As you can imagine from the subject of this topic, i need a budget headlamp for close-up work so:
- Light as wide as possible
- Good confort (light and good fitting)
I see a couple of review of el-cheapo light on this thread 3 different budget headlamps - simple reviews and teardown
and the “big-lens” seems a good solution.
Any suggestion? Budget? As low a possible considering that i already have a tons of headlamp!
What brands headlamps do you already have? If you have several and you are still looking...
I have done both myself BUT I will never say I have a flashlight problem and the wrong ones are just for something else :)
Skilhunt H02 for $35 or one of the big reflector headlamps with a diffuser film.
Don't laugh, but I like this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1NV0ME2829
Also available from many other sources, search for CREE Q5 LED Headlamp.
Wide zoomie, very light weight, short (for sticking your head in tight spaces - not always recommended), 3AAA on the back of the headband (for good balance), brightness control lever on battery pack, uses an increasingly rare Cree XRE led! Yes, it has PWM on low and blinky modes:(
Call me crazy, but I like it. I replaced a breakerbox in a basement with using this.
I went with this one: Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com
Seems to be down at the moment but Crelant CH10. 27 bucks on Alibaba. As far as wide angle goes, you can very easily put some kind of diffuser over the lens.
For my TK70, I use a coffee lid. For other lights I use a tire-sealant cap. Even a piece of the not-quite-clear scotch tape will work and diffuse the hotspot for close in work.
So I wouldnt get too worried about that.
I like the idea of the crelant because it has infinitely variable mode, so I can get the right amount of light. Plus it seems to be decent quality and a step up from the Deal Extreme junk.
That’s my favorite out of about 6 headlamps that I own, the neutral white color is real nice
Armytek Tiara A1 Pro fits all those qualifications in the OP except the price.
Is an HL10 too expensive, or too short of a running time?
The Crelant CH10 is a very good light for the price. It’s not as floody as I’d like, but I remedied that with a small disc cut from a broken fluorescent diffuser lens. Works like a charm, and the neutral tint is perfect for my purposes. You can take the low down into sub-lumen territory quite nicely, where I presume it would run for days. I like ‘low-lows’, it’s amazing how little light you can get by with once your eyes are adapted to the dark.
It’s certainly not the floodiest light on the market… One of the disappointments I have with mine.
Crelant CH10 CREE XM-L2 LED 460Lum Headlight Headlamp Torch Outdoor
remimber we get 6% off that price, I say hard to beat. Call me crazy but if I ran 123’s or maybe the 18350’s I wonder if it would drive a MT-G2? humm crazy ?
Any opnions?
First off, I see a lot of people recommending the Crelant CH10, no offense but the CH10 is not a floody light, more a thrower. I have the Crelant and it’s not the one you want if you want flood. My favorite overall as well as for flood is the Nitecore HC50, great flood.
Edit: Just reread you OP and noticed you said cheap, paid $45 for my HC50 but have seen it cheaper, not sure if you consider that cheap. For under $20, my favorite is the Xtar H2, not as floody but not a super thrower either, check Ebay for prices $15 to $20.
To each his own. I think it’s plenty floody. Plus it’s certainly more floody than all the reflector based lights that are recommended here, you said nothing about.
Ill be soon making a comparison review between Jetbeam HC20, Nitecore HC50, Armytek wizzard pro v2, Skilhunt H02R, just waiting on the Skilhunt to arrive.
Wish I could find one at those prices, every time I look they’re going for around double that.
Two auctions just ended Jan 12 for $16.25 and $16.50, have been selling like that for a month or more. One sold for $10.50. Buy it now price is $27.77 with the option to make an offer.
There is an American vendor on eBay selling those. The only drawback I see its the 16340...ok if you don't need run time.
If you want floody for close up work I think you want an aspheric or TIR headlamp.
Anything with a reflector will give you a hot spot and spill beam, neither that useful for close up work and even lighting.
I have no idea how good this is, but I have many other POP lite torches, all of which are superb.
Well HC50 has a reflector but it is pretty much all flood.
I’m sure it’s fine, but it’ll still have a hot spot rather than even illumination. For camping use or cooking outside I think that would be a good compromise.
But close up, such as working on a PC or doing something very fiddly and small, I think it isn’t the ideal beam profile.