LED tech refreshes in headlamps: when is the "right time" to buy?

[NaptownJones]

Greetings, CPF! :wave:


I recently unearthed my four-year-old, 100w Black Diamond Storm from a pack in my storage closet. This is my best headlamp, a real workhorse that has served me well in all temperatures and conditions. It's not perfect. The UI is a little complicated to the point where if you don't use it for a few months, you may forget how to access some features. But it's been fine.


So just for the heck of it I decided to browse Amazon, and then these fine forums here, to see what has come along in the last few years. Wow! LED tech has really come a long way since I bought that Storm. It now seems totally obsolete, and makes me want to replace it with one of the fancy new ones in the same budget-ish price range (30$-50$).


So to the point: Can anyone here clue me in to how often LED tech gets improved in these consumer headlamps? Is this a good time to buy one, or are the "new generation" LEDs coming out soon? I've seen words like Cree and C4, but I have no idea what that means in terms of how old that tech is, and if it will be surpassed soon or not.


I'm thinking of it like video cards in computers. If you're considering a new card, one of the first things you do is try to get an educated guess on when the newer generation cards are coming out. Your buying decision is basically driven by that first and foremost. I'm trying to apply the same principle to LEDs, in hoping I don't get "obsoleted" again so soon! Thanks in advance for your help.
:thanks:

 

[Woods Walker]

Doesn't matter as there is always something better just coming out. Dark isn't getting any darker. For the most part the biggest jump happened with the XR-E aka Cree revolution IMHO. The XP-G and XM-L came out next and they been around for some time and often used even today. XP-E is also old and still around. There are some newer LEDs like the XHP-35/50 and XM-L though honestly for most normal modes not sure they're any better than XM-L2. If you buy something today odds are it will do everything you need for years to come. Dark isn't getting any darker after all. That's just my view.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Yes, the choices are manyfold now. Perhaps you can explain your primary uses? Then the knowledgable members can make suggestions. As far as something coming up that makes the current crop passé...got nothin for ya.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

For a headlamp, if you are looking for something the size of a Black Diamond Spot, go with a high binned Cree XP-G-2 or XP-G3. For brighter (most of these lights use lithium-ion batteries) , there is the Cree XM-L2, XP-L, and XP-L HI (Coming soon: Cree XP-L2). Anything that uses a Cree XHP-35 or 50 is going to be overkill and require a decent sized remote battery pack.

 

[NaptownJones]

Thanks for the replies so far. My primary use will be weekend long camping, trail riding and hunting trips. So I'm looking for good battery life at highest brightness, but not necessarily extraordinarily high lumins. I mostly just need the trail in front of me lit well for a long time. Also I'm a fan of common batteries like AA and AAA, and would like to avoid CR123's, etc.

What is the trade offs between having a single AA battery headlamp versus multiple AAA batteries? I've been looking at the Thrunite TH20, but I'm wondering if it will have the same output or runtime as something else that uses 3 or 4 AAA batteries, like a new Storm. Is there a rule of thumb for that comparison (AA vs. many AAA)?

 

[FDP]

I was in exactly the same position recently. I always kept up to date with regular flaslights, buying the latest Surefire, Malkoff and Elzetta models. My headlamp however was still an original Tikka Plus from +-12 years ago. Never failed me, but the performance and battery compatibility started to irk me.

I eventually decided to get a Olight Nova H1. What an excellent product for the price. I cannot see why you would want 1000+ lumens on your head. The H1 is perfect for my needs and leaps and bounds better than my old Petzl. Nothing wrong with it, just aged.

 

[Woods Walker]

Thanks for the replies so far. My primary use will be weekend long camping, trail riding and hunting trips. So I'm looking for good battery life at highest brightness, but not necessarily extraordinarily high lumins. I mostly just need the trail in front of me lit well for a long time. Also I'm a fan of common batteries like AA and AAA, and would like to avoid CR123's, etc.

What is the trade offs between having a single AA battery headlamp versus multiple AAA batteries? I've been looking at the Thrunite TH20, but I'm wondering if it will have the same output or runtime as something else that uses 3 or 4 AAA batteries, like a new Storm. Is there a rule of thumb for that comparison (AA vs. many AAA)?

I prefer 1XAA over 3XAAA. Within this class I like the Armytek Tiara and Fenix HL50.