Intro and Asking for recommendation

Hi All,

My first post. I've been lurking in the forums for a couple of days now. I've absorbed a lot of information, thanks to all contributed. :twothumbs and looking forward to contribute in the future.

Now obviously, as the title suggests, I need a recommendation for a headlamp from the gurus

I have an energizer 7 led trailfinder headlamp. even though it's still pretty bright for cvloseup work, I would like to get one that would light up the surf and give me more vision when we hike through the rocks while rock fishing.

I did a lot of research and I decided to get a led lenser h7 but later I found out about the 200 lumen ones like PT apex, BD icon 2012 and fenix hp11.
What I liked about the led lenser was that everything was controlled by two switches and it gives you the ability to control spot-flood adjustment however you like.

and...

I need the lamp for the following:
-Close up work involving baiting etc.
- close up work for cooking, setting up tents etc.
- seeing reflective tapes on rod tips and rod holders from ~50 meters.
- walking on the rocks, walking on the surf, some more walking

it can be run with either AAA or AA and I use eneloops.

I also would like to have a red light which is invaluable when there is insects around. this is optional though as the trailfinder has got a red light.

Very importantly, any of the light modes should not create any glare as I wear glasses.

I made a small list of cons of headlamps above for my personal liking and would like to share it to get your ideas on those:

H7 - less bright, reliability issues with cable etc.
H14 - heaviest, lost of options and clickings
Apex - only two levels for each lighting mode, heavier
BD icon, tilt is limited, you have to dim the light every time you turn it on, one button operation would make it a pain
Fenix hp11 - diffuser creates glare (trailfinder also creates glare and this is another reason I want another lamp)

I particularly like apex but worried if it would not be suitable for closeup work and other things I listed above.

I also like BD icon, may be even more as it's got red light but I am not sure about the UI. dimming the light every time you tunr it of would be a pain, or would it?

As you see above, I've got a very messy post for you to decipher :green: my composition was never good anyway

btw, budget is up to $65-70

Thanks for all the responses!

I wish I could comment on the list you've assembled, but I don't have first-hand knowledge of them. One more to suggest, though: the Petzl Myo RXP.
- mostly regulated, except on (I think) the highest 2 modes
- programmable, so you could have a high/low setup
- no red light
- 3-AA, so good burn time
- ones a couple years ago had a strain relief/wire problem, but this has been fixed
- (from memory) 140 lumens, so not the brightest thing out there
- flip up/down diffuser so goes from spot to flood really nicely
- doesn't have much of a waterproof rating, but I live in a really wet climate and have never had a problem
- I wear glasses and don't have a glare problem, though I should say that most of the time I'm wearing a ballcap on account of the rain
- might be a little over your budget
- probably not relevant for you, but it has a top strap, so doesn't bounce/flop around
- weighs about 185 grams, so might be a little heavier than the AAA models

borrower said:

I wish I could comment on the list you've assembled, but I don't have first-hand knowledge of them. One more to suggest, though: the Petzl Myo RXP.
- mostly regulated, except on (I think) the highest 2 modes
- programmable, so you could have a high/low setup
- no red light
- 3-AA, so good burn time
- ones a couple years ago had a strain relief/wire problem, but this has been fixed
- (from memory) 140 lumens, so not the brightest thing out there
- flip up/down diffuser so goes from spot to flood really nicely
- doesn't have much of a waterproof rating, but I live in a really wet climate and have never had a problem
- I wear glasses and don't have a glare problem, though I should say that most of the time I'm wearing a ballcap on account of the rain
- might be a little over your budget
- probably not relevant for you, but it has a top strap, so doesn't bounce/flop around
- weighs about 185 grams, so might be a little heavier than the AAA models

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Hi,

Thanks very much for the comprehensive feature list for myo rxp. I honestly didn't know much about that lamp as it was out of my price range but it seems that it's a great lamp. I like that it's programmable and also has got a diffuser as well. 185g is fairly light in my opinion as other 4xAA ones are more than 200grams. I am sure it would have been sufficient enough for what i am doing but yes it's a little bit more expensive than other ones.

After I didn't get any replies I went ahead and ordered princeton tec apex 200 lumen headlamp. It should be here tomorrow or monday. It had great reviews. yes it's a little bit on the heavy side but it should be alright for the activities I do I guess. I am a little bit worried that the lovest setting would be a little extra bright for close up work but will see how I go. Live and learn

Thanks again for your reply.
Cheers

Efendy said:

Very importantly, any of the light modes should not create any glare as I wear glasses.

Click to expand...

Efendy said:

Hi,After I didn't get any replies I went ahead and ordered princeton tec apex 200 lumen headlamp. It should be here tomorrow or monday. It had great reviews. yes it's a little bit on the heavy side but it should be alright for the activities I do I guess. I am a little bit worried that the lovest setting would be a little extra bright for close up work but will see how I go. Live and learn

Click to expand...

The Apex is a very good, very bright headlamp. I think you will like it very much for walking and seeing into the surf. The "spot" beam is powerful. The "low" setting of the "spot" beam is over 100 lumens I believe, so it is still quite bright. And it throws a medium width beam that can light up everything in front of you for 100 feet definitely. I think you will be impressed.

However, and I am sorry that I did not see this thread earlier to tell you, the "flood" beam creates glare on glasses. I would say that the glare is moderate. It can be a little bothersome on the higher setting, but I do not think it is really a problem on the lower setting. The lower setting is lower than 20 lumens I believe and is not too bright for close up work.

One thing that I suggest you do when you receive your Apex is to test the waterproofing of the head. Mine was not waterproof and developed condensation inside after I wore it in the rain. I sent it back to Princeton Tec and they sent me a new one. But I was without a headlamp for three weeks in the meantime. So I suggest that you test it out early and make sure you got a good one.

YoSeKi said:

The Apex is a very good, very bright headlamp. I think you will like it very much for walking and seeing into the surf. The "spot" beam is powerful. The "low" setting of the "spot" beam is over 100 lumens I believe, so it is still quite bright. And it throws a medium width beam that can light up everything in front of you for 100 feet definitely. I think you will be impressed.

However, and I am sorry that I did not see this thread earlier to tell you, the "flood" beam creates glare on glasses. I would say that the glare is moderate. It can be a little bothersome on the higher setting, but I do not think it is really a problem on the lower setting. The lower setting is lower than 20 lumens I believe and is not too bright for close up work.

One thing that I suggest you do when you receive your Apex is to test the waterproofing of the head. Mine was not waterproof and developed condensation inside after I wore it in the rain. I sent it back to Princeton Tec and they sent me a new one. But I was without a headlamp for three weeks in the meantime. So I suggest that you test it out early and make sure you got a good one.

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for the reply. Today I received my lamp and first impression is "blinding". I like the brightness settings. not complicated like others. low flood for close up, high flood for navigation in the camp and low spot for checking out the rods etc and also trekking in the night to the fishing place. we sometimes camp 30-40 meters from the shore and the fishing rods so low and high spots are perfect to see rods which all have reflective tape.
I tested the glare and it's better than my energizer but it's there as you said. I think I am gonna continue wearing a baseball cap

regarding water proof-ness, I bought it from amazon and I would want to test it before 30 days because of the return window and the fact that I am in Australia.
Thanks for the help
cheers