Need help finding a hard-hat light...

Hi!

I am a member of a CERT team ( http://www.citizencorps.gov/programs/cert.shtm ). Part of my equipment is a hard-hat.

I would like a nice LED/incandescent combo headlamp. I am also trying to arrange for all items in my pack to run on one type of battery-AA. Here are the ones that I think might work...

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[*]Ray-O-Vac headlamp (Wal-Mart, $12 or so). It uses AAA. 3-LED plus small bulb. I have been very pleased with the brightness of my hand-held Ray-O-Vac sportsman light (different light, same company). Its brightness/price ratio is quite impressive. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
[*]Princeton Tec Yukon. Seems quite nice, but I have not found any dealers who carry it. The only Princeton Tec product that I own is the Attitude (different light, same company), and it is only as bright as my Arc-AAA -- which does not impress me for a 3-LED light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
[*]Streamlight Trident. Uses AAA batteries, but otherwise seems OK.
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My priorities are:

1) Under $35 or so. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif
2) Fit a hard-hat. This means that the straps should be adjustable for something much larger than the largest human head. Having a battery pack in the back for balance might be nice also.
3) Maximum brightness using incandescent.
4) Good quality LED light.
5) Use AA batteries.

Are there any ones that I have missed?

Which one would best fit my needs?

I have not even seen a review of the Ray-O-Vac headlamp. Can somebody point me to one?

Thanks.

www.texastacticalsupply.com (CPF sponsor) has good prices for Princeton Tec stuff, and I think they have the Yukon.

www.brightguy.com has lots of hard hat lights. Streamlight and Pelican make quite a few, I think.

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
www.texastacticalsupply.com (CPF sponsor) has good prices for Princeton Tec stuff, and I think they have the Yukon.

www.brightguy.com has lots of hard hat lights. Streamlight and Pelican make quite a few, I think.

[/ QUOTE ]

TTS does NOT have the Yukon -- I checked. And I did not see it at BrightGuy either. I am also looking for opinions on which one of these lights is better, and if they would fit on a hard-hat. This is the type of question that can only be answered by a person who owns the lights in question.

The Streamlight Clip Mate will fit nicely. It uses AAA as opposed to AA batteries and has an array of 3 white LEDs. No incandescent. About US $20.

The Petzl Duo will also fit. It has all of the features that you want. In addition, it's very water resistant. Halogen beam is focusable (bad beam quality) but fairly bright. The LED array has 5 whites. The bad news is the price. US $65.





I own both lights. Sorry, can't comment on your other considerations.

If you're willing to look at the Pelican Headsup range, they all come with a choice of rubber or cloth strap. The rubber strap will hold the light more securely on your hardhat than a cloth strap, I'm pretty sure.

REI has the Yukon. You will also need the Petzl clips for the type of hat you have (standard works for most). Also look at caves.org for other options. They also sell hardhats and caving helmets, and lots of different headlamps.

I use a SL Septor on my hardhat, which is like the Trident, except it has 7 LED mode in place of the Trident's incandescent for "brightest" mode.
You can buy the SLs with a hardhat strap, or with the cloth strap (like pictured above with the Clipmate), and get a hardhat strap for $2.25--Brightguy price--that's what I did.
As Stanley said above, it is much more secure than the cloth strap.
One of our maintenance guys has a Septor, and another has a Trident, and both are happy with them, which is what led me to buy one.
I have no experience with any AA headlamps.

If you wear a flip-up face shield on your hardhat, it is probably going to severely limit the size of the light you can use.
I have to take my Septor off when I work in areas that require a face shield.

This site has a lot of headlamp options, all with LEDs. Don't know anything about the company, just liked the way they put a picture of every headlamp on one page for easy selection.

This light will meet all of your requirements. Although shown on a military PASGT helmet, a hardhat has similar dimensions. All text and photo from www.actiongear.com. Click here. Close to your price point at US $38.
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BLACK DIAMOND GEMINI HEADLAMP
This unit combines a bright, route-finding Xenon Halogen spot-light with a power-conserving LED light that produces up to 1,000 hours of usable light on one set of batteries. Black Diamond® lamps provide you with security and confidence that they will perform whether you are climbing above 15,000 feet, on an evening run, changing a flat, or simply looking for something in the bottom of your pack.



Two lights are better than one! Backpacker Magazine Editors' choice 2002.

Specs:

• Prismatic-coated reflector in a tilt housing enables beam angle adjustments
• Efficient LED bulb casts smooth, even light for over 80 hours
• Long-life Xenon Halogen casts a bright beam for nearly 4-hours
• Three-way, push-button switch toggles between light options. Positioned to prevent accidental turn-on
• Compact battery pack at the back of the headband; heavy rubber gasket keeps rain and snow out
• Comfortable adjustable three-strap headband- fits Army PASGT Helmet
• Spare Long-life bright Xenon bulb
• Batteries: 3 AA alkaline or lithium batteries (not incl.)
• Dimensions: 3.4'' x 2.7'' x 2.6''
• Weight- 5.3 oz without batteries
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I don't own this model therefore I can't comment on it's suitability. Perhaps another member has direct experiance with this headlamp.

Actually, I went ahead and purchased a LED/Incandecent combo Ray-O-Vac unit for around $13.00. It works as expected. It is not too spectacular, but it is functional.

However, it is not made to fit on any sort of hardhat. I also purchased a set of helmet clips mady by Petzl. These work to secure ANY headband light to any sort of hardhat or helmet. And they were under $3.00 for a set of 4.

Thanks for the info. I may have to look at this for a future upgrade.