Looking for pics and feedback on Silva LX!

[NorthernStar]

Hi!

I have not been posting for a while,so it feels great to be back and see so many news! I am highly interested in a Silva LX,and i have searched for a rewiev with pics,but i can´t find any.

I have the Silva L1 with a 3W LED,and i have used it for running at night and all other outdoor uses. I thaught it was qood,but the headstrap was too tight and i wanted a stronger headlight.

Now i have seen pics of the Silva LX with it´s 5w LED and i am SO curious about it!

Has anyone used it and can give som feedback to me? Is it a good headlamp for running? Does any friendly person have any pics of the LX beam shots?

Thanx!

 

[stoven]

I am pretty sure it has a K2 emitter and requires a huge battery pack. I personally think carrying around a big battery pack on your waist would be too uncomfortable to jog with. The LX, L1, L2, and L3 are all exactly the same when it comes to form factor. The only difference is the battery pack. So the LX strap would be exactly the same.

I have a Brunton L1 (same as 1 Watt Silva L2) with a Seoul P4 emitter swap and it is even brighter than the headlamp you have and only runs on 2xAA batteries instead of 4xAA like yours.

I personally think the LX is way overpriced. The 3watt you have is on par with a 1watt Princeton Tec EOS and Black Diamond Spot. I bet the LX is only as bright as the 3watt competitors. If I was to recommend a headlamp it would be the newer Princeton Tec 3Watt Apex that runs on 2xCR123 batteries. It is the brightest headlamp I have tested and I've tested a lot of them.

Steve

 

[nzbazza]

The Silva LX has a LuxV in it instead of the LuxIII of the L1.

Unfortunately I haven't tried one yet.

If you are looking for a really bright headlamp I would suggest you check out the Silva 20W halogen orienteering headlamps or try and find a HID headlamp.

 

[nzbazza]

I have a Brunton L1 (same as 1 Watt Silva L2) with a Seoul P4 emitter swap and it is even brighter than the headlamp you have and only runs on 2xAA batteries instead of 4xAA like yours.

Stoven, how did you take apart the head unit of the L2? I've wondering about swapping in a Seoul p4 for the Lux1.

 

[stoven]

I also swapped a Seoul into the 3Watt and it worked great.

Here is a quick set of steps:

1. Use a knife to wedge the cover off.
2. Unsolder the leads on the luxeon emitter.
3. Pull the emitter off the aluminum heat sink.
4. Solder on Seoul P4 making sure to get the polarity correct. The heat sink is neutral so there is no masking required due to the heat sink pad of the P4 being positive.
5. Pop cover back on with existing optic. You might need glue since popping the cover off breaks the ultrasonic weld.


Steve

 

[NorthernStar]

Thank you for your good info!

I´ve visited Princeton Tecs website,and looked at the 3 Watt Apex. I like the solution that the battery pack are mounted on the backside of the Headlamp,not like the Silva LX´s battery pack that has to be carried in a belt.

I allready have one Silva L1,and i think it´s a little to weak for using as a headlamp for running at night. I want a LED in the size of a Silva LX,not like the much bigger Silva model 480 that has a 20W halogen lamp. It´s far to expencive for me,and it´s overkill for my needs.

I compared the Datas on both the Apex 3W and the L1 3W,and i found that they are very close to eachother when it comes to the beamlength set on the highest modes.The Apex has a 56 meter beamlength while The L1 has about 63 meter beamlenght. The L1 has a 7 meters longer beam according to the manufacturers Datas,which always should be taken with a grain of salt offcorse,because they are usually overrated.

The datas on the Silva LX says that it has a 5W LED with beamlength of 75 meters,and the beam is wider than the L1.

I also think that the LX is overpriced,but i think that the prices are going to fall by time. When products are new on the market they have high prices,but by time the prices drops.

Besides of the price that the battery pack has to been worn in a belt,i am still interested in it. If the prices will drop by this Fall,i might end up buying it.

If anyone has any feedback or pics using the LX,please reply in this thread!

Or for that matter,if someone has a suggestion for a 5Wat LED headlamp that is good for use for running and with the battery pack mounted on the headband that has a good price,please reply your ideas too!