Is there such a beast: AA with red filter?

[BroBrandonB]

I'm in need of a good headlamp for camping/night hiking. The problem is that I'm picky. I can find headlamps that have all the features I want, but just not together.

Firstly, I don't care much about how powerful it is - as I carry a real flashlight for when I need to light up an area. I just need something that will go on my head and provide nice, low level light so I don't trip into a creek or whatever... run time is more of a priority for me.

is there an LED headlamp that fits this bill:
-takes AA's (1 or 2 would be nice... more than that and I start getting concerned about weight)
-has a very long lasting low setting. (I have young eyes, don't need much)
-has either a single red LED or a red filter to put over the LED's. Preserving night vision is important to me, and I really enjoy a low red hugh. Perhaps I grew used to it when working in a dark room in highschool...:shrug:

The closest light I've been able to find is the Petzl TakTikka
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009HAHFW/?tag=cpf0b6-20
it would be perfect.... if only it took AA's.

If there were a good AA light that didn't have a red led or filter and someone had a good suggestion on how to rig that up.... that might be an option.

So what do y'all think?

 

[Illum]

what I would probably do is rig up a headband like this

http://www.9voltlight.com/inc/sdetail/277

then stick two Gerber red Infinities on either side

Unless your headlamp is incandescent using a red filter on a white LED results is considerable loss in output, and there are no existing red headlamps without modifying one to a red LED:thinking:

 

[Marduke]

There are a fairly large number of 3xAA and 4xAA headlamps with 2x5mm Red LED's.

 

[Sasquatch1985]

unfortunately most manufacturers are fond of only putting AA's in bigger, higher power headlamps. if you can settle for three AAA's then Energiser makes a decent light with two medium power leds and a red one. its certainly not high end but it works well for a recreational headlamp. I think OSH and Home Depote usualy cary them for about $30
http://www.energizer.com/products/flashlights/outdoor-lights/Pages/batteries-lantern-headlamp.aspx

 

[BroBrandonB]

unfortunately most manufacturers are fond of only putting AA's in bigger, higher power headlamps.

yeah... that's what I've found. I was hoping that maybe I'd missed something in my searches.


Getting a couple of the gerber infinities in a headband might be my best option for what I'm trying to accomplish. :sigh:

 

[Lynx_Arc]

the rayovac 1AA has two red LEDs (5mm) and a white Luxeon LED
runs for 2-3 hours on the Lux and perhaps 8-10 on the red ones?

 

[half-watt]

is a red LED and acceptable substitue for a red filter? i would think so. and, operating on this assumption, i would suggest that you go to Cabelas.com (you also have a flagship Brick-and-Mortar Cabelas store in Pennsylvania). you should find there a 1xAA HL - you mentioned that it ought to run on either 1 or 2 AA cell(s). it has a high-powered white LED, plus 1x5mm red, 1x5mm green, and 1x5mm blue LEDs. it also has a clear diffuser that can be used with any of the LEDs (including the hi-powered white LED).

i own this HL (the Browning Phantom 70 lumen HL) and it is a decent lightweight HL for about $45.

 

[Yucca Patrol]

The 1xAA Rayovac Sportsman Extreme will work great for you. It has white and red 5mm LED's and a 1W white bright LED. There is a rotating diffuser that can diffuse either side.

It does this all in a VERY small package.

 

[BroBrandonB]

yeah... a red LED is a fine substitute for the red filter... I think I'm going to look into all these suggestions.

And perhaps a field trip to cabellas will be in order, altho I always seem to get in trouble when i visit there.

If there are any other suggestions, throw them out here because I'm going to start my traditional German habit of researching each of the above suggestions for the next week or two to death until I know everything about them and get fed up enough to make a purchase.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Lynx_Arc]

If I was going camping I would have several lights and probably 2 headlamps as I have yet to find a single headlamp that does all I want not costing $75 as I don't care to use AAA batteries running high power LEDs on high levels of output I am still waiting for a 2AA cree headlamp with multiple levels and no silly strobe/sos

 

[half-watt]

If I was going camping I would have several lights and probably 2 headlamps...

+1.

at least one b/u light source is in order if you are planning on doing anything after dark.

however, if you are with others, and are sure that you'll always arrive at the bivy site before dark and don't plan to be doing much at all after dark and before sunrise, then one decent quality light is generally sufficient.

when alone, IMO, it's always a good idea to have a b/u "device de illumination" (as we say in pseudo-French). i've heard of emergency situations when one absolutely needed to break camp while dark. in such a case, i'd personally like to have a b/u light source with me just in case my main one failed and staying put was NOT an option.

 

[Illum]

And perhaps a field trip to cabellas will be in order, altho I always seem to get in trouble when i visit there.

Better bring your camera, nothing like seeing surefires hanging on walls:nana:

 

[alpg88]

i doubt you'd want headlight with 3 aa in the same unit that is on your forehead, it would be too heavy, and if you jumped or ran, it would surely not stay in place, unless you make the mounting strap so tight that your eyes pop out, j.k.
those units that use aa cells have a separate battery box that is on the back of your head, plus it has additional rubber strap that goes on top of your head.
also when unit uses 3-5 leds, there is no need for aa.

 

[BroBrandonB]

well I've done some reading and I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on a Rayovac Sportsman and try it out. For that price, I have nothing to loose.

And FYI I was at work last night talking to my wife on my break and I remarked, "ya know.... I just realized that right now I have three flashlights on me, and three knives."
she responded, "I wouldn't want to come across you in a dark alley"
I said "the least of their worries would be the flashlights and knives" the Glock has a way of making people reconsider their life choices in a hurry.


And the answer is yes... my pockets are getting a bit full these days. That's why I need a light to strap to my head now!

 

[Andrey]

Brandon,
I am in exactly same situation as you.
Check out my makeshift red filter for ZebraLight H60:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=222854

While trying to come up with something similar for 1xAA H501, I always carry Petzl E+Lite as a backup headlamp.
http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/signal-and-elite/elite
It weights close to nothing and has a really nice tiny red LED.

Cheers,
Andrey

 

[Flying Turtle]

I like a low red light, too. For my H50 Zebralight I cut a piece of red plastic and slipped it under the glare shield.

Geoff

 

[ZebraLight]

H501R:
- Cree XR-C Red LED
- 3 levels: Low, Med, High
- Double click to 3 other modes:
High to 4Hz flashing
Med to 1Hz flashing
Low to LowLow

 

[wapkil]

H501R:
- Cree XR-C Red LED
- 3 levels: Low, Med, High
- Double click to 3 other modes:
High to 4Hz flashing
Med to 1Hz flashing
Low to LowLow

Is the H501R already available? Haven't seen it anywhere. What output are the modes?

Good to see the multimode/two-level per mode UI implemented in H501. Although I would probably happily trade at least one of the flashing modes for additional brightness mode. Do you plan to offer future H501s (white, not red) with it? I'm particularly interested in low low, lower than the current H501 low.

 

[BroBrandonB]

what a bummer.... I went to wally-world this morning to take a gander at the Rayovac and they didn't have a single one. :sigh:

I'm gonna need to try other locations.

 

[baterija]

I'm gonna need to try other locations.

If by that you mean other Walmarts I can save you that trouble. They had a chain wide clearance last year. You might check out this post though.