CE Tech headlamp (2x 5mm white, 1x 5mm red LED - 3xAAA) - Quick Overview, with Video

selfbuilt

Flashaholic
Joined
May 27, 2006
Messages
7,005
Location
Canada
Saw these at a local Home Depot here in Canada - 2-pack of 2 white/1 red LED headlamps - for only $5.

For that price, I thought I'd give them a try. :whistle:

etech-headlamp001.jpg

etech-headlamp003.jpg


etech-headlamp015.jpg

From left to right: 1xAAA Duraloop, CE Tech headlamp, Petzl Tikka XP 2, Petzl Tikka XP, Zebralight SC30.

etech-headlamp021.jpg


etech-headlamp005.jpg


etech-headlamp006.jpg


etech-headlamp007.jpg


etech-headlamp008.jpg


etech-headlamp014.jpg


That last pic shows the feature I was most impressed with - you can angle the head down to suit your needs. The hinge has ridges, so the light stays firmly angled at about 6-7 different possible stops. :thumbsup:

Here's a few shots with the LEDs illuminated:

Red:

etech-headlamp009.jpg


White:

etech-headlamp013.jpg


And a lower exposure:

etech-headlamp010.jpg


Here's a video showing my handling of the units:



Video was recorded in 720p, but YouTube defaults to 360p. Once the video is running, you can click on the 360p icon in the lower right-hand corner, and select the higher 480p to 720p options, or even run full-screen.

Some random thoughts:

The lights come with actual alkaline batteries. When I saw the Eveready labels, I was thinking they'd be the much lower energy-density cells - carbon-zinc "general purpose" or zinc-chloride "heavy duty". But verifying the model number, those are actual alkalines (i.e. zinc–manganese dioxide). In my quick inpomptu testing, they did about as well as my usual Duracell alkalines. :thumbsup:

The headband is basic, but it is adjustable and does have decent elastic properties. There is even a soft pad at the base the headlamp unit, which should ease pressure on your forehead.

As previously mentioned, the front of the unit is angle-adjustable, and you can position the head down to suit your needs. The hinge stops were firm enough that the light stayed firmly angled during my simple head-shake testing. :twak:

Output on red is quite reasonable (constant output), and the dual-white output is surprisingly bright (for the price, that is ;)). The white mode is definitely brighter than a couple of typical coin squeeze lights.

The reported ANSI FL-1 specs on the packaging are reasonable (i.e. 8 lumens, 20hr runtime to 10%, etc). My lightbox reports initial activation of ~11 estimated lumens. And no, I do not plan to do runtimes! :rolleyes:

There seems to be a number of possible bundles of these on display at Home Depot right now (i.e. some include multiples of AA or AAA-based multi-5mm handhelds, etc.). Given the apparent quality, I went back to pick up more to hand out as stocking-stuffers this Xmas. :santa:

Anyway, that's about it - I don't plan to do any detailed testing, just thought you might find the info useful. Please see the video for more detailed commentary on the lights. :wave:
 
Last edited:

robostudent5000

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 15, 2011
Messages
877
Re: CE Tech headlamp (2x 5mm white LED, 1x 5mm red LED) - Quick Overview, with Video

cool. thanks for the review selfbuilt. it's nice to know that there is an affirmative answer to whether any sub $5 headlamps are good enough to gift, which was a question asked in another thread.
 

mcmc

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
1,865
Re: CE Tech headlamp (2x 5mm white LED, 1x 5mm red LED) - Quick Overview, with Video

Thanks selfbuilt!

Does it look like these would survive a rain drizzle?

Also, is the red led constant? I remember reading on one of the headlamp packages, that the red was for "flashing signal." It'd be awesome if they were constant instead.

(sorry, can't view YT right now)
 

selfbuilt

Flashaholic
Joined
May 27, 2006
Messages
7,005
Location
Canada
cool. thanks for the review selfbuilt. it's nice to know that there is an affirmative answer to whether any sub $5 headlamps are good enough to gift, which was a question asked in another thread.
I would say they are reasonable for gifting ... and special bonus, there's a built-in backup if you gift the whole blister-sealed 2-pack. ;)

Does it look like these would survive a rain drizzle?
There is no o-ring around battery compartment (and the packaging says "dry location use only") - but I would expect these would be fine for a brief period in a light drizzle.

Also, is the red led constant? I remember reading on one of the headlamp packages, that the red was for "flashing signal." It'd be awesome if they were constant instead.
Yes, the red is constant on. :thumbsup: One of my big gripes with most inexpensive headlamps that use red LEDs is they are often blink-only. :shakehead
 

gunga

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
8,080
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Great find! I think I will pick a few up for gifting. I know people expect me to give out lights (I did quite a few years ago) so this is a fun little stocking stuffer.
 

Gregozedobe

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 25, 2009
Messages
922
Location
Canberra, Australia
If I could find lights like these locally at those prices I'd buy a bunch as give-aways. Here in Australia they would probably cost 3 or 4 times as much, which is why I buy almost all my lights on-line.
 

selfbuilt

Flashaholic
Joined
May 27, 2006
Messages
7,005
Location
Canada
If I could find lights like these locally at those prices I'd buy a bunch as give-aways. Here in Australia they would probably cost 3 or 4 times as much, which is why I buy almost all my lights on-line.
Likewise hear in Canada (well, maybe twice as much :rolleyes:) - which is why I was surprised to find them so cheaply in a big-box store.

Interestingly, I note they are not available for online purchase. The website lists other bundles of these headlamps with additional handhelds, but I didn't see any displays of them in my local stores (and again, also not available for sale online). :shrug:
 

Bolster

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
1,542
Location
Mexifornia
Thanks for the great review!

I have had good luck (on similar energizer headlamps) with bead-blasting the plastic lens to spread the beam about double and eliminate the beam artifacts. This mod makes these little 5mm type inexpensive headlamps much better for close-up work. (Of course spraying the lens with frosted glass spray would also work.)
 

mcmc

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
1,865
If I could find lights like these locally at those prices I'd buy a bunch as give-aways. Here in Australia they would probably cost 3 or 4 times as much, which is why I buy almost all my lights on-line.

Greg, not sure how much the postage would be but if you want, I'd be more than happy to go buy a bunch, take 'em out of packaging, and mail them to you. PM me with your email if you'd like.
 

mcmc

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
1,865
I would say they are reasonable for gifting ... and special bonus, there's a built-in backup if you gift the whole blister-sealed 2-pack. ;)


There is no o-ring around battery compartment (and the packaging says "dry location use only") - but I would expect these would be fine for a brief period in a light drizzle.


Yes, the red is constant on. :thumbsup: One of my big gripes with most inexpensive headlamps that use red LEDs is they are often blink-only. :shakehead


Very cool!! Is there a blinky mode option too?
 
Top