Where to get an incan bulb (3AAA)

[caltemus]

A couple of years ago i recieved a Rayovac Sportsman 3 in 1 headlamp as a gift and used it quite frequently until the incandescent bulb burned out.
I would use the LED's but when i am backpacking I prefer the better throw of the incan.

Does anyone know where I can find a 2 pin 3 AAA cell bulb for this light?
The bulb looks like one out of a MiniMag but I tried one (2AA) and it burned out within an hour.

Would one of the other smaller Mag bulbs work or do I need to find the specific bulb for the product?

Thanks in advence

caltemus

 

[Marduke]

A couple of years ago i recieved a Rayovac Sportsman 3 in 1 headlamp as a gift and used it quite frequently until the incandescent bulb burned out.
I would use the LED's but when i am backpacking I prefer the better throw of the incan.

Sounds like you're used to wimpy little 5mm LED's. Modern high power LED's will absolutely crush that Rayovac for throw.

 

[caltemus]

But are there any good LED headlamps for under 30 dollars. I have been looking at the Zebralight H30 and H50 but I dont know if it is worth $50.

 

[likeguymontag]

But are there any good LED headlamps for under 30 dollars. I have been looking at the Zebralight H30 and H50 but I dont know if it is worth $50.

Looks like you can get the Princeton Tec Quad for $20-25. The new version (make sure you get the new one) is 45 lumens on high. It will be so radically better than the light you've been using that you'll be stunned. I'd spring for the (new) EOS though. It's a touch brighter, and more efficient on high. Neither of those are tremendously throwy lights though. If you want tons of throw, check other manufacturers, and maybe look for a light that uses a diffuser lens that snaps/slides into place. Those are usually quite throwy without the diffuser in place.

There's no way in hell that I'd backpack with an incan these days. LEDs are more reliable by far, and they're more efficient, which in turn means that they have much better runtimes on a set of batteries. That's another way of saying that they're lighter weight.

 

[steveG]

Is this the light you're talking about?

If it is, read this thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=203782

I don't use the lamp much since I bought a Zebralight, but it works great and the throw is pretty damn good for a lamp that I've spent $13 on including the purchase price of the lamp. I keep one in each of my cars just in case.

FYI: With the LED, if I take the reflector out it works almost as well as my Zebralight on high.

 

[caltemus]

I checked out the thread, thanks it is just what I need. In the following months I will probably just buy a Zebralight.

 

[likeguymontag]

I checked out the thread, thanks it is just what I need. In the following months I will probably just buy a Zebralight.

They're very floody, so be sure that's what you want. People on this forum seem to really love them though, and I'm sure you'll be very pleasantly surprised with what an upgrade it is.

 

[caltemus]

Steve, did you ever install a resistor for better run time, if so, what size was it?

 

[steveG]

No resistor. I considered it but figured I would try it as is before I did anything else. When I modified the first one I ran it continuously on high for about 3.5 hours on rechargeables. toward the end it was barely putting out light, but it pproduced useful light up to just over 3 hours. I figured that was more than enough for its intended purpose (back-up/just in case for the cars). Especially considering it has 2 lower modes that would likely see more use. As I said earlier, I really don't use them these days.

I modified a fourth and gave it to a friend for Christmas and he loves it. He's been using it a ton since then and has yet to change the batteries. I told him to let me know if he thinks it needs a resistor....