Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreviews
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SilverFox
Flashaholic
Hello Doug,
Excellent review.
I was using mine this weekend during a camp out and was surprised at how useful it was. The diffuser was great for walking down the trail in the woods at night and it was very easy to flip it up for longer distance spotting.
We threw it in the lake and it does float bezel up. There was a slight chop and water would splash over it, but it was easy to see (it was turned on - of course and dark out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ). It floats with the bezel at about water level.
We had several comments that it looked like an old German hand grenade, but they quickly went away when the light was passed around. Light weight, comfortable to hold, diffused or spot readily available, long battery life, and regulated. Very nice.
I had a few other lights with me and noticed that the spot was brighter than my Brinkman LX, PT Tec 40, L4, and Q3. I was very impressed with the performance of this light. Heliotech did their homework on this one.
The reflector is very deep and I did not see any imperfections in it at all. My light has a very white tint so there is no problem with that. I might go so far as to say that this light may be very good for the close examination of smooth white walls... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I have a couple of minor issues...
The holster is a very tight fit with the pocket clip installed and spare batteries in the pocket holder. I took the pocket clip off and it went from very tight to snug. If I take the batteries out of the pocket, it works great. I tried stretching the pocket a bit, but this may need a little more break in work before I will be happy with it. With the long run time, I may find another use for the pocket and not bother with the spare batteries, but I would like to have the option to carry spares as well.
My other issue is with the lanyard. It is a break away type via Velcro attachment. Mine is 17" long. I found it catching on a variety of brush and it is just too long. The Velcro tabs make it a little more difficult to shorten. You have to shorten it, then sew a new Velcro tab on. I may end up just replacing it with another one. Another problem I had was that one of the Velcro tabs peeled back about 3/4 of the way when I holstered the light. The next time I took the light out and was holding it by the lanyard, I noticed the tab on one side was peeled back and it took very little force to pull it apart. The Velcro also seemed to have some attraction to the various dirt and sand that seem to go hand in hand with camping.
Overall I am very happy with this light. I believe several of my friends will also be in line to get one of these as well.
My light came with instructions, a brochure illustrating the instructions, a 10 year warranty, and a log and linear graph of the spatial radiation pattern of a typical HTE1 light. The graph shows just under 2500 lux at one meter. I check my light and observed 2585 lux at one meter which is in close agreement to what it is supposed to be. Integrating the area under the curve gives reported lumens of 20.035 with lens only and 16.985 with the diffuser. This extra information is a very nice touch.
Once I get the lanyard and holster adjusted to my liking, I will be putting this light to a lot of use. It seems to be a very good choice for a camping light. Waterproof (to 150 feet), lightweight, adjustable beam, long run time, and regulated. This one is a keeper.
Tom
Excellent review.
I was using mine this weekend during a camp out and was surprised at how useful it was. The diffuser was great for walking down the trail in the woods at night and it was very easy to flip it up for longer distance spotting.
We threw it in the lake and it does float bezel up. There was a slight chop and water would splash over it, but it was easy to see (it was turned on - of course and dark out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ). It floats with the bezel at about water level.
We had several comments that it looked like an old German hand grenade, but they quickly went away when the light was passed around. Light weight, comfortable to hold, diffused or spot readily available, long battery life, and regulated. Very nice.
I had a few other lights with me and noticed that the spot was brighter than my Brinkman LX, PT Tec 40, L4, and Q3. I was very impressed with the performance of this light. Heliotech did their homework on this one.
The reflector is very deep and I did not see any imperfections in it at all. My light has a very white tint so there is no problem with that. I might go so far as to say that this light may be very good for the close examination of smooth white walls... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I have a couple of minor issues...
The holster is a very tight fit with the pocket clip installed and spare batteries in the pocket holder. I took the pocket clip off and it went from very tight to snug. If I take the batteries out of the pocket, it works great. I tried stretching the pocket a bit, but this may need a little more break in work before I will be happy with it. With the long run time, I may find another use for the pocket and not bother with the spare batteries, but I would like to have the option to carry spares as well.
My other issue is with the lanyard. It is a break away type via Velcro attachment. Mine is 17" long. I found it catching on a variety of brush and it is just too long. The Velcro tabs make it a little more difficult to shorten. You have to shorten it, then sew a new Velcro tab on. I may end up just replacing it with another one. Another problem I had was that one of the Velcro tabs peeled back about 3/4 of the way when I holstered the light. The next time I took the light out and was holding it by the lanyard, I noticed the tab on one side was peeled back and it took very little force to pull it apart. The Velcro also seemed to have some attraction to the various dirt and sand that seem to go hand in hand with camping.
Overall I am very happy with this light. I believe several of my friends will also be in line to get one of these as well.
My light came with instructions, a brochure illustrating the instructions, a 10 year warranty, and a log and linear graph of the spatial radiation pattern of a typical HTE1 light. The graph shows just under 2500 lux at one meter. I check my light and observed 2585 lux at one meter which is in close agreement to what it is supposed to be. Integrating the area under the curve gives reported lumens of 20.035 with lens only and 16.985 with the diffuser. This extra information is a very nice touch.
Once I get the lanyard and holster adjusted to my liking, I will be putting this light to a lot of use. It seems to be a very good choice for a camping light. Waterproof (to 150 feet), lightweight, adjustable beam, long run time, and regulated. This one is a keeper.
Tom
Quickbeam
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
Silverfox, Thanks for your comments!
The first thing I did was remove the lanyard and replace it with a wrist lanyard. I just find the wrist lanyards to be more handy.
As you saw in the review, I got initially 2600 Lux, so our readings are right in line with the manufacturer (imagine that, a manufacturer that reports REAL numbers, not "marketing" numbers!!!!)
If you run a quick calculation on my Overall Output numbers (QUPs) using an average conversion factor based on lumens to QUPs comparisons for known lights, I get a VERY rough estimate of 24 lumens; again, in line with the manufacturer.
Silverfox, Thanks for your comments!
The first thing I did was remove the lanyard and replace it with a wrist lanyard. I just find the wrist lanyards to be more handy.
As you saw in the review, I got initially 2600 Lux, so our readings are right in line with the manufacturer (imagine that, a manufacturer that reports REAL numbers, not "marketing" numbers!!!!)
If you run a quick calculation on my Overall Output numbers (QUPs) using an average conversion factor based on lumens to QUPs comparisons for known lights, I get a VERY rough estimate of 24 lumens; again, in line with the manufacturer.
The_LED_Museum
*Retired*
[ QUOTE ]
SilverFox said:
We had several comments that it looked like an old German hand grenade...
[/ QUOTE ]
You know, when I showed this flashlight to my housemate, he too remarked that it looked a lot like an old German hand grenade, and that was *AFTER* I had turned it on and showed him the beam with the diffuser on and tipped off.
SilverFox said:
We had several comments that it looked like an old German hand grenade...
[/ QUOTE ]
You know, when I showed this flashlight to my housemate, he too remarked that it looked a lot like an old German hand grenade, and that was *AFTER* I had turned it on and showed him the beam with the diffuser on and tipped off.
SilverFox
Flashaholic
Hello Doug,
Truth in advertising... What a novel concept.
Tom
Truth in advertising... What a novel concept.
Tom
SilverFox
Flashaholic
Hello Craig,
We ended up tossing it around camp like a grenade. I thought for sure someone would miss and I would end up with a broken diffuser, but the few drops it suffered did not have any effect on it at all. I think the fact that it is light weight had a lot to do with it.
It was suggested that we toss a 3D modified Mag light for comparison, but I put my food down and said no...
Tom
We ended up tossing it around camp like a grenade. I thought for sure someone would miss and I would end up with a broken diffuser, but the few drops it suffered did not have any effect on it at all. I think the fact that it is light weight had a lot to do with it.
It was suggested that we toss a 3D modified Mag light for comparison, but I put my food down and said no...
Tom
Roy
Farewell our Curmudgeon Administrator
It shares the same general shape as the CMG Reactor.....as least to my eyes!
Quickbeam
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
Same general shape, but the head is much larger.
Same general shape, but the head is much larger.
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
Very interesting, thanx for the review!
But isn't that light a bit on the large side for what it does? I mean ... if I'd buy it, wouldn't I want it either smaller or more powerfull? As I understand it's about the brightness of a classic 1W light?
And does anyone know why there's a problem with alkalines? Curious ...
bernie
Very interesting, thanx for the review!
But isn't that light a bit on the large side for what it does? I mean ... if I'd buy it, wouldn't I want it either smaller or more powerfull? As I understand it's about the brightness of a classic 1W light?
And does anyone know why there's a problem with alkalines? Curious ...
bernie
Quickbeam
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
I think the "problems" with alkalines are:
Alkalines can leak, Lithiums don't.
Alkalines cause the light to sink in water, Lithiums allow flotation
Alkalines give much shorter runtime, Lithiums allow the driver circuit to work at its best.
Yes it appears large, in much the same way the L5 head is very large compared to the L4. The large head is the result of the very large reflector needed to focus the light into a tight beam. Otherwise, with a smaller head and resulting smaller reflector, you'd have a very broad spot beam not a narrow tight spot.
I think the "problems" with alkalines are:
Alkalines can leak, Lithiums don't.
Alkalines cause the light to sink in water, Lithiums allow flotation
Alkalines give much shorter runtime, Lithiums allow the driver circuit to work at its best.
Yes it appears large, in much the same way the L5 head is very large compared to the L4. The large head is the result of the very large reflector needed to focus the light into a tight beam. Otherwise, with a smaller head and resulting smaller reflector, you'd have a very broad spot beam not a narrow tight spot.
meeshu
Enlightened
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
Hmmmm! Good light output! Sturdy! And good regulation! Great!
But, it seems to be one of the bulkiest and ugliest lights I've ever seen!! If the light was made smaller in diameter (particulary at the bezel), shorter in length, and re-finished to remove the cheapish looking finish, then it would be more interesting and useful.
The smaller the size, and the less the protrusions, the easier it is to carry and use.
Hmmmm! Good light output! Sturdy! And good regulation! Great!
But, it seems to be one of the bulkiest and ugliest lights I've ever seen!! If the light was made smaller in diameter (particulary at the bezel), shorter in length, and re-finished to remove the cheapish looking finish, then it would be more interesting and useful.
The smaller the size, and the less the protrusions, the easier it is to carry and use.
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
yep I started a thread in the LED section about this light, and everyone says its ugly. I personally found the older version a bit so, but this one isnt THAT bad since the black sort of covers it up. I like black flashlights. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Reading this review really makes me want to buy this light. Perhaps someday I will.
yep I started a thread in the LED section about this light, and everyone says its ugly. I personally found the older version a bit so, but this one isnt THAT bad since the black sort of covers it up. I like black flashlights. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Reading this review really makes me want to buy this light. Perhaps someday I will.
Roy
Farewell our Curmudgeon Administrator
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
The size of the head is due to the size of the reflector...it is long! That is the reason for the long throw....you want throw...you have a large reflector. A lot of throw with very small head is called a laser!
The size of the head is due to the size of the reflector...it is long! That is the reason for the long throw....you want throw...you have a large reflector. A lot of throw with very small head is called a laser!
wasBlinded
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
I think it is large and ugly, and for being just a LuxI, expensive. I like that they have a built-in solution for getting flood vs. throw, but it isn't elegantly integrated.
This would be a pretty good light for the marine environment - especially the abandon ship bag. Maybe when I get my ship I'll buy one.
I think it is large and ugly, and for being just a LuxI, expensive. I like that they have a built-in solution for getting flood vs. throw, but it isn't elegantly integrated.
This would be a pretty good light for the marine environment - especially the abandon ship bag. Maybe when I get my ship I'll buy one.
Quickbeam
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
It's definitely not designed for aesthetic admiration. It's designed for pure functionality, and does what it does very well.
It's definitely not designed for aesthetic admiration. It's designed for pure functionality, and does what it does very well.
keithhr
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
any chance of seeing what it actually looks like with its beam directed at something outside in the night?
any chance of seeing what it actually looks like with its beam directed at something outside in the night?
The_LED_Museum
*Retired*
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
I'd take care of that for you, but a few nights ago, a large motorhome parked in the backyard, effectively eliminating my outdoor testing range. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif
I'd take care of that for you, but a few nights ago, a large motorhome parked in the backyard, effectively eliminating my outdoor testing range. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif
enLIGHTenment
Enlightened
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
Given that lithium batteries don't generate gas in normal operation, would Heliotek be irresponsible enough to design the HTE without hydrogen catalyist blocks? If so, using alkalines in this light would not only void the warranty but turn the light into a potential bomb.
Given that lithium batteries don't generate gas in normal operation, would Heliotek be irresponsible enough to design the HTE without hydrogen catalyist blocks? If so, using alkalines in this light would not only void the warranty but turn the light into a potential bomb.
SilverFox
Flashaholic
Re: Heliotek HTE-1 rev.2 review - flashlightreview
Hello enLIGHTenment,
If I might paraphrase...
Would Flashaholics be irresponsible enough to ignore the warnings by Heliotek and power it with cells that generate gas?
Tom
Hello enLIGHTenment,
If I might paraphrase...
Would Flashaholics be irresponsible enough to ignore the warnings by Heliotek and power it with cells that generate gas?
Tom
