Hunting/Outdoors Headlamp Recommendation

Other Types of Lights LED Headlamps
1

One of my friends is looking for a budget friendly headlamp that will be used for outdoors activities. Primarily it will be used in going to and from the stand. He has been using a bill mounted light but it doesn’t throw enough light to suit him.

Here are the particulars:
Budget friendly
White light variable to about 300 lumens or so
Green light to use going in and out. Red and green are fine but it must have green.
Something fairly simple.

He currently has a Nichia 219B triple S2+ 18650 and 18350 for a hand held. He also has a single bay Litokoala for a charger so rechargeable is fine. Disposable batteries are fine as well.

I have been poking around but not been able to find anything that fits the bill.

Thanks for your suggestions and help.

Bob

2

What about a green filter?
I am thinking that finding one with a green light might be a problem.

3

Petzl TACTIKKA+ RGB, around 50$? (maybe not the most “budget friendly” option)

4

A filter should work. Did you have a headlamp in mind?

That’s a great suggestion. I imagine that there are few budget options for this style of headlamp.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Bob

5

Looking for one myself. I prefer one with very low moonlightmode, preferably in red or green. Still haven’t found one.

In my opinion the Petzl is unusable, since it has to cycle through (bright) white light before able to turn on red or green…

What I have seen, my interest goes to the Nitecore NU30. You could glue a green perspex filter or something over the main led if you wish…

6

Boruit RJ02. 8bux on sale at GB, press’n’hold to ramp up/down, IR doodad to wave your hand across it to turn it on/off. Looks like a Skilhunt copy, but loads cheaper.

I got 4 already, got 2 more on order. Great for “no-reason” presents… :smiley:

http://www.gearbest.com/headlights/pp_251155.html

(Still 8bux.)

Filter away, Merrill. Filter away…

7

I have looked at them several times. Over the last few months. Next time I order from GearBest I am going to get a couple. Hard to go wrong for $8.00

8

Absolutely.

And if you don’t mind modding, you can look at the teardown someone did. Doesn’t seem too terrible to swap out the LED in there for a green XP-E or similar.

Me personally, I wouldn’t bother, and just go for a green filter and see how that goes.

For real green, though, you can get green XP-Es, or even generic craptastic green LEDs on 20mm stars, and refit a cheapo C8 clone. A 1.0A or 1.4A driver would be plenty. Check out LEDworld on Amazon.

One of my fave toys is a white (4300K) XP-E2 in a cheap-ass C8 clone, 1.05A 1-mode driver from FT. Tight beam, lots of throw. A green XP-E should throw similarly. Out in the woods, that’d have lots of reach. Not quite amenable to strapping to your melon, but handheld it’s almost unbeatable.

Just an idea…

9

I saw the tear down thread and it is easy enough. The first thing I would do is swap out the red led for a good green led. From the pics it looks like it is a standard size 5mm through hole led.

I have a Nitecore HC90 with the slide switch and I would like to swap the red led out for a brighter one as well as it’s just not bright enough for me. I haven’t seen a tear down thread for it though and I am a little hesitant to tear into an expensive headlamp when it otherwise is an awesome headlamp for me.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Bob

10

Hi. Just to clarify, if you are talking about the RJ-02 it doesn’t have a red LED (at least the one I got about a month ago doesn’t). The one and only LED is in the center. What appear to be smaller red and clear LED’s are actually part of the “wave your hand in front of it to turn it on or off” electronics.

11

You are right. I don’t know why I had it in my head that it had a red LED when in reality it has the IR TX and RX. I must have been thinking of the Nitecore headlamp.

Thanks for setting me straight.

Bob

12

That’s an IRLED. I was suggesting reflowing a green XP-E in place of the white LED that’s already there (XP-G?).

13

I missed it when I read your eairler post as I was thinking of the Nitecore headlamp. The
XP-E leds are pretty cheap and available so next time I order from GearBest I am going to order a couple to play around with.

I have often wondered how amber light might do as well and I see that there are amber XP-E leds available as well.

Bob