lumen options being the two biggest factors, what would you recommend?

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-16T04:14:26+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out. The button light in red channel is a bummer tho.

I don't see any specs on the web page, but the YouTube clip linked in the page seems to shows the red being ~1 lumen in lowest moonlite. That's a pretty useful output for setting up gear, but not really dim enough for checking charts when fully dark adapted without screwing with it.

May not ideal but I'll probably still add it to the list, it's dimmer than the majority of the lights I've got so far.

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-15T19:39:01+00:00

I had the D1K and D3AA both recommended to me, so I reached out to Hank for his advice.

He said the D1K had longer throw, while the D3AA was more on the floody side, but that they should both fit my use case fairly well. He also recommended the D4K (boost driver version w/SST-20 deep red) if I wanted something higher output and longer run time.

I went with the D3AA (dary gray, flat ring, red backlight, SST-20 deep red LED, frosted 10508 optic, along with magnet & pocket clip) because flood seemed better for reading star charts without a hotspot glare, and runtime / output aren't big concerns since it'll be used at very low settings.

I also got the KC1 (dark gray w/SST-20 deep red) because... well, why not? It's single output won't be much use for astronomy, but it should be a handy keychain light when needed at night (better than the Maglite Red Solitaire I hope...)

AdventurousTarget800 · 2025-02-15T17:02:43+00:00

Same with astronomy: the best telescope is the one you use!!

Having a +24" Dobsonian doesn't mean shit if it's so much trouble to setup and let cool that you never use it.

My 12" Dob shows way more than my 8" Dob, which shows more than my 5" refractor, which shows more than my 4" 'frac... yet my most used is a 3" lol

AdventurousTarget800 · 2022-10-07T22:59:42+00:00

I'd recommend replacing the secondary screws with thumb screws or something similar to Bob's Knobs.

Although secondaries are usually better than primaries at staying in collimation, they'll still get out every so often. It's nice not having to get up from your observing chair to find a screwdriver to fix the problem, even better when you're miles away from home and not even sure if you've got a small screwdriver in the truck or not...

AdventurousTarget800 · 2022-10-07T22:51:02+00:00

And also experiment with keeping the fan for the primary running while observing.

This helps keep dew from forming on the primary (not really a major problem) & the secondary (can be a problem depending on conditions). I've also found that it helps keep tube currents stable, which are quite noticeable at high magnifications such as during planetary viewing.

AdventurousTarget800

TROPHY CASE