Need recommendation for headlamp for First Aid Kits.

[Got Lumens?]

Prometheus located in CA offers a Foursevens branded headband kit. It's designed to be used with an optional patch hat, they also have optional sticky velcros, and comes with the headband designed to function with a foursevens Mini, or a Mini Turbo. They are powered by a HD RCR123 cell. These rechargeable HD cells allow for ~80% capacity after 1 year storage. I would go with the standard MKIII Mini for upclose Emergency care. The Mini MKIII Turbo's have a smooth reflector designed for throw as compared to regular MKIII Mini's that have a TIR lens that has worked well for me in those type's of need in the past. They also have a magnetic Mini arm flex that allows magnetic attachment of the Fourseven's Mini MKIII's. The lights are not 100% american made, but have a ten year american companies dedicated support if trouble should arise and or are found. I'm one and a half handed and planning reviews of these products asap as I am able to do so.
Just an option to consider looking into.
GL

 

[sirpetr]

Yup, Lucifer is made in Czechoslovakia.

We are already Czech (Czech Republic) for little more than 30 years, Czechoslovakia split in1993 into Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Thanks for mentioning our headlamps. I previously asked OP about sterilizing thing and still Im not sure if our current headstrap is ok or not because I cannot find any information about IDK. IMA SOL MAN, can you show me a picture of such IDK headstrap? Or check picture below?

If sterilizing would be ok Lucifer Z2Micro is 100% Czech made, does not have any single chinese part.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

We are already Czech (Czech Republic) for little more than 30 years, Czechoslovakia split in1993 into Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Thanks for mentioning our headlamps. I previously asked OP about sterilizing thing and still Im not sure if our current headstrap is ok or not because I cannot find any information about IDK. IMA SOL MAN, can you show me a picture of such IDK headstrap? Or check picture below?

If sterilizing would be ok Lucifer Z2Micro is 100% Czech made, does not have any single chinese part.u

@sirpetr IDK is a chat abbreviation for "I don't know.".

In case you didn't know, here in the USA the name Lucifer means Satan, and probably many people would not like to buy a product by that name, and especially not want to wear a headband with "Lucifer" on it. On the other hand, there are Satanists in the USA that would likely be your best customers--we have all types here in the USA. But if you want to market big here, you might want to re-brand products for the USA market.

 

[SYZYGY]

uh, lucifer is a perfectly appropriate name for such a product.

here on planet earth, lucifer actually means "light bringer" and refers to all kinds of things – most commonly, it refers to the planet venus. it has also been used in the new testament (see 2 Peter) to refer to some guy named jesus (among others).

it's also the root of luciferase (class of bioluminescent enzymes). fireflies

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

uh, lucifer is a perfectly appropriate name for such a product.

here on planet earth, lucifer actually means "light bringer" and refers to all kinds of things – most commonly, it refers to the planet venus. it has also been used in the new testament (see 2 Peter) to refer to some guy named jesus (among others).

it's also the root of luciferase (class of bioluminescent enzymes). fireflies

Nothing that I said was untrue, though.

 

[SYZYGY]

i guess i have just never met someone that would not buy a light-emitting product specifically because it is named "light bringer". i don't spend much time in the bible belt, though.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

i guess i have just never met someone that would not buy a light-emitting product specifically because it is named "light bringer". i don't spend much time in the bible belt, though.

That's okay, I won't hold that against you.

 

[electrolyte]

You probably can't sterilize the straps that accompany typical headlamps. That would require certification of a procedure. It would probably require autoclaving (steam pressure which you could replicate in a pressure cooker), ethylene oxide treatment, or gamma irradiation. (Don't try these at home.)

You will have to settle for sanitization or disinfection. There are basic chemicals or chemical groups used for disinfection, phenols, halogens (including hypochlorite bleach), quaternary amines (quats), peroxide and alcohols. You choose based on what you are trying to kill. Forget phenols. Anyone remember Lysol? It is not so commonly available anymore and they've changed the formulation. Just forget about it. There is a key word that you can look for, tuberculocidal. I am not sure of the current (OSHA or other) regulations, but it used to be that any cleanup of materials potentially containing blood-borne pathogens using tuberculocidal agents is OK. There are disinfectants that are not tuberculocidal , but OSHA-approved for bloodborne pathogens. Note that any disinfectant must be used on CLEAN materials. Soil of any kind can interfere with killing the pathogens.


Bleach is nasty. It is probably the most dangerous material commonly found in households. It quickly wrecks a lot of organic stuff like natural rubber and synthetics. It would probably be OK with limited cycles so OK in an emergency kit.

Alcohols have their own problems, flammable and volatile. You need 70% ethanol or isopropanol. Ethanol is less toxic to humans, but denatured ethanol maybe not since it has added stuff to make you sick. (Lots of formulations out there, hundreds if not thousands. I once had a 5 gal can with, among other things, had gasoline added as a denaturant. The revenuers controls these things.)v Isopropanol does not evaporate as fast and with any of these things you have to have contact for 10 minutes. (The EPA approves disinfectants and their procedure mixes the stuff 24 hours before testing and uses 10 min contact time.)n They don't clean in any way and are not tuberculocidal.

Then there are quaternary amines. That is what you will find in, probably, any and all cleaning agents on the grocery store shelf. Trouble is, they are probably not tuberculocidal. but there are tuberculocidal quot products and you an probably order on line. I use Decon Labs
BDD™ (Bacdown® Detergent Disinfectant)
Easy peasy, not terribly toxic or irritating, cheap, and probably won't hurt the straps. Just dunk them for a half hour agitating now and then, rinse well and dry.

Hydrogen peroxide will also work, but I'd go with a quot product.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

You probably can't sterilize the straps that accompany typical headlamps. That would require certification of a procedure. It would probably require autoclaving (steam pressure which you could replicate in a pressure cooker), ethylene oxide treatment, or gamma irradiation. (Don't try these at home.)

You will have to settle for sanitization or disinfection. There are basic chemicals or chemical groups used for disinfection, phenols, halogens (including hypochlorite bleach), quaternary amines (quats), peroxide and alcohols. You choose based on what you are trying to kill. Forget phenols. Anyone remember Lysol? It is not so commonly available anymore and they've changed the formulation. Just forget about it. There is a key word that you can look for, tuberculocidal. I am not sure of the current (OSHA or other) regulations, but it used to be that any cleanup of materials potentially containing blood-borne pathogens using tuberculocidal agents is OK. There are disinfectants that are not tuberculocidal , but OSHA-approved for bloodborne pathogens. Note that any disinfectant must be used on CLEAN materials. Soil of any kind can interfere with killing the pathogens.


Bleach is nasty. It is probably the most dangerous material commonly found in households. It quickly wrecks a lot of organic stuff like natural rubber and synthetics. It would probably be OK with limited cycles so OK in an emergency kit.

Alcohols have their own problems, flammable and volatile. You need 70% ethanol or isopropanol. Ethanol is less toxic to humans, but denatured ethanol maybe not since it has added stuff to make you sick. (Lots of formulations out there, hundreds if not thousands. I once had a 5 gal can with, among other things, had gasoline added as a denaturant. The revenuers controls these things.)v Isopropanol does not evaporate as fast and with any of these things you have to have contact for 10 minutes. (The EPA approves disinfectants and their procedure mixes the stuff 24 hours before testing and uses 10 min contact time.)n They don't clean in any way and are not tuberculocidal.

Then there are quaternary amines. That is what you will find in, probably, any and all cleaning agents on the grocery store shelf. Trouble is, they are probably not tuberculocidal. but there are tuberculocidal quot products and you an probably order on line. I use Decon Labs
BDD™ (Bacdown® Detergent Disinfectant)
Easy peasy, not terribly toxic or irritating, cheap, and probably won't hurt the straps. Just dunk them for a half hour agitating now and then, rinse well and dry.

Hydrogen peroxide will also work, but I'd go with a quot product.

@electrolyte Thank you very much for that detailed information on the subject. Not having much medical training or study, I was not aware of all that. I'll have to check out BDD.

 

[SYZYGY]

is this headlamp for you? just trying to understand the use case.

if you had to guess, what is the realistic chance that you would actually need to sanitize it? and how often? like, are you a volunteer that sometimes provides medical attention or something?

if it's not your job, and it's not realistically a common occurrence, i'd tick the 'can be sanitized' box by picking a light that doesn't have a lot of nooks and crannies (wipe down with EtOH/iPrOH) and has a strap that can be thrown in the washing machine along with the clothes you're wearing. that's how you'd deal with your clothes, right? or would you throw them away or send them for professional laundering (like scrubs or a uniform)? idk what kind of situation you envision dealing with.

also, i said this before, but you can do a lot worse than zebralight. if you're not dead set against it, i'd take a look.

i have a lot of fancy american, german, and japanese tools. i basically always buy what i think is the nicest tool if i can justify it and i'm not in a rush to get it. and in this case, for me personally, it's zebralight. the only reason i'd get something else is if i didn't want to spend so much money on a light that lives its life in a first aid kit and might never get used. in that case, i'd buy something cheaper.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

is this headlamp for you? just trying to understand the use case.

if you had to guess, what is the realistic chance that you would actually need to sanitize it? and how often? like, are you a volunteer that sometimes provides medical attention or something?

if it's not your job, and it's not realistically a common occurrence, i'd tick the 'can be sanitized' box by picking a light that doesn't have a lot of nooks and crannies (wipe down with EtOH/iPrOH) and has a strap that can be thrown in the washing machine along with the clothes you're wearing. that's how you'd deal with your clothes, right? or would you throw them away or send them for professional laundering (like scrubs or a uniform)? idk what kind of situation you envision dealing with.

also, i said this before, but you can do a lot worse than zebralight. if you're not dead set against it, i'd take a look.

i have a lot of fancy american, german, and japanese tools. i basically always buy what i think is the nicest tool if i can justify it and i'm not in a rush to get it. and in this case, for me personally, it's zebralight. the only reason i'd get something else is if i didn't want to spend so much money on a light that lives its life in a first aid kit and might never get used. in that case, i'd buy something cheaper.

99.9% likely it would be used with a family member, but I'm on the county CERT, so it could be used with others during an emergency/disaster. Yes, these will be for me or family members primarily, possibly other CERT members use secondarily.

 

[borrower]

Nothing that I said was untrue, though.

Technically correct, but missed the point by only understanding one element of the story. Plus, we're talking about the Bible, here, which should be in your wheelhouse.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Thinking about going with this headlamp:

Astro 300 Headlamp | Black Diamond Equipment

Check out the new Astro 300 Headlamp. A Dual-Fuel headlamp with AAA alkaline batteries or rechargeable BD 1500 Li-ion battery and 300 Lumen output.

www.blackdiamondequipment.com

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

You probably can't sterilize the straps that accompany typical headlamps. That would require certification of a procedure. It would probably require autoclaving (steam pressure which you could replicate in a pressure cooker), ethylene oxide treatment, or gamma irradiation. (Don't try these at home.)

You will have to settle for sanitization or disinfection. There are basic chemicals or chemical groups used for disinfection, phenols, halogens (including hypochlorite bleach), quaternary amines (quats), peroxide and alcohols. You choose based on what you are trying to kill. Forget phenols. Anyone remember Lysol? It is not so commonly available anymore and they've changed the formulation. Just forget about it. There is a key word that you can look for, tuberculocidal. I am not sure of the current (OSHA or other) regulations, but it used to be that any cleanup of materials potentially containing blood-borne pathogens using tuberculocidal agents is OK. There are disinfectants that are not tuberculocidal , but OSHA-approved for bloodborne pathogens. Note that any disinfectant must be used on CLEAN materials. Soil of any kind can interfere with killing the pathogens.


Bleach is nasty. It is probably the most dangerous material commonly found in households. It quickly wrecks a lot of organic stuff like natural rubber and synthetics. It would probably be OK with limited cycles so OK in an emergency kit.

Alcohols have their own problems, flammable and volatile. You need 70% ethanol or isopropanol. Ethanol is less toxic to humans, but denatured ethanol maybe not since it has added stuff to make you sick. (Lots of formulations out there, hundreds if not thousands. I once had a 5 gal can with, among other things, had gasoline added as a denaturant. The revenuers controls these things.)v Isopropanol does not evaporate as fast and with any of these things you have to have contact for 10 minutes. (The EPA approves disinfectants and their procedure mixes the stuff 24 hours before testing and uses 10 min contact time.)n They don't clean in any way and are not tuberculocidal.

Then there are quaternary amines. That is what you will find in, probably, any and all cleaning agents on the grocery store shelf. Trouble is, they are probably not tuberculocidal. but there are tuberculocidal quot products and you an probably order on line. I use Decon Labs
BDD™ (Bacdown® Detergent Disinfectant)
Easy peasy, not terribly toxic or irritating, cheap, and probably won't hurt the straps. Just dunk them for a half hour agitating now and then, rinse well and dry.

Hydrogen peroxide will also work, but I'd go with a quot product.

@electrolyte I came across Black Diamond's instructions for equipment cleaning--I think you might find it interesting, and I would like to get your opinion on it. I think this is the first time that I have come across this kind of cleaning instructions for a light. But, it states that it is due to COVID.

https://blackdiamond-web.cdn.prismic.io/blackdiamond-web/6d8f3af6-b0ca-44ab-8b9f-e29fc170a163_S20_EquipmentCleaning_17x11_all+lang.pdf

 

[Lips]

Made in USA, because I am a US citizen, not a citizen of the world.

zebralight gets my vote...

Nope, made in China. Thanks for playing.

Thinking about going with this headlamp:

Astro 300 Headlamp | Black Diamond Equipment

Check out the new Astro 300 Headlamp. A Dual-Fuel headlamp with AAA alkaline batteries or rechargeable BD 1500 Li-ion battery and 300 Lumen output.

www.blackdiamondequipment.com

IMA

Black Diamond makes just about everything they sell in China...

The Devil is in the details!

.
.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

IMA

Black Diamond makes just about everything they sell in China...

The Devil is in the details!

.
.

I wondered about that low price, but in the instructions, it indicated with a graphic, but not words, that the manufacture was in Salt Lake City, Utah. Before I order, I will contact them to verify that it is indeed made in the USA.

https://blackdiamond-web.cdn.prismic.io/blackdiamond-web/3a5d29b7-fb6c-40e4-8094-526d5a2b0709_M14511_A+Astro+300+DF_IS-WEB.pdf

 

[nightshade]

There is the option of Malkoff head lamp holders

and the addition of Maglite Minimag AA Warm White Spectrum series. All US made, L91 friendly and multimode for extended runtime.

 

[DaveTheDude]

If we're broadening to Europe, my fave is by LuciferLights (.net), the S2X.

And an aside to @DaveTheDude -- can you link an American made Vont? I see 4 packs on amazon for 20 bucks that say the country of origin is China. Maybe they have multiple lines?

Update on the Vont line of headlamps...

I read borrower's comment, and upon digging into the facts was surprised to learn that the Vont headlamp is no longer made in the USA, but like too many other products is now made in China. Mea culpa for not confirming the country of origin before posting. (The original was however designed in country, so I suppose that counts for something.) 🥴

 

[Got Lumens?]

Prometheus / Foursevens does state country of origin/manufacture on it's product's pages.
Unfortunately/sadly in the flashlight world, China has and leads with the most cost effective
manufacturing facilities for USA companies and their designs. There are only a few quality,
semi-reliable China based facilities that can be trusted. Example's O'light and Fenix. China
is more able to cost effectively produce an all American designed product, for far less costs.
They have increased manufacturing facility prices in the recent years. Even though some
components are made here, the bulk machining and some assembly sadly does happen there
due to not having more cost effective competition and manufacturing companies here.
There are several American flashlight manufacturers that still are all American made, with exception
of certain components, and they are mostly custom makers and their wears. Example, Prometheus Alpha
and Delta flashlights, Maglite, and Surefire. It would be beneficial to consumers here to have more and
abundant assembly and manufacturing facilities based in the US. If there were more facilities created
here, the costs would come down and outsourcing oversees would be far less beneficial for American
flashlight companies to take cost advantage of.

I used to be a dealer for one of China's flashlight manufacturers several years ago. I had to put a stop to it,
Dead In It's Tracks, once I had found out they were stealing proprietary designs, information, and marketing
said as their own. It is currently complicated for American Flashlight Companies to be able to effectively
compete with the lower costs that China based manufacturing facilities are able to offer. There needs to be
more facilities built here to support the flashlight community of American based companies and their designs.
The trends of having to outsource the manufacturing processes of American Flashlight Companies products
and designs, should be curbed. The more competitive oversees manufacturers should be presented with
competitive facilities to be opened and started here. Just my two cents.

 

[letschat7]

Well with communists you don't have I.P. or patents or copyright. This doesn't bother me though as you should make a high quality good designed product and not rely on a gov to protect your idea. People or companies that do good work stay in business.

Customers seek out high quality work. Rolex is the most copied product in the world yet they manage to stay in business because the customers want the real product.