I have been looking for a single 18650 headlamp for months now after getting my first Boruit 18650 headlamp which is decent enough but has the dreaded PWM strobe effect that makes me feel ill after a while. Stumbled across a thread with people raving about the Crelant CH10 Headlight and it seems perfect, also $21 at Fasttech it's hard to go wrong:
It comes in 3 different Kelvin temps 3000-3500k, 6000-6500k, 7000-7500k
Which is a suitable temp, or a better question is what uses are the different temps made for?
People have mentioned the CH10 reflector is a little deep so the beam is quite hot in the center but you can mod the light with some florescent light lens or similar to improve the close work usability, anyone have an idea how this is done?
And just before I pull the trigger on my order, is there any better value for money light in the same form factor and build quality as the CH10, seems hard to beat?
I would look elsewhere to be honest. Maybe Nitecore hc30, hc60, Armytek wizard pro or one of the skilhunt 18650 variants. Check with M4dM4x here on blf for great discounts!
It really depends on what you’re looking for. The Nitecore hc30 is quite throwy for a headlamp while the Armytek is all flood and the hc60 somewhere in the middle.
Temp wise for me I would go for something around 5000k or warmer. The first lights I bought was in the 6500k range but I didn’t really like the cool light. It makes most things look washed out. So once I got my first neutral white light I never looked back. It makes the colors look more natural.
You’ll loose some lumen when going for a warmer temp, but it’s hardly noticeable.
Edit: I hope that this made any sense. I’m tired and writing on my phone…
6000K is rather cool, anything that’s red or brown will look washed out and grayish.
7000K is even worse, a hideous Angry Blue™. Unnatural, at least on this planet.
3000K is the nicest of the 3, but is quite warm. Not quite as warm as incandescent light, but more like halogen light. Still rather warm and yellowish. After “adjusting”, you’d probably like it, but it wouldn’t be my first choice.
I’d stick with 4500K to 5000K as daylight to just warm of daylight. Alas, that’s not one of your choices above.
Anyway, depends whether you generally prefer warm or cool. Select accordingly, but stay away from 7000K. Ecch. Pooey!
Thanks for the reply Lightbringer, I have noticed between a colder and warmer light the warmer is easier on the eyes.
If there is anyone that has actually bought a CH10 that can comment on the actual temp of the light relative to the manufacturers stated temp that would be awesome, as with most manufacturers - claim one thing supply another thing!!
I didn’t realize they make 3 choices. Used to be there was 2 . I own the warm and the cool white and both are pleasant but the cool certainly isn’t 7000. You won’t find a better headlamp for $20. The only thing with these is they are a thrower not a flooder. Hope this helps
Well I just ordered the 3000-3500k, I'll report back on how it looks when it arrives.
I did notice recently I got a flashlight with a more yellow/warm tint than my other lights and it gives a light that's noticeably more pleasant to look at and things just more realistic/natural.
Seems the ones I have are around 4000 and 6000. I like both. I prefer the warmer, but for using it to work on something I like the cooler, and the spot doesn’t bother me for close up work. I own a lot of headlamps and the ch10 and the yupard clone are the ones I use most.
I got my 3000-3500k CH-10, been using it for the last month or so, awesome light very happy and the colour temp is great, very easy on the eyes and makes colours pop which is nice.
How can I do that wide angle mod, someone mentioned using a piece of fluoro light lens, is that those big overhead type fluorescent lights? Is there any other material I can use?
Does this light use a 20mm reflector? If so, you can get 60° tir lenses for couple of dollars that really spreads the beam. They are great for close up work.
Nevermind, the FastTech page says it uses a 22mm reflector. So the 60° lense should fit.
Yea. You sad 4500K to 5000K as a daylight. But day is from sunrize to sunset. And sun color temperature changes through this period.
So we can also consider 3000K as a daylight. At least part of the day.