Where are all the new-gen LED headlamps?

Hi, i was wondering if anyone can point me to the headlamps that use the newer generation of LED's including the Cree XR-E, Seoul P4, and Luxeon Rebel.

I looked at the list here: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews_index/reviews_index_headlamps.htm
But it doesn't seem to include any.

Maybe we could start a sticky like in the LED flashlights forum?

There's the Zebralight, some 3AAA ones on DX, and FoxFury. A lot of the Cree/Seoul headlights these days are modded Luxeon models.

Quickbeam stopped doing reviews a few months ago, so that's why there are no Cree headlights there. He has a few Cree flashlight reviews, though.

Many of us have been asking where the hell all the Cree and Seoul Headlamps are for some months now.
Cheapie DX headlamps don't appeal to me. Foxfury makes some nice stuff, but nothing I've seen so far is applicable for just a nice nighttime backpacking trip.
So for a floody light the Zebralight is all that exists unless you mod.
Coleman was going to have a Cree light out last month iirc but something broke and it has been delayed for a bit. They still might be the next on the market with a Cree Headlamp though.

Princeton Tec, Petzl, and Black Diamond have all been sitting on their lazy behinds for the past year apparently. Hopefully they'll start moving in 2008.

I'd like to find a relatively cheap cree or Rebel headlamp for < $30. For now I am leaning toward getting the ROV Sportsman Extreme even though it appears to use a standrard Luxeon emitter. But the price is right and it appears to get moderately good reviews. The stuff on DX looks extremely cheap and marginal quality. You would think that with all of the new lights coming out with cree's that there would also be some nice headlamps come out as well.

PhantomPhoton said:

Princeton Tec, Petzl, and Black Diamond have all been sitting on their lazy behinds for the past year apparently. Hopefully they'll start moving in 2008.

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That is no joke. I am amazed the the sluggish response these companies have towards the new LEDs. A regulated (and waterproofed) Myo Xp with a better emitter would be ideal for myself!!

Well, that's why I've decided to go ahead an mod my Apex with a P4. Should double the output or better compared to the Luxeon it currently has. Anyone know how quick PhotonFanatic usually is about shipping?

photofantatic is very quick with his shipping! one of the fastest I've ever dealt with.

One of the greatest, PETZL still have o bunch of their "world best" :sick2: headlamps based on old, crappy, S-bin, Luxeon's III... Therefore, since they will not clear their storages from the old ones, there is no pressure to introduce new products.

I was modding a few brand new Petzl's MYO XP - they were all marked as produced in 2005...

It's great for us modders though, as we have lights that perform a lot better than off the shelf ones!

It's very simple to put a Seoul P4 into an EOS or Myo XP. I get about a 50% increase in lux level and just about a doubling of total lumen output, so they're a little floodier than the originals. But for these lights, I find that to be desirable. After comparing the outputs and run times of the modded EOS to my venerable and well-used Tikka+, I think the EOS will go on the next backpacking trip.

c_c

I am a big fan of headlamps. The idea of being able to have light hands free is just too good as I can get on with other tasks at the same time. I love small headlamps. But I do not like 3xAAAs. I don't like AAAs in general as they are not powerful and normally give poor runtimes. Some years ago I discovered the Favourlight 3 Watt (reviewed in flashlightreviews.com) and used it for a long time until I decided to go rechargeable and this light (at least my 2) did not work happily with RCR 3.0 or 3.6V. So they are now sitting in retirement. Then I discovered the Gentos 1xAA (I now have 2) which uses a 0.5W Watt Nichia. This is a very good headlamp with nice balance between throw and spill and give long runtime and reasonably good brightness and is very small. It also works well with Nimh and eneloop which I use solely. Very often I use them handheld.

I can think of many reasons why major manufacturers are holding back from making headlamps with more powerful LEDs.
1. Only a small percentage of the flashlight community use headlamps. Compare the number of headlamp threads and posts to those of normal flashlights in CPF!
2. Many powerful LED flashlights generate a fair amount of heat. Not good for the head.
3. Many powerful LEDs needed to be run on CR123As in order to do them full justice. There are obvious dangerous involved (especially with RCRs). A mishap near the hand is less serious than a mishap near the head!

So it is wise for the major manufacturers to hold back. I hope they will bring out something nice and safe only after careful research and testing.

+1 on not liking 3xAAA lights.

I'm not so sure I agree with your take on why they're not using more efficient emitters though. If they already have a LuxIII, then the heatsinking would've already been taken care of, the battery solution would've already been tried and tested... to put in a Seoul they just need to make sure the optics are compatible (they should be, mostly...) and maybe change a thing or two on a circuit-board if they're interested in lowering the current for longer runtime. Really there's no excuse except they're waiting to see where the LED market will settle out. There's no point in going through all the trouble for an upgrade if the next be thing will blow it all away in 6 months. Witness the quick leap from P4 to Q4-Q5 X-lamps.

Hopefully we'll see a Cree (P4 probably) in a Coleman headlamp sometime soon. In the meantime, I'm very happy with my modded Apex, and looking forward to my Zebralight (Q5). That should cover large and small lamps for me.

The idea of moving on to the newest generation of LED's sounds simple but for any company with large scale production it's not that easy. They have to negotiate volume LED purchases, assess the risk of using a still to be proven product, make changes to the light itself (sometimes), etc. Small shops and companies that don't offer long warranties can move on more easily since they work on a smaller scale and/or don't have has much risk. We have to remember that CPF is on the cutting edge. Most people are amazed by any LED flashlight or headlamp. They don't know, or care, what a Luxeon or Cree or Seoul is.

RonM said:

The idea of moving on to the newest generation of LED's sounds simple but for any company with large scale production it's not that easy. They have to negotiate volume LED purchases, assess the risk of using a still to be proven product, make changes to the light itself (sometimes), etc. Small shops and companies that don't offer long warranties can move on more easily since they work on a smaller scale and/or don't have has much risk. We have to remember that CPF is on the cutting edge. Most people are amazed by any LED flashlight or headlamp. They don't know, or care, what a Luxeon or Cree or Seoul is.

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I think RonM is on the right track. It's not just headlamps with Crees, it's the whole industry where large companies are involved. People are asking the same thing about Surefire, Inova, Mag and so on. To my knowledge PT hasn't release any flashlight with a next gen LED yet, so it isn't just headlights. I decided to just slow down my pace of expectation because unfortunately it's going to be a slow process for the switch over. We'll have to settle for mods, Chinese stuff and low. I really do like the zebralight though. It's truly unique.

keep in mind too that for 99.9% of the population, a AA minimag is cutting edge technology...

Has anyone tried one of the 3W Seoul/Cree headlamps at DX?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6163

The Cree is only $9.99 and the Seoul $11.95. I'm sure they are not built like tanks but for that price they should supply lots of light.

Bushman5 said:

keep in mind too that for 99.9% of the population, a AA minimag is cutting edge technology...

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Made me chuckle.

:laughing:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushman5
keep in mind too that for 99.9% of the population, a AA minimag is cutting edge technology...

Gaffle said:

Made me chuckle.

:laughing:

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Made me cry :sigh:

I also can't believe that the Zebralight is the only stock headlamp with an updated emitter that I'm considering buying. I guess I just have to wait longer for more options.

A cree from coleman in January 2008
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=4347-718&categoryid=24756

Zot said:

A cree from coleman in January 2008
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=4347-718&categoryid=24756

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Pity it runs on a CR2. I hate this type of battery as it is neither here nor there.