Lamp for raking leaves

[Coop57]

Until recently I worked Midnight to 8am and then did yard work in the daytime. Now I work until 2:30pm. My problem is that in the fall I make some of my best money in yard clean ups. What would be a good head lamp for raking leaves in the dark? It should have a wider beam and use a common battery AA or AAA. Above all it should be comfortable.
Any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

[nzbazza]

Any of these headlamps from Princeton Tec should fit the bill:
Eos - Lux 1, 3AAA, favourite of the modders for slipping in a P4 or XRE
Apex - Lux 3, 4/5mm LEDs, 4AA's or 2/CR123, big powerful unit
Quad - 4/5mm LED's 3AAA, wide beam

All the above are waterproof, have regulated outputs on multiple levels, and run really well on ni-mh rechargeables.

The upcoming Zebralight H50 may suit you as well.

Also check out the Petzl Tikka XP and Black Diamond Spot, although IMHO not quite as good as the PT models.

 

[greenLED]

Unless you mod the Eos with a reflector, the stock beam will be too tight.

 

[Flying Turtle]

The new Rayovac "Sportsman Xtreme" headlamp might be right. Its diffuser spreads out the beam nicely. Best of all it uses just one AA and is very small and light. The only problem might be runtime, which is around 2 hours. The red and blue LEDs will continue to work after the main beam quits. This can be found at WalMart for about $19.

Geoff

 

[fishx65]

The Dorcy Super 1 watt lux available at Lowes and Meijer for around $19.00 has a fantastic flood with a good spot. I run mine on AAA rechargeables. This one is not talked about on here very much but it's a great headlamp that gets more use then my EOS. There is also a new Rayovac 1 AA lux but the Dorcy puts it to shame as far as brightness and flood goes. Many better ones out there if you want to spend some coin.

 

[greenlight]

good money raking leaves, huh?

 

[FoxFury]

Coop57

I would recommend our Performance Tactical or Command 20 Tactical headlamps. They give a wide 38 degree (Command) or 45 degree field of vision are used by the Disney Horticulture Department. Both run on 4 AAs. I'd recommend the Command 20 Tactical as it's the more ergonomic of the two and has 3 brightness levels.

http://foxfury.com/products/command/tactical_20.htm
http://foxfury.com/products/performance_series/tactical/tactical.htm

 

[LED Zeppelin]

Forget raking, get a USL or a Torch and burn 'em.

 

[BlackDecker]

I never rake my leaves, just use my mulching lawn mower and bag 'em up. But then here in Oklahoma, we don't have a lot of trees due to tornadoes, hailstorms, ice storms, hence not a lot of leaves

 

[Coop57]

Believe me, here in Western PA we have a lot of leaves. One mans leaves are another mans cash.
Thanks for all the input. I still haven't made up my mind yet.

 

[greenlight]

I know what you mean. Every autumn I end up raking the leaves in the street for free for all my neighbors. It's not much work, and I'm out there with the rake, anyway.

Makes the place look nicer, and if it rains the leaves don't turn into a slimy mess or clog the drains. I'm sure my 2 90 yr old neighbors appreciate it, (and their sons, who are supposed to visit and help-- those guys already have a lot on their plates.)

anyway, about the raking, do you have a preferred rake? I like a large plastic unit, but sometimes it's a little unwieldly. I really hate those steel rakes with the tines that scrape along the cement. Too noisy.

When I was a kid my dad tried to pay us to rake the leaves on the lawn, but we didn't want to> He MADE my brother do it and paid him for it, but was upset to see him raking from the bottom up, and not the top down. That was one of his first expressions of his compromised common sense. Didn't make much on those leaves.

 

[Coop57]

I like a large plastic rake. I take a section foam pipe insulation an put in on the rake handle. This makes it a lot more comfortable. I rake leaves and do yard work to supplement my regular job as a delivery driver for a doctors office. I once had a high pressure sales job selling information technology products and services. I was good at it for a couple of years but I found out that I could not keep pace with the technology. It passed me by. Now I have a lot less stess in my life. I make a lot less money but I like what I do and we have learned to get by with less. Life is good.

 

[Oddjob]

I like a large plastic rake. I take a section foam pipe insulation an put in on the rake handle. This makes it a lot more comfortable. I rake leaves and do yard work to supplement my regular job as a delivery driver for a doctors office. I once had a high pressure sales job selling information technology products and services. I was good at it for a couple of years but I found out that I could not keep pace with the technology. It passed me by. Now I have a lot less stess in my life. I make a lot less money but I like what I do and we have learned to get by with less. Life is good.

Good for you!:twothumbs Less stress means longer life in my books.

 

[Coop57]

I ended up getting a High Beam from Costco. I wish it had a little more side spill but it should work out ok.
http://rayovac.com/flashlight/lux3aahdlt-b.shtml
Thanks for all your input.

 

[greenlight]

good money raking leaves, huh?

Sorry for the sarcastic remark before. I enjoy raking the leaves now, also, but I don't get paid for it.

 

[Coop57]

Sorry for the sarcastic remark before. I enjoy raking the leaves now, also, but I don't get paid for it.

No problem. I have friends who have great jobs and they look at me strange when I tell them of my chosen career path.

 

[pec50]

It's not that life is so complicated, but that simplicity is so rarely understood.