Anyone Have Experience with Fenix HP11 Headlamp? Might Finally Be My Perfect Choice.

Other Types of Lights LED Headlamps
1

Does anyone have any experience with a Fenix HP11 headlamp?

I've been on a search for a "budget" headlamp for my co-workers to use while working underground. My criteria has been: 1) Must be floody, but have some throw, 2) Must last for a full "shift" (approximately 6 to 8 hours of constant use), 3) must not use Li-Ion (ie. be totally safe for non-flashaholics), 4) ability to run alkalines is a huge bonus, and 5) withstand frequent use and abuse.

I've had to move up from "Budget" lights to the Fenix (perhaps this could still be considered "budget"), but I think this was necessary to get the build quality needed. The light sells for $60 and that really doesn't seem bad. Is there any other similar offering I should consider?

I'm curious to hear anyone's reports on this lights quality and performance. I know it's not "floody" by itself, but it comes with a diffuser (which has been reviewed to be pretty crappy quality) and I've thought about frosting the lens with glass frosting spray.

I've also read the review over at CPF.

-Garry

2

If you can bare with changing batteries every hour to two hours and want to save some weight, a Spark ST5-220 is a very light weight and rugged head lamp. http://www.spark001.com/Products.aspx?ProductID=18 I have the ST6 which is 18650 and its my favorite because of the fact that it is light weight and no neck or head ache from it. Those 4 cell battery packs are great but are better suited running down your back behind your head and attached to the belt.

One other option if you want super floody would be the SD73-CW

http://www.spark001.com/Products.aspx?ProductID=26
This one will run at 300 lume on 3 enloops for over an hour.
3

Thanks for the input. I checked out those links and others and found the SD52-NW which runs on 2AA's and Medium 2 gives 70 lumens for 7 hours. I'm just afraid that 70 lumens just isn't enough. The Fenix gives 133 for 9.5 hours or 277 for almost 4 hours (although I'm unsure if this "turbo" is only a 5 minute "boost" or can run continuously). The Spark is $99 at SBFlashlights and a bit steep. Wish they did a 3AA, even if it was big. Would this Spark be really floody or a mix of Flood and Throw?

These guys are currently using outdated Halogen cap lamps with thick heavy cords strong down their back to an SLA battery on their belt. Anything is better than this! I checked into some modern cap lamp systems and they seem to be around the $300 to $400 price point! Also looked at some Petzl's around $200 to $400.

I just received this 4 AA XM-L headlamp and it's almost perfect, except that the battery carrier just isn't robust enough.

-Garry

4

I have the HP11 since december and love it.

The "turbo" is continous and the parasitic drain is very low (~65 µA). It's more of a thrower without the diffuser but still has useful spill. With the diffuser it still is brighter in the center and on the white wall you see some artifacts but outside it lights up the entire camp smoothly with most of the light right where you're looking at. Just make sure you get the new diffuser version with the anti-glare rim. It has many plastic parts but I'd still say build quality is very sturdy. Don't know how the hinges will hold over time, though. My only other worry is that the diffuser is prone to snap when flipped opened, but then I open the diffuser only to look at things at some distance and then I usually don't move a lot. Like many other current controlled lights the tint becomes a hint of greenish in the lower settings but nothing ugly. IMHO it's well worth the money.

5

Thanks Huny74! That's what I wanted to hear! So the battery pack should withstand frequent use? Light should handle the occasional drop?

I did read there was a newer diffuser, but I wonder if a semi-permanent diffuser treatment (the glass frosting spray) would work better.

Thrower with useful spill? Can you compare it to any other flashlight? Would it be similar to a C8 XP-G? A P60 XP-G?

Comfortable to wear for long hours? Weight well balanced?

Thanks,
Garry

6

Princeton Tec Apex.

usually about $65 on Amazon.

American company, iron clad life time warranty for US customers.

good beam (see beam shots & comparison beam shots at light-test.info ).

low mode of the spot beam is around 120 lumens. lasts for about 8 hours.

older models had a fragile tilter hinge, but all 200 lumen models have significantly beefier hinge now.

IPX7 rated. if it leaks, and you're a US customer, Princeton Tec will replace it for you for life.

7

Well, I guess that Princeton Tec Apex is a competitor, but the reviews on Amazon aren't so great. Not so keen on the use of 5mm LED's and doesn't seem very floody.

-Garry

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GF is rolling her eyes bc I went to our windowless bathroom with an armful of flashlights in my hands and the HP11 on my head :)

but now I can say: the hotspot is sizewise closest to a C8 XM-L with SMO reflector but less clearly defined, i.e. little blurry transition into the corona. The corona is smaller but the spill area is both brighter and wider.

The C8 XP-G SMO has a much smaller hotspot and a clearly darker spill area.

All my P60 XP-Gs have OP reflectors. Compared to those the HP11 is clearly throwier with a more obvious difference between hotspot and spill. The spill area of the P60s is clearly smaller.

Battery case itself is very sturdy and has a very nice big aluminium knob (careful not to overturn it), but the holder inside is a bit flimsy. Hitherto I changed the batteries only at home with clean, dry hands and that's ok, of course, but in the field or at work underground with probably wet and dirty fingers I assume it can be bugging. It's also nearly impossible to change the batteries in the holder with lined gloves on.

I dropped the lamp three times from head height but it was either on snow or in the wood so not really a proof for anything. Should be OK if it drops on stone/concrete occasionaly (depending on how it lands of course) but for professional use I would put some protective tape on the battery case wich is the heaviest part. The diffuser does a good job protecting the glass lens.

I had to experiment a bit before I managed to attach the straps in a way that prevents them to change their length when not strapped to the head/hat but you don't have to be a neurosurgeon to figure it out. Then the light sits very comfortably and securely with a good balance. I used it for walking waiting for the dog and cross country skiing and only reckognized the weight when taking it off.

I ordered two (one for a friend) from Manafont and both had the new diffuser.

9

Thanks Huny74! Sounds good.

-Garry

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You're welcome :)

11

i understand some of your concerns about the Apex. if you want a beam that's wider than 40 degrees and don't want to use 5mm for flood, then the Apex might not be for you.

but the Amazon reviews? the Apex has an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars. the only bad reviews are about condensation in the head, and PT probably replaced those lights (in my experience, this usually takes 1 to 2 weeks from the time they receive the defective light from you, and they usually replace it with a brand new light; people sometimes have problems with PT warranty service but those guys either didn't follow directions or were being unreasonably impatient).

the Fenix HP11 actually has more bad reviews on Amazon - 25% of all reviewers gave it 1 star mostly for it being unreliable - and i think that's kind of exacerbated by Fenix warranty service not being that great. it doesn't come close to approaching Princeton Tec's if you live in the US.

12

Another vote for the PT Apex. Mine is a few yrs old now, but I've changed the LED three times: from the stock Luxeon to a Seoul P4, to a Cree XP-G, and finally to a Cree XM-L. I have sitting right here on my desk a neutral-white XM-L that will go into the Apex when I find the time to file down the MCPCB.

Like robostud said, customer service is awesome. I'm in Canada, and they sent me a free replacement when mine malfunctioned after being in the rain. Old models didn't seal well. The replacement has been trouble-free.

Also like robostud said, the beam is very nice. One thing I dislike about some handheld lights but especially headlamps is the step change between hotspot and spill. With a headlamp, I find that when I want to see far, I aim the hotspot there and it's good, but when I want to see something close up and a little to the side, it's distracting to use the spill, because the hotspot is just a few feet away, so my natural tendency is to move my head to re-aim the headlamp so I'm using the hotspot again. The net effect is that I'm almost always using the hotspot, and since the hotspot is often rather small, I'm often "painting" the spot around, which I really don't like doing with a headlamp.

The Apex's beam is not a 100% floody beam like a Zebralight or Ultrafire non-reflectored headlamp; it does have some throw, but because it uses a well-designed TIR collimator, the beam doesn't have that step change between spot and spill.

About the 5mm LEDs: that's about my only small dislike. I wish the 5mm LEDs were more efficient and less blue, but my Apex is a few yrs old (maybe 5?) so by now, the new ones might have better 5mm LEDs.

Having said all that, there could be better headlamps around now, since I haven't researched them in a few yrs. :) It would be great if you could test them side-by-side, along with others, but I don't know if any stores sell both.

13

peteybaby, Thanks for your input! But are your experiences based on modded headlamps or as they came stock? I don't want to do any mods (unless it's to an inexpensive budget headlamp to make it suit our needs). I did see that it listed a Luxeon Rebel LED which I thought was a little dated.

We'd be looking to buy at least 3, so maybe we could buy 1 of each at first.

Thanks,
Garry

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current models of the Apex come stock with an XP-G.

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Mine came stock with a Luxeon III or something like that (definitely older than the Rebel), and the beam was perfect, as you'd expect since the collimator was designed for that LED. When I swapped it to the Seoul P4, the beam continued to be close to perfect, but with much more output. When I swapped it to the XP-G, the beam was ringy and had other artifacts, but I think it was partly because I accidentally burnt a spot on the XP-G's dome with my soldering iron. Now with the XM-L, the beam is smooth again, and I think it's wider than it was originally, which is still fine with me. I just didn't want it narrow and ringy like it was with my damaged XP-G. If the current models come with an XP-G, I'm sure the collimator has been redesigned to match its characteristics.

16

Someone just posted a picture that shows exactly what I meant when I wrote "it's distracting to use the spill, because the hotspot is just a few feet away, so my natural tendency is to move my head to re-aim the headlamp so I'm using the hotspot again":

post #31, upper picture. I know that's not a headlamp, but some headlamps (not sure about the HP11) have beams like that.

17

Even if it's hard to compare I can confirm that the HP11's beam is quite similar to the picture you linked. That's why I almost always use it with the diffuser on.

Re PT Apex: I was looking very hard at this light, too, before getting the Fenix because it seems to be a very decent headlamp and mostly because of its modability, but prices here in Sweden are ridiculous high (see here for a "discounted" price example), I could buy two HP11s and still save some money. And ordering directly from the US with shipping, tull and taxes + handling fee of SEK 100 was not really an alternative.

18

Well, THIS is bit funny but can be good candidate, unfortunately only 3xAA. It has XP-E, but I've moded it to XP-G and changed 5mm leds with better ones. It was one of my first modes at the addiction beginning ;-). Sealing still missing. Included charger and batteries are the worst I've ever seen. Garry, I can take some pictures if I find it still working and if you are interested.

19

Hmm. . . If it could be modded to XM-L with existing driver and made floody then perhaps it would be a candidate. I really want something that doesn’t need modded. I want something my employer can just order and give to my co-workers ready to use.

Thanks for the link & info though - bookmarked it. I think I ran across that one some time ago and couldn't find it again.

-Garry

20

Well, it could be moded with XM-L I think, but the hole in the plastic reflector migh be to tight. Otherwise there is just 20mm star used as a heatsink and it runs at 0.6-0.7A. Not the best for your purposes, but take a look pictures and reviews at DX. On the other hand is small, lightweight, independed switches for 5mm leds and separate for XP-E. With some difusor (or tape) you might get it much floodier and no need to modify - depends on lumens you need (or wish). Price is bit to high nowadays, but I tink you can get some $ back if you complain to DX about useless batteries and charger. Mine is moded, but still not far away from stock one. I can make some video if you like.

PS. Fenix HP11 is much better for shure, but price is high