I used it tonight for 90 minutes trail run: it's a great little light for sure!
In some ways it's better than the HL55 but in others the HL55, in my opinion, still has a better design.
Here is my initial impressions:
Pros
- Light: even 15g lighter than the HL55 with a 3500 battery.
- Compact: it is very small.
- Headband: top quality, it keeps the headlamp firmly in place with zero bounce. Way better than the older gray Fenix headband or the newer Fenix blue one.
- The dual light design offer great flexibility and you can get different beam profiles - flood, throw, or different combinations of both.
- When the LEDs are lit up together they create a single smooth beam.
- Battery indicator is nice to have.
- Charging USB Type-C capability is also a nice feature.
Cons
- Using both floodlight and the spotlight together drains the battery quickly. I used both LEDs at different levels but only for a short time at 400 (flood) and 600 (spot) together and the battery after 90 minutes was almost completely drained.
- While with the HL55 I have a good idea of the runtime I can get out of a Fenix 3500 battery at a given level, it is hard to tell runtimes with the HM65R when using both beams.
- The HL55 has incredibly well balanced beam. With the HM65R you can customize it but when running I find the flood alone is too floody and the spot doesn't have enough spill to see where you are stepping if going at a faster pace, especially if on technical terrain. That means you have to use both beams at mid or even high levels which results in much shorter runtimes. When hiking at a normal pace or jogging on easy terrain, lower levels or even just using only the floodlight or the only spotlight worked well enough for me. For running though, the HL55 beam profile seems to be more versatile, at least for now.
- The dual button works very well. I used it with slightly insulated leather gloves and could switch it on and off or cycle through levels without any problem. That being said, the HL55 single large button is fool-proof and definitely easier to use: I have been used it even when badly sleep-deprived and wearing thick winter gloves. The HM65R buttons are obviously not as easy to use.
- It doesn't tilt 180° like the HL55.
The first impression is definitely positive. The Superraptor is a great headlamp offering considerable flexibility in achieving different beam profiles. Depending on what you plan to use it for, it may turn out not to be necessarily the best choice out there.
Merry Christmas!
