A friend of mine is an Ultramarathon runner and asked me to find him a new headlamp. Budget is fairly flexible - up to about $80. He needs something that will last through the night (probably 8 hours or a bit more). He’s concerned about depth perception, so we’ll need something that either comes in neutral white or can be modded. (I have plenty of modding experience, so that won’t be a problem.) Right now, I’m looking at the Nitecore HC30, and the Zebralight h600w. Do y’all have any suggestions? Will an 18650 headlamp be too heavy? I’d rather not go with AA because if the far lower energy density, but I’m not the one that will have it strapped to his head, so take that as you will. He currently uses a 3aaa headlamp. Thanks!
The zebralight H600 MK3 should cover his needs while being the lightest 18650 headlamp in the market. An AA headlamp can’t provide enough runtime I’m afraid…
Hi legolas, I'm not ultra yet but will be running a 13 mile, section of road/trail at night, alone and have been seriously considering using a handheld in addition to a headlamp. Depth perception has been a bit of a PITA lately for me and brightness helps a bit but still leaves everything' flat'. Hal Koerner recommends wearing a light in your waist and a headlamp. the skilhunt h02r headlamp is on sale now at banggood and is a good deal. the newest h03 is a good light too.
He could also try the armytek wizard. I love mine and the wt is not too bad. I have the zebralight and prefer the armytek to hike at night as the TIR optic produces better beam pattern
If the H600w doesn’t have enough flood, maybe take a look at the “F” (floody) versions? I just received my H600Fd and so far the floodiness is pretty good. The beam is pretty floody to me. Its not as an even wideness as my Wizard Pro but still pretty good with no hotspot like the normal version.
I’ve found that when needed for extended periods of time, the most comfortable headlights that also have runtime, have just a light in the front and the 18650 in the back. It is much more balanced that way. This way, I don’t get neck fatigue which I could see occurring in this example. But maybe some others could chime in about there experiences with this feature.