Looking for two headlights: hiking, camping, ...

Other Types of Lights LED Headlamps
1

Hello from France !

We are looking for Headlights and we need some advises from you guys. We want headlights for hiking and camping mostly but other activities could be possible.
We thought that my girl could carry a very lightweight headlight, maybe a AA (=14500) or AAA and I could have a 18650 for a little more power if we need it.

We have tried to identify the qualities that we thought might be important for these headlights :

- Lightweight

- Water-resistant and solid (resistant to the rain, mud and little shocks)

- Battery life

- Not dangerous (not like the ones on dx.com with wires around your head with doubtful water protections)

- Floody (I’m not sure for this one if a floody light is better than a throw light to walk)

- Adjustable from not very bright (around the camp site) to more brighter (to finish a walk with the night)

- Not too expensive as we have a lot of other stuffs to buy

  • Deliveries possible to France

After some reading (mostly on this forum), I consider the following options for the 18650:

- Skilhunt H02 (or H02R)

- Nitecore HC50

- Zebralight H602 (I’m a little lost in all models models)

  • Armytek (too much models to choose !!!)

Skilhunt seems to have a very good quality/price ratio that bring this headlight to the top of my list.
About, Skilhunt H02 (or H02R) I would like to know if this deal (GB Skilhunt H02 and H02R *** CW and NW available - May be able to do again if enough interest) is still active.

For the other light, I have made less investigations but I’ve come to these models:

- Fenix HL10

- Petzl Tikka

  • Princeton Tec Byte (the addition of the red led seems valuable)

Do not hesitate to propose others models, I will study all the possibilities for the 2 lights.

If I understand well, most of you prefers Neutral White to Cool White, I made some research but I don’t understand all the parameters. I have understood that there is 3 principles tints:

- Cool White (a lot of the spectrum in the blue but these leds have the advantage to be more brighter because of less phosphorous on the led)

- Neutral White (true white, more like the sun light)

  • Warm white (like old tungsten lights)
    Am I right in my summary and what is the best tint for hiking ?
    Additionally, if you have some links that explain this, I’ll take them.

Sorry for my English, do not hesitate to correct me (that will help me to improve) if I make some mistakes.
I’m waiting for your questions or proposal in order to help us.

Flour

2

Hi,

For camping and trekking in Europe I consider light packing and accesibility of batteries of the uttermost importance. Thus, I would not recommend 18650 headlights as in most scenarios the powerful throw is not really necessary and in the short range (map reading, cooking or being within a tent) they can be annoying (in addition to carrying extra batteries, charger, cables, etc.). If you do caravaning (no problem with carrying weigth and bulk) or other type of outdoor activities (fishing, running, etc., where you need more throw) then things change. IN any case, for small and light AAA I never pack without my Black Diamont Spot and I highly recommend it: a very balanced light with continuous dimming, red LEDs, water resistant and very contained price. Also available at most mountain gear stores. More than enough for walking in a mountain path in just the size of a scarf, and then cooking, placing a tent, etc.

Reviewed here

3

Throw vs flood is a personal issue. Most people seem to prefer flood in headlamps, but I find flood headlamps to be mostly useless outdoors. Even at ranges of 50-100m, I find my floodier headlamp (HC90) to be basically useless.

4

There are personal preferences of course, but the intended use is the key for determining the right tool. For me it is this simple: if you have to haul a light on your back outdoors, or climb with it, my spot is the only reasonable choice. I don’t need a light to see 50-100m ahead: just see where I am stepping and following my trail and reading my gps and maps meanwhile…. for days if need to. The spot and some Peltzl models have proximity leds but also a more throwy mode that allows you to see ahead quite well. And then the newer Peltzl models use the new adaptive technology, but I have not experience with that and I find them too fancy and expensive to try for now.

5

Petzl headlamps are absolute garbage imo. I would rather carry a dedicated headlamp for throw and a dedicated headlamp for flood than use a Petzl.

6

- i’m also buying the skilhunt (still not sure whether h02 or h02r… btw have a look here Skilhunt H02(R) mini review, potential issues, and a funny fix :wink: )… would probably prefer an armytek or a zebralight, but at this moment (great deal for the skilhunt and no particular offers for the other two, not that i know at least…) they are about twice the price and it’s not worth it imho. I have’t found any other good alternatives…

There is a good deal for Jetbeam HC20 for 28 usd Review: JETBeam HC20 headlight i have bought one and it’s on the way, but it seems too bulky and too throwy for outdoor usage
Well, Fenix HL55 it’s also interesting.

s.
yes, the deal on the skilhunts is still active :wink: and in case it should stop before you buy, here is another deal on a different shop, 2-3 usd more but still a good price http://m4dm4x.com/2015/01/22/today-sometihing-different/

- Armytek Wizard (or Wizard Pro) is the armytek you should consider

as for:

- Skilhunt H02 (or H02R)

  • Nitecore HC50
    those 2 are pure floody headlamps, some people like them but i would never use them for outdoors, especially if you go off trail you can’t be limited to see just a few meters in front of you. No alternatives for the nitecore, but i’d consider zebralight H600 instead of H602 (zebralight does a tons of similar models and it’s easy to get lost, it took me a while to understand :stuck_out_tongue: 602=no reflector, 600=reflector, w=natural white instead of cool white, F=frost… and all the combination oh these) or H600F which falls somehow in between the two

here you get an idea of h600 vs h602 (and pure flood vs intermediate beam in general)

(consider the guy is facing straight in front of him, if you look down as you normally do when you are walking you can see your steps with the h600 also)

more info: Zebralight H600 MK II (Spot and Fill) vs H600F (Floody) vs H602 (no reflector) beams | Candle Power Flashlight Forum

s. that thread looks promising but there’s nearly nothing so far Jetbeam HC20 vs Armytek wizard pro v2 vs Nitecore HC50 vs Skilhunt h02r

HL10 is pure flood, see above (also pure flood and low output is even worse, you are wasting most of your precious light)
I would not use a single AAA for outdoors (actually i always carry my olight i3s, but if i know i’ll be walking at night i carry a proper headlamp as well), if you do at least carry a couple 1-2-3 extra eneloops depending on your trek
Fenix HL21 is way too throwy and needs heavy modding (i have it)
Fenix HL50 is probably perfect for you but a bit mor pricey… good deals on aliexpress though. You can use 1x eneloop AA on normal usage and CR123A when you need maximum output/runtime to weight/performance in cold (below –20C)
review: Fenix HL50 (XM-L2 T6 Neutral White, CR123A or 1xAA) Review | Candle Power Flashlight Forum
If HL50 is out of your budget, you may consider HL23, but i don’t know much about it.

http://flashlightwiki.com/ANSI_White

7

that is true, as i wrote i’m buying a 18650 headlamp, but i’m not sure if would if it was my only headlamp. Maybe i’d go for something like a 1xAA zebralight/armytek or HL50 if i wanted just one good allround headlamp.
BUT… a h600 with battery weights the same as a spot/tikka, a few grams more for the armytek and skilhunt, and for the batteries in the worst case you can buy a couple of cr123a in most supermarkets… so it’s probably a bit overkill as a only headlamp but drawbacks are not such a big deal imho.

Personally i don’t like Spot (talking about the old model, but the actual looks very similar), imho it’s not much better than the average tikka: no regulation, ip-x4 and the build looks weak (and i don’t like the way the lid is attached with those plastic bands). I’d rather spend the extra money for the Storm (which i did in fact :p). It’s ip-x7, much sturdier construction and it’s regulated (it drops out of regulation at some point, wich i think is the best behaviour in regulated lights for outdoors cause while the light dims you still have plenty of time of light… a regulated light that suddenly switch off it’s very dangerous for outdoors, and even if it warns you a few minutes before doing it might still be dangerous if you don’t have backup batteries)

The only things i didn’t like of the old Storm are the UI (no way to switch to full power quickly, and the strobe gets easily in the way) which seems they have resolved with the new model, and it’s a bit too throwy imho (as most other tikkas or similars… i have swapped the xp-e with a xp-g2 and now it’s better)

I totally agree. Even though i was surprised from the new tikkas, still have that weak and plastic feeling, but they finally have a regulated driver at least (only tikka XP and tikka PLUS). I have tried a new tikka XP, weird beam shape and way too cold, but not so bad in general.

8

Very good advises, we could see that you have worked on the subject (more than me !!!).

So to resume:
-I’m going to buy a Skilhunt H02R (I posted a message on the deal to have information).
Thanks for your other deal but there is no possibility on Banggood (neither on other websites) to know if they send NW or CW headlight. In the deal on the forum this is a NW.
If I found the Skilhunt overkill for my use I will be back to look for something else.
-I’m going to look at the Fenix HL23 which is the one that is the most close to my needs. The only issue I have is that I would rather prefer an other form factor (more compact, without the protuberance of the lens).
I keep in mind the remark from Iker and I will put the HL23 in concurence with the Black Diamond Spot (or the Storm because the Spot is not waterproof).

Thank you all, I’m listening if you have other comments.

9

Food for thought :

A lightweight total flood (no optic) headlamp is extremely handy around the house, in tents, and slow pace walking/trekking, the Zebralight H502w is one of such headlamps, and a gem.

Bienvenue sur BLF :party:

10

Merci

My reflexion is:
I bought a H02R which is throwy, if I need a more floody light for a particular task, it is possible to tape the lens.

The contrary is not easily possible.

11

I really like the Skilhunt H02 for walking in the woods, I have the H02R also but my preference for hiking is more flood. The light gives great mode spacing to allow extended run times if needed or large amounts of light. It appears to built very solid and will run on 18650 or 2 cr123 if needed.

I can’t speak to the other lights but personally I wouldn’t use the aaa headlamps for anything more than a short trip, I don’t like the limited run time.

12

great! could you help me with my doubts in post #4 and #5 here? thanks :wink: Skilhunt H02(R) mini review, potential issues, and a funny fix

13

The patterns are really close, the R does have more throw but I don’t the have range in my yard to show it. I would not say there is significant loss due to the diffuser. The tint difference makes the H02R look brighter IMO but really is minimal.

My camera died so only pictures I could take are with my phone. The first picture is H02R CW the second is H02 NW. The distance to the house is about 50 meters

H02R CW

H02 NW

It’s sounds to me like the H02R would work well for you but I think either will make you happy.

14

awesome, thank you! :wink: since you confirm the R has more throw if think i’ll go for that one :wink:

15

I have one of these and gave one away. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CREE-Q5-300LM-LED-3-Mode-Zoomable-Headlight-Torch-Light-Head-Lamp-Hotsell-EP98-/121161815800?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123 It is available from various sellers on Ebay.
This seems to be the same thing or very similar for a lower price. http://www.banggood.com/Q5-Focus-LED-240Lum-Zoomable-Headlight-Rechargeable-CREE-Headlamp-p-70636.html
My last one had next mode memory, which I fixed with a new driver. There are some other defects and shortcomings, but I like them very much.

16

you may want to consider “M4D M4X”’s offer of codes to get deals.

he has a code for the “crelant ch10” headlamp it has two memories and it ramps from moonlight-120 lumens (low) and from about 80-450 lumens on high, you can choose and then save the two prefered brightnesses. Oh and it is $21 delivered (to the US) YPMV (your postage may vary).

18650 XM-L2 emitter.

Far left first photo post #17

17

Forgot to mention Lumintop HL01 Lumintop HL01 NW Headlamp(1x18650/2xCR123A) 610 Lm, Review

18

just found out about this new interesting 1xAA headlamp:

EDIT: 96mm lenght… quite a lot (same as Xtar H1 which is 97mm, see images below) looks like the revised version of Niteye JA10

btw… i’ll use this as an archive for future reference :stuck_out_tongue:

1xAA/1x14500 HEADLAMPS:

and a couple of images for size reference (too bad the H1 is so long…)

in the middle: Xtar H1, Fenix HL50 (AA setup), Fenix HL50 (16340 setup)

in the middle: Zebralight H600, Xtar H1, Xtar H2

from left: Fenix HL50, Spark SG5

Fenix HL50, Zebralight H52, Armytek Tiara A1

P.S.
i personally prefer 1xaa/14500 headlamps to 1xcr123a/16340 because when you are using rechargable lithiums you get better performances with 14500 size (see here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?345370-AW-16340-750mAH-vs-AW-14500-750mAH ) and should you run out of batteries AAs primaries are way easier to find everywhere compared to cr123a. Not to mention you also have the eneloop option.
On the other hand, the form factor of 16340 headlamps is maybe preferable cause they are more compact (AA headlamps can be quite long, nearly as much as 18650 headlamps sometimes… see Xtar H1 and Zebralight H600)

19

Order made for a Skilhunt H02 and a Fenix HL23.
I like the idea of having two different headlight powered by different sources (AA and 18650/CR123).

Thanks for all your advices, I’ll be back as soon as I receive the headlights.

20

I would buy Armytek Wizard Pro 2, it has great mods never need to run on max, 18640 will run for days with reasonable modes, as per AA Armytek has also other lights pretty powerful ones too, but with those i would only use energizer lithium non-rechargeables, those would be the most reliable