New Icon Irix Headlamp

[Bolster]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

... where do you find $10 headlamps that run on a single AA with continuous brightness adjustment and regulation?

Dunno. Closest I could find was a 1xAA Energizer Micro LED for $20, adjustable 5-100%. Unreg'd but claimed 65 lumen and has 2 red LED built in.

Irix II already down to $19.99 at Amazon.

Now about those beam measurements...

 

[mellowman]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Don't think the Irix has regulation other than the dial. If you use primaries, you'll save the difference in batteries given the huge run-time difference. Eventually you'll find this light in the $10 bin. It's just plastic with less than a $1 worth of LEDs, ok lets make it $15 so Irix's kids can eat. It's best features is it uses AA bats and has a dial. The dial isn't the end all be all either as I either adjust low or high anyway and there isn't all that much useful range in-between.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Can somebody give me Irix II 'beam diameter' and 'distance from wall' measurements? Please?

Now about those beam measurements...

I dont think anybody is ignoring you, its just that it is very hard to determine "beam diameter" as this light is completely floody with no real concentrated enough hotspot to measure "beam diameter". There is no real "edge" of which to measure from if that makes sense... I suppose I will give it a shot tonight when I get home, but it is such floody diffused light its going to be hard to be accurate...

EDIT: oh, I see you already grabbed one of the pics I took... Using that pic for reference, the "beam diameter" is approx 8ft.. I imagine I was standing about 8-10 feet away. I will try to get closer measurements in a few hours.

With the IRIX finally out I can't imagine why anybody would bother buying a Zebralight...?

The ZL is a fine light but it's also well more than twice the price of an IRIX II (got mine for $23 delivered) putting it out of reach for many people. Also, where do you find $10 headlamps that run on a single AA with continuous brightness adjustment and regulation? The IRIX may not be a ZebraLight but it's certainly not a junky $10 headlamp.

+1

To each his own. I myself like the Irix II just fine and have had it awhile since I was one of the very first on CPF to get one. I like the dial interface especially with gloves... I never could reliably click through my Zebra's 6 levels with gloves on to get where I wanted to be. Especially with it strapped to my head. Click, double click, press hold, click etc... IMHO MUCH easier to use the Irix II interface especially with gloves on.

Different stokes for different folks, but I sold my Zebra. (Actually traded it for a M60). I have found the Irix to be perfect for my use of a headlamp. I like very floody, low output, convenient interface in a headlamp. Just me.

 

[Bolster]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

I dont think anybody is ignoring you, its just that it is very hard to determine "beam diameter" as this light is completely floody with no real concentrated enough hotspot to measure "beam diameter". There is no real "edge" of which to measure from if that makes sense... I suppose I will give it a shot tonight when I get home, but it is such floody diffused light its going to be hard to be accurate...

Whew, I was beginning to worry. Thanks.

Regarding measuring the beam...similar problems with many floody lights, and it does entail some judgment calls. You just do the best you can; we are looking for round numbers, not minutes and seconds of angles. Looking at the beam, find a point at which the beam starts to drop rapidly away. I aim for the middle of that "transition area" because that's where the light outside the main beam becomes relatively unusable, if my eyes are adapted to the center portion of the beam.

The other way of measuring is to set the light onto a protractor, like TurboBB does in post 12 here.

Thanks!!

 

[Bolster]

Yes, the Irix II is more problematic than most, due to the way it fades out. I see your point, reviewing the beamshots to date. If it were me I'd be measuring between the green arrows.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Can somebody give me Irix II 'beam diameter' and 'distance from wall' measurements? Please?

Whew, I was beginning to worry. Thanks.

Regarding measuring the beam...similar problems with many floody lights, and it does entail some judgment calls. You just do the best you can; we are looking for round numbers, not minutes and seconds of angles. Looking at the beam, find a point at which the beam starts to drop rapidly away. I aim for the middle of that "transition area" because that's where the light outside the main beam becomes relatively unusable, if my eyes are adapted to the center portion of the beam.

The other way of measuring is to set the light onto a protractor, like TurboBB does in post 12 here.

Thanks!!

Yes, the Irix II is more problematic than most, due to the way it fades out. I see your point, reviewing the beamshots to date. If it were me I'd be measuring between the green arrows.

Sounds good. Ill get as accurate as I can!

 

[gunga]

Well, as long as people aren't having any real issues, I may have to get a couple of these. The dial really is a nice feature, and if anything, it's a great loaner headlamp. Light, easy to use, and single AA. Oh, and a lot cheaper than a Zebralight or Spark.

 

[bbaker22]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Whew, I was beginning to worry. Thanks.

Regarding measuring the beam...similar problems with many floody lights, and it does entail some judgment calls. You just do the best you can; we are looking for round numbers, not minutes and seconds of angles. Looking at the beam, find a point at which the beam starts to drop rapidly away. I aim for the middle of that "transition area" because that's where the light outside the main beam becomes relatively unusable, if my eyes are adapted to the center portion of the beam.

The other way of measuring is to set the light onto a protractor, like TurboBB does in post 12 here.

Thanks!!

Haha. Yeah, I wasn't ignoring you, but when I turned on my headlamp last night to measure, I thought, "err....where's the edge? It fades away so slowly."

baker

 

[Bolster]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

I suppose, with the correct equipment, you could find the edge of the beam by defining it as the place where it's 50% the brightness of the center. But for the time being we'll go with the best estimate, or better yet...multiple estimates.

 

[RonM]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Hope this works. Haven't posted images here in a long time.

This is a beam shot of the IRIX II at 36" from the wall. I'll leave it to others to interpret the beams size.

 

[Bolster]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Nice beam shot! Tough call but somebody's gotta do it, so I'll call that 20 inches. (From 2 to 22). So let's see here...opposite side of 36, adjacent side of 10, outside the beam is 74.5 deg, half the beam is 15.5 deg, full beam is......31 degrees. Cool, thanks.

That's probably in the ballpark because other "bare 5mm LEDs" in other lights do about the same. The Foxfurys and the Energizers on flood setting do about the same. That's actually somewhat narrow for a flood beam IMO. I consider a floody beam to be 60-120 degrees of useable light.

OK, excellent, thank you. I'll quit bugging you guys, and you can go back to arguing Irix vs Zebra...LOL...

[EDIT: Bought my own Irix Icon II and measured the beam in person. 30 degrees.]

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Nice beam shot! Tough call but somebody's gotta do it, so I'll call that 20 inches. (From 2 to 22). So let's see here...opposite side of 36, adjacent side of 10, outside the beam is 74.5 deg, half the beam is 15.5 deg, full beam is......31 degrees. Cool, thanks.

(If you wanted to really give it benefit of the doubt and call it a 22" diameter that would make it a 34 degree beam.)

That's probably in the ballpark because other "bare 5mm LEDs" in other lights do about the same. The Foxfurys and the Energizers on flood setting do about the same. That's actually somewhat narrow for a flood beam IMO. I consider a floody beam to be 60-120 degrees of useable light.

OK, excellent, thank you. I'll quit bugging you guys, and you can go back to arguing Irix vs Zebra...LOL...

Ill let you do the math and see how close it is to RonM's but I measured just now from standing 6 feet away from the wall, I measured about 5 1/2 feet even diameter... Close to RonM's or not so much?

 

[Bolster]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Ill let you do the math and see how close it is to RonM's but I measured just now from standing 6 feet away from the wall, I measured about 5 1/2 feet even diameter... Close to RonM's or not so much?

Not so much. That would be more like a 48 degree beam.

[EDIT: Bought my own Irix and measured the beam in person. It's a 30-degree beam.]

 

[RonM]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

CS - Since you were twice the distance, the spot should be twice the size. So, based on Bolster's measurement from my pic, the spot should be 44" (4" shy of 4'). You measured 5'6". But this type of beam, with no defined edge, is hard to measure. It's all up for interpretation. 🙂

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

My "beamshot" is not nearly as defined as in your pic. By a ling shot. That's just not what my eyes see. I guess I was trying to measure from where the light tapered off the quickest... I dunno... Mine is pretty much a diffused wall of light. :shrug: I guess that protractor method would be much more accurate. Oh well, interesting nonetheless.

 

[Bolster]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Agree, the precise (or even not-so-precise) angle is up for interpretation, but any of the angles we've calculated so far are fairly narrow for a beam that's considered "floody."

Anyway, thanks guys for all the effort you put into answering my question!

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Both results mean a fairly narrow beam however.

I just don't see how this could be described as a narrow beam at all. RonM, do you think that pic is a good representation of what your eyes really see? I'm starting to wonder about my eye sight if this is described as a a narrow beam lol.

 

[Bolster]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Narrow for a flood, I mean. Compare a 30 degree beam to an 80, 90, or 120 beam.

30 would be HUGE compared to pretty much any throwy beam.

Ron, permission to use your beamshot in the thread I'm working on?

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

Gotcha. Very diffused, floody, and lacking a concentrated hot spot, but not the widest projection angle. Just read your floody headlight thread, thanks. Even though it's not as wide as others, I still think the peripheral vision is pretty good.

Thanks!

 

[RonM]

Re: New Icon Irix Headlamp - my mini 1 minute layman's version of review

I just don't see how this could be described as a narrow beam at all. RonM, do you think that pic is a good representation of what your eyes really see? I'm starting to wonder about my eye sight if this is described as a a narrow beam lol.

Eyes have better dynamic range than digital cameras but the pic came out pretty much like I see it in real life. Also mine's only 3' from the wall so things will be a bit more defined.

Narrow for a flood, I mean. Compare a 35-40 degree beam to an 80, 90, or 120 beam.

35-40 would be HUGE compared to pretty much any throwy beam.

Ron, permission to use your beamshot in the thread I'm working on?

Exactly. This light strikes a nice balance between throw and pure flood.

Yes, feel free to use the beamshot.