RayOVac Highbeam headlamp at Costco (item# 185790, LUX3AAHDLT-B)

[Archangel]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

None at my Costco. Wonder if it's a west coast thing.

 

[ltiu]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

Hello all, I'm new to flashlights and headlights so I am not very well versed on the terminology, so please bear with me.

I was at the Norwalk, CA Costco this morning and I passed by a headlamp for sale that was missing the price placard. I forgot the brand and name of the lamp, but I think it had Rayovac batteries so I am assuming it was made by, or at least repackaged by, Rayovac.

I think it said it used 3AA cells, said it had something like a K2 LED, put out 85 (?) lumens, and had some sort of compartment at the back of the headband for a rear-facing light, I am assuming so that if you are using this thing in a situation with vehicle traffic, you don't get run over. I also seem to remember it advertised itself as being waterproof.

http://www.rayovac.com/flashlight/lux3aahdlt-b.shtml seems to be fairly similar to the specs I remember.

Has anyone seen this thing and know if its any good and what the price is? Sorry if this has been covered before, but my search skills are fairly poor.

Thanks.

Target sells the exact same lights under the River Rock brand for $24.99. I am very happy with it.

 

[Joseph13]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

Hello all,

I bought this very light, HIGHBEAM (costco # 185790) last weekend, and think for about $16.00 it is good for a loaner emergency headlight.

As for the comment of

NotTooBright

The lack of a regulator on this lamp is really starting to bug me. Isn't it illegal to state something so specific on the packaging which is completely false?? My curiosity got the better of me yesterday and I connected this to an adjustable power supply. As soon as the voltage dropped below 4.5V, the light started to dim. It was honestly somewhat heartbreaking.
:shakehead

YES IT IS ILLEGAL! HOWEVER, Check the specs/data sheet at this link
http://www.rayovacindustrial.com/products_flash_high_beam.shtml#

go to the bottom of the page, and clik the K2 LED Headlight specs.

READ THE LAST LINE/ BOX OF TEXT AT THE BOTTOM.

I am not a Lawyer, but I do think, " This data Is subject to change." covers them legally:scowl:

IMHO: LEGAL LOOPHOLES SUCK!

RUN TIMES AS POSTED ON ABOVE SITE: 16hr high, 35hr med, 70hrs low.

Hope the light actually produces this same duration.

Thanks to all on this site for keeping up all information sharing!

 

[half-watt]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

It's probably made in China is my guess.

eGear (Essential Gear) last year began selling a similar headlamp (essentially identical in packaging), though can no longer remember if it was just 1W Luxeon LED at that time (now it's a K2). I believe that the one i purchased last year was just a 1W Luxeon. eGear calls it the HeadStream and now sell it in a K2-flavor. It's shown on the www.essentialgear.com website.

The eGear webpage for the Headstream says nothing about regulated (not sure about the packaging). Digital switching shouldn't be confused with a regulation (of any sort), nor with a switching power supply/regulator. It merely refers to the use of some relatively simple electronics to sequence through a series of modes (each possibly unregulated). Generally a microswitch is used to signal the electronics, perhaps a simple binary counter chip coupled with some other chips and/or discrete transistors, to select a level of light output. Essentially, that's all digital switching, in its simplest form, does. It just a little more flexible than a multi-position mechanical switch. Many new headlamps use a simple digital switch to control operation. For example, the regulated PTec Quad uses one, as does the unregulated Petzl ZipkaPlus.

Nuwai makes some of the light gear that eGear sells. Don't know if the Headstream is a Nuwai product though.

Hope this info helps.

 

[NotTooBright]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

The lack of a regulator on this lamp is really starting to bug me. Isn't it illegal to state something so specific on the packaging which is completely false?? My curiosity got the better of me yesterday and I connected this to an adjustable power supply. As soon as the voltage dropped below 4.5V, the light started to dim. It was honestly somewhat heartbreaking.
:shakehead

YES IT IS ILLEGAL! HOWEVER, Check the specs/data sheet at this link
http://www.rayovacindustrial.com/products_flash_high_beam.shtml#

go to the bottom of the page, and clik the K2 LED Headlight specs.

READ THE LAST LINE/ BOX OF TEXT AT THE BOTTOM.

This is getting interesting. I actually got a response from Rayovac on my concern over the lack of a regulator. They told me that they do have a DC/DC regulator "that ensures the light output is consistent over the life of the battery" - but that it's not a DC boost chip. I then replied to them with a very well educated, "Huh?!?" and am waiting to hear what magic they come up with next.

One other point is that I believe the Target version of this headlamp does actually claim to have a "DC boost" circuit inside. It's just a bummer that they put that stuff right there on the packaging without seeming to care whether or not it reflects reality.

Either way, it's a nice light. Just wish it had the booster.

 

[BB]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

Technically, a Boost Circuit does not mean that this would be a regulated boost circuit--two different concepts.

One would hope that a regulator circuit would be present--but there have been some very well thought of lights that have boost, but no feedback. For example, the ARC AAA and Gerber Infinity lights appear to be just boost circuits with no feedback (regulator) to keep the voltage/current stable--they slowly dim with use as the alkaline battery fades.

-Bill

 

[eyeeatingfish]

Rayovac LED at Costco

Found this at Costco for $15
http://rayovac.com/flashlight/lux3aahdlt-b.shtml

I bought it for my cousin who had a birthday but now im wishing i bought it for myself too. I havent seen it in action but a K2 for $15 seems pretty good deal.
I do like my Princton Tec EOS as far as headlamps go.

 

[BB]

Re: Rayovac LED at Costco

Lots of discussion about Costco Headlamp here

-Bill

 

[bigmikey]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

Dang. Ive always wanted a headlamp, but never wanted to pay that much for one. For $16.00 bucks I dont think I can go wrong.

Im gonna run over to Costco tomorrow and see if they have it. (crosses fingers).

 

[NA8]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

I'd say wait a year for the Cree version, but hey, for $15 there's a lot of material there. Looks like it'd be good for a cheap bicycle light, esp on a helmet.

 

[crislight01]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

the design looks a lot like this pelican:
http://pelican.com/lights_detail_specs.php?recordID=2670

 

[HWman]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

the design looks a lot like this pelican:
http://pelican.com/lights_detail_specs.php?recordID=2670

That unit does look like the one at Costco. However, the Pelican uses 3AAA not 3AA batteries. In addition, the Pelican 2670 has an output of only 22 lumens (versus the Rayovac's claimed 85 lumens), obviously a prior generation of LED.

There isn't a lot of reason to have a rear battery pack for a 3AAA headlamp, as far as I can see. The Pelican unit would not run for very long, and the mass of straps, cables, and housing make it cumbersome to use.

Costco's (item 185790) Rayovac headlamp (LUX3AAHDLT-B) sells for just under $16 plus tax. It appears to be the same as the headlamp on Rayovac's web site (http://www.rayovac.com/flashlight/lux3aahdlt-b.shtml), but the Costco packaging is silver/blue instead of silver/green.


I like Costco's Rayovac unit (see my post #11 for review). It is well worth the $32, I bought two...

 

[half-watt]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

Rear battery pack ==> wearing a hood keeps the batts warm in cold weather w/o using Li batts is perhaps what you meant by "There isn't a lot of reason" (implies that there is some reason, to my way of thinking and you're right if that's what you meant).

other than that observation, i'm with you; 3xAAA is light enough to be up front.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Re: Anyone know what the LED headlamp at Costco is? (possibly Rayovac brand)

Pretty impressive light. Having never seen this thread, I picked one up today for $14.50 plus tax. Seems to be a 3W Luxeon. Also blows away a Cree 1XAA I paid $15 for through Kaidomain that claims 60 Lumens. This headlamp seems to put out an entire order of magnitude more light though the beam is less disciplined than the Cree.

What really impresses me is the build quality, the several levels of light, and most amazing is the color. Comparing it side by side with a fresh Wolf Eyes Explorer Cree 4 Level, the Cree washes things out but this thing seems more akin to natural sunlight. What that seemed to mean to my eyes was I could pick out more details like a moth on a distant fencepost with the headlamp I had not even noticed during my comparison. The same moth is very tough to distinguish with the Cree.

Anyhow, not meaning to say this thing is going to win any awards in terms of perfection, but it's worth twice what I paid.

DougM

 

[IdahoDoug]

Steal of an LED headlamp at Costco for $15.

Just picked up a "High Beam" head mounted 3W Luxeon light by Rayovac (I know, I know...). Claims 85 lumens, but when I compare it to my Wolf Eyes Explorer Cree with 170 lumens, frankly the Rayovac is startlingly bright. It is also a much more natural output, allowing better ability to pick out details like a moth on a distant fencepost that is much more difficult to spot with the brighter WE light. And it's also full of thoughtful details, weatherproof, has a separate rear red LED, has 4 levels of light output. Did I mention it was only $15?...

Anyhow, thought the LED crowd should be aware of this one - Costco.


DougM

 

[Kentuckian]

Re: Steal of an LED headlamp at Costco for $15.

That sounds great! I think that would fit my needs and wants (and wallet) very well indeed!

 

[bguy]

Re: Steal of an LED headlamp at Costco for $15.

I didn't see it on Friday. But I'll take a look at another CostCo this week. What batteries does it take? Maybe it can have the LED swapped.

Bradley

 

[TORCH_BOY]

Re: Steal of an LED headlamp at Costco for $15.

WoW, thats a steal

 

[Archangel]

Re: Steal of an LED headlamp at Costco for $15.

Here's a thread with more talk about it.
(Link removed, like threads merged - Thanks)

 

[IdahoDoug]

Re: Steal of an LED headlamp at Costco for $15.

It is a 3XAA light. Truly an excellent deal. Flat out kicks butt in output, real world usability and construction.

DougM