Skilhunt H15 is an AA/14500 headlamp that I am very happy with. Bugsy36 has a thread with a review and if you send him a PM, he has some coupon codes for really good prices…
lol @ the m43 to head idea. I guess it could work J) My previous headlamp was a “Remington” brand headlamp which had an older 3x cree emitter in it, held 4aa’s . it had decent brightness, equal to my fenix AA pocket light.
Check out the H15, it makes a nice flashlight OR a great headlamp.
Even on AA over 200 lumen on high and over an hour of runtime at that level. The clip is what I use, but the head band is very good as well. The clip works on hats very well…
I would go with:
Zebralight H600w MKII: A neutral-white 18650 light. 1020 lumens, max ($90). I use it for mountain biking.
Nitecore HC30: A cool-white 18650 light. 1000 lumens, max ($35-55). I’ve used it for camping. It’s bright.
I’ve had nitecore HC50, zebralight H600, and now the Xtar H3. IMO the newer zebralights with PID regulation are best, followed by Xtar. Nitecore HC30 is marketed with temperature regulation but some have reported it never kicks in.
If you want a budget headlamp under $40 I’d recommend the Xtar H3, the temperature regulation actually works, but zebralights have much more stable output.
The Cygolite Metro 550 goes for $51 on Amazon and people like it. You should be able to find lights that will last 1 to 1.5 hours on high in the 800 lumen range.
I recommend staying away from AA; those lights are so last century
I have a XinTD C8 V5 http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=109 for $30 (multiple tints available). Buy two $10 protected 18650s and a charger and you are all set. Get a $2 rubber U mount (will hold any 1” diameter flashlight) and you’ll be able to remove the light easily.
If I were you, I would be asking for 2 headlight suggestions, one the killer 18650 headlamp, but a smaller one that is the best single AA headlight.
There are some fantastic AA headlights now for general use that are super light, and so very convenient.
I love my Nitcore HC50, but for my indoor projects I prefer my Fenix HL30, and look forward to someday having a single AA Zebralight, or whichever is the most floody brand when the time for me to buy comes.
I own a lot of fenix stuff, I always liked them. Not the most powerful in terms of brightness but always well built and quality components are used in them. I don’t own any nitecore’s but I’ve always wanted one. Who’s the best vendor now days for fenix and nitecore?
I also can recommend the Xtar H3. You can really leave it on turbo. I’ve tested it with fully charged 3,400 mAh batteries.
It gets warm, of course. But you can still hold it in you hand without getting unconfortable.
Once you have the clip adjusted, you can wear it in you breastpocket. So you don’t have to fuss with the headband.
Zebralight recommendation here too.
Why?
I actually own one and it has seen inclement weather and conditions multiple times and still goes strong.
Is robust and light, can be detached and used as a hand torch in a pinch.
Also a decent range of options (research is your friend between the model differences).
For what it is worth..the HC50 is a good balance between throw and flood. The JetBeam HC20, Nitecore HC30, and Xtar H3 are all "throwy" headlamps. Diffuser film would possibly be a good idea. The Skilhunt with TIR (H02 and H15 and H01), Zebralight, and Armytek are "floody".
Myself, I prefer the H02 and the H15. I also use an HC50. My HC30 and H3 are backup only because the hotspot is not conducive for what I do. FYI...Skilhunt also comes in NW tint ;)
