What is the lightest 21700 headlamp you know of?
I was thinking does it even make sence to use 21700 in a headlamp, and so far I’m at – NO.
Hear me out.
18650 battery is 49g 3500mAh
21700 battery is 72g 5000mAh
difference is 40ish % more weight and 40ish % more capacity (actually 42/46%) so not bad but,
18650 flashlight with headbend (Skilhunt H04 RC) is 82g
21700 flashlight with headbend (Acebeam H30 / Nitecore HC35) is 119/138g
difference is 45/68 %
so
H04 RC with battery is 131g
Acebeam H30 with battery is 191g
Nitecore HC35 with battery is 210g
H04 RC with two batteries is 180g so lighter than Acebeam and with 40% more capacity. Even with simple battery holder for spare battery weight is almost the same.
Ok, 21700 headlamps are more powerful but I hardly ever use high or turbo on my headlamps so that’s not important to me. And there’s the added weight on the forehead.
Are my numbers correct?
Fenix is releasing 2×21700 headlamp this year. External battery pack so yeah that one will be the lightest I think.
Cool but totally unnecessary.
Could have it’s uses. Just because long runtimes and external battery pack which you can put closer to body, under jacket etc. when it’s really cold to keep cells warm.
I find 18650 headlamps borderline too heavy but the capacity gains over 18350 and 16340 make them worthwhile.
I would never wear a headlamp using a 21700 battery, unless the battery was separate from the headstrap and attached via a cable, often seen in headlamps designed for cold weather use where you can put the battery “pack” inside your jacket.
If you hardly use high or turbo, do you really need the extra capacity and weight? 21700 headlamps are heavy which I think is one of the main reasons they’re not common
Yeah the H03 is so good and lightweight compared to almost everything out there it's terribly hard to beat . I cut off the top strap since I wear my headlamps loose around the neck most of the time .When I need to really have light where I'm looking vs. the direction my body is facing It runs fine on my forehead without the top strap .
The Skillhunt H03 and the Boruit D-10's are my combination of choice .both great lights .
I have more expensive headlamps / none of which I like or use more than these . No need for a bigger heavier battery or light ..
καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν
Dc-fix diffuser film >… http://budgetlightforum.com/node/42208
I bought a fireflies PL47 G2 about 6 months ago. The first time I used it I was like damn this headlamps heavy compared to my Skilhunt H03 but after using it for awhile it didn’t seem like that big of a difference.Of course it could be that I have a huge melon, so you might have to take that into consideration. Their website says the PL47 G2 weighs 78 grams without the battery, I don’t have a scale to verify though.
Quillz
No I don’t, that’s why I said it doesn’t make sence to me.
150g. fireflies PL47 with a 21700 light and battery ..no headband
130g. fireflies PL47 with an 18650 " " "
90g. Skillhunt h03 with an 18650 " " "
30g. Skillhunt h03 headband without the top strap (cut it off)
125g. Sofirn/Boruit D-25 with 18650 strap etc ..
So a Boruit D-10 //D-25 and a Skillhunt H03 with top strap are probably the same at 125g.~130g. fully loaded
καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν
Dc-fix diffuser film >… http://budgetlightforum.com/node/42208
Have a Fireflies PL47 gen II (with flood optic) on its way looks like a good light time will tell.
later
I want 26650 headlamp, because there ain’t too heavy headlamps, just too weak users.
Also GT94 needs better pocket clip.
This one looks promising too. Similar to shilhunt H03RC but only for 15$
Boost drivers
Depends on the purpose of the headlamp right ? I mean if you are cave diving or an activity similar which leaves you basically stranded in a dark place for a long duration of time more capacity seems like a relatively low trade off.
I’m a big fan of the pl47 g2. I run it as high as the temperature limit will allow, set at 45C. I get about an hour and a half out of a samsung 50e
The weight doesn’t bother me, I’ve never given it a thought until now.
Normal people mount a flashlight to their gun. We here at BLF mount a gun to our flashlights.
“No such thing too big flashlight”
~Confucius (probably would have said that if he was wiser)
I like this one with a built in battery pack. It’s really a smart design and I like to use it for my backpacking trips.
I’ve actually been looking for a reasonably lightweight, efficient 21700 anduril light for months. ZL’s H600 is only 85 grams including the battery, and I bet their future 21700 versions will be within 30g of that. The difference between Olight’s 21700 Perun 2 and 18650 Perun 1 is only 40g, which is about the weight of the headlamp strap. If an 18650 light is light enough for you, I don’t think the ~40g difference should be a factor.
I use an H600fc for rock climbing, and it works better than anything else I’ve used (even better after smashing the frosted lens.) On more adventurous climbs where I’m more likely to need a light, I’m usually wearing a helmet anyway. With the headlamp mounted it seems weightless. If someone could somehow mod a Perun 2 with a Lume X1 and a 2700k high CRI led I’d buy it in a heartbeat. The runtimes of a 21700 are definitely worth the 20-40g difference for me. Unfortunately it seems too heavy/clunky to most people, so I’ll probably just get another ZL if they ever come out with one.
I work inside pipelines for a living, so headlamps are the order of the day, mounted to hard hats.
Having the external battery means you can put the light on the front and have the battery on the back as a counter balance, same as if you were wearing NVGs on a combat helmet. In truth, very necessary.
Let us know your thoughts!
Question and comment.
Q: When people say a single cell headlamp is too heavy, what do they mean? Too heavy for what? Your neck or the elastic strap?
Comment: If you have to think too hard about whether it’s necessary it isn’t. If a spare battery and stopping to change out the cell is an option for you, then Wh/kg differences between cell sizes really is a wash in practicality. It’s like the real world difference between 1100 and 1300 lumens.. there kinda isn’t one unless you have a stopwatch or a lux meter.
Couldn’t agree more!
A 0.002 lumen moonlight mode would be nice too .
They feel a bit tiresome after a while of having it on your head and the headlamp being extra mass that’s unsecured and clunking against your head when you turn it.
There is a big difference in having a headlamp for a couple of minutes on your forehead then put in on the shelf for shelf queening.
And there is the actual use of a headlamp for a long time.
When you actuality need a headlamp for a long time weight matters a lot to the point you don’t want to use unless constantly repeating in your head that your purchase was such a great deal.
Remember that we will never agree on which is too much weight and which is not.
Just like with backpacks, some like it lighter and some doesn’t care that much about a few extra grams.
If I go for a long hike then I choose 18650 headlamp, but if I go to exploring caves, bunkers and abandoned places then it’s H30 which is a bit heavier, but is more suitable for that kind of stuff in my use. It’s all about personal preference and use.
Try to run wearing H30 and H04 ;))
Boost drivers
It is safe to say we can agree 100grams is very little weight compared to 200grams on your forehead, again unless you want something of shelf queen headlamp which is fine, many flashlights are shelf queens anyway but the logic is pretty different.
While you can buy a 1.2kg flashlight for being a queen shelf, try buying a 1.2kg headlamp for being a shelf queen, you simply won’t.
You never seen people doing casual jogging with such headlamps but most have the plastic 30 lumen headlamp when running.
Depends on the application also of course, running requires very light weight on the forehead.
Yeah, but the thing is there ain’t any 200g headlamps out there that I know of. Well maybe some really bad ones, but headbands weight ain’t in your forehead so that really doesn’t matter that much. H30 is only about 150g so we are still comparing just a few grams and not hundreds. Yes it does weight about 50g more vs. “light” 18650, but so? If it would weight double than 18650 then it could be an issue or just a really high output headlamp. Even 18650 light is considered too heavy in some activities or with some people, but hey it’s all good. That’s why there is options to choose from.
If the light is unsecured and clunking around, is that not just because you haven’t fitted the headstrap properly?
This is true and worth reiterating. We can “get used to” these relatively small differences in weight. There’s nothing wrong with striving for a lighter solution because there are objective advantages to going lighter, but realistically there is not a hard weight limit which separates useable and not useable. As you say it depends on your use and priorities.
This last season I ran trails with a wowtac A2 (which weighs 56g without cell) and it worked fine. With a properly set up strap with top strap bouncing is not really an issue. Now, if you for some reason really don’t want a top strap then you would have to go a bit lighter I think. Personally I think I will stick with 18650 headlamps because I think it is a sweet spot in terms of weight and energy/power.
By the way I found this 18650 headlamp that weighs 43g without cell. I will be posting a review soon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZVLNZL
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