I’ve already got oodles of 18650 batteries for my two Convoy S6. Most of the time, these are almost too much light for my purposes. On a recent backpacking trip I longed for a simple and lightweight LED, maybe in RED color. Something that cast just enough light to walk down the trail, but allowed me to stargaze at the same time. I can’t imagine wearing an 18650 headlamp. Too much weight for hours of walking in the night. The prices of 1x-AA headlamps are crazy. $50 for a AA headlamp? No thanks. The Armytek Tiara A1 seems reasonable given its brightness and build quality, but I want something smaller. The Tiara C1 would be the smallest, but I don’t want to buy R123 batteries. The Fenix HL10 is nearly perfectly, but at $30, I might as well spend the extra $20 and get the much brighter Tiara. If the HL10 was $10 I’d probably get a few. Are there are any cheap AAA headlamps?
I saw a 1xAA at banggood.com for US$ 9.86.
http://www.banggood.com/CREE-Q5-LED-350LM-3-Mode-Zoomable-Headlight-Headlamp-Waterproof-p-924448.html
I don’t know of any cheap 1xAAA headlamps, there are lots of cheap 3xAAA headlamps. Personally I’d be inclined to pay the extra for the Fenix, and know that you had a quality product that will last. I have a Fenix HL21, it is a really excellent 1xAA headlamp, and I highly recommend it. It weighs around 87 g all up including headstrap battery and flip-up diffuser, or 32 g body only.
There are also a number of headlamps that take two cr2032 button batteries. These are usually very light, and handy for sticking in a trouser pocket. I have one by Cyba-Lite, the Cyclops Atom Headlamp seems to be a similar thing.
how about the trustfire z1 or z2?
no reds but cost less than $20
if you can mod I’d suggest a change to some nichia or xpg2 (or xml2 if it fits)
How does the Tiara fit your wants if you think the HL10 is almost perfect? The Hl10 produces 27 lumens for 2 hours, while the Tiara doesn’t have that niche, since it has 10 lumens and 70 lumens at the long run times. If the $30 HL10 is almost perfect, then what is about the Tiara that is so good, that you would consider spending an additional $20 dollars for it?
What are you looking for in a light, as far as lumens and run time?
Fenix HL05 costs around 12-15$, uses two CR2032 and has white and red led, good runtimes considering batteries used:
High: 8 Lumens for 50 hours
Low: 3 Lumens for 90 hours
Red: 0.2 Lumens for 75 hours
Red Flashlight: 0.2 Lumens for 280 hours
About perfect for astrogazing or other light outdoor activities and lightweight too!
Pitty that rechargeable 2032 are 3-4x less energy dense than primaries.
Not interested in any other battery format.
The Tiara A1 is the ideal platform, but I can’t see spending $60 on one. Waiting to see what else comes around. If I can get one for $45 I’ll go that route.
My only issue with the Fenix HL10 is that the Tiara is only a bit more cost for a whole lot more light. I feel like the HL10 is kinda heavy for a AAA light, and could be made lighter with a different mounting option.
I’ll have to look into if either of these can be converted to red lenses.
In that case you could take a look here and send an e-mail to them asking for coupon code, Ive read people having got their Tiara’s from there for less than 50$ shipped:
Working on a HL50 headlamp coupon, works on 1AA/CR123A battery.