I'm searching for a new Headlamp to replace my current (about 8 year old) Petzl Myo 5.
Must have:
As reliable as the Myo 5 (this one never left me in the dark for many many hours of usage)
Same or (prefered) less weight than Myo 5 (225g ready to use with batteries)
More light output
Same or longer batterie lifetime (16-24h light to walk and see the track 10ft in front of me, 2h+ night to day mode)
Waterproof (not for diving, but for use during heavy rain or snow fall)
I need any indication that the batteries are running flat, the current one was getting darker and I knew, that I have to change batteries soon. It MUST NOT turn itself of without prior indication (I have this problem with a 18650 light, where the protected cells just turn it of suddenly)
Changing batteries is possible on the road/track without screwdriver
One strap over the head, the solutions with just a strap around the had did not work for me
I tried some cheap lamps < 20$, but I always had the problem that the hinge (between head straps and lamp) broke or bounced around after some time. All solutions with Lithium cells had the problem that they had no protection, so the protection of the cell itself always cutted the light suddenly.
Possible batteries are: AA-Cells or any kind of Lithium (prefered 14500 and 18650, because a already have a set of them), but only if the lamp has a protection / indication of the batterie state.
Prefered solution would be around 60$ (as the old one :) - I recognized, that I will not find my solution around 20$. For the absolute perfect light which I can be sure to use for 8 years again I would spend up to 100$ (limit). Payment must be available through credit card, paypal or google checkout.
Currently I took a look at Fenix HP 11, Spark ST6 and Zebralight H600. But I'm not sure at all which brand or type is the best for me, so I hope to get some help from you, thanks!
Petzl Myo RXP, might come in a little over $60, but seems to tick your boxes. Waterproof-wise, it has a relatively low rating, but I live in a damp place and have never had a problem with water. Double-check the burn time, but I think it meets your needs. Goes spot to flood, which is nice. Fairly bright, though not outlandish. Under 200g with 3-AA batteries. Easy battery changes. Won't turn off suddenly.
All that said, the Fenix, Spark and Zebra seem to have lots of fans over in the headlight forum of cpf, so I expect they're decent as well.
The Spark SD52 CW is on offer at HK Equipment at the moment for $69 shipped. It's a 2xAA or 2x14500 flood, but a $9.50 reflector can turn it into a spot. Good runtimes, and very low low. I have the ST460 NW, and like it - certainly well built, with the over the head strap (unlike Zebralights).
The SD52 is a good price at the moment - possibly because Zebralight have just released their H502 flood. Hoe the neutral version is reduced next month when the H502W comes out
I like the design of the Spark headlamps, and generall the price acceptable, $69 is a good offer. But I have read somewhere, that this lamps do not have a protection against batteries running flat. So I will stand in the dark when the protection of the cell cuts the power-supply, this is a nightmare when sitting on a bike or climbing a wall. At the moment I guess either another Petzl, like the Myo RXP or perphaps a Zebralight H600w (which goes down to a lower mode when the batterie is running out, which is a great feature I think).
Charlie, I too had a Myo 5 about 8 yrs ago, but it got relegated to backup duties after I bought a Princeton Tec Apex, and then I eventually gave the Myo 5 away because I didn't want to bother trying to modify it with an LED. I think it'll be easy for you to find a new headlamp that beats the Myo 5 in every way. The Apex for example beats it in every way, except that the Apex has a straight cord connecting the LED module with the battery pack (at least in mine, which is 5 or so yrs old).
I don't remember the beam pattern of the Myo 5, but I think beam pattern is very important for a headlamp, and the Apex's beam is very nice. Not too narrow, not too wide, and no sharp step between hotspot and spill. At least one of the headlamps you mentioned in your first post is supposed to have a fairly well-defined hotspot, which is not a good feature in a headlamp, in my opinion.
Another important thing for you especially would be the LED tint. The Myo 5 used a halogen bulb, so you'll be accustomed to a warm white tint. If you get an LED headlamp with a cool white tint, you might not like it. That doesn't necessarily mean you should get a "warm white" LED headlamp though--"warm white" in the LED world is often very warm; almost orange. You would probably like a "neutral white" LED, which is just a little bit yellow.
It's really difficult, you might think it is easy to replace such a old one. E.g. the Zebralight H600 is no heavy, long runtime, this great step down mode and everything, very good light. Ok. pretty expensive $89 + additional Headband. But I told myself: it's worth the money, I'll have a solution for the next years - then I read on different pages that this model has issues with water and is not waterproof as promised. The Spark does not handle low batteries and the Fenix HP11 is quite heavy compared to the Spark and Zebralight (ready to use double weight) and Petzl as well as Fenix do not handle Lithium Cells which have more energy :-(
You will probably have to downgrade the kind of reliability and durability you expect from a new, high performance headlamp because pretty much nothing available today in a reasonable price range will come close to the reliability and durability of old Petzl halogen headlamps. Not close.
Most of the high performance headlamps today are less than 3 years old and seem not to have been product tested very thoroughly. None of them, and I really do mean none, seem to have the dead solid reliability that you could expect from an old halogen.
So, if you're going to spend a lot of money on a headlamp, make sure you get a brand that has a really good warranty and from a dealer who will help you process the warranty.
And when you're out in the field, always carry a backup. That's one thing I have to do now that I never did when I used Halogens. I carried extra bulbs for sure, but not a whole other light. Now I have to always carry at least a fauxton as an emergency backup with me or risk getting left in the dark.
From my experience I can tell that led lights are far more reliable than halogen. I never regretted switching to led 10 years ago. Not for one second. At first I upgraded my Petzl Duo with 5 led module and three years ago with 14 led module. It's still kicking and I only upgraded because I wanted something smaller lighter brighter and more efficient. I got my self Zebralight H600F. First thing I did was make sure its' waterproof and it is. Then I left it running to see how it kicks down to lower modes. Then I took it caving and I'm very happy with it. The only thing it lacks from your point of view is the third band.
This thread on CPF says that it works with RCR123s (16340s), but unfortunately it also says that it shuts off suddenly. It doesn't say whether the shutoff happens after three low-battery warning blinks though. My Apex has those blinks, and for me that's a good enough warning.
That's sad, but I guess you are right... Maybe I just buy two of these china-models for $20 each and hope that at least one of them continues working :(
i wouldn't do that either because i can almost guarantee you that both of them will fail sooner than later.
if reliability is that important to you, you can still get decent reliability from most mid-priced headlamps that use 5mm Nichia LEDs. a good example of one is the Petzl Tikka 2. these lights are usually pretty simple and so there isn't a whole lot to go wrong. most of the time the housing or the headband will fail before any of the internal parts do. and that can be a long time if you take good care of it.
the problem with these is that they aren't that bright. they're brighter than an old halogen and run much, much longer, but they aren't brighter by much. if your activities involve fast motion, you'll want something brighter. and brighter headlamps are more complex. there's more inside that can go wrong. that's where you'll need to make a compromise. if you want better performance, you have to live with the higher potential for unreliability.
i've seen some headlamp buyers see the price tag on ZebraLights and Sparks and expect them to be super premium in every way including reliability and then be super disappointed when they find out that they were wrong. IMO, the problem isn't with the headlamps, it's with the buyers who made wrong assumptions. they think of headlamps as simple tools when they are actually pieces of complex engineering packaged as tools. in that way, they are a lot like cars.
if you want a reliable car, you buy an econo-sedan. if you want performance, you buy a sports car. but you can't buy a sports car and be surprised when it breaks down once in a while or you'd be a fool. you have to have right expectations. that's why you buy from a good dealer who will help you out when things break down.
Not to go off topic, but robostud5000, how come that ZL's H series are, for example, more complex than regular flashlights, except for driver efficiency, what is there, that makes them so uniquelly complex :D?
i was comparing ZL and similar headlamps (power LED, multi mode circuits, high output) to incandescent headlamps and 5mm LED headlamps. ZL's are definitely more complex than those.
i'd say ZL's have similar complexity to most LED flashlights in the same price range.
I now ordered the UltraFire UF-H3D - it does not fulfill all my requirements, but is quite cheap compared to the alternatives. I have another UltraFire since 6 Monath (no headlamp) and I'm quite satisfied with that one. If the H3 will work out for me, thats perfect, if not I will order the ZL H600W and use the H3 as backup. I ordered the Nitecore Headband HB02, I think I could use this one for both - H3 and H600.
So now I have to wait for some weeks for all the packages to arrive...
I see you ending up with Zebralight. I went the same road and bought UF-H3D just to see how useful this type of light can be. I found out it can be very useful but the UF-H3D has some flaws. It's far from waterproof. I tried blowing through the flashlight tube and I thought I bought a whistle. I is also very weak, even weaker than lowest of high modes of Zebralight H600F and has noticeable PWM (strobe effect). UF-H3D will be my backup as soon as I figure out how to make it waterproof.
I remember reading that someone started a project to get the UF-H3D waterproof. It was not that hard, just some o-rings and silicone. He succesed getting it at least rain-proof. If I find the page again I will post the link.
It would be on the Zebralight h502 XML 260 lumens of all flood/no hotspot on 1AA battery. If I had money to burn, I’d get one or two but I like by headband setup for work (Fenix headband that sports two flashlights) and I have an H51Fr for at home, I love red LED’s
but I like by headband setup for work (Fenix headband that sports two flashlights) and I have an H51Fr for at home, I love red LED’s 