Headlamp Advice Sought

[gouldian]

I fish for sea trout in the late evenings / night and often have to cross streams in maybe 3/4 feet of water. The water is clear but sometimes fast moving. I'm currently using a P60 with LED and smooth reflector which allows me to see the river bottom but would like to get a good headlamp in place of the hand held light. I've narrowed it down to either the Zebralight H31 or Surefire Minimus. The light would need to have a fairly narrow beam to penetrate well in water and as there are often cattle in the fields sometimes with bulls amongst them, I'd also like something with good throw to avoid walking into trouble. There's a big price difference between the two. Would these be good choices, is the Surefire worth the extra cost over the Zebralight, and is there anything else I should consider. Thanks

 

[mrlysle]

Hi gouldian. :welcome:You will probably get better answers over on the "Headlamps" forum.

 

[Starchaser]

Would these be good choices, is the Surefire worth the extra cost over the Zebralight, and is there anything else I should consider. Thanks

I'm not sure which light would fit your parameters better. I have the H51w which is a really nice light with a great UI, and it has a good balance of throw and flood. It's an excellent headlamp that gets many good reviews.

I just wanted to suggest that if you go with the ZebraLight, I would consider getting the neutral tint H31w, especially for outdoor use.

 

[yowzer]

H51w or H31w. The Saint/Minimus is a very floody light with less throw than the x1 series ZLs (But more than the H501w).

 

[gouldian]

Thanks for the replies

 

[OGreviews]

From what I gather, you are looking for a headlamp that is geared towards throw. The Zebralight isn't known for being throwy and neither is the Saint Minimus. They are both great headlamps and might be bright enough to do what you are looking for but they are an even mix of flood and throw.

Since you want a lot of throw, I would also consider the Spark ST6 line of of headlamps. I have one with an R5 emitter but I think the newer ones use the XML which is floodier. If you need a tight beam I think the R5 might be the way to go. But these Spark headlamps have a nice and deep reflector and throw a beam quite well.

Good luck finding what you need. The Zebralight, Surefire, and Spark are all good headlamps.

 

[MIKENC]

I fish for sea trout in the late evenings / night and often have to cross streams in maybe 3/4 feet of water. The water is clear but sometimes fast moving. I'm currently using a P60 with LED and smooth reflector which allows me to see the river bottom but would like to get a good headlamp in place of the hand held light. I've narrowed it down to either the Zebralight H31 or Surefire Minimus. The light would need to have a fairly narrow beam to penetrate well in water and as there are often cattle in the fields sometimes with bulls amongst them, I'd also like something with good throw to avoid walking into trouble. There's a big price difference between the two. Would these be good choices, is the Surefire worth the extra cost over the Zebralight, and is there anything else I should consider. Thanks

I have a lot of headlamps, and from what you are describing there is one headlamp that will work far better than the others mentioned in this post. It is the Streamlight Argo HP (also cheaper). I have other headlamps that I prefer over this one, but not for what you are describing.

 

[Norm]

Moved to Headlamps.
Norm

 

[Bolster]

I've narrowed it down to either the Zebralight H31 or Surefire Minimus. The light would need to have a fairly narrow beam to penetrate well in water and as there are often cattle in the fields sometimes with bulls amongst them, I'd also like something with good throw to avoid walking into trouble.

Welcome to our subforum. Sounds like you want a thrower, not a flood. One of the more powerful thrower headlamps out there is the Spark. Check it out.

It can be modified to flood by pulling the reflector.

Also there are many dual-beam lights, some of which are in the thread referenced in my sig line.

 

[Hondo]

I have a lot of headlamps, and from what you are describing there is one headlamp that will work far better than the others mentioned in this post. It is the Streamlight Argo HP (also cheaper). I have other headlamps that I prefer over this one, but not for what you are describing.

I am going to +1 this one. An Argo HP running a 17670 is very economical, and the new "C4" ones, which means a Cree XRE, throw like crazy. Usually not what I want, I like the old Luxeon ones better for projects around the house. The only drawback, if you want to call it that, is that you won't get the option of a neutral tint emitter stock, which can be nice, but not a must-have. Remember to look for the C4 LED designation, so as not to get an old-stock Luxeon model.

BTW, expect about 6 hours of high beam, and 20'ish hours on low, either with 2 x CR123 or 17670 Li-Ion. Just slightly brighter with the 2 x CR123.

 

[ryguy24000]

Gotta +1 on the Argo. A great light for $35!!!!!!!!!!!! It has enough power and great run times. I own a Spark too, you can't go wrong here, but pricey!