I need a headlamp

[mpteach]

I need a headlamp for automotive and other uses. Last night i was changing brakes on my car when the sun went down. It was terrible i was moving the lantern around as much as my ratchet. From tools on ground to in front of then behind brakes and back.

I have 18650s and Eneloops. I could buy 14500s I want at least 2 hours of runtime. I don't want a holder i have to pry batteries out of. I cant have a battery pack behind my head when i lay down on the ground under the vehicle.

I want a very wide and even flood beam. Decent CRI and tint. I tend to prefer brighter lights and many of the surfaces around often will be darker colors. I don't know how many lumens that translates to since i haven't used a headlamp before. Sometimes a spot beam would be helpful for looking deep into the engine. I don't know if it would be better to have dual beams, a smooth zoom or a separate handheld light for that.

I'm on a budget too unfortunately.

 

[Bolster]

Hi there mpteach. You've made a good diagnosis: You need a floody headlamp with no battery pack on the back. Probably best to specify what you mean by "budget."

Cheapest best headlamp I can think of, that meets most your needs (except tint), would be the Irix Icon II, and then you'd need to either frost or sand the LEDs to get the beam to spread to your liking. (Or leave it tight if you don't mind a narrower brighter beam). It does have a smooth even beam, either way. You can find those for $20.

The amount of lumens you need depends on how much ambient light you have. If you're working at the end of your arm in the dark, 50 lumens is likely plenty. If you're working in dark shadows of bright light, then you need lots and lots of lumens (because your pupil is constricted).

I would not buy a cheap 18650 light for a headlamp, period. If you're putting an 18650 next to your forehead you want a quality light, so pony up for a Spark or a Zebra.

Same advice applies if you have $70 to spend: check Sparks and Zebras.

Personally I'd go with a separate handheld for spotting those dark areas; usually that's an observational task, not a two-hands task. My cheap bright smooth-beam handheld "cheapie" is a Sipik SK68 for <$10.

So for around $30 you could have best of both worlds, minus high CRI. Add neutral or high CRI and you're back up to $70 minimum for just a headlamp.

 

[rojos]

I don't know what to recommend without knowing your actual budget but here are some general tips.

I use a homemade floody headlamp for doing pretty much what you describe and after some trial and error I can say that 80 lumens is about what I need to see detail comfortably at dusk time. I would not be comfortable with less. Dusk is a challenging time for headlamps especially floody headlamps because you need more light than you would for total darkness. 30 to 40 lumens might be enough for total darkness but for dusk 80 maybe 70 is the minimum that I would shoot for.

I would steer clear of headlamps that use 5mm LED. The only way to get even flood out of them is to sand or frost the tips and the output loss is enough that using them outside at dusk will be a challenge. Also they are not as efficient as power LED so finding a unit that has the power you need without having a separate battery pack is doubtful.

Zebralight and Spark make purpose built high power flood headlamps but they are expensive and if you don't want to spend the money for one you can turn almost any headlamp which uses a power LED into a flooder by slapping two layers of Scotch Magic Tape on the lens. It can be kind of a messy solution but it is economical and it works.

Headlamps are not good for looking deep into tight areas. That will result in a kinked neck and frustration. You'll want a hand held with a tight hotspot for that.

 

[mpteach]

My first instinct was to immediately drive to a big box store and get a headlamp, but then i remembered the minimum number of pads rotors and wheels needed for my car to get there lol. Second instinct was to buy from DX. Mabye add scotch and tape. lol. They seem to like long zoom lenses and battery packs behind the head and im sure the tint isnt neutral. Im not so worried about cheap 18650 lights as i am cheap 18650 batteries. I sort of like the spark sd6. Where do people buy those? Why is the reflector gray and not white? lol. Im not working much now so i would feel good about $25 and really bad about $100.

50 lumens would have a very low lux spread over a couple square meters. My rayovac sportsman 3d probably has that many lux, its good in a small white bathroom but barely adeuate in a parking lot or around a black vehicle. Im thinking about going high power. How many lumens can your run without a headlamp getting very hot? I suppose 1.5hr is my minimum runtime. I'm planning on leaving the lamp in my house but if i did leave it in the car than maybe primary lithium or eneloops would be better there since heat kills li-ion.

 

[rojos]

I gotta be honest with you here. The reason I built my own headlamp was because I did not like the options that were out there. I think Zebralights and Sparks are too expensive. And the cheaper lights just didn't do what I wanted.

But there are some decent options if you are willing to buy some AAA Eneloops. Going 3xAAA is the best way to get decent quality for less than $25. Not great but decent. 3XAAA can be a PITA to deal with but that's the price you pay for economy.

You can get a Rayovac Indestrutible 100 at Home Depot for like $13 I think. That is not a bad headlamp. It has a very tight hotspot so it needs a couple layers of tape to make the beam floody. Also the tint is only so-so. But other than that it should do the job. Alkaline batteries won't last long in it but Eneloops should give you 3 to 4 hours of good light on maximum. I don't have extensive experience with the Rayovac. I have only tried it briefly. But that is the one that I would start out with. You can't beat the price and if anything goes wrong with it it has a life time warranty and you can return it to Home Depot.

If you want to get a Spark or a Zebralight run a Google search and the first couple results will show you where to buy them.

 

[jonnydingo]

I have used the Fenix HL21 for over a year and thought for the money under $30 on sale it was a great option. One AA and three step modes. I also have a zebra H31 and it is pricey but a great lamp.

 

[mpteach]

I did order the sd6-460nw.

 

[spankone]

That's cool at least you'll have the extra option of the magnet so you can attach it to things.


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[Climb14er]

I have been using the Princeton Tec EOS for not only mountaineering but for working on my 4Runner and Harley. The headlamp is well built, strong, puts out a very strong light and with eneloops, you just simply feed it rechargeables.

For working on a vehicle, electrical panels, or anything else that requires illumination up close, the EOS will do the job very inexpensively, without any fanfare and most of all, without a lot of weight on your head.

 

[electrothump]

The little single AA Rayovac Sportsman Xtreme is a pretty good inexpensive light for doing auto work. Just now looked, and they are still available from battery junction for about twenty bucks. http://www.batteryjunction.com/se1whlt-b.html I've had several of them, and other than using them till the straps wear out, I've had no problems with them. I also like not having a battery pack on the back of my head when I'm laying on my back under a vehicle. When the battery gets real low, the white power led shuts off without warning, however you still have the red, and the blue leds that will work for quite a while longer. After using this light for a little while, you'll be able to swap the spent battery for a fresh one in the dark.