Looking for headlight, floody & high CRI

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Hi,

Can you please advise for a headlight with high CRI and TIR optics? I wish to limit the budget to $50. From all the models I know of there are:

  • Skillhunt H04, neutral white This could be the best candidate. There is not much choice of color temperature. Could the “neutral white” option be considered high CRI?
  • Sofirn SP40 @ 4000K But it doesn’t have TIR optics. And I wonder if that 4000K LED could be considered high CRI. The Sofirn store doesn’t offer an option for TIR optics.
  • Convoy H1 Asking Simon from Convoy store about possible custom options (high CRI & TIR), He answered that these are not available. And not sure if those would be offered.

In fact I don’t know well the specs myself. By “high CRI”, I hope this is something not too blueish nor too yellow/orange. By TIR optics, I would like to avoid a tiny hard hotspot. Looking at various review about headlights, when there are beam comparison, I prefer the one coming from the Skillhunt H03.

Thanks very much in advance for any help.

2

Check out panda 2m cri. High CRI, floody and in your budget

3

Omg this is perfect. Didn’t see in the product description but I hope it comes with a pocket clip. To attach it on the strap of the backpack.

4

Unfortunately, this is only the headlight. There is no pocket clip.

5

I’ll try to contact the store. Maybe there is a possible arrangement.

6

No. Color temperature and CRI are different concepts. The neutral white emitter Skilhunt uses in this light does not have high CRI.

No. The CRI is not specified.

The Panda 2m CRI is a good option in your price range.

7

Would there be an area where CRI and color temperature overlap? Similar to light and electromagnetic waves which are different concepts. But on the visible spectrum, at 380 to 740 nanometers wave length, they are equivalent.

What is the attribute of a light emitted from a LED to be qualified as high CRI?

8

I’d say the Armytek Wizard Pro Nichia would be the best choice:

Wizard Nichia:

With code ‘BLF35’ that brings the cost down to $58. $8 over your budget, but likely worth it.

9

Thank you very much sir for the tip. This seems indeed to be the one. What not to like? Reading from product page:

  • 10 years no-hassle warranty for flashlight
  • 100% Quality guaranteed!
  • 30 days moneyback
  • Canadian manufacturer and own factory

The product page is unclear about the modes. I hope that this product can remember the last mode used and does NOT have the blinking modes (or at least a way to disable those). Will try to contact the store to have more details.

EDIT: Even better, the product user manual Wizard_v3_Nichia_USB_Pro_ML.pdf, 818 Kb is available

10

I don't know if this will fit on other headlamps but this Nitecore diffuser looks interesting for changing headlamp beam.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000084886209.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.27cd2f9etOKa3O&algo_pvid=a9bfc2c9-a249-4037-8b9f-1a77b34d2c16&algo_expid=a9bfc2c9-a249-4037-8b9f-1a77b34d2c16-3&btsid=0ab6d69f15820445311578150e72eb&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

11

Thanks, it looks specifically designed for a precise shape. And even if this could some how fit on another model, I am afraid I would break it or get it dirty over a long period of use.

12

I ordered 2 of them a few weeks ago to see if I could mod it if needed to fit a Sofirn SP40

13

My personal favorite is the Armytek Wizard Pro WW, which is actually 4000K 80CRI instead of the previous 3500K 70CRI. It is $80 but with the BLF35 code, you can get it for a super bargain $52. The 4500K Nichia version is a bit too cool for me at night but colors are more true so it is a personal preference. Here are my measurements among several different Wizards.

14

CRI is being a spectral match for blackbody radiation at lower color temperatures or a theoretical model of daylight at higher ones. Another issue to be aware of is red/green tint balance, which is given in measurement reports as Duv from blackbody radiation.

The result of high CRI is that colors are more vivid, and similar colors are easier to distinguish. A root sticking up from the ground that’s not very different in color may be easier to spot for example. A snake is easier to distinguish from a stick.

As for the Wizard Pro 144A, well… I’m quite fond of that. It was my idea. They screwed with the firmware though, and I’m not sure the full extent of that is known yet. More on that in my review

I think the 4500K 144A is beautiful. The color temperature is like afternoon sunlight, the CRI is quite high, and the Duv is quite low. I think it’s the best looking LED to be put in a factory flashlight since 219Bs stopped being common.

There’s shipping on top of that $58 though, so it’s definitely stretching your budget.

15

@Zak You rock. Thank you very much for the explanation about CRI. Now I get it. Your short explanation is better than the overkill Wikipedia page Color rendering index

In addition, you are practically the father of that Armytek Wizard Pro Magnet USB Nichia LED (Warm) as I learnt from your Review: Armytek Wizard Pro Nichia 144A. Quoting:

The _“After a couple years …” _is puzzling though. What are the main reasons manufacturers take time to implement high CRI option? From the point of view of an innocent end-user, I thought it’s just a matter of replacing a LED by another, like changing a light bulb at home.

But it took years ? ! ? And as a matter of fact, it is true that I had a lots of difficulties to find headlamp with high CRI LEDs. Searching ALiExpress stores on keyword CRI or Nichia came up with very little hit. Questions to Sofirn and Convoy about CRI option were all met with negative answers.

Is it because it takes time to properly design a high CRI flashlight? Niche market not worth it? Or financial implication such as expensive parts or complete redo of assembly line?

16

Sweet, thanks! Just ordered one. Somehow missed the code until now.