Looking for a new Headlamp for work

johndoe1027 · Jul 18, 2014

Hello all. Thanks a lot for this forum. Long time reader, finally posting because there are so many headlights to choose from and I can't find one that's "perfect". I've used several different headlights over the years with the latest being a Streamlight Septor 61052. I do low-voltage wiring work, usually at arms length.

The streamlight septor has served me well but I want something
A - A little brighter (Streamlight says the 61052 is 120lm)
B - Runs on one AA (could be persuaded to go with 2 AA's or AAA's if I have to) - EDC light is AA.
C - 2-mode would be great if it's an option. Don't want to click through a bunch of modes all the time. Looking at the Fenix HL30 but 5 modes is probably going to annoy me sooner than later (if I'm understanding the button usage correctly, the manual link doesn't work for me). I turn the light on and off A LOT. The septor is 3-mode and I can't ever remembering using the dimmer 2 modes. Considering a 2 mode only because a bright single AA light is going to have a pretty short run time. May make use of a dimmer setting from time to time.
D - Zoom or focus?

Questionnaire included for further info. Thank you all SO MUCH for any suggestions. :twothumbs

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).

2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____Up to $60, could go a little more for the right light.

3) Format:
____I want a self-contained headlamp.

4) Size:
____TINY - Every day carry (2-4 inches).
____SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).

5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)

6) Manufacturer:
____I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I am interested in assembling my own components. (for example a "host" or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a "drop-in" emitter from another source).

7) What power source do you want to use?
Single AA or possibly dual AA
AAA options are a possibility as well but definitely a 2nd choice

8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).
____I want to confidently walk around an unlit/unpaved rural area (60-150 lumens). Or be able to see across an attic.

9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.

Any good options with a focus or zoom feature? I have used a headlight with that feature and it was nice. This is for indoor use only, I know water resistance is an issue with cheaper zoom-able lights.

____All Flood: I am doing "arms length" tasks like reading and campsite cooking.
____Narrow Flood: I want a sharply defined flood area that will project some distance for tasks like trail walking.
____Wide Throw: I want a beam with a noticeable hot-center for distance throw and a significant amount of "side-spill". Good for rough trail hiking, search and rescue, and general distance work.

9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).
____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)

11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).

12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):
____Any size switch will do.
____I don't care.

13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)

14)Material/Finish/Coating
____I don't care.

15) Water resistance
____None needed

16) Storage conditions
____In house (temperature/climate controlled environment)

17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.

____A top strap is preferred. I have a few single strap headlights and greatly prefer my streamlight that has the second strap that goes over the top of my head.

3Cylinders · Jul 19, 2014

If you want it a little brighter, how about the Zebralight H502c L2 or H502d L2? They both have 190 lumens, high color rendition to help you see the wire colors accurately and use 1 AA. The reflectorless design gives you a very wide, even beam with equal light across the whole area. It's much easier on the eyes and the beam spread is particularly great for landing/unlanding wires in panels where it's easy to get shadows from other wires. The wide beam helps prevent those shadows better than normal lights. The beam doesn't go as far, so it won't be as much use for things at a distance, but up close, it can't be beat. If you think you may need more power, one of the 18650 battery lights won't be much bigger, but will allow a large lumen or runtime increase.

johndoe1027 · Jul 20, 2014

Awesome suggestion. Thanks a lot 3cyl. I wouldn't have thought about the beam width helping with shadows. Great advice from experience. Invaluable!

I like those lights a lot. Hadn't seen Zebralight before. The 18650 suggestion is dangerous since I'm a bit of a light addict with no means to support my habit. I had been keeping my head in the sand when it comes to lights since I have a dozen or so that work. That's a massive increase in output though... Goodness what to do. 190 lm sounded awesome until I saw that I could have 1000+ at a very close size and weight. That light wouldn't want to stay in the toolbox though. It would also want to have brothers and sisters that used the same batteries.

I realize now that posting here was exactly like a recovering alcoholic walking into the liquor store asking what's new. Anyone want to buy a used but working kidney?

Thanks again 3cyl. I'm going to check out the rest of the Zebralights now and look around for stuff to sell.

mcnair55 · Jul 20, 2014

Petzl the choice of many professionals.

johndoe1027 · Jul 20, 2014

I see that CPF is auto-saving drafts of my posts. It will be helpful to know where those auto-saves reside as 2 of my 3 posts have been lost when I click "post". Going to look for help.

hiuintahs · Jul 21, 2014

johndoe1027 said:
Hello all. Thanks a lot for this forum. Long time reader, finally posting because there are so many headlights to choose from and I can't find one that's "perfect"........

Ya, that's my problem too. Not necessarily with headlamps but I'm constantly trying new and different lights. What I do is have an idea on what I want and then when they go on sale......buy. If I don't like it, then I sell it on Ebay or CPFM. Usually don't lose too much but I have found that what one person likes isn't what I necessarily like. Naturally, I try to eliminate and discover as much info about a light before buying so that on paper it looks good.

You might check out the new Fenix HL50 headlamp. I recently picked that one up.

johndoe1027 said:
I see that CPF is auto-saving drafts of my posts. It will be helpful to know where those auto-saves reside as 2 of my 3 posts have been lost when I click "post". Going to look for help.

With Internet Explorer I do my drafts in Word and then copy and paste. With Firefox, I can type into the forum area without problems. Not sure if this is your issue, but I'm sure its frustrating to type something only to lose it.

Mr Floppy · Jul 21, 2014

johndoe1027 said:
I see that CPF is auto-saving drafts of my posts. It will be helpful to know where those auto-saves reside as 2 of my 3 posts have been lost when I click "post". Going to look for help.

It is saved on CPF as part of vBullletin. It makes a post request to ajax.php ever few seconds with a snapshot of what you have typed. If it doesn't come up with anything, it may have had trouble making this request to autosave.

AS for your headlamp, if you are wanting throw, you can always make a thrower into a flooder but not the other way around (easily that is, find a lens is not easy)

johndoe1027 · Jul 21, 2014

Mr Floppy said:
It is saved on CPF as part of vBullletin. It makes a post request to ajax.php ever few seconds with a snapshot of what you have typed. If it doesn't come up with anything, it may have had trouble making this request to autosave.

AS for your headlamp, if you are wanting throw, you can always make a thrower into a flooder but not the other way around (easily that is, find a lens is not easy)

Yeah I'm thinking I might give up on having throw on the headlamp and just carry a handheld for that. I think 3cyl was spot on with a wide throw, high CRI headlamp for work. When I started looking I thought I'd want the headlamp to do everything but that's probably not the best plan.

I think I understand the concept of the auto-save. There's not a place that I can go retrieve it later, it's just an internal part of the vBull process?

hiuintahs said:
You might check out the new Fenix HL50 headlamp. I recently picked that one up.

With Internet Explorer I do my drafts in Word and then copy and paste. With Firefox, I can type into the forum area without problems. Not sure if this is your issue, but I'm sure its frustrating to type something only to lose it.

The HL50 has a metal plate that is supposed to rest on your forehead? Was liking it until I saw that. They don't specify how the clicks work. Do you have to cycle through all of them every time? It looks cool though. I like the battery options. The ZL HC502 L2 is a little brighter, lighter and programmable.

Also still digging the idea of having a headlamp that comes out of the headband to make a tailstanding work light. I need a work light almost as often as a headlamp (been using the headlamp all the time but a work light would be more comfortable). Haven't seen anyone testify to the ease of taking a ZL in and out of the headband though. If it's not easy that defeats the purpose.

And yes after losing an hours worth of typing I'm getting used to ctrl-A, ctrl-C THEN post.

hiuintahs · Jul 21, 2014

The HL50 has a metal plate but the strap is between it and your forehead. You can't feel it. The headlamp is very light. It has one switch for on and mode selection. It's a momentary switch with a tactile feel to it. One click turns it on. Each click thereafter cycles to the next highest mode. It has memory and so remembers which mode you had it in last. To turn it off you have to hold the switch on until it turns off (about one second). When off you can get to a turbo mode by holding the switch on but will only be in turbo mode while holding the switch. The 3 modes seem very well spaced. Low is pretty low (not moonlight though) and high is pretty bright. Most people use a headlamp up close and so it makes sense to have a fairly floody light. This one is with the XM-L2 LED and the smallish reflector. No artifacts in the beam. The tint is a neutral white.

Comments on the light once people starting getting them from post #75 onward:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?380567-*new*-Fenix-HL50-headlamp/page3

A removable headlamp can't be too easy to remove or the risk it could fall off. I once had a ZL H501 and it was just fine how you removed it from the rubber rings. I Had no problem with it at all (didn't care for the LED that was in it at that time though). I da know, I might actually like the rubber slightly more than the Fenix HL50 metal. But so far no problems. Mostly if I have a headlamp, I just leave the light in the band. For me I've avoided ZL because of the expense and the operating system. Others love them and they are great lights. The HL50 looks very similar to the ZL.

Tmack · Jul 21, 2014

Nitecore hc90 has a slide switch that's infinitely variable.
Very convenient. It takes a 18650, but is also mini usb rechargeable.
Very comfortable, has a up and down pivot point. Extremely wide angle, but still manages to throw very well. By far my best headlamp. Very comfortable too. Has a plastic mount that is formed to a forehead of course, with a great strap.

Has 3 color leds, but for work they will not be used. They are in the other direction on the slider, so they will not get in the way at all..

The sd6 from spark is another good one. More for up close. It's no reflector mule style.
Magnetic mount which is genius! I stick it to the hood of my car every time I'm working on it. Also has a belt clip that's very useful. Most of the time I edc it on my belt. Just click ir on and the mule floods the area with nice wall of light with no hotspot. But,,, this again is a 18650 light, not in light rechargeable like the hc90.

Out of the two, I think the hc90 would work best.
Rechargeable in light, 900lm, infinitely adjustable, comfortable.

sadtimes · Jul 21, 2014

Look at spark st5-190nw

I think it meets most of your requirements.

johndoe1027 · Jul 21, 2014

hiuintahs said:
The HL50 has a metal plate but the strap is between it and your forehead. You can't feel it. The headlamp is very light. It has one switch for on and mode selection. It's a momentary switch with a tactile feel to it. One click turns it on. Each click thereafter cycles to the next highest mode. It has memory and so remembers which mode you had it in last. To turn it off you have to hold the switch on until it turns off (about one second). When off you can get to a turbo mode by holding the switch on but will only be in turbo mode while holding the switch. The 3 modes seem very well spaced. Low is pretty low (not moonlight though) and high is pretty bright. Most people use a headlamp up close and so it makes sense to have a fairly floody light. This one is with the XM-L2 LED and the smallish reflector. No artifacts in the beam. The tint is a neutral white.

Comments on the light once people starting getting them from post #75 onward:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?380567-*new*-Fenix-HL50-headlamp/page3

A removable headlamp can't be too easy to remove or the risk it could fall off. I once had a ZL H501 and it was just fine how you removed it from the rubber rings. I Had no problem with it at all (didn't care for the LED that was in it at that time though). I da know, I might actually like the rubber slightly more than the Fenix HL50 metal. But so far no problems. Mostly if I have a headlamp, I just leave the light in the band. For me I've avoided ZL because of the expense and the operating system. Others love them and they are great lights. The HL50 looks very similar to the ZL.

Thanks for all of the clarification about the HL50. Also, I hadn't noticed that it's cheaper than most of the others I'm looking at. That's always a big plus. That puts it up high on the list of AA options. Going to track down the beam angle this eve. Noticed today at work that my septor is really tight compared to a lot of the lights I'm looking at.

Definitely leaning toward AA over 18650 right now to keep cost down plus my boss feeds my flashlights on his dime.

Tmack said:
Nitecore hc90 has a slide switch that's infinitely variable.
Very convenient. It takes a 18650, but is also mini usb rechargeable.
Very comfortable, has a up and down pivot point. Extremely wide angle, but still manages to throw very well. By far my best headlamp. Very comfortable too. Has a plastic mount that is formed to a forehead of course, with a great strap.

Has 3 color leds, but for work they will not be used. They are in the other direction on the slider, so they will not get in the way at all..

The sd6 from spark is another good one. More for up close. It's no reflector mule style.
Magnetic mount which is genius! I stick it to the hood of my car every time I'm working on it. Also has a belt clip that's very useful. Most of the time I edc it on my belt. Just click ir on and the mule floods the area with nice wall of light with no hotspot. But,,, this again is a 18650 light, not in light rechargeable like the hc90.

Out of the two, I think the hc90 would work best.
Rechargeable in light, 900lm, infinitely adjustable, comfortable.

Great suggestions. Both are on the 18650 list for sure, but leaning toward the HC90. How long will the HC90 run in turbo mode? 900lm is nuts.

drmalenko said:
Look at spark st5-190nw

I think it meets most of your requirements.

It looks nice. Had seen this one the other day but didn't consider it much at the time. Pretty close to the ZL H502 L2 in specs minus the high CRI. I like that the emitter is centered on the light (ocd). It's a contender in the AA arena for sure.

Going to sit down this eve and narrow the choices down a little in both the AA and 18650 categories. I'm torn between having a commonly available battery (that is provided for free at work) and the brighter output, longer runtimes and environmentally friendliness of the 18650. It's a tough call.

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions all! This has been a great help.

Tmack · Jul 21, 2014

It's maximum runtime on the lowest setting it says is 200 hours.
But on turbo it'll run 45min, on high (530lm) 2 hours, and you have an infinite amount of levels between high and low.
These are ratings on a 2600mah cell as well.
I use a 3400mah cell. So add almost another 1000mah to the equation. And turbo is just ridiculously bright. You'd only need that if your looking 50yards ahead.

The great thing about this one is its usb rechargeable.
As long as you can charge your phone, you can charge this light.
I have been out at night with mine on for hours with no problems at all. It also has a thermal step-down instead of a timed step-down. So if it's really hot out, it'll step down when needed, not when allowed by time limit. Or when it's cold, it'll take longer to step down. Really awesome design.

This will also run off two cr123 no problem. I just find 18650 way easier. But if I was in a pinch, I can pick up cr123 at a store.

Grizzman · Jul 21, 2014

The ZL H502d is an outstanding tool for close range illumination. When working on standard tasks, basically everything that can be seen is evenly illuminated.

I like it so much, I bought a 2nd one for the work shop.

johndoe1027 · Jul 21, 2014

Tmack said:
It's maximum runtime on the lowest setting it says is 200 hours.
But on turbo it'll run 45min, on high (530lm) 2 hours, and you have an infinite amount of levels between high and low.
These are ratings on a 2600mah cell as well.
I use a 3400mah cell. So add almost another 1000mah to the equation. And turbo is just ridiculously bright. You'd only need that if your looking 50yards ahead.

The great thing about this one is its usb rechargeable.
As long as you can charge your phone, you can charge this light.
I have been out at night with mine on for hours with no problems at all. It also has a thermal step-down instead of a timed step-down. So if it's really hot out, it'll step down when needed, not when allowed by time limit. Or when it's cold, it'll take longer to step down. Really awesome design.

This will also run off two cr123 no problem. I just find 18650 way easier. But if I was in a pinch, I can pick up cr123 at a store.

The USB recharging is the most attractive feature (after the brightness) for sure. I keep a 2.1A micro USB charger in my lunch box already. I imagine the HC90s charging circuit is like all other micro USB I've ran across, a high amperage power supply won't fry it, it'll just take what juice it can. I like the step-down circuitry, that's how it should be.

Grizzman said:
The ZL H502d is an outstanding tool for close range illumination. When working on standard tasks, basically everything that can be seen is evenly illuminated.

I like it so much, I bought a 2nd one for the work shop.

What a quandary. I think both the HC90 and the H502d would serve me well. I want to buy both. Grizz, do you like the color of the daylight variant? I'm not a fan of cool white but don't like it too warm either. Was considering the 502c. Saw some photos of the 502d's light and it looked pretty warm.

Basically the tossup now is do I go ahead with the H502 for close range work since I'm sure it will provide enough light for attic/basement work (and is cheaper) or do I spring for the HC90 and it's much longer runtimes, rechargeableness and arousing brightness? It's $79.99 at DinoDirect right now... Looks like a deal but never dealt with them before.

The sub-hour runtime of the H502 on high is starting to bum me out. I used my headlamp for at least an hour today. That's a lot of batteries long term, even if I'm not buying them.

johndoe1027 · Jul 21, 2014

On reading more reviews I see that the HC90 has a pretty intense hotspot. I kind of like the idea of a nice huge even beam like the ZL's have. I can see why people are liking their H502s. Also, somehow I thought the HC90 had a on/off switch in addition to the slider.

The USB recharging sure does trump many of the other 18650 models, regardless of form factor or features.

Grizzman · Jul 21, 2014

When I'm using the 502D for standard up close work, I always use it on one of the medium settings. I used it on high while hiking last summer, and it definitely didn't have long enough run time for that kind of use.

I've become sort of a tint snob, and have decided that the perfect tint for me is the Nichia 219 (A or B) emitters used in Malkoff and recent HDS lights. I've never had issue with the tint of the 502D. The 502D is hard to compare to traditional beam lights with reflectors. The center of the beam is slightly rosy, and the outer part is slightly green, I presume due to the GITD reflector.

johndoe1027 · Jul 21, 2014

Awesome feedback for a tint non-snob. Translation = plenty good enough for me. :grin2:

So.... been reading (since my last post) about ZL H600s and H602s. It looks like the H502 just kills when it comes to CRI, smooth flood, no hotspot etc. The 18650 versions are obviously not as perfect in those regards. Starting to wonder about H502 w Eneloops vs a H602.

I really like the longer runtimes of the 18650s and do like brighter lights... But maybe 3cyl and Grizz were right about which light will help me do my job. :thinking:

I have also done a lot of reading about the Nitecore HC90 and I'm really not sure about it vs a ZL right now. I do, after all, already carry a man purse full of electronic stuff (micro usb charger, BT headphone charger, OTA usb cable, micro SD to USB adapter etc). A usb 18650 charger isn't that big of a deal at this point.

Tmack · Jul 22, 2014

johndoe1027 said:
On reading more reviews I see that the HC90 has a pretty intense hotspot. I kind of like the idea of a nice huge even beam like the ZL's have. I can see why people are liking their H502s. Also, somehow I thought the HC90 had a on/off switch in addition to the slider.

The USB recharging sure does trump many of the other 18650 models, regardless of form factor or features.

No switch. Just a slider.

And the hotspot isn't bad at all. Very wide. Just last night I used mine to reprofile a few knives. It's serves well indoors close up, and far out.

johndoe1027 · Jul 22, 2014

Thanks for the feedback on the hotspot Tmack.

The more I pay attention to what I need at work, the more I want a 18650 model from Zebralight or the Nitecore HC90. My 200-ish lumen cheapie handheld (FordEx Group 1xAA) with a fresh alkaline wasn't bright enough in an attic earlier today. With a H600 or H602 (still need to dig into that comparison) I could do my up close work on medium and have some serious output to see across an attic or basement. Not digging the way they separated the brightness levels though, seen others complain about that as well. I'd like my 3 levels at 630, 152 and 65. Going to have to think about that pretty seriously. If that doesn't work for me I'll just get the HC90 and hope the slider holds up and doesn't get turned on when I put it in my toolbox.

Looking for a new Headlamp for work

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