Durable 18650 rechargeable powerful Hard hat light

[theblakester2003]

I'm looking for a new hard hat light for work. I work on powerlines in the south. Lots of wet thunderstorms. Must be weatherproof. Hard hat gets tossed around in the trucks and receives a lot of abuse. Must be durable. Hard hat light needs to be able to throw a beam through the trees over 300-600 feet down to the next pole really well to be able to see down line as well as up the pole. Must have good throw. Hard hat light must be able to provide good light directly in front of me when working with my hands. Super durable, long throw torch with adjustable output much preferred.

AA, AAA, or 18650 rechargeable preferred.

What should I get???

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Owen]

You're going to want a 18650 light for that kind of output, but 300-600 feet is an awful lot to ask.
A big, broad beam is much better for doing actual work by, and a neutral tint will give better contrast and color rendition in a natural environment.
A headlamp combined with a handheld thrower(and a pretty big one, to be any use at 200yds) is probably going to be needed to cover that range of use.

I love the Zebralight H600w for hardhat use, but it's not going to have that kind of reach. If I suddenly had your job, and those requirements, I'd be wearing my H600w on a hardhat strap, and carrying something like a Malkoff Hound Dog Super or 18650 XT(high quality, durable, lots of throw, battery compatibility) for seeing down the line. Malkoffs are expensive, though, and there are plenty of dedicated throwers with a tight beam and even more throw available for a lot less $$.

What is your budget?
What are you using to do all that with now?

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I agree with Owen that 300-600 feet with any substantial amount of light plus being able to be used close up quarters (within arms length) is not a one light to fit all for sure. Headlamps typically are not designed to be super throwers at all as the amount of power needed to throw for any decent length of time would have a larger battery pack that would either require an external pack and a large head both of which makes for a heavy hard hat.

Forget AA/AAA just not enough power IMO for that type of work where light pollution could be awful along with just plain poor weather visability you really need at least 100 lumens for 8-10 hours at the minimum 150 lumens would be better and the ability to hit about 400-600 lumens constantly without step downs also. A single 18650 or maybe 21700 would likely be the limit of weight I would want on a hard hat. I wear a hard hat at times and bought some plastic hook clips to use a headband on my Wowtac A2S headlamp that I've found pretty good for use as I can unhook it from the hard hat when I don't need to use it. The one drawback of the hook/strap meathod is I have had it fall off or knocked it off and luckily even falling up to 16 feet on concrete it still works fine but YMMV. The advantage of a cheaper light is you can get 2 of them in case one fails or is broken. I would also consider a hand held light to throw the distance you desire you could consider one with multiple lithium ion batteries that is larger.

There is a lot of 18650 headlamps out there I lean towards the right angle ones although the swivel bracket ones could probably be mounted into your helmet somehow instead of a strap and hooks method. I would also consider the method and speed of charging the battery and spare batteries and chargers for vehicles in the mix too if you find yourself using the higher modes a lot you could find it not lasting a day on even a fully charged battery.

 

[3L3M3NT]

Like others have said you might need a headlamp for the close up work and a regular flashlight for the long distance lighting. You'll probably wanna invest in a few extra batteries for whatever headlamp and/or flashlight you get, plus a decent battery charger.

With that said here are some options that might be able to handle dual duty:
Budget option: Wurkkos HD20

Lumintop HL3A

Lupine Piko X4

Klarus HA2C

Acebeam H30

IMALENT HR70

LEDLENSER H15R Work

LEDLENSER H19R Core

Nitecore HC35

Nitecore HC33

Silva Trail Speed 5XT

Thrunite TH30 V2

I'm sure there are some other options out there, but these were the main ones I could think of. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Nitecore HC33 might just make the 600 feet, but I agree that this is likely a two light job. A headlight with good runtime to see nearby for a shift and a flashlight with a large head for throw. Then there's the obvious question: do you really want an aluminum brick mounted to your head while working on power lines in the rain? The other question is what is your price range? You could get something as bright as a Nitecore TM39 flashlight with 5200 lumens and about a half a mile of throw, but $500 might cut into your budget a bit. Might want to settle for the Nitecore HC33 for the headlight and look into getting an H.I.D. spotlight for throw.

 

[coke9]

Fenix HP30R V2

Fenix HP30R V2.0 LED Headlamp - 3000 Lumens

The Fenix HP30R V2.0 is a cutting-edge LED headlamp that can provide up to 3000 lumens of light, creating a versatile and reliable solution for anyone in need of powerful lighting in tough environments. With the battery pack able to be used either attached or detached, two lighting modes...

www.fenix-store.com

 

[3L3M3NT]

Fenix HP30R V2

Fenix HP30R V2.0 LED Headlamp - 3000 Lumens

The Fenix HP30R V2.0 is a cutting-edge LED headlamp that can provide up to 3000 lumens of light, creating a versatile and reliable solution for anyone in need of powerful lighting in tough environments. With the battery pack able to be used either attached or detached, two lighting modes...

www.fenix-store.com

You beat me to it. When I got the email from them, this is the thread I immediately thought of when I read the specs of it.

 

[turbodog]

I'm looking for a new hard hat light for work. I work on powerlines in the south. Lots of wet thunderstorms. Must be weatherproof. Hard hat gets tossed around in the trucks and receives a lot of abuse. Must be durable. Hard hat light needs to be able to throw a beam through the trees over 300-600 feet down to the next pole really well to be able to see down line as well as up the pole. Must have good throw. Hard hat light must be able to provide good light directly in front of me when working with my hands. Super durable, long throw torch with adjustable output much preferred.

AA, AAA, or 18650 rechargeable preferred.

What should I get???

Thanks in advance!!

I agree that you are pretty much looking at two lights.

The close up work... there are plenty of 18650 lights to service this need.

Brightguy is a very reputable seller and has a searchable database of lights. Here are the helmet-mount models. I'm partial to zebralight, even though they only have an elastic band and not a screw-down clamp.

https://brightguy.com/shop/fire/?pa_key-characteristics=hard-hat-mountable

As far as the 300-600 feet issue. Let's turn this around... you are looking at needing at least 1000 lumens (depending on reflector design) to see that far, especially in rain/fog/haze. Generally speaking, a larger diameter reflector light will get this range easier than a smaller light.

 

[turbodog]

Or here is a light that covers all your needs. Just figure out how to mount it to a hard hat.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TK3WLQV/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Anywhere from a soft, wide angle light to something that will start fires at close range.

 

[kreisl]

You beat me to it. When I got the email from them, this is the thread I immediately thought of when I read the specs of it.

it's a new product and we have no RL knowledge of its actual durability. 2m drop impact resistance means that the light has been tested to survive 10 drops (see ANSI norm pdf). but it doesn't mean that it would survive the 11th drop.

i woht recommend the hm61r plastic holder. i caht curse enough what a cr*ppy plastic material they had chosen for the product release, worse than a toy. (the 5yr free lifetime warranty should cover it)

i wuv fenis. out of nostalgia they're my favorite brand but durability-wise (electronics) their lights aren't designed specifically with that purpose in mind. we get longevity if the electronics are potted (zebralight) AND if there are shock-dampening components like double spring contacts in the battery compartment, see PD and TK series.

I'd give this new fenis light a chance but wouldn't be surprised about product failure within 2 yrs.

Armytek should be durable . but i doht like their unrefined designs. too primitive . my parrot can draw such designs on a piece of paper lol

 

[turbodog]

FYI, to OP does not appear to have been back.

 

[DaveTheDude]

Thrunite TH10 V2. This headlamp delivers 23,000 candela, at 2,100 emitter lumens. Rechargeable. Hardhat compatible. Neutral white color temperature. Waterproof.

I use mine while backpacking in the Sierra Nevada range above treeline, and on canoe and kayak excursions. This headlamp allows me to easily observe the landscape 300-400 feet away. At greater distances objects can still be identified, but colors start to all fade to shades of grey. I can identify what I'm looking at, but the details start to become obscured.

It's my understanding that the TH10 offers the highest candela of any readily available headlamp. There may be custom headlamps designed for caving or mushing that are more muscular, but not at at a reasonable price.

 

[Decableguy2000]

I do utility work in the SE. I was using a Fenix HL60 for about a year. Great work light, and USB rechargeable. I have since switched to the HM65r, with flood and spot mode, and USB C rechargeable. I have the ALG-03 mount on my hard hat for 2 years with out issue. Both lights fit in it, and I don't have use the straps. I can run all night on a single charge, on medium flood, using a 3500mAh battery. We have Go-lights on our trucks and Streamlight lite boxes for portable spots.