Slightly disappointed by the new Fenix HP25

chanrobi

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Jul 14, 2013
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I was super excited to pick this headlamp up recently - $60'ish, and two independent led's for flood and throw? Count me in! After some time using it here are my major gripes. I am primarily using this for camping and for hiking at night --

1) the spot is near useless, projects a very small circle of light that is WAY brighter than the flood (even on maximum), creates a very very small hotspot, like looking at things with a laser beam almost
2) light is heavy - 4 x AA Nimh Eneloops @ 2000mah = 298g
3) headband not very comfortable, my girlfriend complained about this and she doesn't usually complain about things that are uncomfortable, she also has a big head so that may have been the problem
4) With both lamps on, there is a very visible overlapping circle effect ... minor gripe

cTQCpnb
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What I did really like about it

1) Really wide flood
2) Moonlight mode
3) Neutral white
4) IPX-6

Anyone want to buy a barely used HP25 in Canada? :D
 

florinache

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Mar 15, 2012
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About the headband...there is a tutorial somewhere on how to put the headstrap on the light. Otherwise it's too short.
The 10 degree angle of the spot is great for searching. At 300 feet you'll see a 52 feet hotspot. If it were wider the light would dissipate too fast and not reach these distances.
 

rojos

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Jul 18, 2012
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1) the spot is near useless, projects a very small circle of light that is WAY brighter than the flood (even on maximum), creates a very very small hotspot, like looking at things with a laser beam almost

Sounds to me like it does exactly what a spot beam is supposed to do.
 

chanrobi

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About the headband...there is a tutorial somewhere on how to put the headstrap on the light. Otherwise it's too short.
The 10 degree angle of the spot is great for searching. At 300 feet you'll see a 52 feet hotspot. If it were wider the light would dissipate too fast and not reach these distances.

Im probably not the intended user for this light id have to admit. I will rarely find myself in a situation where i will need that sort of throw in a hiking situation, if i do i have a d25lc2 or other for more throw.

When finding trail through thick forest, it is not so useful. I hike in terrain conditions from heavily wooded/bush, to sub alpine and alpine environments.
 

rojos

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When finding trail through thick forest, it is not so useful. I hike in terrain conditions from heavily wooded/bush, to sub alpine and alpine environments.

A wide spot or flood is great if you're on a well maintained trail. But you need both a wide beam and a separate narrow spot beam if you're on a poorly maintained trail that may disappear for significant stretches.

A wide spot with bright spill is useless for finding anything more than 20-30 meters away in a wooded area. When too much of the foreground gets lit brightly, it obscures your ability to see deeper into the forest. If you're in a situation where you need a light to cut through the forest, you need a narrow spot with a dim spill.
 

huan00102

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Apr 19, 2011
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A wide spot or flood is great if you're on a well maintained trail. But you need both a wide beam and a separate narrow spot beam if you're on a poorly maintained trail that may disappear for significant stretches.

A wide spot with bright spill is useless for finding anything more than 20-30 meters away in a wooded area. When too much of the foreground gets lit brightly, it obscures your ability to see deeper into the forest. If you're in a situation where you need a light to cut through the forest, you need a narrow spot with a dim spill.

Completely Agree, such bright headlamp was probably designed for searching, caving or similar environment.
 

Beaker

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Oct 14, 2004
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1) Really wide flood
4) IPX-6

Hah, ironically these were two things I *didn't* like about it: I bought it as a backup caving headlamp, and while it's adequate, I found the flood mode too narrow; it seems to be only 90 degrees or so, which isn't really wide enough for adequate peripheral vision in absolute darkness.

Also, IPX6 is adequate for relatively dry cave environments, but it's easy to need more than splashproof in caves.

Re: weight, I think it's actually quite light compared to similar 4AA-powered lights (eg PT Apex).

(At $60 it's a decent value for a light-duty caving headlamp IMHO.)
 
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