18650 Spot Headlamp suggestions for mountain biking ?

flash415

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Jul 29, 2015
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Hi - I've learned to love headlamps for mountain biking. It's nice to have the freedom of light after a work in the winter. I currently use a Fenix BC-30 (1200 lumen flood) for my handlebars and a Fenix BT-20 (750 lumen) for my helmet both use 2x18650. From reading CPF, I learned about single 18650 cell flashlights like the Zebra light. I was wondering if anyone has found a better spot/throwy single cell 18650 headlamp which I could use for my helmet while biking. I would love to not have to deal with a power cable to a 2x18650 battery pack. With my current setup I can ride comfortably at 30mph down a paved road and see obstacles in time to change my course. More throw on the headlamp would improve my riding experience and safety.

Does anyone have better suggestions other than the Zebralight H600w MK II?

My goal is to have a single cell, throwy light, which can surpass 800 lumens. The Zebralight H600w MK II meets those needs, but being a more than a couple years old, I was hoping some company has improved on the performance of a single cell 18650 headlamp. I don't mind changing cells every hour or so while riding.

thanks!
 

Eagles1181

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Somebody else can speak about the Zerbalight headlamp specifically, but I think you are going to have a hard time getting 800+ lumen out of a single 18650 battery unit. There are a number of lights that claim (and will achieve) that lumen level, but most to all of them are designed to run that long for a short period of time before stepping down to something in the 400-600 lumen level. This is mainly because 1000+ lumen produces a lot of heat that these small lights are not able to dissipate quickly enough. It is great for people who need to look at something and then move on, but not going to work for a biking scenario. If you are wanting a 1 x 18650 light Fenix also makes a couple. One that has no wires and one that has the battery pack on the back of the head, so at least the wires are all on your helmet.

Eagle
 

alpg88

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i use zl h600, and sometimes skilhunt h02, but i like zebra better for tint, and beam shape.
 

Stefano

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I am comfortable with this combination: 1 torch on the handlebar (Nitecore P12 or Fenix PD35) + Zebralight H602 on head.
The H602 gives a side view fantastic
 

hazza

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Aug 19, 2014
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The problem with the Zebralight H600 is that it doesn't maintain the full 1000 lumens constantly. As it heats up, it starts using pwm to reduce brightness and manage the hear, and will ultimately step down to medium. The pwm control is how they can claim such a long battery life for full output on a single 18650.

I don't think the H600 is a bad choice, but your present arrangement is probably better.
 

eebowler

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flash415, a single 18650 cell wouldn't output 800 lumens for much more than an hour so if you can use the highest output intermittently, do that. Also, if you're going slow and the light is in the highest mode, it can potentially burn you and/or weaken the structure of your helmet (depending on ambient temperature of course.) Lights with a 20mm or so reflector provides a medium flood beam, perfect for most riding. For seeing further ahead, something with a 30mm reflector or greater would work well. A shadow BL-21 served me well for years so something similar should work well for you too. (I think it has a 28mm reflector.)
 

flash415

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Jul 29, 2015
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Thanks everyone for the feedback. It's good to know the compromises of with going to a single cell setup so I can set my expectations accordingly. I'll probably stick to what I have on my bike and deal with the cable on my helmet.

I'll pick up powerful single cell headlamp as a backup, knowing that it will have to be set to a lower output to melting my head. I'm curious to see what Zebralight will release for its update to the H600F.
 
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