headlamp for work

[mbiraman]

Hello to all you Jedi Knights. Who would have known there was soo much enthusiasm over flashlights/headlamps. I've come to the right place. I sometimes use a headlamp for doing electrical work in poorly lit areas but often find mine isn't very good. What i'm looking for is a bright , focused beam, maybe with a couple of settings. If some of you could give me 2 or 3 suggestions that would save me a lot of work sifting through everything.. Oh i guess i should say non-exotic batteries, led bulbs, Mmmmm
thanks in advance
mbiraman

 

[mbiraman]

Hey you guys; i'm looking for a headlamp for work. It should be bright , focused beam, led?, common batteries, Have you got a couple of suggestions??.
thanks in advance
mbiraman

 

[DM51]

Welcome to CPF, mbiraman.

Your thread was in the moderation queue and the result is that you posted twice. The reason for this is here. I'm merging the 2 posts.

 

[half-watt]

Petzl Zipka Plus. uses very unexotic 3xAAA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable cells (no Li primary cells). 4x5mm white LEDs. nice floody output good for closeup work. 3 output levels (low, med., and hi). i use mine often when working under cars or on appliances, especially in the basement (washer and dryer).

the ZipkaPlus has a unique headstrap which consists of a sturdy cord (kevlar???) and a spring loaded reel which reels in the cord when you take it off of your head. very easy to use and to even carry in the pocket.

BrightGuy.com is a good source for this headlamp and for the others that are mentioned in this Post. IIRC, you can save $5 by getting the TikkaPlus with a more conventional webbing headband, but otherwise it's identical to the ZipkaPlus.


another nice choice is the PrincetonTec Quad. very similar to the TikkaPlus, but the Quad is regulated (the two Petzl headlamps mentioned above are NOT regulated). the Quad can also use Li primary (aka non-rechargeable) cells. the PrincetonTec Fuel is a slightly smaller 3xAAA headlamp with three output levels. it is unregulated and only uses 3x5mm white LEDs, so it's not quite as bright as the Quad. this isn't an issue for your use however. Medium output level on any of these four HLs will do you fine, IMO.

there are other fine choices, but these are some of my favorite small, lightweight, decent quality HLs for task/proximity lighting.

 

[HKJ]

Hello to all you Jedi Knights. Who would have known there was soo much enthusiasm over flashlights/headlamps. I've come to the right place. I sometimes use a headlamp for doing electrical work in poorly lit areas but often find mine isn't very good. What i'm looking for is a bright , focused beam, maybe with a couple of settings. If some of you could give me 2 or 3 suggestions that would save me a lot of work sifting through everything.. Oh i guess i should say non-exotic batteries, led bulbs, Mmmmm
thanks in advance
mbiraman

I wonder why you want a focused beam, if you are working with something very close (below a meter), a non-focused beam might be better and if that is the case, take a look at the Zebralight H501, it can both be used on the head or on a pocket.

 

[Marduke]

I recommed the Energizer Hard Case Pro 100lm Cree headlamp. It is tough, cheap, bright, and gives you a choice of both focused or flood, which is extremely useful for close up work.

There is also a safety rated version if you need that.

 

[mbiraman]

thanks for the suggestions. I said focused beam because my headlamp has only flood and is not enough light but thats probably just low output. I'm in my late 50's ( how did that happen) and i need the extra light.

 

[vtunderground]

I'd suggest either the Princeton Tec EOS, or the Zebralight H501.

 

[MarNav1]

My EOS works great for such things, usually low or med is plenty for most tasks. The strap really hugs your head well too.

 

[electrothump]

I like the coast H7, 174 lumen. You can find them on the net, or you can just stop by a Lowes. Make sure to pick the one that says 174 lumen, not the 140 version. It uses 3 AAAs, and that gives it two to three hours on high. It will last much longer on lower settings. Pick up some good rechargers and you are set. I've been using one for a while now, and love it. It focuses very fast, and you can regulate the amount of light you need very fast also. It uses a levered rheostat to regulate the amount of light it puts out,, , no cycling thru a bunch of stuff you don't want. Just don't try to give it more voltage than it is made for. I feel like the lights' weak point is the triple-A format, however that does go to make it a very lightweight light. I know what you mean about the ole eyes needing more light than they used to. You will like how fast this light will focus, and change brightness. I hope!

DN

 

[mvanmeter]

We have had good success with our field inspection folks using the Pelican "2630 LED" headlight. A little larger, with AA battery pack on the back of the head (or hard hat), but sturdy and works well. AA batteries can be found "anywhere" !

 

[Mikellen]

I recommed the Energizer Hard Case Pro 100lm Cree headlamp. It is tough, cheap, bright, and gives you a choice of both focused or flood, which is extremely useful for close up work.

There is also a safety rated version if you need that.

This headlamp seems like it would suit my purpose but I would prefer to use lithium batteries for all the benefits that they offer.
Can this headlamp use lithium disposable batteries in leiu of alkaline? I contacted Energizer and spoke with a representative who was not sure if L91s are o.k. She just recommended using alkalines to be sure.

Thanks.

 

[Rexlion]

I like the coast H7, 174 lumen. You can find them on the net, or you can just stop by a Lowes. Make sure to pick the one that says 174 lumen, not the 140 version. It uses 3 AAAs, and that gives it two to three hours on high. It will last much longer on lower settings. Pick up some good rechargers and you are set. I've been using one for a while now, and love it. It focuses very fast, and you can regulate the amount of light you need very fast also. It uses a levered rheostat to regulate the amount of light it puts out,, , no cycling thru a bunch of stuff you don't want. Just don't try to give it more voltage than it is made for. I feel like the lights' weak point is the triple-A format, however that does go to make it a very lightweight light. I know what you mean about the ole eyes needing more light than they used to. You will like how fast this light will focus, and change brightness. I hope!

DN

My post seems to have been lost in the merge, so I'll just say... +1 on the Coast LED Lenser H7. I have one, it's great.

 

[SureAddicted]

+1 on the Coast LED Lenser H7. I have one, it's great.

+2
It's a great little headlamp, compact and light. Has the best beam out of all the HL's I've used, throw pretty far on spot, on flood it lights up everything. Not a single problem with it, would do it all over again If I had to. Very impressed with it.

 

[Marduke]

This headlamp seems like it would suit my purpose but I would prefer to use lithium batteries for all the benefits that they offer.
Can this headlamp use lithium disposable batteries in leiu of alkaline? I contacted Energizer and spoke with a representative who was not sure if L91s are o.k. She just recommended using alkalines to be sure.

Thanks.

Yes, it can use L91's.

However, for performance and economy, I recommend quality NiMH cells, which are about 1000 times cheaper for nearly the same performance.

 

[hyperloop]

i'm assuming that you will be peering into dark corners, fuse boxes etc and also working at close range, i just got my Zebralight H501 and love it, with a simple click of the button it turns on in high (advertised as 96 lumens) and if you dont need that much light just hold the button down and it ramps low-medium-high.

It's small and runs off 1xAA and is very very light. If rendition of colour is important, get the H501W, the warmer tinted one.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

The Princeton Tec EOS or EOS II should work. The squarish beam pattern is perfect for working on circuit panels or any work in a building. It puts the light where you need it and nowhere else, but the beam is wide enough for most, if not all tasks. The tint of the beam tends to be pure or warm white. No blue tint to make wire identification harder. The EOS has 3 brightness settings: 50 lumen high, 20 lumen medium, 5 lumen low. It is regulated so it won't dim when you need it most. It can use rechargeables, alkalines, and lithium batteries. The EOS II has two levels: 50 lumen high and 10 lumen low. The EOS II is designed to be more intrinsically safe (Class I Division I) and comes with a spare rubber hard hat strap and stick on velcro for more mounting options. Neither headlight has a rear mounted battery pack so they are more comfortable for working on your back (attic, basement, or small space work). The EOS headlights are also plastic so they are nonconductive. The Zebralights are aluminum. Keep that in mind when deciding on a light for electrical work. Zebralights are also all flood, and you said you wanted a spotlight type beam.

 

[Woods Walker]

I would go with a Rebel EOS or EOS II.

 

[Marduke]

This is the Energizer I talked about:
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/tufhd31ph.pdf

But there is also an intrinsically safe rated version if that is of importance
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/mshd3aa.pdf

 

[argleargle]

My post seems to have been lost in the merge, so I'll just say... +1 on the Coast LED Lenser H7. I have one, it's great.

+2
It's a great little headlamp, compact and light. Has the best beam out of all the HL's I've used, throw pretty far on spot, on flood it lights up everything. Not a single problem with it, would do it all over again If I had to. Very impressed with it.

+3 I freaking love my coast adjustable tilt-beam headlamp. 100% versatile. Drop the output tilted downwards and switch to flood for up close in pitch black, moderate output flood for walking down a trail, working during a power outage, changing the focus from flood to throw and cranking the output to look across a field, just great. If they double the max output, cut the weight in half, and move to RCR123x2, I'll buy like 5 of those things. The adjustable focus makes me happy. Mine came with a nice neoprene case.

Tip: Mine came in the pack with a marketing-purposes remote switch that says "Try me." You might be tempted, but don't rip the leads out! Make them longer, add a quick removal plug and get a nicer switch! A bit of elastic strap and you can mount the switch down your sleeve in your palm for "Spiderman-activation." Really.