Looking for a Dim Headlamp

[Mikul]

I know this is sacrelidge, but I want a headlamp with a LOW power setting. On low it should barely illuminate a piece of paper 3 feet away. Doing this with a red LED is even better. I just hate blasting light all over the place when I'm out.

The headlamp should also use LEDs and be waterproof (for use in rain, not underwater).

It would be nice if it had a high setting, but it only needs to illuminate 6 feet in front of me on high. Another nice feature would be that it didn't have to cycle from high to low. Thowing out a bright beam to get to a low beam kinda defeats the purpose.

The PrincetonTec Aurora and EOS look nice, but nobody talks about how low they can go.

 

[Hoghead]

Walmart sells a headlamp that has two white LEDs and one red LED. The white LEDs have a shaped lens that concentrates the beam. The red LED doesn't use the shaped lens. I don't know if it's water proof, but it's cheap. I think it's about $12. It uses 3AAAs mounted in the front.

The Princeton TEC Corona has 8 LEDs and it's pretty bright on all of the settings except with one LED on low. The one LED on low is fairly dim. It starts on high. It uses 3 AAs mounted in the rear.

 

[paulr]

That Walmart headlamp is probably the Eveready Essentials, reviewed at the LED Museum and at flashlightreview.com . I had one for a while and wasn't fond of it.

The Princeton Tec Aurora might be suitable. It has three leds and hi/med/low settings, though the low is not really all that low. White leds but I suppose you could use a red filter.

The ultimate I suppose would be a Photon Freedom with a red led, with an eyeglass or hat clip. It has variable power and can be adjusted down to almost nothing. There's a covert version that shields out most of the sidespill, for a buck or so extra. www.photonlight.com

 

[BlindedByTheLite]

what in the heck are you planning on doing with the headlamp? haha

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

I picked up a PT EOS yesterday and find the low mode quite useful. It's dim enough for closeup work or reading without giving off too much glare. Overall, I'm very impressed with it.

 

[nonbox]

Petzl Tactikka is what you need. It has a red filter and it is real dim.




__________________________________________________________________

http://free.hostdepartment.com/n/nonbox00

 

[nonbox]

Petzl's- TACTICAL Ultralight 3 LED Headlamp
with Pivoting Red Filter:

http://www.countycomm.com/TACTIKKA.htm


__________________________________________________________________

http://free.hostdepartment.com/n/nonbox00

 

[greenLED]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/au.gif is what you need! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

Seriously, ditto on the Tikka with filter. Or use drained batts in your current headlamp.

 

[xcandrew]

My Aurora on low is quite dim. It definitely gets dimmer than the Eos. It gets so dim that it's difficult to read in bed for much of its runtime. Here's a solution. Get an Aurora or Tikka/Tactikka, buy a bunch of fresh AAAs and I'll trade you partially used AAAs from my Eos for them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[PeLu]

You could change the resistor in the Petzl Tikka/Tactikka to get that low output.
I had one Tikka where I used almost dead cells from another light for reading at night.

 

[Mikul]

Thanks guys. The Tactikka looks fine. I see a plus model and a regular model. God only knows what the difference is.

 

[xcandrew]

The regular model has 3 LEDs, the plus has 4 and is a bit brighter.

 

[nonbox]

Tactikka & Tactikka Plus have different on/off switches. The Tactikka Plus has a single button you press down on. The Tactikka has a switch you slide to the right to turn on.

Tactikka is dimmer than the Tactikka Plus.


__________________________________________________________________

http://free.hostdepartment.com/n/nonbox00

 

[wwglen]

I like the Raovac headlamp at Wal-Mart.

2 Red LEDs - one White LED - one incandacsent.

This is also the way the rotery switch works.

If the LED-s are too bright use a little transulcent tape over the red ones for the LOW setting.

wwglen.

 

[kakcoo]

I have a white headlamp like the one nonbox posted. It's pretty bright.

 

[nonbox]

You can check out a lot of headlamps at REI and compare them. The Petzl Zipkka, Tikka, Tactikka (all with 3 leds) are dim compared to all the newer headlamps.


__________________________________________________________________

http://free.hostdepartment.com/n/nonbox00

 

[mrme]

[ QUOTE ]
Mikul said:
Thanks guys. The Tactikka looks fine. I see a plus model and a regular model. God only knows what the difference is.

[/ QUOTE ]

The "Plus" models have a tilt housing so you can dirrect the angle of the light for reading, walking or whatever. I would never buy a headlamp without a tilt housing.

I gave a friend a pair of the cheap energizer LED headlamps, which had the tilt as just about every respectable headlamp on the market has. He also recieved a pair of Petzl Tikkas. He and his new wife went to Tibet on their honeymoon. He reported that the Petzls were terrible and gave them away, but the really liked the Energizer ones.

They are only about $13 (about half what the Petzl ones cost) and have a red LED. I don't know if you can stand to buy something that costs less. It seems a lot of cpf pride themselves on spending more than they need for things that add very little (if any) value. I personally don't care for either of these headlamps very much.

If you want a flexible headlamp, you might consider a PT Solo. It is another light I don't care for, but its design is very flexible and durable. The bulb is a PR base, so you can get virtually any wattage imaginable. I know that LED replacent bulbs are avalible in PR bases in white, and I would bet red could be found. White LEDs run dirrect drive off 2 AA battereis are pretty weak. A red lens is avalible for about $3. I mean a whole bezel make of red plastic, not some flimsy red chip.

Just another thought. I would steer clear of the non "plus" Petzl headlamps. Even with the "plus," the Petzl LED headlamps represent a rather poor value.

Good luck with whatever you end up using.

 

[nonbox]

mrme, I agree with you. I have a tikka and it does not have a tilt. It is difficult to walk down stairs and a slope with out the tilt. The tikka's on/off switch is terrible. The non "plus" Petzl headlamps are inferior to the Plus models.

I recommend the PT EOS but it is bright.

__________________________________________________________________

http://free.hostdepartment.com/n/nonbox00

 

[junior]

Very interesting...... i just got the energizer headlamp (had a Target stores gift card) and will use it this weekend in the mountains (night). I will report the brightness of the 2 white leds and the 1 red led.

To be truthful, i dont like the beams of headlamps very much. My friend his a PT Yukon i believe it has 1watt lux with 3 leds and i dont care for the beams. I really dont like the beams of the energizer either, but hands free makes good for hiking.

 

[mrme]

Yeah,
Headlamps are way behind flashlights in a lot of respects. Try not to compare headlamp beams to those of high end flashlights.

Black Diamond headlamps have allright beams. You might look at one of them. Of course their bulbs have to be terrible if the beam is smooth. Put a PT Yukon bulb in most lights or a Energizer Double Barrel replacement bulb in the Supernova.

But it will still leave you wishing for more.