Looking for the floodiest headlamp flashlight

rondohatten · 2018-07-07T14:55:37.000Z

thanks for the info.
im certainly not a smooth runner, and run trails.
a cool tint doesnt work for me; makes it hard to see
the variations in the terrain.
ive seen some candidates, but im too cheap to
shell out for them.

thanks again. will continue to mull.

anycolourfloyd · 2018-07-07T23:50:55.000Z

rondohatten:

thanks for the info.
im certainly not a smooth runner, and run trails.
a cool tint doesnt work for me; makes it hard to see
the variations in the terrain.
ive seen some candidates, but im too cheap to
shell out for them.

thanks again. will continue to mull.

For trail running or orienteering I recommend nitecore nu20 CRI. If you need long duration though you’ll need something bigger / replaceable cells.

I use the h03 for long distance stuff where I’m mostly walking

Pulsar · 2018-07-08T00:19:06.000Z

SKV89:

The Olight H2R Nova older batch has good tint but not as floody (recent batch is very ugly green).

Really? Mine I believe is the newer, with upgraded tail cap (safe), and it has a very decent tint. I got the neutral model.
The tail cap has been upgraded, like said above, to address safety concerns. I never had an issue

Blackbeard · 2018-07-08T00:34:44.000Z

+1 on the SH H03 very floody and decent price point, good light, tail stands or magnetic tail. can also double as right angle backpack light with the clip.

Pete7874 · 2018-07-08T01:09:55.000Z

hcanning:

Zulumoose:

If you stand it on its end and place it on a table in a darkened room, does it provide a “decent” spread of light across the table?

Leave it on its side pointed at the ceiling and the whole room will have decent light, without even using highest mode.
A tube light with tail-stand ability is even better for this, because the hot part will not be touching anything.
Inside a room ceiling bounce will give the best light.

I want to use it outdoors though

How exactly is this going to work? If you stand it up outside, it is not going to light up anything. You need to bounce it off something or use a diffuser.

rondohatten · 2018-07-08T21:38:04.000Z

ive read about the nu20 and it seems like
an excellent candidate.
for no good reason, i thought it might be fun to have an
18650 light if its workable tint and cost wise.

thanks for the info.

Lightbringer · 2018-07-08T22:37:48.000Z

Not to go into broken-record mode, but the Boruit RJ02 is dirt cheap, has a built-in charger, takes an 18650 for long runtime, and spits out decent lemons albeit a bit on the cool side, and the screw-on cap atop its included TIR lens lets you swap it for any 20mm TIR lens you want.

For me, 60° is nice and floody for tabletop work, but you can stick in a 90° or even 120° lens for even wider flood (’though with some artifacts, as wide-angle TIRs aren’t perfect).

They’re cheap enough to buy in bulk, and get an assortment of TIR lenses from narrow-spot to wide-flood, and keep them in a ziplock baggie.

I don’t think you wanna use any light for 1000lm for any extended period. It’ll cook itself to death. I once tailstood/tailstanded/whatever an S2+ for only 5-10min in a dark room and couldn’t even grab it long enough to hit the tailswitch to turn it off without grabbing some material to use as a sort of oven-mitt. Unsuspectingly grabbed it, dropped it, couldn’t even poke it from both sides to hit the switch, it was that hot. And even after, I couldn’t pick it up for some time ’til it cooled down. Never want to repeat that again…

Most times I keep the ’02 at or near minimum brightness because that’s usually enough, but a few times I cranked it up to full and had it cooking for a half-hour or more, and it wouldn’t overheat too much. It tops out at something like 300lm (forgot), and that’s usually plenty unless you intend to light up a whole trail in front of you. In other words, don’t get lumenitis and demanding 4-digit lumenage when visually it’s not that much brighter than 250-300.

NeutralFan · 2018-07-08T23:02:21.000Z

Very tempting with the Boruit headlamps. Is the RJ02 better than the D10? The IR sensor seems interesting, but I don’t want anything gimmicky. Good to know about swapping in the TIR lenses.

puglife2 · 2018-07-08T23:10:21.000Z

Why nobody talk about the armytek wizard and the elf c2 !! the best headlamps in the galaxy!

Lightbringer · 2018-07-08T23:15:05.000Z

One “failing” of the ’02 is that when you activate the IR-thingy, it snaps on to full-tilt and off, not the last memorised brightness level. So that’s how I make sure it’s at 100% when I want it, just go to IR mode and it’s at 100%.

Dunno the D10, so can’t compare. All I know is I got a bunch of ’02s, thinking them to be “disposable”, but I’ve been banging on the first one all this time and it hasn’t failed me yet. Even things like shoveling snow (well, more like chiselling ice), I had it on its lowest setting and it was still plenty bright reflecting off the white snow/ice.

I got a whole bunch of TIRs from Amazon, and I’ve swapped acto my needs. Usually, the 60 is what I keep coming back to, as it’s nice and floody but still lights well farther out when you crank it up.

If your interest is to use it while hiking/running/jogging at night, the come-with TIR (30°?) is fine.

But yeah, any 20mm TIR (LEDsupply, Amazon, etc.) will drop right in.

NeutralFan · 2018-07-08T23:22:37.000Z

Looks like some nice headlights puglife2, but for $11-12, it’s hard not to consider a Boruit. Especially since I don’t use a headlamp that often and it would be replacing a cheapo Rayovac 3 AAA headlamp. But I don’t want another headlamp that doesn’t work well. When I’m wearing a headlamp, it’s usually to fix something around the house in order to have both hands free, so it needs to be dependable.

Lightbringer · 2018-07-08T23:28:24.000Z

The headband with the over-the-head additional strap is nice and secure. I’ve been head-down poking at things and it never came loose let alone fell off. It’s adjustable, so take the time to “get it right” and it’ll wear well.

Plus, unlike those with the hinged holders that get loose and flop around or even crack off pieces (even on expen$ive lights), this has 2 thick rubber loops that hold it in-place. Simplicity itself. Even lets you quickly pop it out and “palm” the light if you want to (which I do quite often, vs having the strap dangling).

NeutralFan · 2018-07-08T23:45:56.000Z

Thanks Lightbringer for the info. Looks like the D10 is smaller and doesn’t come with the unnecessary (in my opinion) top headband strap, so I will probably go with that.

Edit: Looks like I replied the same time you did Lightbringer. Good point about the plastic hinges vs the rubber loops. I may consider the RJ02 instead.

Lightbringer · 2018-07-09T00:00:50.000Z

Probably comes off, but I kinda like it. More secure…

—

Oh, I hate you guys… I just ordered one to see what’s inside it. Hate blinkies, but it looks like it could also swap TIRs. Maybe I can lobotomise it or swap drivers (if discrete) or something.

Lightbringer · 2018-07-09T00:06:23.000Z

Wellp, I really can’t see anyone going wrong with the ’02.

It pretty much does 100% of what I need it for.

d_t_a · 2018-07-09T01:19:57.000Z

NeutralFan:

Very tempting with the Boruit headlamps. Is the RJ02 better than the D10? The IR sensor seems interesting, but I don’t want anything gimmicky. Good to know about swapping in the TIR lenses.

The Boruit EHL0628 seems to be the same model as the D10.

For instance, in this item description, it indicates both “D10” and “EHL0628”

aliexpress.com

6.89€ 48% OFF|BORUiT D10 L2 Led scheinwerfer Leistungsstarke 3000LM...

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

You can read more detailed info about the Boruit EHL0628 here:

Boruit Headlamp Review D10 (aka. EHL0628) - King of the Budget Headlamps? LED Headlamps

Boruit D10 / EHL0628 [image] So I’ve come across this well-liked budget headlamp which I believe to be much better than the well-liked cheap Boruit RJ-02. The only review I am aware of posted on the web is a Russion review found here (translated via Google Translate). I decided this headlamp deserves its own thread, so here are some pics and a quick review. Doing some investigating I came to the conclusion this light is model #EHL0628 (EDIT - more widely known now as the D10), as shown in this…

rondohatten · 2018-07-09T01:48:12.000Z

i know this isnt about me, but i have a concern about the coolness of the tint
on the boruit rj02 for trail running. i guess an argument could be made its cheap
enough to try and probably an impovement on the cheapie vitchelo i currently
use.
been tempted by the armyteks but dont want to pay that much.

anycolourfloyd · 2018-07-09T02:10:57.000Z

rondohatten:

ive read about the nu20 and it seems like
an excellent candidate.
for no good reason, i thought it might be fun to have an
18650 light if its workable tint and cost wise.

thanks for the info.

18650 is great for runtime and comparability with other lights. In my opinion though 18650 head torches aren’t ideal for running due to weight and bulk

Lightbringer · 2018-07-09T03:43:49.000Z

rondohatten:

i know this isnt about me, but i have a concern about the coolness of the tint
on the boruit rj02 for trail running.

Maybe I just won the tint lottery or something, but mine’s pretty white, not a hint of green, but not bluish either. It’s definitely on the cool side, but not Angry Blue™ like a lot of cheapie lights (especially those craptastic 3×AAA lights), and certainly not Angry Purple™.

Any light considered CW will stink as far as lighting up vegetation, whether green leaves or brown wood. But indoors when grubbling through dark rooms and such, it ain’t bad.

I’m not a fanboy (while I should get commissions for how many times I pushed the ’02, I never really liked and kinda panned their other headlamps), but I do have to admit that I really like the ’02.

Then again, for something like 8bux a pop when they were on sale and I stocked up, hellyeah I’m gonna like ’em.

ven · 2018-07-09T04:05:14.000Z

Op mentions the H2r as an option, i love mine and yes its floody with the frosted optic(thanks to NL). I have the neutral, which to my eyes a little on warm side(closer to 4000k than 5000k!). Its pretty tough too, its been clunked that many times on my hard hat, i forget the amount(hard clunks haha). Also an apprentice elbowed it off a conveyor, where it was on its magnetic base. Fall was a good way up(over 10ft maybe 15ft but a bit back and my memory is poor). Either way it survived with a dented tail cap.

Gauge done whilst on head, actually looks and is worse than pic shows

Its used daily, in fact so much so i have become dependent (find medium around 140lm perfect for most of my uses), i have a back up sat waiting!

I admit my headlamp experience is limited, the zebra offerings also appeal. I am sure a good bit lighter, i wont lie as you can tell its on your head(or hard hat in this case). The UI is good on olights imo, pretty simple with short cut to moon, double tap for turbo(pretty much super bright and sure maukka measured similar output to the CW version of around 2300lm).

The beam is soft and wide(floody) with no hot spot up close , i dont use the built in USB as prefer external charging. Easier for me to swap out for a fresh cell whilst other on charge(could use back up i guess, but not for this ).

Good luck with your choice Interesting to see other options

General question, guess for hard hat wearers(as i bang my head far more with one on ironically). I have never beat up a light so fast on my head! Are other guys the same? Hard hat/head light use, for ever catching or whacking against stuff? Yes i am clumsy to