headlight for miner

Hello. I currently have a fenix hl50. Which I really like but, it didn't last 1 year. It is currently just eating batteries. Went through 2 with very little use in less than 1 week.

I contacted fenix not sure if they will help as it was an eBay purchase (new).

Is there any other headlamps that will work in a very dusty/ possibly wet environment?
Battery must be cr123. As my work supplys them. Could even be a x2. / 18650.

I do like the smaller size but it will be mounted on a hardhat so maybe it won't be so bad.

Thanks.

For rugged environments most will recommend an armytek wizard pro xhp50, it is available in both cool and warm white. Regularly 95 dollars but you can get one for 65 at illumn using the code blacknovember.

Just to get a potentially important question out of the way: your mine doesn't have an explosion proof requirement, does it?

No its a surface mine. We are required to have head lamp or a flashlight with us at all time. While they do provide streamlight tac lights the headlights are not great. They are vision something. Basic 3 AAA headlamp.

I am going to check out that army tec. From the little I seen is they have 10 modes. All I need is a high low. I will have to check out more reviews on this maybe I am missing something.

Take a look also at Petzl rugged professionals hedlamps, they are not CR123A, but you may find a rechargeable one that suits your needs and runtimes.

Armytek headlamps do have a lot of modes, but they have them grouped in a way I like.

When you click the button, it comes on in the last mode it was in. If you press and hold, it will then cycle through the modes in that group. If you stay in main group, it's like having a 3 mode light.

Of course, if you accidentally move out of the main group, you might be confused, but a double click of the switch gets you back into main. I should also mention a few folks on here have encountered bugs with Armyteks, but I think the majority of us are pretty happy with ours. The build quality at least is really solid.

Zebralights are another popular brand that also has a lot of modes. They've got their own method for simplifying it so you aren't having to click through tons of modes to get the one you want.

And Fenix just keeps things simpler with a smaller number of modes. Fenix does generally have a good reputation for build quality, by the way.

I think Surefire is supposed to set the standard for build quality, but they are priced accordingly. I've never handled one before.

Trango said:

Take a look also at Petzl rugged professionals hedlamps, they are not CR123A, but you may find a rechargeable one that suits your needs and runtimes.

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I just received 3 Petzl Pixa 3's which are Petzl's professional series for miners and petroleum guys such as yourself. Much more rugged than any Petzl in Abe ever handled. Nice features and IPX7 submersible (the reason I purchased). Not sure why their professional series doesn't get more airtime here?

I have a Streamlight model that takes 2-123 and is a Beast!
All metal snd comes with 2 different bands and one is just fir helmet use.
I dont have it in front of me right now but it is a pretty serious light overall.

Caseman said:

Hello. I currently have a fenix hl50. Which I really like but, it didn't last 1 year. It is currently just eating batteries. Went through 2 with very little use in less than 1 week.

I contacted fenix not sure if they will help as it was an eBay purchase (new).

Is there any other headlamps that will work in a very dusty/ possibly wet environment?
Battery must be cr123. As my work supplys them. Could even be a x2. / 18650.

I do like the smaller size but it will be mounted on a hardhat so maybe it won't be so bad.

Thanks.

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I can answer on behalf of Fenix here. If your lamp is only 1 year old, irrespective of where or how you bought it, it is covered by the Fenix warranty. I've seen it mentioned that Fenix products are even covered when buying from a private individual.

Then, if you're seriously thinking about buying something else, you may also look at Fenix's HL55 or HL60 for helmet mounting, seeing as that they recently released a specific accessory for helmet-mounting any of those two products. Those two products can both accept CR123A batteries, as can many of their other products. Most, if not all products that can take a 18650 battery, can also use 2 CR123A batteries. Good luck!

Bejam8291 said:

I just received 3 Petzl Pixa 3's which are Petzl's professional series for miners and petroleum guys such as yourself. Much more rugged than any Petzl in Abe ever handled. Nice features and IPX7 submersible (the reason I purchased). Not sure why their professional series doesn't get more airtime here?

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It is an impressively durable unit but some people feel it is heavy. That may be due to the batteries not being placed in back on the band to balance the light in front.
People seem to agree it's very tough.

Norm

normww40 said:

It is an impressively durable unit but some people feel it is heavy. That may be due to the batteries not being placed in back on the band to balance the light in front.
People seem to agree it's very tough.

Norm

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i think it is a bit on the heavy side, but not very heavy. I would say it is. It super comfortable as it is probably designed to be used with a helmet mount. My Surefire minimus is by far the most comfortable headlight I have ever used.