A question for all you cavers...

I need a new headlamp to mount on my helmet for caving. I dont really know whats out there that is good quality( Im still sort of new to caving). I am looking to spend around $300.00 but my max limit is around $500.00( if its a awesome light). Thanks for all the help.

Brian321 said:

I need a new headlamp to mount on my helmet for caving. I dont really know whats out there that is good quality( Im still sort of new to caving). I am looking to spend around $300.00 but my max limit is around $500.00( if its a awesome light). Thanks for all the help.

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-go cheap(they get banged up)
-go light weight for HL (~hours on your head gets heavy)
-EDC them and inspect the internals before you bring them to the cave/mine
-carry many backup Flashlights (three min including HL)
-insure fellow cavers also have backups (theres two of ya.. then its 6 cheap lights to get you out in case all hell breaks loose)
-get as many lumins as you can and enough batteries to support it for longer then you would ever need.

heres the deal. your gonna need lots of backups regardless of perceived quality and lots of raw lumins. so you can buy 1500 dollars worth of surefire products or go Chinese and be able to afford gas to get to the cave/mine

Ryan's advice is pretty good. Anything you put on your helmet is likely to get destroyed, or will (at very least) take a severe beating. Take extra lights for when that inevitably happens.

In my experience, total raw output of lumens on your headlamp may not be the only thing to think about. What may be a better strategy is a decent flood/throw combo on your head that isn't overly bright (this gives you better battery life - it's a ***** to be changing batteries every 2 minutes, and don't get me started on carrying the extras), so you don't blind yourself when you get in a tight space. If you're down there for 7 or 8 hours, that can add up to many batteries. Also, remember that your eyes are going to be adjusted to however much light there is, so a smaller, dimmer light will generally work just fine. Keep in mind that you want to carry at LEAST twice as much battery life as you plan to use.

If you've got a headlamp that is pretty balanced, you can supplement it with a handheld thrower for looking at things that are further away.

Hi Brian,

The Stenlight is a very nice light, as are the mid to high end Petzls and are in the $300-500 range. Check out

http://www.karstsports.com/hipohe.html

That written, I cave with a modified RiverRock/Rayovac High Beam. They are cheap ($40) and pretty good, at least with a better LED. Of the 20 or so I have made, only 2 have failed, and that was due to someone getting a good amount of water in the battery pack. I always bring enough batteries to last for 3-4 days. Better safe than blind in a hole in the ground!

Being in MO, you might want to err on the side of very waterproof. The Petzl Duo will do the trick, and is about $150. These can be upgraded too.
Watch out for the Princeton Tec Apex. They are good lights, but not as waterproof as they claim!

Happy caving,
Kevin

Some high end lights:

http://www.stenlight.com/

http://www.vipercave.com/

http://www.scurion.ch/jm/

http://littlemonkeycaving.co.uk/default.aspx

These generally won't be destroyed through regular use. If you're new to caving, or just to headlamps I wouldn't go off the deep end with gear costs yet. Try some cheaper stuff first, and borrow other people's lights. learn what you like about them so you can make informed decisions about the $$$ stuff. If you are going the cheaper route I would highly recommend the Princeton Tec Corona. It's one of the few lower end headlamps that truly doesn't have issues with water. The Petzl DUO also falls into this category. I've also heard good things about the Fenix HP10 (great value for the money). These lights are all in the ~$40 - $130 range and will serve you very well. The Princton Tec Apex is popular and I like it a lot except for the fact that it doesn't nearly live up to the 'waterproof' rating they claim.

As for backups since it was mentioned, 2 additional lights is a common rule of thumb. I'd recommend that at least one of the other 2 are head-mountable, and that they're both reliable and able to stand up to whatever you put the primary through. It's a big plus if they all use the same battery type. Happy hunting.

Have you considered making your own?

I think headlamps is a field where you can make a light for $100, and you end up with something that is vastly superior to most of what is on the market.

You also get the combination of throw/flood/flux/modes/battery that is right for YOU.

csa said:

...remember that your eyes are going to be adjusted to however much light there is, so a smaller, dimmer light will generally work just fine...

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Absolutely.

What kind of headlamp have you been using so far? And what do you like / dislike about it?

csa said:

Also, remember that your eyes are going to be adjusted to however much light there is, so a smaller, dimmer light will generally work just fine.

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Definite agreement there, though a lot can depend on who else you cave with, and how bright they run their lights.

With my first proper home-made light, I had some very happy solo exits from -600m in alpine caves running on a low flood setting of ~2lumens for everything apart from very occasional looking around or boulder-trotting, and on that setting, I could get a continuous week from one battery pack, which gives a huge feeling of security.
Currently I'm experimenting with a max 200lumen-per-LED light, but compared with the original 2004 version that was 10x dimmer, it's not 10x better, even though it can do some things better.

The advice to get something cheap and adequate to start with is excellent.
See what people around you use, and why (and what they don't use, and why), and then maybe buy the premium light if you want to, by which point you'll probably appreciate it a whole lot more after the waiting.

I have been using a Zebralight H501, But im ready to upgrade to something a little brighter with better runtime. But i really dont know whats out there.

I'm by no means a regular caver, but if you want good quality for a reasonable price, and very good efficiency as well, then i'd recommend you take a look at the Fenix HP10.

In a PM, Brian mentioned that he was interested in making his own light but was unsure about where to start.

The first thing is to articulate exactly what you want. My own desires generally line up with what has been mentioned so far, but let us know what YOU want.

Something like:

max mass:
lighthead - ???g
battery - ???g

battery on head / belt / in backpack?



Modes: (fill in a table like this)

Mode............Output.............minimum runtime

eg:
spot.............200m range.........8 hours
flood high ......1000lm..............2 hours
flood mid........200lm...............10 hours
flood low........50lm.................50 hours
flood ultra low..5 lm................1 month
flood+spot.......500lm.............4 hours

method of changing modes: eg single pushbutton, rotary, multiple toggles, wireless fear sensor

Ingress protection: eg, ok for splashing / swimming / diving etc.


These are a few things to get clear from the start, then we can suggest LEDs*, drivers, cases, batteries etc.


*An assumption I'm making.

The princeton tec apex is a great light. A couple of minutes with some RTV and some silicone grease and it's waterproofed. With the focused center light and the four 5mm LED's on each side, it's a very flexible light.

I just spent 13 hrs in a water cave (Honey Creek) with my Fenix HP10, and it worked beautifuly. I ran it on the 50lm (medium) mode for most of the time and never had a problem. EVERYONE else had to switch to a backup light or change batteries, but I pressed on with no issues. I had quite a number of cavers mention how bright my light was. It was fun to show them that there were two levels even brighter!

some good stuff in here. yeah i should mention i run 500+ lumin lights because i like to take pictures and video underground. really though if you go through the trouble of going caving, you want to see everything around you. <60 lumins may get you through but run 200+ to enjoy your soroundings. the big tourches can light up a whole cavern and show you how beautiful it is.

oh and the zebra isnt a bad headlamp choice. you want the headlamp lightwieght and floody so that when your hands are busey climbing you can see your close suroundings. your hand held lights can be the high powered rigs.

How durable is the Fenix HP10.....

Is this head lamp good quality, durable and light? How does it compare to a ZL H501? Any info would be great. I am trying to decide if i want to buy another H501(Warm this time) or buy a HP10. Thanks.

Re: How durable is the Fenix HP10.....

No offense, but you have 48 threads in 120 posts... Not saying that's a bad thing, but could you please take a little time to review other threads on the subjects you are wondering about, before starting a whole new thread? Repeat threads make searching for good info harder for everyone, especially new people here...

Back on topic, Fenix tends to be well regarded as a reliable, quality manufacturer. I'm sure you won't have any problems with it.

Re: How durable is the Fenix HP10.....

John_Galt said:

could you please take a little time to review other threads on the subjects you are wondering about, before starting a whole new thread?

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While your at it, you may as well do my dishes and change my oil...5w30 please.


Back on topic, It looks like it would be quite durable. Although, after 3 minutes on turbo, it reverts back to high on its own...that would kind of bother me.

Re: How durable is the Fenix HP10.....

John_Galt does kinda have a valid point about research b/4 postin ...........

How does it compare to a ZL H501?

ZL = a broad flood beam w/NO hot spot

Fenix HP10 = HOT spot w/lots of THROW

Opposite ends of the spectrum

One is for up-close / other is for far away

You didn't state what you intend to use it for and what your needs are ?

Re: How durable is the Fenix HP10.....

Size, HP10 is huge, check out Fenix HL20.

Re: How durable is the Fenix HP10.....

Egsise said:

Size, HP10 is huge, check out Fenix HL20.

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Yes, but according his posts he is searching about the best setup for caving. I dont think the HL20 is better than the HL10 for that porpouse (runtime is too short). I fact, I am pretty sure they designed the HL10 for caving in mind.

Re: How durable is the Fenix HP10.....

You have posted 2 threads on the same topic, which is prohibited by Rule 9. Please read the rules.

Threads merged.