Warm White LED Headlamps / Made in USA

[gallonoffuel]

Hey guys, I've been searching for a few days trying to get an idea of the headlamp I want. When the Saint Minimus was announced I was really looking forward to it, but if the beamshots I've seen appear to be slightly bluish in the center of the beam, probably due to a blue shift with whatever optic they use? I'm looking for a floody headlamp, with a warm white tint, a LOW low, and made in the USA or Europe. Battery type isn't an issue, although CR123s would be nice.

The Princeton Tec products seem to be 'assembled in USA' and thats fine, but the ones I have used before use are very cool tinted, they might as well call them blue LEDs. The EOS II looks good but again, I'm concerned about the tint. I read about the Husky 'high intensity' headlamp at Home Depot, but I haven't found one here. I went to EMS and checked out the offerings from Black Diamond and Petzl, and none of them are particularly floody, nor are they anything close to a warm tint.

I guess the Zebralight warm versions are what I'm really looking for, but I'm searching for alternatives. If the rest of the market does not produce what I want, then I'll go for the H501w.

 

[gallonoffuel]

I hate answering my own questions but my own impatience drove me to check out Sports Authority because they are having a 20% off all flashlights and headlamps. They had both the old 25lumen EOS and the new 50lumen/4mode EOS. They had one of each. The new one was listed at $49.99, so even with the 20% off + tax I overpaid, but I wanted to try it now now now.

The tint is exactly what I was looking for. Fairly neutral white. I guess I won the rebel lottery? The optic was not centered in the front window so I popped out the guts and found that one of the posts that holds the optic onto the circuit board was not engaged completely, so I snapped it back on and fixed that issue. The beam profile is not exactly what I was looking for, even with the diffused optic it's too much of a hotspot but some diffusing film should fix that. It's made in USA (says the package) and has a lifetime warranty. I consider myself satisfied (for now).

I might try to see if I can go back and price match. If I can get $10 back I'd be even happier.

Still taking recommendations though.

 

[JNewell]

I recently bought a 4-level 50 lumen EOS based on some digging in the archives here, in spite of comments about the tint lottery. Mine's quite white and has a great balance of throw and spill. I paid $38, IIRC, at a local B&M camping store. It replaces an Aurora, which I still think is a great headlamp. I've had great luck with PT headlamps over the years, so I think you made a good choice.

 

[gallonoffuel]

My EOS replaces an Aurora as well, which I thought wasn't the greatest product in the world. I got one on sale for $9.99 at Cabelas about a month ago, and while the build quality was ok, and the function was acceptable, the blue tint on those 5mm LEDs was terrible. The tri-lobed hotspot was irritating as well, and did not smooth out even when I sanded the front window. I wound up breaking it while taking it apart to see if I could desolder the LEDs and replace them with something more enjoyable.

My new EOS is fantastic though. And I won't be modding it at all, I want to keep the warranty on this one.

 

[JNewell]

Fair comments on the Aurora, but my feelings about it are influenced by the fact that I've had a couple of them for five, six years, something like that. Technology has changed a lot - they were pretty darned good when they were first introduced, and fwiw I still think of them that way.

 

[CoachG]

I recently purchased a PT EOS and I love it. Paid $38 that includes shipping and handling. 50 lumens with four settings, nice throw and nice color on the light. I hear really good things about the Fenix headlamp for a decent price ($70). Love surefire products but could not bring myself to pay $139 for a headlamp that is mainly used for hunting.