New Headlamp

[Simon Barry]

I am tempted by
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130465041661&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I will only be using it every now and then - whole months could go by and it will stay dark. The main use will be illuminate objects/people/things on hillsides as I have proximity lighting sorted with a pair of 300 lumen floods on my rucksack harness - they are running on AAs, alkalines or NimH

Now the questions:

I have never used Li rechargables and the stories of explosions and fires scare me - this unit runs on them so I would have to get two and a charger as well. How do they take to being left unloved for months at a time?

Am I actually just complicating matters?

Should I just go for http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290537520431&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
instead.

Afterall, I already have rechargable AA cells, charger and am comfortable with it. Will the extra 100 lumen really make that much of a difference?

 

[cistallus]

Wow, you joined over a year ago and this is only your second post!

You should use what you are comfortable with, the rechargeable AA. Going from 300 to 400 lumens is not that significant visually.

However, realize that neither of those units are putting out their stated lumens. They are cheap no-name items. If the light they provide is important to you at all, you should get 2 or 3 and carry all of them so when the one you are using doesn't work or fails, you have a fallback. Better yet, read this Headlamp forum and become familiar with the well-known lights that offer known output levels and higher quality and reliability. You get what you pay for.

 

[Simon Barry]

Thanks for the fast reply - yes, I have been lurking about CPF for some time (err...longer than a year) but tend to on another forum as torches are a side interest for me...

Get your point about declared versus actual light output. Its all relative - remembering the days of the Petzl Zoom pre-halogen. Also get your point about build quality etc compared to a brand name - but I am tight on budget (50 year old student) tend to carry 2 or 3 torches when out anyway as they are now so small and light its easier to carry torch with batteries than just spare batteries and have to do a field change.

TBH, I have also come to the conclusion that, limitations accepted, a £5 torch is unlikely to be 10x less good than a £50 torch - add in technology leaps every few years and (for me anyway) if a £5 torch lasts 3 years I am happy. If longer...quids in.

I'll go with your advice and thick with the AAs

 

[snakyjake]

The dangers of rechargeable lithium is charging and running multiple cells. The last place I want this danger is on my head, and my home. There are ways to mitigate the risks, if you are willing to manually and frequently monitor battery voltages. For me, monitoring flashlight batteries is not something I'm going to do. It especially becomes less desirable when you have multiple lights to keep track of. Oh, and you need a good quality charger too (PILA) for $50. The only way I'll consider rechargeable lithium is in a single cell light with the PILA charger.

Jake

 

[Linger]

If you're looking for a $5 headlamp, perhaps make it eneloop powered (AA cells), atleast the decent battery will give you some consistent performance. The initial ebay headlamp linked may do a 100 lumen, but a crenelated strike-bezel on a headlamp? Hilarious.

Some $5 headlamps may do you better than others. Given the likely non-existent heat-sinking, budget soldering, questionable electronics, all packaged in a brittle plastic would really have me suggest avoiding the power that 2x 18650's hold. I'm not at all against the tech, I've worn dual18650 headlamps that I've built into my bicycle helmet, but the budget products make me un-easy.

Find a 3AA model, there is too little stored energy in triple a's.

Best,
Linger
(by all means, PM me if you'd like a budget suggestion, dx has some offerings that aren't worse than anything else out there.)