ISO Long runtime 500+ lumen Headlamp

Other Types of Lights LED Headlamps
1

Looking for a long runtime headlamp at 500-700 lumens.

One of my hobbies (aside from flashlights) is insect photography. I tend to focus primarily on moths, and collect my specimens by running UV and Mercury Vapor lights from dusk to dawn in front of a sheet at a couple locations on my property. Due to the different activity patterns of different species, I usually check the sheets a couple times a night around midnight and 3 am.

Having both hands free to collect the specimens is absolutely necessary, and I have a few different headlamps that I rotate using between charges.

I currently own an Olight H16 Wave, an Olight H2R, and a surprisingly decent for the price Boruit RJ-5000.

The H16 is my preferred light, but the runtime on high (500 lumens) is somewhat limited. I know some people find the wave function gimmicky, but I appreciate the ease of shutting the light off completely to conserve battery.

The Boruit is a bit clunky, the UI is very simplistic, and the light is a bit on the heavy side, but the output (probably close to 500 as opposed to the advertised 5000) and runtime are both actually pretty good.

The H2R is my least used, mainly because I don’t care for the switch placement, but the output and runtime are probably the best of what I currently own.

What I am looking for in my next headlamp:

- long runtime at the 500-700 lumen range (preferably 3+ hours which would get me almost a week of use without charging) I don’t care at all about maximum output as I don’t use turbo
-switch on top of centered units, or side of right angle style lights
-high CRI is preferred, but not a necessity.
-built in charging preferred, but I have plenty of 18650s, a few 21700s, and a few 26650s if I need to remove and charge.
-no use for any blinkies or strobe, so no lights with those in the main mode cycle

Lights I am considering:

-YLP Panda 3R
-Fireflies PL47 (I’ve seen some rave reviews about the high CRI SST20 400K version, but it appears to be sold out/discontinued)

Any other suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated

2

Hello,

I believe most headlamps run on single 18650 batteries or smaller, so it will be challenging to find any lamp that can sustain 500 lumens for that amount of time without stepping down.

You might want to consider headlamps that have battery packs that are separated from the headstrap. These headlamps usually feature larger capacity batteries and designed to work well in cold weather.

Here are a few examples that might work for you:

Fenix HP30R (review below shows it can sustain 400/500 lumens for over 5 hours, and with better batteries I am sure this can be even longer)
http://www.fenixlight.com/ProductMore.aspx?id=2247&tid=13&cid=2#

Acebeam H30
(XHP70 LED that is crazy bright, but this also means it can sustain lower output levels in the 500 lumen range both efficiently and without overheating)

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/53693
Due to the larger LED in a small reflector, light will be very floody and will appear less bright at longer distances.
Custom H30 can be offered with High CRI at great price:
https://skylumen.com/products/acebeam-h30vn-brightest-headlight?\_pos=11&\_sid=4787e65b6&\_ss=r

Lupine (VERY EXPENSIVE)

Silva Headlamps (Can be very expensive depending on model)

3

I’d recommend the YLP Panda 2M CRI offer the 3R.

4

ZebraLight H600Fc Mark IV XHP50.2

- 1x 18650

- High CRI

- Nice quality

- Efficient driver with good regulation

- About 3 h runtime at 560 lm

  • 1600 lm turbo
5

Thanks for the responses so far.

I forgot to mention budget in my initial post, but I’d like to stay in the $50 range. Although I’d be willing to go higher for something that checks all the boxes.

Leaning toward one or possibly both (2M CRI and 3R) of the YLP lights for now, as there is a 20% coupon code good through the end of the month.

The Zebralight is also very intriguing. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be on sale at the moment like so many of their other headlamps, and I’m not willing to overlook the switch location at that price point.

6

Sofirn has a couple different headlamps. Very inexpensive, so much so you could buy 2 and swap them out. Just type in Sofirn Store in your browser and you can look at runtimes. They even come with batteries. I love mine. The D10 and D25 are my favorites.