I got my eyes on a zebralight H53FC are there any other recommendations out there? I’ve also been looking at the armytek Tiara A1 but it seems out of stock at the european dealers plus I’ve been reading about a lot of problems with other armytek headlights and their after sales customers support. Also everything is potted inside the light.
I hear good things about Fenix but haven’t really looked into them.
What I don’t like on the H53FC is:
*No side switch, I find it annoying having to press the button on the head of the light like my skilhunt H15, I keep blinding myself and my hand is in an awkward position everytime I switch modes.
*The clip looks very flimsy and easy to bend. I also would like the possibility to keep the pocket clip on the light while it’s in the headband, don’t know if that is possible with the zebralight.
*No magnet in the tailcap. It keeps the light lighter but I use it a lot on my skilhunt headlights. Don’t know if there is a place enough in the tailcap to put one in.
Things I’m looking for in a headlamp:
Very floody beam
Easy adjustable with one hand, shining the light up or down.
Alu housing
Long runtimes in mid level use
Light weight, I find the H15 way to heavy for an AA light
Don’t want a XML LED all ready have enough of them.
Should be serviceable. If something breaks I would like to be able to repair it myself. So lenses and stuff like that should be easy to find.
Warm to neutral white NOT coolwhite
Pref high CRI but I could settle for 80+ cri
Sublumen moonlight
I also mailed skilhunt months ago and they let me know they are working on a new single AA headlight but I haven’t heard any news about this. Maybe some insiders know more about this?
@ niraya: that manker is kinda cheap but I don’t like that plastic diffuser. I’d say that it eats too much lumens and I have no use for a “throwy” headlight. I want a dedicated flooder with a quality lens or tir.
@SKV89: Why would you choose the H35C over the H53FC? It’s also a bit more expensive I see. I’ll have look if there is an H35FC. Flood is important.
For a light over $50 I’m looking for an European dealer. Or at least a dealer that pays postage back to china or whatever in case of DOA or breakage inside warranty period.
Edit: Just realized you made a typo: should be H53 instead of H35: so actually the same light except not floody….
The Manker is not exactly throwy without the diffuser on, and it has a high CRI Nichia 219C, no one else has that. Their drivers squeeze a lot of light out of an Eneloop and are efficient too. I like the Manker UI, many do not like long-press for off, but Manker’s long press is so short that it is fine.
My view on this: if you are a brand snob, go for Zebralight, if you are a performance snob, go for Manker.
ThruNite TH20nw
LED: CREE XP-L V6 LED with a lifespan of 20+ years of run time.
Mode & Runtime (Tested by one Eneloop AA 2450mAh NIMH rechargeable battery):
-Firefly (0.3 lumens, 14 days）
-Infinity Low (1.6 lumens, 21 hours）
-Infinity High (230 lumens, 95 minutes )
-Turbo (250 lumens, 93 minutes)
Battery type: 1x AA battery, 1x 14500 battery.
Working voltage: 0.9-4.2 V.
Reflector: Orange Peel.
Peak Beam Intensity: 1120 cd
Beam Distance: 67 m (max.)
Dimensions: 70 mm * 24.5mm
Weight: 76g (without battery).
Waterproof: IPX-8 (2 m)
Impact Resistance: 1 m.
Material: Aircraft grade aluminum body with premium type III hard anodized anti-abrasive finish.
Accessories included: O ring, spare rubber slot.
It’s heavy , it’s beam has rings , the button collapses easily ,the headband is terrible & the stated lumens in turbo is exaggerated , it’s no match for a zebralight.
I have the zebralight and like it very much but I tend to go back to the thrunite. I have not experienced any of the issues you are reporting. Perhaps yours was defective?
As far as turbo: i never use turbo but perceive that the stated max output with a 14500 cell is close. I do not have a formal measuring setup.
There is nothing wrong with personal preferences for brands or models. if the beam pattern were more to my liking I would use the zebra more.
When I run on trails in the dessert I use my skilhunt h03 for the simple reason that it runs longer than my zebralight on a single 18650.
I love the tint on my h600 but I need it to run longer on higher modes
Sorry for the late reply but thanks for ll the suggestions.
I’m not really a manker fan. But can the lens from the manker be replaced with a TIR?
How about the zebralights, can the lens and the LED easily be replaced?
I’m looking at 2 models the H502D which is a mule and has 14500 support and the H53FC tir no14500 a bit more efficient then the H502d and high cree LED.
Don’t know if I like the Thrunite I’ll have to read up on it a bit.
Nothing about the Armytek tiara A1 and the pro-version?
Armytek Tiara A1 515 (890) LED Lumens Neutral White $27.48.
This is the old model. I was going to buy it but wanted the pro version with the magnet. But this is a good deal and great high powered AA flood light.
I really like the Fenix HL23, It is nearly indestructible and very easy or operate. Of all the lights I own it seems to be my go to most of the time. I find it very comfortable to wear and hardly notice I have it on. The only negative thing I have to say is the driver is fairly inefficient in the highest mode ~50, it will drain a battery fast like under 1 hour but the efficiency is great in medium 90 and low modes 97% I typically try to run in medium which yields about 5-6 hours and save high for shorter duration when needed. It is in my opinion the best value headlamp option considering it’s build quality, materials, and price.
I have the Armytek Tiara A1 regular and pro. I really like them for being solid (but is also heavier than the smaller options), the low modes are really efficient and the highs are quite bright with just a regular eneloop. I have an A1 pro version 1 that has a super low firefly mode, and on the second lowest mode I actually got 20 days of continuous running with a fresh eneloop.
I picked up a couple of the A1 regular version 2 on a sale to give to family, and I would switch to using them myself except they don’t have the super low firefly mode, and when turning them on the light works differently than the pro versions I have. On the pro version, a short click turns on to last used mode, and if you press and hold the switch it starts in the lowest mode and steps up each ~1sec, but it doesn’t come on until the mode is ‘set’. On the regular version, when holding the button down, the light comes on instantly, but the mode is not ‘set’ for another ~1sec, so if you release too early then the light will think it is a short click and go to the previously used mode. But holding it too long will cycle to the next mode after the lowest mode.
I also recently bought a pro version 2 but it unfortunately doesn’t have the super low mode, not sure why they changed it.
Anyway, I like the Tiaras the best so far, but mainly because of the efficient low modes. Most reviews don’t test the actual run times of the lowest modes, which is probably what I use the most in a headlamp when camping. I might like the Manker and Thrunite and Zebralight too but have not felt the need to get them.
I went and bought a zebralight H53FC, mainly because I couldn’t find a Tiara in the flavor I liked and I wanted a really small and light light for short chores around the house (or when I don’t need the runtimes and power of an 18650 light). And small it is, WOW, it’s shorter then my Klarus Mi7. Off course it’s got a much wider head because it’s a L shaped light but the battery tube isn’t that much wider (2mm measured at the tailcap).
I’ve been using it for about a week and I like it so far. I was afraid about the tint being to green but it isn’t. Compared to my H03 it’s just great. And because I went for the F version it’s a nice floody beam. The anodizing is just about the strongest I’ve come across. I’ve been putting it in my pocket between my spare change and pocket knife, not yet a scratch on it. My Mi7 and NC MH20 on the other hand have scratches and marks on them with very little edc use. The H03 is just to bulky to put in my pocket with the headband.
I like the headband on ZL but on a small light like this you don’t need anything special to make it comfortable on the head. Compared to the skilhunt H15, you need a sturdy headband to keep the light from wobbling on the head which makes for a much bulkier headband.
I’m still getting used to the UI: I just now understand the G5 G6 G7 levels and how to get to them. These levels are programmable so you can set each mode of them to your liking. This makes it the most versatile light I know of.
Things I don’t like about it:
*The clip: it’s not reversible, so the light always hangs upside down and when you want to remove the light from the headband you first have to remove the clip.
*The manual is of hardly any use. It doesn’t mention the G6 and G7 levels. I think it’s still the manual from the previous lights. So I had to youtube a bit before I found a good vid that explained the UI and how to get to the G6 and G7.
*No 14500 support: I don’t really need it and it is pretty bright on an Ikea NiMH battery, but I got some 14500 laying around that would be nice to use with this light.
*Pre-flashes: for a light in this price category they could have done away with them. Depending on how you program it you might get a turbo flash before it goes to moonlight. This I find a serious flaw, it kinda limits the possibilities of how you program the UI.
*No magnet in the tailcap. It looks possible to put one in, I’ll just have to find one that might fit and try it out one day. Not user serviceable, so when it’s f, your f*****. It’s all press fitted together so I can’t take a look inside without worrying about doing some damage and finding replacement parts. I hope CS is good at ZL and NKON.
These are my first impressions. I haven’t tried it yet with a 1.5V lithium primary and I need to (ab)use it a bit more before I can really say if it’s worth the $$$. But if you’re looking for a small lightweight AA light and have the $$ to spend then this is it.
Yes, I was doubting between this one and the H53FC as the H502 is supposed to have 14500 support but in the discription it says it does not. And the led used isn’t that efficient. If an emitter swap was possible I would have bought the H502……
Can you please expand on this? I’m not sure what you mean by the pre-flashes.
I’m seriously considering either the H53c or H53Fc. Haven’t seen one in person yet. Lot’s of people seem to prefer the floody version, but all the beamshots I can find really don’t show much of a hotspot (which I like). Also the F has 90-degree beam vs the non-F has 80-degrees (I prefer the latter).
I have a H53W and it’s very nice, I prefer the clear models instead of the frosted lens “F” ones because everything you put in front of a led makes the light less brighter.
If one day I need for some reason the light to be floodier, I just stick a little of “dc-fix” in the lens
It’s not such a big deal but still. Depending on how you programmed the light, if you want to start the light in medium mode you have to do a long press but a short press is high mode, so you always get a “flash” of high mode before it goes to medium mode. I hope that makes sense.
Tastes differ , I for one hate a hotspot with a headlight. I just can’t stand it. It all depends on what and why you use the flashlight for. With a headlamp I like as much even distribution of the light as possible, so I don’t have to turn my head too much to when I’m working on something and need to get a screwdriver for example. I find that with a “spotlight” headlamp it’s much harder to see things that are not in the center of my view.
On the other hand, if I need to locate something in the far distance than a hotspot or spotlight is much more appreciated. But for things like that I’d rather have a “handheld” flashlight than a headlamp. I use my headlamps mostly when I’m working on something or doing stuff not really for locating something. I like it a lot that the whole area in front of me is “evenly” illuminated and not just the center of my view.