Looking for headlamp to walk the mountains in dark timber and brushy terrain, blood trail at night, field dress an elk, do chores around the tent. Red LED option a plus. I am thinking a broad to med flood and throw. I would want a flashlight that uses the same battery type for better throw for when I am lost and trying to get my bearings or need to see what made that noise out there that "sounded like a bear". Open to type of batteries used. Thanks in advance. PS I have 57 year old eyes so the lower lumen headlamps are often too dim.
Headlamp/ flashlight
- Thread starter indyal
- Start date
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OK, so I read the sticky at the top of this forum.
Purchase- open to bricks and mortar or internet
cost- under $400 for both
format- lightweight since I will carry in the mountains more than use except in camp
LED source
battery type- open
Factory preferred. BTW, the number of manufacturers of lights is bewildering, how does a newbie know who is reliable? I don't trust most online "reviews"
Lumens- headlamp 3-5 low and 100-200 for high, flashlight/torch up to 300-500
throw- headlamp wide flood, flashlight wide throw
run times- headlamp could be needed for 3-5 hours continously on medium/high settings, flashlight 1-3 hours on high
I do like momentary on for the flashlight
I do not plan to weapon mount the flashlight but the option would be ok
Purchase- open to bricks and mortar or internet
cost- under $400 for both
format- lightweight since I will carry in the mountains more than use except in camp
LED source
battery type- open
Factory preferred. BTW, the number of manufacturers of lights is bewildering, how does a newbie know who is reliable? I don't trust most online "reviews"
Lumens- headlamp 3-5 low and 100-200 for high, flashlight/torch up to 300-500
throw- headlamp wide flood, flashlight wide throw
run times- headlamp could be needed for 3-5 hours continously on medium/high settings, flashlight 1-3 hours on high
I do like momentary on for the flashlight
I do not plan to weapon mount the flashlight but the option would be ok
welcome!
I'll chime in just to get things started. There are tons of solutions to your requirements. I'm not an expert on headlamps - there's a whole sub forum for that.
The requirement that limits things the most from what you said is that you want a headlamp and hand light that use the same batteries. That (mostly) limits you to either AA lights or 18650 Li-Ion lights.
Wearing an 18650 light on your head is going to be heavier, so most of those have 2 straps (one around and one over). If you don't like that then you're probably looking at AA lights. A quick browse of those recently showed me that even most AA headlamps are 2 strap as well, with the batteries in a pack in the back.
I only know two AA headlamps that have single strap. - the Fenix HL21 and Zebralights.
The Zebralights have a unique style that many people worship in headlamps- check out their website. They give tons of light for little battery, are mostly light weight and they are tough -
BUT, they are expensive and none of them project (throw) too far. They all seem built for upclose work (they have other great features as well). The Fenix HL21 is light weight, single battery, has a flip up diffuser for close work. With the diffuser up it has nice throwy beam. And, it's not expensive (~$30). The low could stand to be a little lower and it's not that tough.
AA hand lights used to be limited to small lights that didn't throw far, but these days you can get real blasters that take AA -albeit ALOT of them - so the hand lamp will be on the heavy side. You should definitely get rechargeable AAs (NiMh) and a charger. You can look at hand sized AA throwers from Eagletac, Sunwayman,Fenix, and Nitecore.
I would start from this. Figure out if you want to use AAs or 18650s, then browse (I would expect you'd be looking at single 18650 lights). If you want throw from your hand light, you want a big-ish head. If you find a light you like go to the review section and find a review - the reviews by Selfbuilt always include a comparison with all the lights that are similar so it's great way to find a bunch of lights that fit your needs very quickly.
With your budget -i'd probably go for a single 18650 headlamp (the Zebralight) and a single 18650 hand light (remember you'll need to buy 2 batteries - about $20 each, and a charger for another $20.)
For hand lights I'd consider the Armytec Viking, Eagletac G2c2, Olight M(something), Skilhunt Defier(?), but there are many more.
Hope this helps.
I'll chime in just to get things started. There are tons of solutions to your requirements. I'm not an expert on headlamps - there's a whole sub forum for that.
The requirement that limits things the most from what you said is that you want a headlamp and hand light that use the same batteries. That (mostly) limits you to either AA lights or 18650 Li-Ion lights.
Wearing an 18650 light on your head is going to be heavier, so most of those have 2 straps (one around and one over). If you don't like that then you're probably looking at AA lights. A quick browse of those recently showed me that even most AA headlamps are 2 strap as well, with the batteries in a pack in the back.
I only know two AA headlamps that have single strap. - the Fenix HL21 and Zebralights.
The Zebralights have a unique style that many people worship in headlamps- check out their website. They give tons of light for little battery, are mostly light weight and they are tough -
BUT, they are expensive and none of them project (throw) too far. They all seem built for upclose work (they have other great features as well). The Fenix HL21 is light weight, single battery, has a flip up diffuser for close work. With the diffuser up it has nice throwy beam. And, it's not expensive (~$30). The low could stand to be a little lower and it's not that tough.
AA hand lights used to be limited to small lights that didn't throw far, but these days you can get real blasters that take AA -albeit ALOT of them - so the hand lamp will be on the heavy side. You should definitely get rechargeable AAs (NiMh) and a charger. You can look at hand sized AA throwers from Eagletac, Sunwayman,Fenix, and Nitecore.
I would start from this. Figure out if you want to use AAs or 18650s, then browse (I would expect you'd be looking at single 18650 lights). If you want throw from your hand light, you want a big-ish head. If you find a light you like go to the review section and find a review - the reviews by Selfbuilt always include a comparison with all the lights that are similar so it's great way to find a bunch of lights that fit your needs very quickly.
With your budget -i'd probably go for a single 18650 headlamp (the Zebralight) and a single 18650 hand light (remember you'll need to buy 2 batteries - about $20 each, and a charger for another $20.)
For hand lights I'd consider the Armytec Viking, Eagletac G2c2, Olight M(something), Skilhunt Defier(?), but there are many more.
Hope this helps.
Good suggestions, and I would like to add that you can choose CR123 lights as well. Most of the hand held 18650 lights, such as the ones tubed mentioned, will operate on two CR123s as well. This could be to your advantage if headlamp size is a priority, as a single CR123 headlamp will be smaller and lighter than a 18650 headlamp.
For headlamps you would do well to check out zebralight, spark, armytek, and fenix (also nitecore just released the H50 which people seem to like).
For a flashlight, it sounds like you want more throw. Can you give us a better idea of how far you would like to be able to see with your flashlight, and what you are thinking in terms of size.
For headlamps you would do well to check out zebralight, spark, armytek, and fenix (also nitecore just released the H50 which people seem to like).
For a flashlight, it sounds like you want more throw. Can you give us a better idea of how far you would like to be able to see with your flashlight, and what you are thinking in terms of size.
I also recommend rechargeables ...
lets do the quick info:
battery choices are: Format AA
--> handheld light with 2*AA,
--> headlamp with 1*AA
pro: "known" battery format
the other battery format: 18650 Li-Ion cell ("protected")
--> handheld: light with 1*18650 cell as power source. Personal recommendation: with a Cree XP-G2 led ("better" than the more powerful XM-L2 model)
--> headlamp: "Zebralight H600w Mk2 headlamp neutral white"
con(s) of 18650: "new" battery format, rechargeable only, no ready made cells possible
... imho so much advanced that there simply is no discussion at all, THAT is THE setup in the moment!
PS: personally I think the "normal" Zebras are best suited for any headlamp application. The "even more flood" models are crap
lets do the quick info:
battery choices are: Format AA
--> handheld light with 2*AA,
--> headlamp with 1*AA
pro: "known" battery format
the other battery format: 18650 Li-Ion cell ("protected")
--> handheld: light with 1*18650 cell as power source. Personal recommendation: with a Cree XP-G2 led ("better" than the more powerful XM-L2 model)
--> headlamp: "Zebralight H600w Mk2 headlamp neutral white"
con(s) of 18650: "new" battery format, rechargeable only, no ready made cells possible
... imho so much advanced that there simply is no discussion at all, THAT is THE setup in the moment!
PS: personally I think the "normal" Zebras are best suited for any headlamp application. The "even more flood" models are crap
Thanks for the replies everyone. My desired throw is only about 50-75 meters. Actually, I usually negotiate around in the dark and use the light only if the terrain is steep/loose rock or "cliffy". While I am at it, a warm light seems to be slightly better for my eyes when bloodtrailing. I am leaning towards the AA rechargeables since I also have lots of AA devices at home and AA are easy to find, even in small rural towns out west.
Jash
Flashlight Enthusiast
The Fenix HL30 is a fabulously simple and effective light for camping and outdoor use. It also has a red led, although it's a bit dim. Runs great on nimh AA cells (think eneloops).
If you want to stick to the AA format, the Fenix E40 would make a great companion light with long run times and reasonable throw at 17k lux.
Both will come in at under $100 delivered.
If you want to stick to the AA format, the Fenix E40 would make a great companion light with long run times and reasonable throw at 17k lux.
Both will come in at under $100 delivered.
You can get some rather impressive AA lights if you are willing to carry something that has a 3 or 4x AA. Two good ones that come to mind are the Eagletac GX35A3, the Sunwayman D40A. Both of these can be purchased in neutral white, which is what I think you are looking for. They will throw much further than you need (150+yards), and put out a ton of light on max, but you don't need to use them on max as they have multiple modes. The Eagletac is smaller, and has a larger spill range, which is nice for hiking in the woods, so give that a look. Also, in a smaller format, Sunwayman makes a 2AA light called the D20, that has a red led as well as a normal one, but I'm not sure the throw will be enough for you. It can do 50 yards well, but past that it may not appear very bright. The Fenix E40 or LD41 are other good choices, though I'm not sure either one can be purchased in neutral white.
As far as a hunting combo of lights go you can't hardly beat Armytek's wizard pro headlamp matched up with the predator. Both run on 18650's and have a 10 year warranty . I spend a great deal of time in the woods and am very happy with this set up. There are some really good reviews on both right here on CPF. It's worth taking a look at.
Good luck and happy hunting
Good luck and happy hunting
