Will Surefire be updating their Minimus headlamp anytime soon?
- Thread starter rsgort
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It seems to me that Surefire took a lot of time and effort to design and manufacture the Saint which at the time was reasonably well received by a wide audience of users. However, the Saint also took some criticism and was not the success that I'd hoped it would be. The Minimus which is a Saint minus the battery pack has essentially remained unchanged apart from a couple of minor changes with two other derivatives. The AA version of the Minimus hasn't been well received by many due to its forward bulk and the necessary and unfortunate use of a short external power cable. This leaves the Maximus which has attracted criticism for its use of a non-replaceable battery. However, in use most of those who have either reviewed or bought it seem happy with its performance and simple UI. With regard to whether or not it would be possible to upgrade the Minimus to something more powerful I would suspect that technically it would need a completely new design for which there is probably not enough demand from existing users?
lumen aeternum
Enlightened
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- Sep 29, 2012
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What's the beam angle of the Minimus series? Looks to be limited by the fact that it is set back inside a plastic housing.
I'm attracted by the "twist to adjust" infinitely variable brightness.
OTOH the 120 degree beam spread of the Zebralight H502c seems really nice:
http://www.zebralight.com/H502d-High-CRI-Daylight-tint-AA-Flood-Headlamp_p_96.html
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?342648-Zebralight-H502c-High-CRI-Review
I'm attracted by the "twist to adjust" infinitely variable brightness.
OTOH the 120 degree beam spread of the Zebralight H502c seems really nice:
http://www.zebralight.com/H502d-High-CRI-Daylight-tint-AA-Flood-Headlamp_p_96.html
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?342648-Zebralight-H502c-High-CRI-Review
I cant help you with the beam angle but I know it is very wide. The housing is in fact aluminium. It is only the mounting bracket that isn't and that is made of Nitrolon. The twist knob is great. However,some people have found that when turning the knob they have also caused the lamp to move out of whatever degree of alignment the user had pre-set. The later versions of the Minimus can be adjusted a little so that it is harder to cause the body to move when turning the knob but it isn't a guaranteed cure and means that some people have to hold onto the body of the light whilst also turning the twist knob. Whilst the problems are relatively minor to some people they are incredibly irritating to others which is understandable considering that the Minimus isn't exactly cheap. The plus point of buying a Surefire Minimus or other headlamp made by them is their guarantee which beats all the but the most expensive headlamps.
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Thanks for the replies.
[Warning, long post ahead. To sum it up my questions are 1) Are the Surefire headlamps the best choices for rugged, simple, USA built headlamps utilizing 123 batteries and with pleasing beam patterns and colors? and 2) How much less range is there to the Vision? Enough to make navigating at night more of a pain than it already is?)
Now to be blunt: are the Surefire headlamps worth it? Or rather, is there any reason I should not get either a Minimus or Minimus Vision?
It seems with other light segments we can just throw money at a Surefire and receive a perfectly adequate and relatively simple light that will perform. The Surefires are definitely on the expensive side and not always the absolute brightest option but otherwise, well, I don't need to tell you guys.
Now regarding headlamps: Before I ever got into lights (still a noob but definitely interested) I was an avid hiker. Petzl seemed to be the go-to brand for hikers getting a headlamp and I have owned at least a half dozen of them. Always the cheaper to mid priced AAA models, usually priced under $55 USD or so. Back then I was always pleased with performance and never had any issues with the lights.
Since getting more into lights I have come to realize that while always perfectly reliable lights the beam pattern and color of the Petzls are not what I have come to expect from my lights. Also these days I prefer my gear to be a bit more robust (even though plastic has never and likely would never let me down) so the materials of the Petzls have left me wanting. Another thing is that I have settled on the 123 sized batteries as my common cell for all my lights.
Now I still have one of my old Petzls I would like to replace with something fitting the requirements I have outlined above.
I know the Zebralights are highly regarded but I really prefer no more than a few different output levels and it is nearly a requirement that my lights be built in the USA (or similarly respected manufacturing center). I am sure the Zebralights are excellent lights but they are just not what I am looking for right now.
So really it is looking like the Surefires are my best bet (that I am aware of) but they just don't seem to highly regarded. I am willing to take the (seemingly minor) chance that whichever Surefire headlamp (between the Minimus or Minimus Vision) I choose won't perform adequately but would like any input I can get before I take that chance.
Now between the Minimus or Minimus Vision. I am actually leaning towards the Minimus Vision because I know how annoying it can be cooking and building a fire with an LED headlamp. Also it does seem a bit annoying to be in nature and have everything you see at night be illuminated with such an artificial glow, and there seems to be an added advantage with the Vision of being more useful in a potential emergency situation where there may be smoke in the air. I am wondering though about the difference in effective range between the two models. Any ideas? I do not usually night hike but sometimes I get behind schedule and end up hiking after dark and finding those small trail markers past dark with a dinky headlamp can be a real pain. Also I usually carry a brighter light too but I don't want to have to rely on it, gear redundancy and all that.So, thoughts?
Sorry for the long drawn out and uninteresting post.
[Warning, long post ahead. To sum it up my questions are 1) Are the Surefire headlamps the best choices for rugged, simple, USA built headlamps utilizing 123 batteries and with pleasing beam patterns and colors? and 2) How much less range is there to the Vision? Enough to make navigating at night more of a pain than it already is?)
Now to be blunt: are the Surefire headlamps worth it? Or rather, is there any reason I should not get either a Minimus or Minimus Vision?
It seems with other light segments we can just throw money at a Surefire and receive a perfectly adequate and relatively simple light that will perform. The Surefires are definitely on the expensive side and not always the absolute brightest option but otherwise, well, I don't need to tell you guys.
Now regarding headlamps: Before I ever got into lights (still a noob but definitely interested) I was an avid hiker. Petzl seemed to be the go-to brand for hikers getting a headlamp and I have owned at least a half dozen of them. Always the cheaper to mid priced AAA models, usually priced under $55 USD or so. Back then I was always pleased with performance and never had any issues with the lights.
Since getting more into lights I have come to realize that while always perfectly reliable lights the beam pattern and color of the Petzls are not what I have come to expect from my lights. Also these days I prefer my gear to be a bit more robust (even though plastic has never and likely would never let me down) so the materials of the Petzls have left me wanting. Another thing is that I have settled on the 123 sized batteries as my common cell for all my lights.
Now I still have one of my old Petzls I would like to replace with something fitting the requirements I have outlined above.
I know the Zebralights are highly regarded but I really prefer no more than a few different output levels and it is nearly a requirement that my lights be built in the USA (or similarly respected manufacturing center). I am sure the Zebralights are excellent lights but they are just not what I am looking for right now.
So really it is looking like the Surefires are my best bet (that I am aware of) but they just don't seem to highly regarded. I am willing to take the (seemingly minor) chance that whichever Surefire headlamp (between the Minimus or Minimus Vision) I choose won't perform adequately but would like any input I can get before I take that chance.
Now between the Minimus or Minimus Vision. I am actually leaning towards the Minimus Vision because I know how annoying it can be cooking and building a fire with an LED headlamp. Also it does seem a bit annoying to be in nature and have everything you see at night be illuminated with such an artificial glow, and there seems to be an added advantage with the Vision of being more useful in a potential emergency situation where there may be smoke in the air. I am wondering though about the difference in effective range between the two models. Any ideas? I do not usually night hike but sometimes I get behind schedule and end up hiking after dark and finding those small trail markers past dark with a dinky headlamp can be a real pain. Also I usually carry a brighter light too but I don't want to have to rely on it, gear redundancy and all that.So, thoughts?
Sorry for the long drawn out and uninteresting post.
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I've a Saint and Minimus which would make you think that I'd never consider other headlamps. However, I recognise that these models are far from perfect and will put my perspective on the positive verses the negatives of these two which are apart from the battery pack on the Saint the same model.
Build quality: It is the usual high quality we've all come to expect from Surefire. It is tough and it is very water resistant. Will it fail? Unlikely, but as always it is still possible.
Materials: Nitrolon, aluminium and high quality elastic. All great and very durable.
Beam: Hit and miss. Nice wide angle with very few artefacts noticeable on my examples. However, they are there if you are picky. The tint is again a bit hit and miss but nothing horrible. The biggest problem with the beam is it is not bright enough for a lot of tasks.
User interface: What is not to like with a variable dial knob?
Adjustment: Not overly happy about the way Surefire has attempted to sort this out as both lights need two hands to either adjust the light intensity whilst keeping whatever angle you have set it at.
Batteries: CR123's are great for cold weather use but are expensive and not as easy to find as AA or AAA cells. I acknowledge my Saint can use both CR123's AND AA's but in the context of the OP's questions I'll ignore that and state that the Vision and Minimus only use CR123's.
In use: Comfortable but average and nothing that other lights don't do equally as well or in some cases better.
Biggest disadvantages: Cost, two handed adjustment and limited output. Battery type dependant.
I have found that the new Petzl NAO has most of the attributes I like but it certainly isn't as rugged as I'd wish for and certainly hasn't got that reassuring feeling of a Surefire. Now if Surefire built something like that they'd have a winner on their hands even with the high price it would undoubtedly cost!
Build quality: It is the usual high quality we've all come to expect from Surefire. It is tough and it is very water resistant. Will it fail? Unlikely, but as always it is still possible.
Materials: Nitrolon, aluminium and high quality elastic. All great and very durable.
Beam: Hit and miss. Nice wide angle with very few artefacts noticeable on my examples. However, they are there if you are picky. The tint is again a bit hit and miss but nothing horrible. The biggest problem with the beam is it is not bright enough for a lot of tasks.
User interface: What is not to like with a variable dial knob?
Adjustment: Not overly happy about the way Surefire has attempted to sort this out as both lights need two hands to either adjust the light intensity whilst keeping whatever angle you have set it at.
Batteries: CR123's are great for cold weather use but are expensive and not as easy to find as AA or AAA cells. I acknowledge my Saint can use both CR123's AND AA's but in the context of the OP's questions I'll ignore that and state that the Vision and Minimus only use CR123's.
In use: Comfortable but average and nothing that other lights don't do equally as well or in some cases better.
Biggest disadvantages: Cost, two handed adjustment and limited output. Battery type dependant.
I have found that the new Petzl NAO has most of the attributes I like but it certainly isn't as rugged as I'd wish for and certainly hasn't got that reassuring feeling of a Surefire. Now if Surefire built something like that they'd have a winner on their hands even with the high price it would undoubtedly cost!
I don't think there are any 'tactical' headlamps but undoubtedly the best and probably most expensive are Lupine. They say in life you get what you pay for and Lupine are in my opinion the absolute very best. I want but can't justify the cost of buying one. Best way is to look at their website (English & German) and look at reviews. Let us know what you get/think?
