This one for those of us located in Germany:
From today, Penny Markt is selling a 1W Luxeon headlamp (HLX-1713AA) at a killer price of EUR 12.99
I have bought one this morning. Now here is a quick and dirty review to help you decide if this is for you or not.
Some photos:
Electrical:
3 levels of headlight brightness + flash mode.
Press button on top of the collimator housing once for max power, twice for mid power, 3x for low power, 4x for flash mode. If no button pressed for a few seconds, the next press will always turn the light off. Not a bad concept.
Tail light integrated in batt box either off, on or flash. Pressing the button on the batt box cycles thru the tail light modes.
The light is powered by 3 common AA cells and has no regulation. So as the battery voltage decreases, the light output drops and becomes zero at around 3V. There is no battery-low indication.
Note that a 3x AA constellation can be problematic when running off NiMH cells. The reason is that many chargers only charge pairs of cells.
Optical:
Max light output with fresh alkalines compares to a PT Apex spot in low power mode.
The corona of the HLX-1713AA is relatively bright compared to the hotspot and the beam is pretty clean but there's a ring far outside. The collimator (TIR) is designed with a whole in the middle and looks pretty much like a Fraen one. The light color is very white (well, maybe a tiny little bit of green if I compare it to my PT Apex which is a tiny little bit reddish according to my eyes).
I call this a fairly good beam quality, different from but not worse than my PT Apex. Great for walking, OK but not perfect for close-up work or reading. Definitely above what you could expect from a EUR 13 light.
The tail light feature is a nice bonus but its too dim to be used as a primary bicycle tail light.
Mechanical:
The light is advertised as waterproof. There are seals everywhere. I assume it's OK in a downpour or for swimming, not for diving.
Straps are very similar to the PT Apex ones, even the color is the same. The top strap can be removed if desired, all straps are easy to adjust and comfortable to wear. It's not exactly the same material as used by PT, but quality appears comparable to me.
The cable running from the batt box to the head is strong, flexible (at room temperature at least), and partially spiraled. It's not getting in the way.
The elevation of the head is very easy to adjust, it locks in fine steps.
The weight of the light is dominated by its 3 AA cells.
The light's enclosure is a well-made plastic one that doesn't look like it's going to break quickly.
The back of the collimator housing is covered with a sticker, hiding some bolts. This suggests the unit can be opened for modding. I haven't done it yet, though.
Other stuff:
Comes with Duracell batteries.
Bottom Line:
Mechanical and optical performance are high but the lack of LED current regulation spoils this product for me.
For a non-flashoholic who doesn't care about regulation, this light is a great value given that it is available right from the local supermarket at a low price with branded batteries included.
From today, Penny Markt is selling a 1W Luxeon headlamp (HLX-1713AA) at a killer price of EUR 12.99
I have bought one this morning. Now here is a quick and dirty review to help you decide if this is for you or not.
Some photos:
Electrical:
3 levels of headlight brightness + flash mode.
Press button on top of the collimator housing once for max power, twice for mid power, 3x for low power, 4x for flash mode. If no button pressed for a few seconds, the next press will always turn the light off. Not a bad concept.
Tail light integrated in batt box either off, on or flash. Pressing the button on the batt box cycles thru the tail light modes.
The light is powered by 3 common AA cells and has no regulation. So as the battery voltage decreases, the light output drops and becomes zero at around 3V. There is no battery-low indication.
Note that a 3x AA constellation can be problematic when running off NiMH cells. The reason is that many chargers only charge pairs of cells.
Optical:
Max light output with fresh alkalines compares to a PT Apex spot in low power mode.
The corona of the HLX-1713AA is relatively bright compared to the hotspot and the beam is pretty clean but there's a ring far outside. The collimator (TIR) is designed with a whole in the middle and looks pretty much like a Fraen one. The light color is very white (well, maybe a tiny little bit of green if I compare it to my PT Apex which is a tiny little bit reddish according to my eyes).
I call this a fairly good beam quality, different from but not worse than my PT Apex. Great for walking, OK but not perfect for close-up work or reading. Definitely above what you could expect from a EUR 13 light.
The tail light feature is a nice bonus but its too dim to be used as a primary bicycle tail light.
Mechanical:
The light is advertised as waterproof. There are seals everywhere. I assume it's OK in a downpour or for swimming, not for diving.
Straps are very similar to the PT Apex ones, even the color is the same. The top strap can be removed if desired, all straps are easy to adjust and comfortable to wear. It's not exactly the same material as used by PT, but quality appears comparable to me.
The cable running from the batt box to the head is strong, flexible (at room temperature at least), and partially spiraled. It's not getting in the way.
The elevation of the head is very easy to adjust, it locks in fine steps.
The weight of the light is dominated by its 3 AA cells.
The light's enclosure is a well-made plastic one that doesn't look like it's going to break quickly.
The back of the collimator housing is covered with a sticker, hiding some bolts. This suggests the unit can be opened for modding. I haven't done it yet, though.
Other stuff:
Comes with Duracell batteries.
Bottom Line:
Mechanical and optical performance are high but the lack of LED current regulation spoils this product for me.
For a non-flashoholic who doesn't care about regulation, this light is a great value given that it is available right from the local supermarket at a low price with branded batteries included.
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