BlackDiamond Storm vs Zebralight H51 series

[Buckley]

Before you pull the trigger, you may wish to take a look at the Spark headlamp series. They solve the flood vs spot issue by including a well-designed diffuser with most of their headlamps. Output levels and efficiency are both very good, as is the headband design.

Good hunting!

 

[bon1]

...you may wish to take a look at the Spark headlamp series...

I may be wrong, but during my headlamp research it showed up an issue concerning the use of NiMH cells on Spark headlamps. Apparently, Spark headlamps may behave oddly when NiMH batteries are partially depleted.

Hopefully someone with experience in the use of NiMH cells in Spark headlamps will post his or her thoughts about this issue after reading this message.

 

[TooNice]

There is no chance that it would arrive on time if I order from Zebralight, especially given that what I am looking at are all on backorder. But the good news for me is that the vendor I've been looking at has just listed the H51FW, so that it is now a viable option. But only just noticed that Zebralight comes in 3 temperature! I thought the choice is either "cool" (i.e. blueish at over 6000K, not my top pick) or "Natural" (i.e. "warmer" colour), which I thought was synonymous to "Neutral". Now that I know they are different, has anyone extensively compared the 'c' with 'w' line?

The Spark SD52 looks great, but unless I've been looking at the wrong place, I would definitely have to import it from Ebay and the likes. It's also quite a bit more than I'd like to spend.

@gcbryan: How viable is the "taping" method for achieving flood on the non-floody version? Does it actually allow the light to spread wider? It's probably not optimal but how far off would it be? In a way, it sounds more feasible to diffuse the lamp on clear glass than it is to focus the light on a frosted lens (I know that it sounds like I am expecting a lot from one device).

 

[TooNice]

Hang on.. what does the H51f series have over the 50x series? On paper, the H502c outdoes the H51c in everything.. Although I am not sure if there is a huge difference in the throw (can't find the data). If there isn't, why even bother making/buying the H51f series?

 

[rojos]

The price gap between the H51 and Storm is much narrower over here than in the US, so I may just go with it (I do have more spare AA Eneloop at hand too).

If the price difference is minimal, I think the Zebralight wins and I recommend the H51Fc. It's is smaller and lighter than the Storm, batteries are easier to install, and the UI is better. The warm tint and higher CRI are also more pleasant to the eye and allow the landscape to look more natural.

Hang on.. what does the H51f series have over the 50x series? On paper, the H502c outdoes the H51c in everything.. Although I am not sure if there is a huge difference in the throw (can't find the data). If there isn't, why even bother making/buying the H51f series?

The H502 series has very poor throw and is not suitable for hiking IMO. When comparing a H51Fc and H502c, although the H502c has higher output figures initially, the H51Fc will appear much brighter at any distance greater than an arms length.

How viable is the "taping" method for achieving flood on the non-floody version?

I recommend just buying the F version instead of taping a regular version. In most camping and hiking scenarios, you need to see about a 5 meter wide by 10 meter deep area in front of you and the more evenly lit the better. Unless you have to consistently spot objects that are more than 20 meters away, the F version will be more useful for you.

As for taping, it works, but it will feel clumsy after awhile. You'll probably end up using the tape all the time and wishing you had just gotten the F version to begin with.

 

[TooNice]

Thanks. Okay, I am now sold regarding the Zebralight and sold about the floody H51 series. What might require a little push perhaps is between the 'c' and 'w' series. I understand that the 'c' series is meant to provide more "accurate colour". I do note that when I do hike at night, I am not exactly "sightseeing", but usually trying to get myself either back to civilisation (perhaps after witnessing the sunset), or a place to camp. So more critical than getting more accurate greens in the foliage, or brown in the rocks, is the ability to clearly see the sometime rocky/uneven trail is the most important aspect.

What I wonder is whether there is a material (i.e. practical - as opposed to theoretical) difference between the 'c' version and the 'w' in practice in light output. On paper, the 'w' version is much better on High settings including the strobe, and significantly weaker on M2 (strange). Since I am not familiar with light output measurements, I am not sure what is *needed* to be able to safely see the trail. Is it over 100? 60? 30? Under what circumstances will I need to be on H1 or H2? (The battery life on those mode are is too short, so I would hope that I would not need so much power given that I am walking, not running). Is either light more "comfortable" (at nearly the same temperature, I wouldn't expect there to be much difference)?

Well, I very much suspect that I am splitting hair here, and either would do be fine. Still, for my 6000 yen, I would like the "more useful" one, however minuscule the differences ^^;

 

[Max_Power]

If you have perfect color vision, then you might prefer the "c" high-CRI version. Otherwise choose the 'w" warm version which can go a bit brighter with nearly the same tint and color rendering. I have nearly perfect color vision, so I chose the h51fc high-CRI, and I have been quite happy with it. In dark situations it is plenty bright. The only time I have wished it was brighter was while working in shady daylight, where an XML headlight would have been preferable since my pupils were shut down.

 

[TooNice]

I might end up flipping a coin on this (I will make a decision in the next 24 hour), as I do not know how good my *colour vision* is. How much power output is required to clearly see the trail at night? I would imagine that 100+ is not necessary, but how low can I go? And when is the H1 setting in either lamp useful?

 

[gcbryan]

For me the H1 is just for when I need some help seeing so detail a little more clearly. Most of the time (depending on the trail) 30 would be fine and around camp 7 and on down is good.

 

[reppans]

For me the H1 is just for when I need some help seeing so detail a little more clearly. Most of the time (depending on the trail) 30 would be fine and around camp 7 and on down is good.

+ 1, maybe even a tad lower. The big exception to this is if you're hiking with people that don't have a good selection of low lumen modes. If they start blasting with powerful lights it'll kill everyone's night vision.

 

[carrot]

Counterpoint:

The Storm and other traditional headlamps do have a few advantages:

Being a little bit longer, they protrude better from under a brim or visor, which is excellent when it's raining. With shorter headlamps I find the beam gets cut off by the hood.

The unregulated runtime tail gives you more than ample warning to replace your batteries, often on the order of days' worth of use. Sometimes it is not practical or convenient to replace your batteries right away.

Having both flood and throw in a single light is very convenient and not overrated at all. On some hikes I may wish to use the throw, others may be better with flood. If you need to spot trail markers in the distance or look for landmarks further away, you'll wish you had some throw. For walking in wide fields or open terrain, flood is preferable to reduce eyestrain. In either case, when setting up camp, throw is excellent when hanging a bear bag but flood is better for everything else, especially reading.

Red mode is undeniably useful as an outdoorsman. It attracts less bugs, is less visible to wildlife, and disturbs other hikers less when you walk through their campsites at night. It's also great if you're trying to see by moonlight and need to preserve your vision but need to check something that requires illumination.

In the Petzl Tikka2 models (I like the XP2), you can effectively change the batteries underwater or in heavy rain. The battery compartment isn't sealed but the electronics are, which means there's no downside to opening the compartment when wet. For what its worth, I prefer the XP2 over the Storm because it's lighter, has an optional rechargeable battery pack, and is simpler to operate.

Personally I find the silicone holder of the Zebralight less comfortable than that of the Black Diamond against my head.