Safe, Sturdy Budget Headlamp? (and Battery Confusion)

Thanks gchart, and royce as well, I’m really into the look of the Wuben H1, it seems to be exactly what I’m looking for! I’ll keep reading up on lithium ion safety and doing my research. You guys are all really cool, thanks for all the fast and thorough responses.

Got to admit I did not think that Wuben H1 was 18650, thought maybe 16340. Just hadn’t seen the headlamp in real scale I guess.
After reading that intensive review and see it can also take 2 CR123A’s in a pinch and then the incredible runtime on High and even Turbo, think now I need one to try out.
Thanks for the info!

:beer: no problem

I was going to put in for another vote for the WOWTAC A2 or A2S in neutral white.
I must admit I like the look of the Wuben. Great review by the way. Now there’s another light to buy that I really don’t need!
The WOWTAC are on Amazon, as is Wuben, which is a big plus for me.

They WOWTACs are pretty throwie, And I prefer a floody headlight.
The Aux on the Wuben (from the review pics) is better, but not a pure food.
The Wuben comes with a 2600mAh battery. That could be replaced (I assume) with a 3400mAh battery for way longer run times.

By the way, NEVER buy an 18650 battery from Amazon. You never know what the heck you will end up with.
Ask users here for recommended sources for quality 18650s.
The color temp of the Wuben seems like it is cooler for the main beam. For outdoor use, I like lights that tend towards the warm end of the spectrum.
All the Best,
Jeff

On the Wuben, Am I right in thinking it can only run the main light or the Aux, but not both at the same time?
Seems like both at once could be helpful in may circumstances, like trail walking.

That’s correct, only one light at a time. The aux is definitely warmer and very floody. But it’s also pretty dim. It’d be good for nighttime reading, up close tasks, etc. Probably not enough light for trail walking. The primary LED is thrower, but a touch on the cool side. I wouldn’t call it cold, but not warm either.

The Sofirn/Wurkkos HD20 has a nice neutral CCT and strong in both flood and throw. But the ATR is quirky and being a 21700 light it’s a bit big and heavy. It’s probably why they call it a right angle lamp and then throw a clip and headband in the box.

On another thread:

A Wuben light is way overcharging with the build in charging.
So, as a rule, I think it best to have a multi-meter and test any light with internal charging just to be sure it it cutting off at safe voltages.
All the Best,
Jeff

Yup, always good to double check. That was the Wuben C3 and thankfully Wuben has acknowledged the problem and already fixed it

In general, Wuben does really well in their circuitry. Very nice drivers. When I tested the Wuben H1, it’s built it charging terminated at a near-perfect 4.19 volts.

:+1:

Any of the Panda series from YLP?

https://ylplight.com/en/katalog/1/nalobnye-fonari/

I already have wurkkos hd20 and thinking if the wuben h1 is much better, with it regulation and stable lumen. Is the hd20 that bad compared to h1?

Light weight, well regulated, efficient, has red: Wuben H1

Powerful flood and/or spot: Wurkkos HD20

Really depends on what you’re looking for.

I have owned (and gifted) a dozen D25s (Boruit original design). Simple as it gets and Sofirn has improved on it with better leds (and UI). For about $15 shipped from Sofirnlight.com I can’t think of a better headlamp for the money.

For my use anyway- I use it for stage tech lighting during live shows, hunting (dressing deer after dark- great WIDE beam with two SST40 leds, etc.). Build like a tank, cheap, great throw for it’s size. USB charging is a GREAT plus too! Headstrap is good and comfy for all but the most rigorous of tasks (and you can get a better strap for it too if you need to bike down the mountain in heavy winds and rain I guess).

Worth a look anyway…

Good luck!

Wurkkos hd20 is using 21700 but the wuben h1 is more efficient. Which one would have longer usable runtime? Maybe around the 400-500 Lumen mark.

I got the hd20 at a good price. At less than 5 USD difference compared to the price I will get for wuben of I buy it with the current banggood sales.

Good for running, slow jog or brisk walking? How is the regulation or stabilization compared to sp40?

I’ve not measured anything… but I own both and they both seem to slowly reduce output over time so guessing they are not regulated. I just like the way the D25s fits my head and the two emitters really give a great, wide beam of light. I’m a fan of both, but for the money I like the D25s more :smiley:

I reviewed the “original” D25 here before Sofirn had the LEDs swapped and changed the UI a bit. The output is not regulated, it simply uses a current limiting resistor.

I think the D25/D25S is a good value because it’s so inexpensive. But to me, the metal was a bit thin and the threads were the sloppiest I’ve ever seen in a light.

A cool white headlamp is tolerable some of the time, but downright freaking miserable at other times. If there is any moisture in the air whether it’s mist, fog, rain, snow, or other the cool white reflects off of that moisture a lot more than warm white or neutral and at times you can’t see more than 3 ft in front of you. The cool white attracts more bugs. It also reflects off of other items such as tree trunks leaves and other objects around you whether you’re inside or out and doesn’t let you see as far. For those reasons I refuse to consider any headlight that is only available in cool white. A head light also needs to have a wide beam pattern most of the time to avoid having to fully turn your head to the sides or up or down to point a narrow beam where you want to see when you are moving around especially for foot placement on rough ground. For stationary use or arms length work a tight beam is okay. I’ve got 6 headlights and I use them all on occasion to remind myself why the Armytek wizard pro warm is the best of the bunch that I have.

Can you suggest any usb-c headlamp? I like sofirn sp40, but all my devices are usb-c.

Why I love it! It’s LIGHTWEIGHT on the head which matters a lot to me after a few hours use. The threads on mine (bought more recently) have been perfect and clean- no grit and no failures out of over a dozen being used by a few hunters, mechanics, and farmers around here the last year or so :smiley: