Headlamp for Bushwalking and Camping + Distance

provoked

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Messages
4
Hi All,

Hoping to get some help.

I've had numerous head torches of the cheap eBay variety.

I'm used to using good quality hunting torches and it's time I get something decent to use on my daily dog walks. No idea why I didn't get a quality headlamp first, as I use them EVERY day!

I'm after a lamp that uses 18650 as I have a stockpile of Panasonic cells.

I use my headlamp to walk my dog in the early morning, but will also use it to camp and at occasion hunt (I have dedicated hunting torches however).

I'm primarily after a thrower - I like to observe wildlife at a distance near home. But also use the light to prevent myself from face planting the floor :D

I've been looking at the Zebralight XHP50.2 and also the Olight H2R Nova. I'll be honest, the Zebralight range has me a little confused.

I'm in Australia, so availability may be an issue. I think the one I am after (distance thrower) is this one: https://www.brightnite.com.au/zebralight-h604c-18650-xhp50-2-flood-4000k-high-cri-headlamp.html, but can't be 100% sure. Also not sure what the difference (in practicability) is between the XHP50 and XHP35 is....

Open to other suggestions, with the call out that I need to be able to obtain one from Oz!

Thanks in advance.
 

Derek Dean

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 14, 2006
Messages
2,426
Location
Monterey, CA
Howdy provoked and welcome to CPF,
I'm no expert on headlamps, but I can give you some general suggestions. First of all, you can't go wrong with a Zebralight headlamp (or ZL regular flashlight), but most of their headlamps are typically designed to be floody, used for close to medium range, such as the one you linked to. You can tell that by where it says "Beam type: 120 degree flood", that it's going to spread the beam out.

Basically, ZL headlamps come in 3 beam types:
1. The 603 or 604 series which have no reflector, they are pure flood, no hot spot.
2. The 600F series (the F denoting flood), which uses a frosted lens over a reflector. Smooth beam, but will have a diffused hot spot and a little throw (this is a favorite of mine)
3. The 600 series (no F) which has the most throw, more like a regular flashlight.

Then of course there is CRI (color rendering index). This rates the ability of the light to render colors more accurately. I like having a hi CRI light, but it usually comes at the expense of having slightly lower maximum output. I find that to be an acceptable trade off, but some folks prefer to have the brightest light they can get. The rating is a number between 0-100, with 100 CRI being best, but it's important to understand that CRI is only half the equation when describing the QUALITY of the light.

The other half of describing the QUALITY of the light is color temperature. It's rated in Kelvin as 4000k, 4500k, 5000k, 6500k, etc, with the lower numbers being warmer tints and the higher numbers being cooler, with 5000k being in the middle, or neutral.

So, you'll notice when looking at Zebralight headlamps designations like the H600w, with the w meaning it's a "warm" tinted LED.

I think a lot of folks on CPF, when going for walks in the woods, will carry at least 2 lights. One headlamp for close to medium range walking, then a handheld "thrower" specifically designed for seeing things at a distance that can be turned on/off when needed.

Why do I like Zebralights? They are extremely well designed and built and should last many, many years. Once you learn how to use the UI (user interface, or button sequences), you'll find that it's easy to dial up precisely the amount of light you need, and the PID circuit helps keep the light from getting too hot, by stepping the output down in a non-intrusive manner.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents, good luck with your search.

P.S. Here is a video you might find helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPU4-Z5t2h0
 
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