Any headlamp (other than the Ultra) that uses LiION packs?

I'm looking for a high-power headlamp (over 100 CP), with good durability and extended runtime. The use is a mixture of "standard" camping/backcountry use with professional natural history research. One feature that I would like to have is a more modern battery system than a bunch of AA cells. Rechargeables are a must, and I far prefer Lithium Ion rechargeable technology to AA (although I have yet to try Eneloops) - my two objections to AAs are their high self discharge and the fact that there are a lot of small, separate batteries to keep track of. The Petzl Ultra uses a very high capacity LiIon pack system adapted from digital SLR packs (or both are adapted from the same place - that battery looks just like a Nikon D3 series battery with different contacts). Is there anything less expensive than the Ultra that uses a single LiIon pack battery? RCR123s seem a bit underdeveloped (both in terms of capacity and safety/ease of use) for my purposes. If not, I'll have to choose between the Ultra and something (Apex? Myo RXP?) that is a lot cheaper, but uses AAs and a bunch of Eneloops...

-Dan

To answer you question about Li Ions, you may consider Ay Up lights or several other bike helmet lights.

Stay away from the Petzl Ultra. 350 Lumens just isn't impressive in a light of that size/weight/cost.

The Princeton Tec range isn't bad, but none of them are as good as what you can make yourself.
Have a look around this forum and learn a bit about LEDs. You may choose to make your own.

As a general rule, when you look at LED lights, if the body is mainly plastic then it is designed to minimise cost, not to maximise light. The more aluminium in its construction, the better.

Also, I tried to send you a PM but it seems that I can't.
I think you need to post once or twice more to get PM rights and then I can send you some more information about a different headlamp.

On the one subject, modern NiMH cells such as Eneloops are Low Self Discharge (LSD), so they maintain their charge in storage.

What sort of brightness (lumens, not candlepower) are you looking for? Beam shape (flood, throw, etc)? Required runtimes?

Many hardcore headlamp users often lean towards AA based because they offer a good power vs size ratio, operate very cheaply on rechargeables, and if you happen to run out of spares on an extended trip, just try bumming a spare Li-Ion pack from a friend or finding 18650 cells at the local backwoods gas station.

The Stenlight made for caving uses Lithium packs, as well as the briefly available and now discontinued Serv-Light.

The Serv-Light was particularly interesting as it utilized a bare P7 for flood and a P7 or MC-E with a reflector for spotlight as well as a P4 for low level illumination. Quite a beast, but only seven of them made it from Belgium to the United States. The fellow that made these is supposed to be designing a new model, but no news on the specifics.

I'm looking for something with a maximum power in excess of 100 lumens, a flood beam more than a spot, although a focusable beam would be ideal (the only focusable LED I'm aware of is the Mammut X-Zoom, which seems to not be waterproof), and a regulated runtime of 10+ hours (although not necessarily on maximum power - let's say 40-60 lumens for 10 hrs). The Myo RXP seems like a good choice, except that I'd prefer a more modern lithium power system to AA, and it drops out of regulation VERY quickly at any high power (2 hours at 60 lumens). The most appealing thing about the Ultra is actually that 17 hour, flood 43 lumen low mode running on a single rechargeable that I already have experience with (I'm a professional nature photographer, and that pack is almost the same as my camera pack - shame the connectors are different - some smart engineer needs to come up with a universal set of LiIon packs, so the same batteries fit in camera, GPS and light, without resorting to AAs). I don't need the 350 lumens, but the StenLight looks like the only other option to get away from AAs. I don't feel comfortable building my own. Hopefully this second message will both explain a little more of what I'm after and allow me to be PM'd (someone had an idea they wanted to send me via PM).


-Dan

Another vote for the Stenlight it is much better built headlight than the Ultra

You are going to pay a lot just to get li-ion batteries. The Ultra and the Sternlight are both expensive and more light than you are asking for. Any of the properly regulated modern 4AA lights would probobly work off 2 li-ion cells I amm fairly sure I have read threads about Apexes moded to take a li-ion pack. Is there socketing for the battery pack on the 'Pro' version?

It may not be exactly what you want, but you should look into the Zebralight H60. It is all flood as it has no reflector. A photographer such as yourself might very well appreciate a very smooth flood beam without variations in brightness across the field illuminated.

It runs on lithium 18650 cells and has VERY impressive run times. And since you are carrying all that heavy camera gear, you'll really appreciate the very small size and the fact that it is very light weight. On high, it can really illuminate a large area even though it does not throw for a long distance, and you'd be surprised at how useful the two low settings are when you are working up close such as when you are fiddling with your camera gear. If you supplemented this headlamp with a small high output flashlight with a reflector, you'd really have your bases covered.

High: 190 lm (2 hrs) or 110 lm (4 hrs)
Med: 45 lm (10 hrs) or 15 lm (50 hrs)
Low: 0.5 lm (26 days) or 3 lm (9 days)

4-Sevens sells it as a kit that includes a charger and two high quality protected batteries for $99 (minus the CPF discount)

There is also the raptor, raptor pro and oldham dl16

Streamlight Argo HP,
feed it with a 17650,
or mod it with an 18650.

2 levels, nice and small

CON: dunno if these are now finally made with newer led,
I modded mine with a Seoul.
Adapting the reflector is not perfect (still ringy) but works in use
(NEVER go wall hunting!!!)

What yellow said, Streamlight Argo HP. I too still have the older one, but have not bothered to mod out the Luxeon, as it works too darn well as is. It works just wonderfully by simply dropping in a 17670, and if you take the time to grind away the little ridges that retain the positive contact strip, and secure it otherwise, there is room for an 18650 in the tube.

The new ones are called Argo HP C4's, and according to half-watt's sticky above, use a Cree, so more light without modding. This has got to be the most all-around useful, long running, cost effective headlamp package going, so long as you ARE looking for a lithium powered lamp.

For a bit more $$ and no throw, either a Zebralight H30 or H60 would be nice for close in work, but I would like them as a companion to the Argo HP best.

One affordable alternative is the light discussed ehre
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/232163
together with a head strap like this one http://www.mamut.net/smsport/subdet528.htm

About 600 lumens for 3 hours for about $120, Maybe too short time for DanWells but I thought I should mention this, some may find this alternative intresting.