Hi as part of Fenix global testing I was given a HL 50 for evaluation. I do apologise for the late review but unfortunately I lost most of my images and report when my laptop crashed.
My initial impression was that this looks good! The blister pack was nicely done and upon inspecting the headlight the same high quality finish as expected. The light came with the head strap fitted and there is an extension tube for AA battery.
Test
Over the last 2 months I have put the HL 50 to good use tramping and fishing, changing between a LED Lenser. Battery life is good and I usually have good use of about 2 –3 days (about 3 to 4 hours continuous use) use alternating between mostly medium, and low and high other time. The controller performed well with a constant level of light until the voltage drop when it dims and then shut down.
I didn’t notice much difference in battery life between CR123A (Panansonic) and AA batteries ( Eneloop 2500mA) but a test on the test bench would certainly reveal the difference. However the light does seemed brighter running CR123A across all modes.
I have used the light rain and the seals worked superbly. The beam was strong in high and throws well for its size.
As the headband does not have a top strap the switch could be positioned either side of the head. Tactile feel is excellent.
The Wrap
The light performed well with neutral tints but I found the hotspot to be too bright even in low. It would be preferable if the angle is wider without a concentrated hotspot. Another gripe is the head band, without the top strap the band tends to work its way down, tighten it and it felt uncomfortable.
The light is well machined but I feel that the thread for both the extension tube and switch could have been courser. Being so fine it could easily be over tightened or crossed and while locking and screwed (pun intended) the thread.
Would I use this head lamp as my primary headlight? No however this would really do as a back-up light. Being single cell the light weight works in its favour and makes this an ideal back-up headlight. I do prefer the HP 25 as a primary light.
Thanks to Fenix for making this light available for testing and I do apologise for the delay. Photos will follow once I can take some more.