Manker has their AA and AAA headlamps on clearance. Not nearly 1000 lumens, but well-made, nice UI, and dirt cheap. The AA has a nifty diffuser.
$18 E03H AA 0.1/12/50/140/350 lumens CREE XP-L or 240 lumens 90 CRI Nichia 219C
$13 E02H AAA 0.6/16/70/220 lumens CREE XP-L or 180 lumens 90 CRI Nichia 219C (Review)
Am I the only one with a RJ02 that is very blue?
+1 on the D25. D10, or Manker sale, I like the AA (E03) for size/runtime.
It might be fun to mod the 3xAAA headlamp (afterall it was a gift from the wife) with some Hi-CRI 5mm like these to run on rechargeable NiMH AAA’s. Up to 80 lumens is still great for closeup use.
Prob’ly. :laughing:
Mine’s definitely CW, but not anywhere near Angry Blue™
I read the mod threads on this head light. Just to be sure, people are placing their soldering irons along side the emitter to heat the board for reflowing?
Interesting. Is the D10 more or less moddable than the D25s? D25 has 2 emitters on a single mcpcb that don’t seem easily swappable without reflow, plus it’s aluminum. I like that D25s says it has sst40s though? Not sure if they’re fakes though like the XML-2. I’m considering the D10 since it has a 20mm mcpcb. What is the driver swap like? Anyone have teardown pics?
Sofirn also has the sp40, which is under $25 on their site: https://sofirnlight.com/products/sofirn-sp40-led-headlamp?variant=31506910707772
I’m still rockin the Skilhunt H03, but I guess it’s over your budget these days.
I’ll probably order this one. I like that it has a single led on a standard mcpcb and looks easy to mod. Has anyone ever swapped the driver? It’s a great candidate for an sst40 or maybe an xp-l hi in 5000k?
Comparing to D25, D10 has more mod options. You can change all parts : led, optic and driver. And it weight less.
You can grab a D10 off of ebay for pretty cheap but there are clones of clones and the most important thing to watch out for is the plastic holder which has a see thru hole in it like the ones Sofirn was selling .The lights came out way to easily and the nub didn't keep the light in it's set position .
The one you want just has a nub ... no square see thru hole.
Pennzy> all of my R2's /D10's /d25's have emitter tint good enough for the common man .No nasty green /purple or freakish blues .All surprisingly decent considering the price.
Problem with the R2 is size and PWM ..But if you get rid of the headband /Slap a big magnet to the tail connect it to the side of your fridge or range hood it's a nice cheap light..Just not as a headlamp :)
D-10 ,Skillhunt H03 nw, or the Manker AA E03H at $18 are all great lights ***> the deal on the Manker is XP-L only at this point (no Nichia) but it's still a very nice AA headlamp.
My suggestion is ... Buy them all
Any photos? I bought the cheapest D20 I could find and it’s secure. But for any future purchases I don’t want to rely on luck….
Acebeam AA H40 w/SST-20 95+CRI.
Don't know how moddable but, it ticks all the boxes just fine for me as it comes.
slmjim
Thanks for all the suggestions! Probably still going to do the D10, although, I did find one that has some interesting features… claims to have 2 fake XML-2 and two xpg2. I’d lume to get our just to tear our airway and see if I could swap 2 xpl hi in it and 2 high cri 3535 size emitters. 6 led headlamp Rechargeable headlamp, 6 LED 8 Modes 18650 USB Rechargeable Waterproof Flashlight Head Lights for Camping, Hiking, Outdoors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q8G36QV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fXGgEbTTTRKTG
I’ve got a Sofirn sp40 which is great and usually can find coupons or something to get it around 25.
Convoy makes one too which I don’t have but looks similar and may or may not be more mod friendly.
Skilhunt H03
Hmmm… Not really cheap perhaps…
Don’t do that 6 headed monster, you will just end up ordering another headlight till you get a real quality one.
That thing is going to weigh ton with the dual battery pack on the back.
I have a headlight with that battery pack and they weigh so much that over time the elastic in the headband gets stretched and weak.
Pretty much guarantee it will also have horrible low freq. PWM and crap tint.
Just order this and don’t look back.
If it does not suit, you can send it back for refund (but I bet you won’t) ;
https://www.amazon.com/WOWTAC-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Lightweight-Flashlight/dp/B07YJLQ5T9/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=wowtac%2BA2S&qid=1578772273&sr=8-5&th=1
Available in Cool White or Neutral.
Currently 29.99 - 5% coupon = 28.49 and this includes a good 3400Mah battery and Thrunite quality build.
Have the reg Wowtac A2 and love it. Good mode spacing, great headband and just quality. Battery runs forever.
The headbands with no strap over the top will eventually drive you crazy.
Good luck with whatever you chose.
Keith
Why no one mentionned the Astrolux Headlamp? Astrolux HL01 1200Lumen magnetic angle/headlight groupbuy Its the best for the money. And for 35 dollars and can have a battery and charging it with the USB port.
I highly recommend the D10. Here’s my Boruit D10 Mod.
I also have a multi-LED cheapo headlamp made by Rayovac. It’s not that bright and has a terrible tint. I then bought a better Rayovac single LED headlamp, but that was still barely adequate. It was much brighter and the tint was also better. But the brightness would constantly step down, even with 3 AAA eneloop batteries, which was really annoying when working on something. I also sanded down the plastic lens to diffuse the beam, but I still didn’t like to use the headlamp.
The D10 is so much better! I also think the driver/firmware is good. It has 5 levels and rarely do I use the high mode since the others are bright enough. And for around $11 with internal USB charging, it’s a bargain.
BORUiT Headlamp Xm-l 3x CREE T6 LED Headlight 18650 Light, Charger, Battery. $20.95 US’
I have this one and it is very bright but bulky.
For under 25 USD, the Sofirn/Boruit D25 or D10 are very good and lots of mod options. Jaxman also sells host for their angle light the E1 . I’ve built a couple for friends and they’re very well made although chunkier and heavier compared to other angle lights.