New guy; which one? Coast HL8; LED Lenser 14R.2; Nitecore HC50 or 90

Hello everyone. It's time for me to upgrade headlamp and one of my searches led me to your forum. I'm hoping to get some feedback on the headlamps I've noted as well as take any add'l inputs/suggestions from the community.

First let me share my objective. I'm looking for an all around headlamp to use for lots of stuff. I've used my current headlamp (Coghlan's LED Headlamp; have had for ~10 years--uses 3 AA batteries) for camping, building fence, cleaning dogs' ears, working on mechanical projects where I needed convenient light, etc. It has worked out for me but the band is stretched out too far, and while I may be able to find a replacement band, I'll just take this opportunity to upgrade.

So...I've taken a look at a lot of headlamps ~$125 and lower. I don't mind spending a few bucks, as I envision using this upcoming headlamp for another number of years, too. The three headlamps I'm currently trying to decide between, which I feel provide great lighting power and operating time are:

- Coast HL8: Without looking at these in person, I'm perceiving these lamps are very "industrial." My buddy from another state is willing to sell his like-new HL8 for $50.

- LED Lenser 14R.2: This lamp looks very nice, has a number of nice features and allows for different battery options. Some searches show I can get this for ~$120.

- Nitecore HC50 or 90:This set-up looks the lightest of all; however, I suspect run time is to suffer for this set-up. Depending on whether I went w/ the 50 or 90, this ranges from ~$50-$100.

So....thoughts?

Thnx!!!

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Hi. cant help with the others but i can comment on the lenser H 14.2. I have always been a fan of lensers owning various models T7, P14, X21 etc. however after getting a second dog its very difficult to walk with a dog in each hand and a hand held torch as well. So being the Lenser fan i plumbed for the H 14.2. hers where my trouble started. first torch worked for about 7 days. probably using for about 3 hours a day. Then just stopped. i contacted the seller as this was bought over amazon UK. They arranged a replacement as Lenser would cover the warranty on a new model. this arrived a few day later and its ok but flickers like mad on low power. it also seems to eat the batteries. i glad i bought a rechargeable version. i guess i use this more in the winter, dark nights and all that. i currently charge this up about every 2 to 3 days. it gets used normally for about 2 to 3 hours a day on a mixture of low and medium beams settings and occasionally full whack. over all im not that impressed with it. for a lenser product and compared to the previous model i have owned i would expect better. may just be a 2nd defunct torch but again from lenser i would not expect this. if and when i buy another head torch i will investigate others before spending excess of £100 on the unit.

mark rowe said:

Hi. cant help with the others but i can comment on the lenser H 14.2. I have always been a fan of lensers owning various models T7, P14, X21 etc. however after getting a second dog its very difficult to walk with a dog in each hand and a hand held torch as well. So being the Lenser fan i plumbed for the H 14.2. hers where my trouble started. first torch worked for about 7 days. probably using for about 3 hours a day. Then just stopped. i contacted the seller as this was bought over amazon UK. They arranged a replacement as Lenser would cover the warranty on a new model. this arrived a few day later and its ok but flickers like mad on low power. it also seems to eat the batteries. i glad i bought a rechargeable version. i guess i use this more in the winter, dark nights and all that. i currently charge this up about every 2 to 3 days. it gets used normally for about 2 to 3 hours a day on a mixture of low and medium beams settings and occasionally full whack. over all im not that impressed with it. for a lenser product and compared to the previous model i have owned i would expect better. may just be a 2nd defunct torch but again from lenser i would not expect this. if and when i buy another head torch i will investigate others before spending excess of £100 on the unit.

Click to expand...

Good copy. I also saw there are other LED Lenser lamps issues noted under headlamps...

Hi

One could be my thread about the first one i had that was sent back. i also noted another user from Norway had a charging issue.

hope its of some help.

Regards
Mark

Hi grimloktt,

I take it from your interest in the Nitecores that you are receptive to headlamps with rechargeable 18650 lithium ion batteries. I have an HC50 and like it, although it is actually a bit heavy compared to some comparable headlamps. (I also have a Led Lenser SEO7r and don't care for it much). You'll find a lot of favorable reviews on this site for the Nitecores as well as several other 18650-capable headlamps. If they are available where you live (you mentioned a friend in another state, so I assume you are in the U.S.?), I'd check them out. Among them are:
Armytek Wizard series
Zebralight H600 series
Spark ST6, SD6 and SG6
Skilhunt H602

I have the first two listed above and like them very much. The Sparks also get lots of good press, and the highly-respected reviewer selfbuilt has analyzed the Skilhunt.

You'll find a ton of comments on the above lights in this forum, the headlamp forum, and in the reviews forum. Search is your friend. Best of luck, and welcome to CPF!

Thnx, Charles. How would you say they compare to the Petzl Nao? I'm off to take a look at these models.

P.S. Yes, in the US.

Sorry Grimlokkt, I can't speak to the NAO as I steer clear of headlamps with separate battery packs and wires running to/from them. I'm sure some people need that for longer run times, but my uses are more simple. I prefer brighter/lighter/cheaper/more water resistant… but as always, YMMV. NAO looks like a very nice light for the right person.

btw used my Wizard to clean my dog's ears yesterday

Charles L. said:

btw used my Wizard to clean my dog's ears yesterday

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Cool. Is that something you normally do or did my thread spark the idea?

I took a look at the first two you listed. Honestly, I feel like my head is spinning from all the options. What are the take aways/highlights from these lights opposed to others? It appears these lights have very high lumens, can last a long time but don't shine very far...as compared to others. Thoughts?

grimloktt said:

Cool. Is that something you normally do or did my thread spark the idea?

I took a look at the first two you listed. Honestly, I feel like my head is spinning from all the options. What are the take aways/highlights from these lights opposed to others? It appears these lights have very high lumens, can last a long time but don't shine very far...as compared to others. Thoughts?

Click to expand...

It was dark when I got to my dog's ears yesterday -- headlamp helped see the debris. Great minds must think alike

Keep in mind this is just my opinion, but I find that 1000+ lumens project far enough for my headlamp use even if the beam is supposed to be floody. I also don't put much credence in the run time, lumen, or throw claims of some of these headlamp manufacturers. For true throw, I'll use a hand-held light.

The potential advantages of the lights I listed are:
- aluminum construction
- very high highs, and very low lows (of equal importance to me)
- good run times
- light weight
- IPX 7 or 8 water resistance
- competitive pricing
- detachable, hand held capability
- and in the case of Armytek, a 10 year warranty.

My $0.02.

Charles L. said:

It was dark when I got to my dog's ears yesterday -- headlamp helped see the debris. Great minds must think alike

Keep in mind this is just my opinion, but I find that 1000+ lumens project far enough for my headlamp use even if the beam is supposed to be floody. I also don't put much credence in the run time, lumen, or throw claims of some of these headlamp manufacturers. For true throw, I'll use a hand-held light.

The potential advantages of the lights I listed are:
- aluminum construction
- very high highs, and very low lows (of equal importance to me)
- good run times
- light weight
- IPX 7 or 8 water resistance
- competitive pricing
- detachable, hand held capability
- and in the case of Armytek, a 10 year warranty.

My $0.02.

Click to expand...

This guy provided a pretty good review of the Armytek. It looks like its only weakness is spot focus/longer range look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3rtRALj9RM

grimloktt said:

This guy provided a pretty good review of the Armytek. It looks like its only weakness is spot focus/longer range look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3rtRALj9RM

Click to expand...

Wizard and H600F are the two favorite headlamps in my collection. The "F" version of the H600 is the flood, so beams are similar (Wizard's ever so slightly tighter). The H600 also comes in a non-flood version with a hotspot, which should provide greater throw than what I have. Similar UI's, but H600 is a bit simpler to use. H600 is also a bit lighter, which only matters if, like me, you prefer not to use the topstrap.

Hard to choose between them. If I had the warm version of the H600, it would probably be my favorite.