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

[Wyeast]

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

Careful using NIMH's with them - we've already heard experiences of these headlamps overheating because of minimal heatsinking.

On a related note - I wonder how hard it is to take apart the guts and slap on a decent heatsink to it to make for a bike headlight? Maybe slap on a 2nd, switch the battery pack out for NIMH D's and ride ride ride!

 

[Stromberg]

I think that this "Retki" (means "Trek" in Finnish language) headlamp is yet another brand but same light:

http://www.retki.fi/tuotteet?sc=13∏=106

I've seen this at 24 euros(that's about 33 dollars :sigh in local department store. Can anyone recommend to pay that much of the light? I'm planning to use it as a bike light at winter so heat build up won't be a problem.

 

[Stromberg]

Well, I went and bought "Rayovac/RiverRock/Retki" headlamp and I can't say I'm very impressed by the output when compared to my Led Lenser David 19 rechargeable torch which is clearly brighter than the headlamp. The Led Lenser is fully original/unmodded but it draws almost 1000mA from 14500 cell when fully charged. So it seems to be "bit" overdriven because, as far as I know, it uses normal 1 watt Luxeon led(manufacturer states that it uses 1.25 watt "chip"). If this headlamp indeed gives 85 lumens my Led Lenser must give nearly or over 100 lumens.

 

[batvette]

Okay well here goes the first pan of the thing.


Because of the raves on this, I grabbed one yesterday, and the reviews were deserved. I've had a couple of heasdlamps in this price range before, this is a well- no, extremely well thought out and executed design. a bargain, comfortable to wear, well balanced. So I put the batteries in my happy little prize, (I alway try to get one toy/tool on a costco food run) and lo and behold.... "oh, no. ****! I knew it."
what did you have for breakfast? Pea green soup. you know the joke.
I've bought about 20 luxeon/cree/seoul LED lights over the years and while some people like the less blue/white tint, even preferring a yellow tint, calling it "natural", this is that sick, pukey, yellow with a smidgeon of green color I hate, and it's certainly pushing the credibility to call it 85 lumens. Luck of the Luxeon lottery as they say. Too bad, it's a well made unit.
so two users have called it a pleasing "natural". do you mean just a tad on the yellow side, or?
Can anyone say theirs is blue/white or white? I'm wondering if I should go try another, either by exchange or just eating this one.
I'm not using this as it is, I really can't stand that beam.

 

[CostcoAAcells]

Can anyone say theirs is blue/white or white? I'm wondering if I should go try another, either by exchange or just eating this one.
I'm not using this as it is, I really can't stand that beam.

I've had 2 so far. One I sold to a co-worker, the other I gave to a bicyclist friend. Both of them were a pleasant, blue-tinted white. Guess I've been lucky. I need to go get another one.
If I ever got one that I didn't care for, I probably would exchange it. Of course, I know many people who aren't picky about beam colors and would love to have it. I could gift it to somebody in need.

 

[BB]

I have three of them too, and all are a bright white with a slight bluish tint. Took them on a trip to Lava Beds National Monument in North Eastern California. The all worked very well in what are mostly deep gray/brown/black lava tubes. Ran mine on low most of the time and used a UK 4AA eLED Zoom (on low) held low much of the time to give shadows to the ruff surfaces when walking.

If you don't like it (or got a bad one), take it back. Costco has never given us any issue at all with returns.

-Bill

 

[knot]

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!

I bought a cheap 2x123 cell light that said "fully regulated". I found out what that meant: a resistor in the tailcap - otherwise direct drive. Well, it's regulated. As it turns out, it's a good host for a cree module drop in - minus the resistor.

 

[LED Zeppelin]

I modded the River Rock version with a SSC P4, a McR20, and a beefed up heatsink. Other than the PWM flicker which bothers me, it has become one of my favorite headlamps. I'll use it on hi just to avoid the PWM dimming.


The heatsink is a stack of 3 coins, a shaped penny in the recess of the stock heatsink, and two Chuck E Cheese coins which protrude through the back cover. I drilled some holes in the frame for improved airflow over the sink.

I took Lux readings under my desk at about 20" with the stock K2 and McR20 combo as well as the SSC with McR20S. I got 2600 for the McR20 K2, and 6100 for the McR20 Seoul. These reading were taken on the same partially discharged cells.

Here are some beamshots on hi, with a Nuwai 1 watt headlamp at left and the River Rock SSC at right. The exposures start at 1/2.5 sec, F5.6, and decrease to F7.1 then F9.0:


You can see the amount of spill from the SSC/McR20S combo. It's a much more useful beam for med to close work.

I run the light on NiMH AA cells, and for the first several minutes need to watch the temperature on hi. After that the heat is manageable by the sink.

 

[Archangel]

My Costco (CT) got them in, so naturally i picked one up since i have no need for yet another headlamp. I compared mine to my U2 and i'm going to say that on fresh cells the 85lm OTF isn't a lie. It's a bit misleading since it's not regulated, but at least it's not an outright misrepresentation like some of the popular brands around here. There are some niggles, but i'd rather they cut back on the features than the build quality, and it seems to be decently well built.

 

[nmanchin]

great headlight (actually my first). i just modded it with a seoul. fantastic upgrade. i think i might buy another one of these to have around. they do seem built rather well for the price. i don't think i could go w/out the adjustable head now. i'm still working on heat sink ideas, but i had it on for HI for an hour while washing the car in the dark and there was no dimming or color change! best $35 i've spent in a while.

 

[fstedie]

I took the guts of this headlamp and upgraded my weak Stanley Tripod light with them. You don't get the best flashlight but I like the tripod feature and the fact that it holds 9 batteries.

 

[bee-man]

LEDZEP/NMAN:
How did you disassemble the light, or what did you do before removing the 4 screws in the light? Do you have to pry the light out of the frame?
thanks

 

[fstedie]

are you talking about the headlamp or the stanley?

for the headlight, pry the main unit from the swivel base and take the screws out. after that the whole assembly pretty much falls out.

 

[bee-man]

Yeah, I meant the headlight. So disassembly is just what I suspected... I just never got around to trying. Thanks, fstedie.

Still debating what type of emitter and reflector combo to replace the unit with. The stock output is surprisingly bright, but way too spotty for my needs.

 

[swxb12]

My local Costcos still don't carry 'em, so I bought the RiverRock version out of curiosity.

So far, I'm not a very big fan of the square (corners are rounded) beam pattern. For indoor use, I have a layer or two of scotch tape over the lens for diffusing.

I'm going to keep it as a bike helmet light, and until good AA(s) Cree/Seoul offerings finally hit the market.

 

[outersquare]

i got one, it is just as bright as 2007 T1, not bad for $15

 

[RonM]

I've had no luck finding these headlamps at the Costcos I frequent in northern NJ.

 

[bee-man]

Man, that sucker was hard to pry out... So here's how I ended up modding my headlamp. DX special - ala carte SSC emitter & reflector combo. It now produces a soft hot spot that transitions to a lot of spill. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[5kids]

These are on clearance (Costco puts an *Astrex on clearance items) at 2 of the local Costco (No. Gilbert AZ & Tempe, AZ) for <$13 with batteries! I have 2 now and loan them out to my Boy Scouts if they forget their own headlight when we hike at night. I'm watching for the price to drop and then I'll probably pick up a few more.

 

[laszlomdq]

This lamp is incredible if weight is not an issue. Lots of light, I love it. Any other mods around?