Headlamps, batteries and charger. Upgrade or replace?

[fruers]

My headlamp is in need of replacement and it has me looking at our whole package and deciding if it's a good time to modernise.

We currently have the following equipment:

• Black Diamond Icon ~2014 model with 200lm max output (4xAA)
• Petzl Tikka (3xAAA)
• Sunwayman D40A Natural White (4xAA)
• Powerex MH-C9000 Charger
• 16 AA Eneloop (mostly pro's)

Primary use is for multi-day hiking and night time wildlife observation here in Australia, often combined, so carrying spare batteries is always necessary. Also use for climbing in roofs for work and all sorts of day-to-day stuff.

The combo we have works fairly well, although it would be cool to solve some minor issues:

1. Getting my wife a better headlamp so we can spot more wildlife. This will also save me the guilt of seeing her use that old Tikka!
2. Not having to "take turns" looking at things with the good light/s.
3. Carrying one type of battery.
4. Not having to carry an additional dedicated spotlight.

Natural white is highly desirable if not necessary and high CRI sounds awesome. Keen to get rid of the battery pack style as my last two BD Icons only failed on wiring and elastics and no spares are available (fixed both multiple times). Would also like the UI of one headlamp to be very straightforward for my wife.

Can something like a ZebraLight H600 replace both the headlamp and the D40A spotlight (which advertises 300m+ throw)? I don't mind using mods to do so.

Trawling the forums here some of the options I'm considering:

1. Convert fully to 18650 (ZebraLight H600 or Nitecore HC65). Including charger and spare batteries this feels expensive.
2. Replace my headlamp with an H600 and my wife's with a CR123A headlamp (like Fenix HL50) under the assumption I can double up the CR123's as spares for 18650 (solving problem 3)
3. Get a couple of modern AA based headlamps like ZebraLight H53 or Fenix HL50. Keep using existing D40A, AA's and charger.

What recommendations would people make for a "whole package"? I am open to replacing the lot but also consider the investment we have in the D40A, Eneloop's and MAHA charger.

 

[wicky998]

you could save what you have now for the work/day to day stuff, as you didnt mention you had issues with the current lineup for those uses.

both the headlights you mentioned are good. id get two zebras and program your wives with an easy to remember mode setup or rather the same as yours so you dont have to refigure out how to operate hers on the trail if need be,,

id go with #1 on your list . grab the 18650 models, grab six or so good 18650s, with like a nitecore d4 charger

before you go out charge every batttery. put one in each light and bring four with you. that will cover you for an entire night( should)

research the runtimes on each light and order your 18650s accordingly to what output you plan on using the most on your trips.

just my thoughts

edit: you could also get an 18650 handheld and use the batteries in it as "spares" if you dont not use it that might and your headlamp runs dry

 

[Stefano]

I understand that you have a great charger and good AA batteries, but 18650 batteries are another world, you have greater performance and autonomy.
You can always keep those lights and batteries as backup.

About Headlamps I can only give some generic advice.

If you want neutral tint look at Zebralight H600w, H600c H600Fc or H600Fw - for AA batteries look at H53w, H53Fc or H53Fw.
The "F" models have a Frosted lens and less throw but a wider and more comfortable beam, c = high color rendering neutral tint.

It is not essential to spend a lot of money on chargers, if you are not looking for special functions today there are also quality products at a low price, see the 1 slot or 2 slot Xtar models.
Unprotected 18650 rechargeable batteries have a low cost and save money instead of buying CR123.
(but buy quality 18650 batteries and from a reliable seller, low quality batteries can be problematic or dangerous)

Some Headlamp models may not accept the CR123, also the high power of the current lights there could also be some risk (stressing two CR123 batteries in series on a powerful turbo light)

A possible alternative to save a little are Headlamp Armytek, sometimes they are on offer at advantageous prices, they are always sold with the battery and have Magnet Usb or Micro Usb recharging (Wizard, Wizard Pro or Elf C2 models) they still have a diffuse wide beam similar to the Zebralight version "F".
In any case, if you buy Armytek it would be good to have some spare 18650 battery and a fast charger like Xtar MC1S or Xtar MC1 ANT (they are very cheap) MC2S if you want a model with two slots.

You cannot replace the D40 with a Headlamp.
If you want to see far, maybe you have to buy a replacement for your D40 but I personally would never buy a headlamp with a very narrow beam.
The H600 was my first Headlamp 18650, it is a great light but over time I understood that I prefer the wider beam of the F versions or the TIR lens of the Armytek Wizard (very similar)
The Zebralight "F" version with wide light are very comfortable for close-up viewing but H600 could it be more useful for your animal observation purposes ??

My thought is that you have to stay with AA lights by buying newer models or switch to 18650 lights but without the compromise of CR123 batteries.
I hope I have given you some useful information.
Sorry for the bad translation

 

[fruers]

Thanks a lot for the replies! It convinced me to switch over to 18650 powered lights.

The HC65 I liked a lot but ruled out based on the color temp of the main led. The photos of the Zebralight H600Fc look amazing but the price down under works out very expensive. I don't mind paying for the best but getting ZL's, charger, batteries and a new 18650 flashlight all at once wouldn't have been approved by the "boss" :shakehead.

After a fair bit of research I chose the following:

• Sofirn SP40 3000K
• YLP Panda 3R
• YLP Unicorn 1.0
• YLP Gryphon G24

The SP40 has decent reviews, so it felt worthwhile to take a gamble for the wife's (also interested to see how 3000K looks). The Panda 3R really appealed to me with the wide and throw beams, I like that feature a lot on the Icon. Gets decent reviews. I found a 19% discount voucher on BLF which also convinced me to try their flash lights to see if they can replace the D40A. I got the 3 YLP lights for about the same price as one ZL H600Fc.

Will get a charger and batteries when I see how all these work out.

research the runtimes on each light and order your 18650s accordingly to what output you plan on using the most on your trips.

Is there any issue with choosing all high power cells, like 3400mah?

 

[Keitho]

Is there any issue with choosing all high power cells, like 3400mah?

In my opinion, get the highest capacity cell you can afford for the current you plan on drawing (some cells are designed for good capacity at higher currents, some at lower currents). Capacity ratings are notoriously over-stated, and are even more over-stated for the worst quality cells. What is "high quality?" Good question--depends on the use. I never buy a cell without consulting the massive amount of work done by forum member HJK, and I start with the sortable summary of his reviews here: http://lygte-info.dk/info/batteryIndex.html

I'll use that table to sort by the capacity in mWh down to 3.2 volts (or 3V if I'm going to use it at low currents, or 3.4 or 3.6V if I'm using it for high currents), and read the HJK reviews and look up prices on the top few options. There are a few threads on reputable cell distributors--stick to those (hint: they don't sell on ebay or Amazon). Good luck!

 

[wicky998]

+1 keith couldnt have said it any better

grab the highest you can afford for the current you plan on drawing

like he noted as well,..

HJK's reviews on batteries is second to none. its the best in the buis.

let us know how you like everything,

i personally love the 3000k :candle:

 

[fruers]

Thanks a lot for the link, made it very easy to home in on the new Keeppower 18650 3600mAh, which I bought from a reputable seller.

Also bought a Nightcore LR50 as a lantern/charger/power bank all-in-one.