On the bright side, there is no hinge to break. The hinge on Princeton Tec battery compartment can break.
Fenix HL30 pre-production Review
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On the bright side, there is no hinge to break. The hinge on Princeton Tec battery compartment can break.
eebowler
Flashlight Enthusiast
Thanks for the pics. I completely agree with you about the battery compartment. It also makes changing cells a hassle because the cover can fall or get lost etc.. I'm not impressed Fenix.
YoSeKi, I've had lots of trouble with the PT Apex hinge but none the EOS.
Cave dave, Thanks for the pic. I took it apart as well and made it match the diagram. It honestly took me a little bit to figure out, but now its perfect. So far so good with the light and hopefully it stays that way.
The battery compartment is a little tough to open, but time will tell if I like it.
The battery compartment is a little tough to open, but time will tell if I like it.
bedazzLED
Enlightened
Just got mine today and I must say, although it's a reasonably good headlamp, I do have a few reservations about it.
I tried it with Alkalines and the first two low modes were both reasonably bright but no difference between them.
Tried Energizer lithiums and the levels went medium, medium, high, high.
Tried Eneloops and now I have 4 beautifully spaced levels.
First off the good points. It feels quite solid, headband is comfortable, red LED is a good feature, on Eneloops the levels are evenly spaced, and the beam is quite good.
There are a few points I'm not too happy about though.
First off, the battery cover is a fail. It feels flimsy, does not feel like it is on properly, and is not easy to open at the best of times.
Secondly, I'm not convinced about the longevity of the switches.
Last of all, I am not convinced the tilt mechanism will last. I have seen this mechanism on the LED Lenser H7 headlamp and I had to replace it 3 times before I gave up on it. It just wears out too easily and renders the light useless. I suppose only time will tell, and sure I'll be putting it through boot-camp over the next few weeks.
I don't think my trusty old HP10 will be retired any time soon, and there's always my awesome Spark SD-6 sitting there ready for duty.
I like Fenix lights, have a heap of them (30+ over the years), and I really want to like this light, but sorry Fenix I only score this one a 5/10.
I tried it with Alkalines and the first two low modes were both reasonably bright but no difference between them.
Tried Energizer lithiums and the levels went medium, medium, high, high.
Tried Eneloops and now I have 4 beautifully spaced levels.
First off the good points. It feels quite solid, headband is comfortable, red LED is a good feature, on Eneloops the levels are evenly spaced, and the beam is quite good.
There are a few points I'm not too happy about though.
First off, the battery cover is a fail. It feels flimsy, does not feel like it is on properly, and is not easy to open at the best of times.
Secondly, I'm not convinced about the longevity of the switches.
Last of all, I am not convinced the tilt mechanism will last. I have seen this mechanism on the LED Lenser H7 headlamp and I had to replace it 3 times before I gave up on it. It just wears out too easily and renders the light useless. I suppose only time will tell, and sure I'll be putting it through boot-camp over the next few weeks.
I don't think my trusty old HP10 will be retired any time soon, and there's always my awesome Spark SD-6 sitting there ready for duty.
I like Fenix lights, have a heap of them (30+ over the years), and I really want to like this light, but sorry Fenix I only score this one a 5/10.
Sadly, all these points were already discussed by the people who were elected to review the pre-production model of the Fenix HL30--as it could be read by anyone who went do the doyouhike dot net forum (in Chinese, I had to use one of those online translators). I can only guess that the pre-production models offered outside of the Chinese borders were of a higher build quality?
Since you have a Fenix HP10 and I guess that it must be similar to the Fenix HP11, do you think that it's got a too bright spot compared to its spill? I'm asking this to you as I'm looking for a good (any number of) AA-cell headlamp and this seems to be one of the few choices available in this format. I'd preffer not having to rely on the provided light diffuser.
Eventually, I hope that Fenix decides to make a quality version of the HL30 headlamp as I like its modes (as reported with NiMH), battery format, and beam pattern.
bedazzLED
Enlightened
Hi bon1.
I found the spot on the HP10 was a little too strong, so I ended up putting on some diffuser film on the lens and now it's absolutely perfect. Heaps of flood, still got a little bit of throw. Ended up getting the diffuser film over at the marketplace from member phaserburn.
If you do go with the HP10 or HP11 and need some of the diffuser film to try out, just send me a pm on which one you ended up with, where to post it, and I'll send you a piece to try.
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Thanks for posting this. I was needing a new headlamp for running and this may fit the bill.
Labrador72
Flashlight Enthusiast
Isn't it a tad on the heavy side for running? I mean the batteries are not in a separate holder so all the weight is in the front.
What cells are you using?
I found a disclaimer in the package saying that new batteries will cause the headlamp to shut off the lowest power until the batteries drain a little. I was also disappointed to find out that the turbo mode (200 lumens) shuts off after 5 min
Labrador72
Flashlight Enthusiast
Does it shut off completely or does it step down to the next level?
snala
Newly Enlightened
I want to know how far it projects on 200 lumens mode? I know it's set up for spread but how far does it go say compared to a HP11 etc? This really sounds like what I'm after i.e Red LED and 2 AA's but how far roughly does the beam go? Not looking for 100m lighting up everything for example but does it light out to say 40m and you can see everything like a normal 200lumen light would quite easily?
I'm wanting to use this for rabbit hunting at night with a shotgun so really what i'm asking is will this cover shotgunning shooting ranges. My friend uses the HP11 which does this easily but i'm not as keen on the 4 battery set up etc.
I'm wanting to use this for rabbit hunting at night with a shotgun so really what i'm asking is will this cover shotgunning shooting ranges. My friend uses the HP11 which does this easily but i'm not as keen on the 4 battery set up etc.
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I would say this is not going to work as your only light when rabbit hunting at night. A flood beam runs out of steam quickly and you will be lighting up the gun and your arms a lot more than the much throwier beam of the HP11.
The HL30 is great for everything you need to do close up and to about 10-15m away, and in this regard, much better than the HP11, but for longer distances you would need the throw of the HP11 and extra power and runtime.
Personally I prefer a light mounted to the gun as I have found the alignment of the headlamp when shouldering the gun can be awkward if this is your only light source. The TK45 has worked well for me in this instance.
Hi Subwoofer. Parasitic drain is new to me, and not something I appreciate. Do you know why this has to be? Is it because it has a mode memory and if so does that mean my Fenix ld20 would not have drain but my Ld22 would? Both newly aquired. Too bad about the durability of hinges and the difficulty with battery cover. I'm with bon 1 in hoping for an upgrade. Thanks for the review.
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Parasitic drain is due only to the switching method employed, and is not due to memory which generally does not need power to maintain. The switching method is mainly chosen based on the desired user interface and power handling requirements.
On lights with no parasitic drain they will have switches that physically cut the circuit, completely isolating the battery from the driver, preventing any current flowing and power being used. This may not be suitable to use on high power lights where the switch needs to cope with high currents and may suffer from arching and contact wear.
Lights with parasitic drain use an electronic switch to turn the light on and off. This electronic switch does not make or break the circuit, instead it provides a signal to the light's electronic control circuit. This means some power is needed just to monitor the switch which provides a signal - hence the parasitic drain. However this has the advantage of allowing for various switching features and controlling high currents.
You should be able to find lots more information on parasitic drain on CPF and see the different user interfaces this can offer.
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Thanks Subwoofer. So I guess every electronic switch has parasitic drain. Wonder what features/advantages my LD22 lacks as opposed to this HL30 because it has no electronic switch (I assume). If a switch has no click would you say that is a reliable indication that it is electronic?
"subscribe to thread" seems to be automatically selected under "go advanced" but even so got no email telling me you replied. Seems like it never has. My error, somehow?
"subscribe to thread" seems to be automatically selected under "go advanced" but even so got no email telling me you replied. Seems like it never has. My error, somehow?
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