I’ve been seeing that several modders on here use a head lamp to assist in the detail work of building drivers and such. Do I need one? And if so, which one?
I’ve seen the ArmyTek Tiara C1 Pro that looks nice, very small and has sufficient modes that it would appear a good choice. Anybody got any feedback on these?
Thanks for you help….
Edit: Update, Got the Nitecore HC90 today from Illumn.com. Great little head lamp, the slider works beautifully and the light is very helpful when working at the bench. I may (or may not) put some diffusion film on the lens, it’s not necessary but might help overall. As it stands though the light is usable for so much more.
Thanks Roberta for pushing me this way, spent a bit more but I think it’s going to be well worth it! That slider alone when in use makes all the difference.
With relation to building drivers, to be honest I have no idea.
For overall use, IMO, yes, a headlamp is a must. Personally I love the zebralight h602w. Very little throw, but it's perfect for anything you do close up, lighting up everything with practically no hotspot. I use mine camping, usually just clipped on to my shirt/polo/jacket, instead of on my head. Very convenient to have light directly in from of you, evenly, by your hands.
Very handy (heady?) to have a headlamp.
Some throw can be nice in traffic, on a bike, but normally wide flood is what you’ll want.
I have this $12.— headlamp, which is a must-mod, but looks great.
But the drawback is all the weight is at the front, and it shakes a little when walking…
My most used light is a headlamp. My EDC is a small XPG2 14500 twisty as I prefer the smaller size and extra throw but the light that gets the most hours of use is my headlight, at my workbench, with my vehicles, in the basement/crawlspace. If I could only have one light it would be a headlight (I’m talking ZL, Tiara style).
Gosh Jack, that’s so nice of you! I never expected anyone to offer to buy me 5 headlamps, but if you insist… lol
I guess I need one, if for no other reason than to complete my daughters “Mad Scientist” description of me when I’m modding.
So it becomes pertinent, CR123 size (16340) or AA sized (14500). Vertical or horizontal placement? ArmyTek or Zebra Light? Or something else altogether?
For me it’d be all about working close hands free. So yeah, flood is the biggie. Mule MT-G2 style. So what am I looking for feature wise? Solid mount that doesn’t let the light move around easily but is still easily adjustable, good vertical range especially in the down position, easy access to the switch…which itself must be easy to use. Useful modes for being able to shift gears in different circumstances? Or is that as big a deal? Is detachable of any importance or dedicated to the rig ok? Are there usually options in tint with these lights? I don’t want a blue/white light nor do I want to warm a light. The 5000K Nichia 219 would be ideal in my opinion. Are most of these relatively easily modified? ie: changing emitters?
I will probably have issue figuring out what’s best and will probably have too many recommended lights, lol. I do like a nice quality light… something like this HAS to work, and work well, so while I don’t want to spend ridiculous money it’s not all about budget either. Does that make sense?
I have never looked at headlamps before, this till I start working in the scratch build. Now I think for long projects they are a must. My pc is broken so I can’t post for now but have a nice photo for this thread as soon I fix it: p
Ejected Filament, the problem here is stepping down. I have lights. All modified to blast for all they’re worth. Which of course wouldn’t do for a working head lamp. Even my 10440 custom Ti light makes over 550 lumens.
So I need to figure out what is pertinent in a light like this, and learn how to accept small outputs and amperage draw. Unless it’s easier to strap a Solarforce S2200 to a hard hat… Hang my M6 from the ceiling where I’m working and use moon or low?
Edit: Oh Snap! I just got one of those auto-retracting dog leashes, perfect to suspend the M6 at any height I want! :bigsmile:
I like AA/14500 style. Small enough that I don’t notice it’s there. Use it a lot so it’s nice to use recharge. Toss the light and a few AA’s into my pack when I go camping. Bright enough on high for walking and dim it down for work. My favorite combo for trail walking is a headlight for flood and a throwy 18650 in hand to spot/search with.
I agree buy a AA version there's no need for more than about 100 lumens either . warm or at least neutral tint and no bad pwm .. beyond that it's pretty simple Everyone needs a good headlamp w/some well thought out mode spacing ...and a moonmode .I have a h501 an h31 and a h51w zebra zebra zebra and love them but I think the 24$ crelant in a warm tint looks very attractive and might be a no brainer .....Whatever you do don't buy a elcheapo ultrafire with funky pwm .The H51 W is frosted and i thought I might have a problem with it but it's really nice . The old H501 is still one of my favorite lights
H502 would be basically perfect. H52F if you want just a bit more distance. Both are very small and hardly noticeable.
I also end up just clipping my SC52 to my hat sometimes... bought extra clips, and they work great: http://www.e2fieldgear.com/zebralight-belt-clip-for-h31-h32-h51-h52-h502-headlamps/
…and yes, I now blame you that I found this… how the hell will I resist that?
Edit: I read the button was tricksy in some way… Ill have to go look for theissue exactly, IIRC it was difficult/too small/too stiff to click while wearing it. Might be unique to that one though…
Yes you need a headlamp. I would jump on those illumination supply prices. Not only are they better prices than you’d find just about anywhere else, you get much better customer service and fast shipping. Sure you have to pay $5 ish for shipping, but it’s worth it. If I didn’t already have a wizard pro purchased from illumination supply, I’d be all over those tiara’s.
I recently bought a clearance Defiant headlight from Home Depot, 90 lumens which is more then enough, what you want is a low below 50, preferably multi modes with the lowest being about 25ish (the defiant one is higher but it has not been a problem yet)
Too bright will make you see spots and wash out details up close.
Adjustable up/down on the LED is nice, and you want lightweight otherwise it falls off and feels even more odd on your head
Do you need one? Yes, probably. At least, I find mine incredibly useful.
If I could only keep one light, it’d probably be my ZL H52Fw. It’s not an exciting light and doesn’t have the awesome Nichia 219 tint, but it’s definitely my most useful and practical light.
The mule-style ones (H502*, H602*) have the widest and most-even beam, but almost no throw. The ‘floody’ ones (H52F*, H600F*) have a nice smooth beam but still have a bit of throw, and this is my favorite style… it looks a lot like it has DC-Fix on the lens, except it’s even smoother and has no artifacts at all in the beam. Or the base-level ones (H52, H600) have a traditional spot+spill pattern with throw. Useful while biking, for example, but not as great up close unless you only want to see a small area.
If you can find one, a H502d might suit your purposes… it’s about 5000K and higher CRI than usual (but still not as nice as a Nichia 219B). I prefer the diffused beam pattern instead of the mule beam pattern though.
Personally I find (and several others have said) that small is good when it’s strapped to your head. The AA or CR123 models are nice here. A 1x18650 light might be a bit on the heavy side. However, I’ve also heard great things about the Nitecore HC50.
As for vertical vs horizontal, get one which straps on in a horizontal position and allows you to rotate it freely. This solves the vertical aim problem, and you can do the horizontal aim by turning your head.
These are some of the tools I find most useful while modding: Soldering iron (of course), helping hands w/ extras, stereo magnifying loupes, headlamp, and tweezers.
Also, if you haven’t seen it, a few tips on ZL headlamp use:
lol
