BlackDiamond Moonlight Headlamp is awesome!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Hello,
My friend gave me this light for being in his wedding. It is the perfect hiking/camping led headlamp. 4led's, very bright, 3aaa batts, 70hr claimed run time. Was amazed at the light this guy put out in a Smoky Mountain campground. Almost bought a Petzyl Tikka, but am glad this guy came my way.
Todd

:

 

[Free]

Ahh another fan

I love this light!! It is the first light I reach for whenever I do anything that requires two hands or for hiking around at night. Great light and incredibly lightweight.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Well, you've gotten my attention!
Please tell me more.
Ted, you may not be as equipped as Craig but can you at least give me a rundown review on the headlamp. I.e. Light comparison to other lights.
Is there a beam or is just diffused light?
It looks interesting.
Thanks.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I got one and it's a-working still!
(well, it does make 'moonshine' doesn't it?)
I'd send it to Stingmon, but I am reluctant to part with it..it is the one that hangs by the door, my 'night hat'...well, maybe when Craig is done with my HDS Action Light (!), I'll sendhim the Moonlight

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Petzl Tikka is not great for eyeglass/bifocal wearers. The headlamp is close enough to the head to cause some reflection off my glasses.

For reading at night, its lack of a tilt mechanism does not mesh well with continuous bifocals for reading -- the bifocals will focus at a single angle which isn't the same angle as the Tikka focus.

Its advantages are it is very light, gives adequate light for walking around and has long battery life (I haven't tested it yet). It't not great for seeing very far ahead, such as might be necessary for route finding. I'll probably continue to use it for now, perhaps in combination with my Surefire E2 for distance. My Petzl Zoom is still gives the best light with Petzl Micro second best, but these are heavier. The Blackdiamond is probably better for my purposes, but I'll modify a headlamp with Luxeon stars LEDs rather than buy the BD.
Walter
--"In search of the best lightweight lights for light weight backpacking."

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Thanks for your efforts Ted...and I especially like the pun Pretzyl.(top marks!)
I am so interested in this light because I am trying to get the best combination of a LED light source and a bright spot light source for caving without having to use a bulky battery pack on my side.
I was originally looking at getting an Arc LS to attach to my helmet for my Primary light for the smaller passages and using my Pretzyl Zoom for bigger chambers.
I am now wondering if it might be better to get a BD Moonlight with something like a Surefire 6P as a spot.
I am having to really investigate the possibilities because living in Australia I don't have the luxury of these lights being at the local store.
Black Diamond products are imported but the moonlight isn't. Surefires are only in a Specialty store in Sydney and Arcs are pretty well not in yet, though one Sydney store is looking into it. (And of course, the Arc LS isn't even in production yet...curses!)
Well, I shall have to wait.
What do you think about these combos?

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Melmso; I would have answered sooner, but I wanted to compare the two last night before I posted..Walter's correct about the aiming dificulty intrinsic in the Tikka design. That's one reason I prefer the Moonlight, the angle-adjustable beam is very useful. The Moonlight has 4 LEDs instead of Tikka's 3, and so is a littlebit brighter - not an unwelcome advantage. The Moonlight seems adequate to me for lighting a dark trail, and seeing where you are stepping. It has an 'over-the-top' headband in addition to the Tik's single 'circumference' headband, making it more secure on the head than the Tikka - a good thing. I had trouble operating the Tikka switch last night, it was a little bawky - not so with the solid, reliable Moonlight push-button. The Tikka is certainly the lighter, more compact package - the Moonlight is like (who said it first?*) "a Tikka on steroids" -it's true. I haven't dunked the Moonlight yet, but the batteries are in a box sealed with a rubber panel, like some of the larger Pretzyls, the Tikka has a plastic friction- snap case...any other questions?
*It was 'The Led Guy' ! -- check out this string, it's 3rd from last on the 4th page, (will it fall of the edge of the board in 3 more posts?) ...Moonlight string: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=000302

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by melmso:
I am trying to get the best combination of a LED light source and a bright spot light source for caving without having to use a bulky battery pack on my side.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

For checking distant passages or (more likely) pits, a Surefire is unbeatable, excellent beam quality, very bright for it's size. If you can afford the cells. Preferably a really waterproof one to check sumps.

For a main caving light, well, I think you all no my preferences...

A Petzl Tikka is a nice light for camping or similar purposes, it is not cave proof at all. Read the story at the Luxbrite website:
story

I think, an Arc AAA mounted on your helmet's side makes an excellent emergency light. As long as it hinders you in a tight passage....

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

well, are you aware of these? Like a Moonlight on steroids! : http://www.lupine.de/en/stirn/stirn/index.html
...not sure if the battery goes to your head, or belt...I have a 'Putzyl' (I jes like to rhyme and free-associate, didn't get the pretzyl 'pun'!) in which I replaced the main incandescent with a 3 LED cluster, then the low beam incandescent becomes your 'long throw' light..works well, but the incandescent isn't extremely bright...(I wonder: why not figure a way to replace the lowbeam incand. lamp with the 3LEDs cluster bulb, and keep the highbeam incandescent? Just a matter of adapting the bases to fit..mm) also you have to either reverse and resolder the leads, or put the batteries in backwards (works well) to operate the LEDs in the right current direction...

 

[Free]

Ted, I am not having any success with your link. Could you check it or post what light you are referring to?

I love my moonlight so if it were on Steroids I would have to do an intervention

 

[Go Go Gadget Flashlight]

Free, you mean this link?
http://www.lupine.de/en/stirn/stirn/index.html

Try it again. Their site may have been having problems when you last tried.

 

[KenBar]

8-bit RISC processor, 24 Mhz clock frequency. With AC/DC transducer and integrated EPROM, power adjustment almost without loss by special selected Power-MosFET. Protection in water-proof 2-K-housing with distinct palpable shift-click.
WOOOOOAH......you just GOT to be kidding...!
Gadget, just about the time I thought my addiction was in remission...I see this...ARRrrrrgh..here we go again

Ted, WHERE did you you hear about these...Great find!!!!

It looks like you can buy just the power control system... can anyone translate the prices? Has anyone gotten one of these...??

 

[Free]

The link still doesn't work for me but I trimmed the Url down and got in the manual way.

I thought I saw this thing before in english somewhere. Cool light but the beauty of the moonlight is it is sooo light weight you barely notice it is there.

 

[Free]

Ok, now the link is working. I saw this a couple of months ago and the only thing keeping me from pursuing it is that it is in germany. I wonder if they have any US distributors??

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ted the Led:
well, are you aware of these? Like a Moonlight on steroids! : ...lupine...
...not sure if the battery goes to your head, or belt...I have a 'Putzyl' (I jes like to rhyme and free-associate, didn't get the pretzyl 'pun'!) in which I replaced the main incandescent with a 3 LED cluster, then the low beam incandescent becomes your 'long throw' light..works well, but the incandescent isn't extremely bright...(I wonder: why not figure a way to replace the lowbeam incand. lamp with the 3LEDs cluster bulb, and keep the highbeam incandescent?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

1. The Lupine is known here. If you read all their stuff (especially the German one), you encounter some things which are hard to believe. I think, they just want make it extremely expensive to make people think it is as good as its price... .-)

2. Their are several kits to change the Petzl Duo's low beam to led.
One has several white and at least one yellow led (7 all togehter). Another one is available at LuxBrite.

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenBar:
It looks like you can buy just the power control system... can anyone translate the prices? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes you can buy it. But what for? For incandescents take a Willi Hunt circuit and for LEDs both will not work.

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ted the Led:
well, are you aware of these? Like a Moonlight on steroids! : ..lupine..
...not sure if the battery goes to your head, or belt..<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It goes on your belt, too large and heavy to be headmounted.

 

[Free]

Weight is my concern but they make it in a bike light configuration:Stubby

Although if you think about the throw distance....it would be rather SCARY as a bike light

 

[PeLu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Free:
Weight is my concern but they make it in a bike light configuration: Stubby

Although if you think about the throw distance....it would be rather SCARY as a bike light <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It is the same light, just with an added handlebar mounting kit. My main concern against it (beside the price) is it's small adjustment range. Only in between 40% and 100%. At 100% it overdrives the LEDs a little bit (~35mA), causing a lower efficiency.

For a bicycle light it is not so dim when you compare it to German/Austrian traffic laws: There you have to have a 2.4W/6V front light, not more and not less. There are just a few attempts to get permission for 5W/12V light system. Of course the Stubby has no approbation to be used in traffic.
Technically you are right, it is not as much light as you want to have for biking.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenBar:
Ted, WHERE did you you hear about these...Great find!!!!
It looks like you can buy just the power control system... can anyone translate the prices? Has anyone gotten one of these...??
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
uh oh, I didn't know it was that good!
now I'll have to re-consider acquiring it myself! I first saw it mentioned here in CPF.. was it by Free? I don't recall..you could do a search...(edit: it was Funk:
funk
Flashaholic
Member # 360
posted 06-01-2001 08:43 AM               
If you want to see an interesting headlamp: http://www.lupine.de/en/start/index.html
An inexpensive price tag of $515.00
Posts: 45 | From: | Registered: Apr 2001
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that's $515 kids! sweet dreams!