Fenix HM61R ticking all the boxes?

After all those many successful Zebralight/Armytek/Olight/Nitecore years in this flashlight category the HM61R is Fenix's inaugural(?) entry in the 18650-angled headlamp/headlight market, finally oo:
Let's cut to the chase and list the special/outstanding positives and negatives, the summary first. If you're interested in further explanations/descriptions/details, feel free to read on, i might bump the thread with more little technical details with time moving on.

Pro's:

• any protected or unprotected 18650 battery (≤ 70.7mm) can be used AND recharged in the light! because of the physical reverse polarity protection the battery should have a protruding defined button top. i use a generic protected NCR18650B, which has a wide top, with a neodymium magnet as a defined button top for a total of 70.5mm length
• light can be used without restrictions while the battery is being recharged. only very few rechargeable flashlights have this extraordinary "light during recharge"-feature! it is even documented in the manual.
• light can be powered by USB cable alone, with no battery inside, with 1 restriction only: Turbo-mode would drop to High-mode after a few seconds. this "usb light"-feature is unheard of and not documented in the manual.
• the pocket clip doesn't need to be removed before you clamp the light on the plasticky holder at the headband
• the headband is super light-weight, comfortable, easy to clean, has nicely tight elasticity which doesn't seem to wear down or wear out. i expect this modern material to outlast the functionality of the more cloth/fabric-like materials employed for years by the competition.
• wearing the handband, a blindman can clamp the light on and off single-handedly, with ease after some practice. since it's so easy (hence fun), i do the clamping-unclamping all the time. the securing rubber band is not needed; only in an extreme incident could the lamp get clamped off from the holder.
• practically zero standby current drain. uneffingbelievable.
• fenix high-efficiency electrical circuitry with constant brightness regulation mas thermal regulation, Fenix-Lumens at competitive runtimes. current driven, PWM-free.
• most new premium flashlights (incl Fenix) are rated for 1.0m, few for "illegal" 1.5m drop impact resistance. this one's got a surprising 2.0m rating , a typo?
• last but not least, literally. this light is rechargeable and still ranks among the shortest, compactest, light-weightest 18650 headlamp on the entire market, with or without headband! i absolutely enjoy the small size and agreeable looks of the product mmwuah.:kiss:

Con's:

• none. imho this product ticks all the boxes indeed, gets my Strong Buy recommendation. however there are two things to note/know to save the buyer from possible disappointment in that area.

Note/Know:

• the hotspot at mode1/mode2/mode3 looks tinted greenish, especially in the lowest two modes; i've seen much worse though, even in my cherry-picked light collection. mode4/mode5 have a bright white hotspot, all good here. mode3 has a creamish-tinted hotspot, not bright white. i doht like greenish CW tints (i rather prefer arctic CW tints and their purplish spills) but since the Pro's really outweigh the poor hotspot tints of mode1/mode2 and we have come to accept the natural tintshift phenomena in current-driven power LED lights, i don't feel bad about the tint performance on the lowest 2 modes. personally, i use the light mostly on mode3 and mode4 and i am not bothered about what the light does on the lower modes. there's so much else to enjoy about the product! btw, for the Czech market Fenix released the HM61R AMBER version which should have a NW-tinted hotspot; i was once interested in getting my hands on that version but honestly don't care anymore. I am a happy satisfied HM61R user, no matter the version!!
• the electronic switch on the first production batch to hit the market was a bit finicky, not too reliable at registering clicks. when early adopters pressed the button not decidedly or not in the center, they'd hear the clicking sound but not see any effect. Misfired buttons. i also heard that Fenix looked into the matter QA in the meantime. so i can't say where my unit falls into. if i put efforts into making the button misfire, it misfires, yes. but under normal or even casual operation the button is responsive and doesn't misfire. in numbers, i'd say in 95% of my button presses, the switch works as expected, in other words, the switch is a no-brainer on my recent production unit. only mechanical switches can guarantee a 0% misfire rate!
• okay a third thing. the holder at the headband is made out of hard plastic. since it is not made out of rubber/silicone, one must take care of where/how the headband is handled/carried/stored/etc because the plastic material could crack/break/get crushed in an accident: you step on it, pretty sure it'll be toast yumm. handle with care, and not challenge its fragility. the lens is also made out of plastic and should not be resistant against scratching and harsh chemicals. again, handle with care.

Summary:
That's all one needs to know about the product from my point of view. Yes there is more to say about the product, small details, technicalities, mostly irrelevant. But if you're interested and want to read more of my blah, then i'll keep on adding below, stay tuned!

Marketing / Manual.
RTFM Read the fine manual first, it summarizes features and operation better than i could describe in my own words, and it does so in 7 languages (Engrish, Geman, Russian, Chinese, Espanish, Italy, Flench). So i doht see the point of restating/rephrasing its informative content:


Also look through the marketing pages, they doht contain much BS but give an accurate picture of what the product is about. :thumbsup:


Headband w/ mount.
Unlike the confusing photo series in the manual, fortunately the headband comes fully pre-assembled (43g) OOTB out of the box, see the many unboxing videos on youtube. I did disassemble and reassemble the headband right away though, because i didn't agree how the small black plastic parts were facing and touching my scalp. Basically i reversed those plastic parts when reassembling the bands. Now the headband assembly makes more sense to me and feels more comfortable on my head.

Regarding build quality, interesting, the band is thinner and lighter than the usual fare by AT/ZL/OL/NC but it feels higher quality, better made, more functional. Only time will tell if this new/modern headband product is really(?) better built and longer lasting. I believe so. In contrast, my Olight H1 Nova headband (29g) has run its course, worn out, reached the EOL after 3.5yrs of irregular use; i won't order the replacement part any time soon because the Fenix has become my preferred headlamp. How would i replace the Fenix headband in case of loss/theft/broken? If i wanted the original part, i would ask the one and only Fenix Germany Distributor about it after browsing through his catalog. Otherwise i could downgrade, trying a generic flashlight headband incl rubber/silicone mount from a different maker (the HM61R body has a Ø22.0mm diameter, with two Ø20.5mm diameters spaced 40.0mm apart, hope this helps).

Btw AT was maybe the first with this kind of headlamp mount. A quick word on the securing rubber band of the mount, is it really needed? Imho absolutely not. The headlamp clamps so securely with a satisfactory "click" in the mount that even in a jogging environment it would be unthinkable that the light could come off. Also light shocks, hits, or similar short impacts couldn't get the light unclamped. The only realistic scenario where it'd make sense to secure the light with the rubber band is when you wear the headlamp on a helmet in a cave, industrial complex, oil rig, thick forest, and your helmet gets accidental brutal hits from protruding rocks, pipes, joists, girders, doors, tree branches. Needless to say, i removed the securing rubber band right away.


Operation / UI.
The light has 5 white light modes (mode1/mode2/mode3/mode4/mode5 = Eco/Low/Med/High/Turbo), 3 red light modes, behind-the-switch LED indicator for 4 battery levels at startup and for low voltage warning during operation, electronic lockout, mechanical lockout, physical reverse polarity protection, last mode memory (white light only, no memory for red light modes). Very easy to memorize/learn the user interface:

1. Long-press toggles between light ON and OFF.
2. Short-press advances between the modes.
3. Very long-press activates the red light, no matter if the white light is ON or OFF.
4. From OFF, a click activates the battery level indicator.
5. From OFF, a double-click activates or deactivates the electronic lockout.

Personally i prefer the Olight H1 Nova UI which is the opposite, i.e. <click to turn ON/OFF, long-press to advance between modes>, but the Fenix needs the from-OFF click for the battery level indicator, which the Olight does not have. And lemme tell you, the Fenix battery level indicator is a very cool thing to have! Since the parasitic drain in the un-locked state is almost zero, the purpose of the electronic lockout is not to save battery energy but to prevent accidental activation (when you carry the light in your bag or pockets); however i'd rather twist the tailcap a quarter of a turn (mechanical lockout).

Performance.
This is a fact: the parastic drain is identical in the locked out state and the unlocked state! This means that regarding battery energy savings it doesn't matter if you do the double-click procedure to toggle the lock. Only if you fear accidental activation, which is imho less likely on a HM61R (long-press to turn ON) than on a Olight H1 Nova (short click to turn ON), could you make use of the electronic lock out; but i'd prefer the mechanical lock out instead ymmv. Yet here comes the best: the standby current is almost zero! At the tailcap i measured 0.00000448A = 0.00448mA = 4.48μA @ full 18650 battery (3.61μA @ depleted battery). It would take ~100 years to fully deplete the Fenix 3400mAh battery through parasitic drain in the flashlight, ever heard of any crazier number in recent flashlight reviews?
In the unlocked state, the white light mode ("White Mode") tailcap current readings are as follows:


The "increasing" current tendency is to stabilize the constant lumens output when the battery voltage decreases over time; if you try to reproduce these current readings, yours will be most likely a bit higher because your battery was at a lower voltage than the 4.200V of my mc3k-prepared battery. On Turbo mode, the flashlight draws up to 3.0A (on a fully charged battery) and then the current draw stays in that 2.5A+ region, depending on the battery quality, battery capacity, and the heat build-up. You might even see a timed(?) drop in output after a few minutes as the official output graph suggests. The light has thermal protection, which makes it safe to leave the flashlight running on any of the 5 modes until the battery is depleted:


Please doht make me produce my own runtime graphs lol. It suffices to say that the constant lumens output is what we are accustomed to from a Fenix flashlight performance, see for example the constant brightness discussion of my beloved PD32 2016 flashlight. And apart from the constant brightness regulation, more importantly you do get the actual lumens as advertised: a light sphere calibrated to Fenix lights produces consistent results for all Fenix lights released after 2013, while in the past lumen claims by other manufacturers (off the top of my head: Cletus, Imalent, Nietcore, also Zebralight, but not recent Olight) would fall short in the same light sphere. The company has really earned the respect and trust of the flashlight community for not exaggerating lumens output and lumens claims. So, if Fenix advertises 400 Fenix-lumens constant output on mode4, then i trust that number with my dog's life. :thumbsup:

The light itself is floody, of course, due to the plastic (polycarbonate) collimator lens and its frosted/diffusive finish. There is no cover lens made out of glass or anything else to protect against scratches. Plastic is softer than glass and also gets damaged by harsh chemicals (say acetone, alcohol, and other solvents), so one should keep that in mind! The advantage of hard plastic is that it doesn't break/crack as easily as real glass, apart from being much lighter weight. That also explains how the rated drop impact resistance of unbelievable 2.0m must have come about. While glass would be more scratch-resistant, PC plastic weighs less and is more drop impact resistant. Oh well. Btw i wasn't able to disassemble the head to inspect the collimator further. On a white wall one can make out a more or less defined hotspot (tinted greenish CW on mode1/mode2), with no corona, and with a pleasant floody coolwhite spill (tinted arctic CW on mode3/mode4/mode5); the same tint performance as one would see from a CREE led, not better, not worse. I am wondering though why Fenix chose a LUMINUS led in this new headlamp release.

Magnets / Weight.
I checked. The light itself has two magnets. There is a third magnet inside the USB charging cable. As you know, neodymium magnets don't weigh nothing. In fact, neodymium weighs 3x as much as aluminum (mass density 7.612g/cm³ vs 2.7g/cm³). That's the only reason why this light can't be lighter weight than the Zebralight headlamp, which is neither magnetic nor reachargeable. The Fenix tailcap with its magnet weighs 11g, making up 20% of the flashlight weight of 54g. In comparison, the Olight H1 Nova tailcap has no magnet and weighs 6g only. The second magnet is cleverly located at the rear of the flashlight head and is to hold the magnetic connection to the USB charging cable. Why clever? Because it allows the user to charge any protected or unprotected 18650 battery in the light (button top or neodymium top needed because of physical reverse polarity protection!), he/she isn't restricted to a proprietary Olight 18650 battery product to make use of the recharging functionality. And because the light can stand upright freely, without an Olight docking station, on the table, or even better: on any ferrous/steel/magnetic surface, while it is being recharged! Basically, having two independent magnets, the light is more versatile, the recharging doesn't get in the way of how you want to use the light. Question: Would the head magnet be strong enough to hold the light on a steel frame, car hood, or alike? No, it's just strong enough to establish a reliable electrical connection to the USB charging cable, nothing further. Btw i always wanted to have a light with such a compact Klarus-style magnetic USB charging cable (not the Olight-style :green; if memory serves me right, 8 years ago in 2012 Klarus was the first company to release a USB rechargeable power LED flashlight series, the initial versions of RS1A/RS11/RS16, and i immediately felt attracted to their magnetic charging port no pun intended. While Armytek and Olight tried their own popular designs of a magnetic USB charging port, i still think that the Klarus design is the way to go ymmv. Tbh Fenix must have thought the same way. Afaik the Klarus charging cable does not come with an integrated status LED. The Fenix charging cable has an integrated status LED (Green - Red - Yellowish), actually two, one on either side of the magnetic port.
The weight of the headband alone, with the plastic mount of course, is 43g. The total weight is 96g (taped flashlight + headband, on my +1g kitchen scale), while the official number is "99.5g (excluding battery)", hmm.

Magnetic USB Recharging / USB lighting mode.
I can't tell if the charging electronics is built in the flashlight or in the USB cable. When disconnected, the yellowish LED light on the USB cable signals status:Disconnected. When connected, the USB cable signals status:Fully Charged with a green LED and status:Charging with a red LED, as simple as that. On my unit, the status LED turns green before a brand new battery has reached 4.174V, and it turns back red again when the battery voltage has dropped below 4.xxV, e.g. thru self-discharge plus parasitic drain. The switching between the statuses works without fail. When the battery is very much full and you don't want to wait for the charging circuitry to stop the charging automatically, one can make it stop by disconnecting and reconnecting the magnetic port, the status LED would show green then. It is a fun way to determine if the battery is full enough. Actually not! A difference between status LED's upon disconnecting and reconnecting (green instead of red, or red instead of green) is more of an indication of the charging circuitry being undecided whether to charge or not when the battery is very much full, so don't be surprised. When the battery is depleted, disconnecting and reconnecting the magnetic port will always result in a red status LED without fail.
Before, i never liked the idea of recharging a headlamp (which is why i bought the H1 Nova instead of the H1R Nova) because on the job i'd fly through a bunch of 16340's and back at home i wouldn't recharge them one after the other within the headlamp lmao. With this 18650 special headlamp it's a different game though: since the light unclips so easily from the mount, i use the HM61R as standing light and hand-held flashlight all the time, and while it is standing (and lighting or not) at the corner of my desk it is the most natural and fun thing to do to latch the magnetic USB cable to the light and give it a recharge. With 3500mAh capacity i should never run out of juice on a day's job, so it makes sense to leave the battery inside the flashlight all the time, never swap it. I love the recharging capability on this particular headlamp model! A must-have feature on any 18650-angled headlamp. Makes one wonder why Zebralight hasn't come up with a rechargeable headlamp (or flashlight for that matter) by now; for sure they didn't like the micro-USB charging ports which have been so popular among flashlight makers for years. I hate micro-USB and mini-USB ports in general, they're fragile or unreliable **** imho. If you liked the Olight magnetic docking port, you'll like the Fenix magnetic charger even better, promised.
On a depleted battery the Fenix charging circuit draws up to "1.17A" from the USB hub (lemme put all USB current measurements in quotation marks because i doht trust the readings on my XTAR EU4 display).



charge termination current: 0.12A doc (xtar only to 0.20A)
with magnetic port connected:





























benchmark data

THIS REVIEW POST IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION THANKS COROONA

Battery level indicator.
An electronic circuit cannot know how full a battery is (in % or mAh), it can only directly measure voltage. Knowing a battery voltage, one can estimate the charge level.


anyway the cheapest offer i could find was 56.92usd shipped thru China Post Registered Air Mail from a fishily new AliX seller 0 feedback.

I'm sure Fenix is able to pull off a new design without issues, they've been making lights for a long time and I think they're good quality. The weight quoted is probably with the headband, but I think it's comparable to others in that form factor. The H1 is very light, and much smaller, how would an 18650 light match it?

You ask if it's ticking all the boxes but there's a lot of negative, do you think the light is crap? Your headband description is self-contradicting too... I'm confused.

The weight of 99.5g includes the headband, and I believe in Fenix quality, they have been producing lights for years.

Actually Fenix HM61R is the lightest headlamp in this class. Especially due to very light "hollow" headband.

Here you can check the weight of Olight H2R, Armytek Wizard Pro and Fenix HM61R with included battery and headband. Only without optional clip (just few grams for each headlamp).







It is also the shortest:



So seems pretty "mature" to me. No need to wait for three years for a new version.

Especially if you check the Fenix HM61 AMBER version which has neutral white tint, direct access to red light with double click from off state and included battery is also equipped with micro-USB for wider charging compatibility. So far it is only available in the Czech republic and Slovakia :thinking:

Here is the Czech video with the Fenix HM61R Amber

Does the HM61R step down in high and medium mode to extend the runtimes like the hm65r and hm50r do? If yes, that would be a major deal breaker for me.

Sent from my Pixel using Candlepowerforums mobile app

It does not, it is constant regulated so it maintains stable output untill the battery is depleted.

jirik_cz said:

Actually Fenix HM61R is the lightest headlamp in this class.

Click to expand...

Would you say that the Zebralight H600/H604-seriez headlamps are in the same class?
Those lights are spec'ed at "39g, 84.6g w/ ZL635 battery, 124.6g w/ ZL635 battery and headband", meaning that the ZL headband weighs 40.0g only and the ZL battery only 45.6g.

How would you describe the tint or the tint of the hotspot on the lower modes of your AMBER hm61r unit?

And what is the parasitic drain in standby mode, were you able to measure it?

There is also a Finnish special edition of this light called HM61R Black Edition but I think the only difference might be the black headband.

kreisl said:

Would you say that the Zebralight H600/H604-seriez headlamps are in the same class?
Those lights are spec'ed at "39g, 84.6g w/ ZL635 battery, 124.6g w/ ZL635 battery and headband", meaning that the ZL headband weighs 40.0g only and the ZL battery only 45.6g.

How would you describe the tint or the tint of the hotspot on the lower modes of your AMBER hm61r unit?

And what is the parasitic drain in standby mode, were you able to measure it?

Click to expand...

AFAIK Zebralights are not rechargeable and do not have magnetic tailcap, so strictrly speaking they are not in the same "class" like the three headlamps above.

The tint on the neutral white version looks good to me in all modes, I do not see any tint shifts in lower modes, but I'm not a tint snob

Using my DMM the parasitic drain settles to 3.9 micro Amps in off state after few seconds. That should draw the battery in 102 years. Good enough for me :thumbsup:

I was just wondering if others have tried this headlight out yet? Not many reviews online anywhere. It's on my short list to try out as the availability is good here in Canada. I just wish that it had a one lumen setting. Also the Fenix ARB-L18-3500, can it only be charged from within the headlamp itself? [FONT=Exo, sans-serif]Thanks in advance.[/FONT]

Just to answer my own question, for others. I did a chat with Fenix today, the individual mentioned the battery can be charged outside the headlight. As long as the individual knew what he was talking about.

Deadcell said:

I was just wondering if others have tried this headlight out yet? Not many reviews online anywhere. It's on my short list to try out as the availability is good here in Canada. I just wish that it had a one lumen setting. Also the Fenix ARB-L18-3500, can it only be charged from within the headlamp itself? Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I bought 2 Fenix HM61Rs when they were on sale during Black Friday last year for me and my dad. So far I've really enjoyed using the light and my dad has found it quite handy for different tasks that require him to be able to use both hands, like when he was looking for a leak in the roof of one of his rental buildings. This is actually his first headlamp, so I think he's been surprised how convenient a headlamp is to use when normally he's used to having a flashlight in one hand and only having the other hand free to climb the ladder when they were going up into the roof.

I use the headlamp for going for night walks with my dog, because the weather was too crappy or I didn't have time earlier in the day. To be honest I don't have much of a choice when it comes to picking whether I use a flashlight or a headlamp when I go for a walk at night. I'm a C4 quadriplegic in a power wheelchair and I have limited use of my hands, so I have to use a headlamp on walks. Anyway I've been really pleased with how the headlamp has performed for my needs, which is mostly using the light on med, high, and occasionally turbo if I need better visibility of what's going on in front of me or like when I went for a walk last week when there was a light mist/fog in the air I used the turbo mode to punch through the mist.

Technically there is a one lumen setting, it's just under the red light function, which you can go straight to if you hold the button for 1.2 seconds.

The only other headlamp that I can compare it to is a HL55vn, which is where Vinhnguygen54 takes a stock HL55vn from Fenix and changes out the factory LED and replaces it either a XML2 or XML2 U4 LED for a tested 1100 lumens on Turbo. Compared to the stock LED, that tested at only 700 lumens, so that's a fairly substantial increase over the factory output. I wish I could give a comparison between the HL55vn and the new HM61R to show you how the two match up, but unfortunately a year some moisture got into the HL55vn. Rather than throw the headlamp away and buy a new one, I sent it to Vinh to see if he could get it working again. Lucky for me he was able to install one of his own drivers(DriverVNX2) and since he had it, I inquired about upgrading the LED to something newer, since the LED that was in there was almost 5 years old and I figured there had to be something better out there now. Vinh recommended the Luminous SST-40 HD LED, which he mentioned would have an output of around 2000 lumens on the highest mode.
His thread for reference about the modified HL55. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...5vn-Brightest-Headlamp&highlight=fenix+hl55vn
My comparison between his modified light and a factory light. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...est-Headlamp&p=4744945&viewfull=1#post4744945

If I can get the factory HL55 from my mom and a factory HL60R from my brother I could post some comparison shots of all 4 headlamps if you want?

Deadcell said:

Just to answer my own question, for others. I did a chat with Fenix today, the individual mentioned the battery can be charged outside the headlight. As long as the individual knew what he was talking about.

Click to expand...

Yep, he's correct you can charge the battery that comes with the HM61R on any stand battery charger that charges 18650 batteries.

3L3M3NT said:

I bought 2 Fenix HM61Rs when they were on sale during Black Friday last year for me and my dad. So far I've really enjoyed using the light and my dad has found it quite handy for different tasks that require him to be able to use both hands, like when he was looking for a leak in the roof of one of his rental buildings. This is actually his first headlamp, so I think he's been surprised how convenient a headlamp is to use when normally he's used to having a flashlight in one hand and only having the other hand free to climb the ladder when they were going up into the roof.

I use the headlamp for going for night walks with my dog, because the weather was too crappy or I didn't have time earlier in the day. To be honest I don't have much of a choice when it comes to picking whether I use a flashlight or a headlamp when I go for a walk at night. I'm a C4 quadriplegic in a power wheelchair and I have limited use of my hands, so I have to use a headlamp on walks. Anyway I've been really pleased with how the headlamp has performed for my needs, which is mostly using the light on med, high, and occasionally turbo if I need better visibility of what's going on in front of me or like when I went for a walk last week when there was a light mist/fog in the air I used the turbo mode to punch through the mist.

Technically there is a one lumen setting, it's just under the red light function, which you can go straight to if you hold the button for 1.2 seconds.

The only other headlamp that I can compare it to is a HL55vn, which is where Vinhnguygen54 takes a stock HL55vn from Fenix and changes out the factory LED and replaces it either a XML2 or XML2 U4 LED for a tested 1100 lumens on Turbo. Compared to the stock LED, that tested at only 700 lumens, so that's a fairly substantial increase over the factory output. I wish I could give a comparison between the HL55vn and the new HM61R to show you how the two match up, but unfortunately a year some moisture got into the HL55vn. Rather than throw the headlamp away and buy a new one, I sent it to Vinh to see if he could get it working again. Lucky for me he was able to install one of his own drivers(DriverVNX2) and since he had it, I inquired about upgrading the LED to something newer, since the LED that was in there was almost 5 years old and I figured there had to be something better out there now. Vinh recommended the Luminous SST-40 HD LED, which he mentioned would have an output of around 2000 lumens on the highest mode.
His thread for reference about the modified HL55. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...5vn-Brightest-Headlamp&highlight=fenix+hl55vn
My comparison between his modified light and a factory light. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...est-Headlamp&p=4744945&viewfull=1#post4744945

If I can get the factory HL55 from my mom and a factory HL60R from my brother I could post some comparison shots of all 4 headlamps if you want?



Yep, he's correct you can charge the battery that comes with the HM61R on any stand battery charger that charges 18650 batteries.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Element, no it's ok a comparison is not needed. I still have not purchased a replacement for my Olight yet, Olight has not been emailing me so I guess I will have to call. I wish that 61R had a 1 lumen white option. The red might work ok.

Well fellow Flashaholics, between a serious case of Covid induced cabin fever and the evil designers at Fenix, I've fallen off the wagon and purchased another flashlight. In this case, the Fenix 61R.

Dang. It's been at least a year since I last bought a flashlight (a Fenix 50R) and the temptation was too great. I thought I had this problem under control!

Fenix, if you're listening, please remove me from your mailing list and all your marketing materials!!!

Seriously, my 61R arrived today and this is one very cool light. It definitely meets all of my check boxes: waterproof, lots of modes, great runtimes, red mode, headlight, relatively small and light, magnetic base. This is a fantastic light. What more could I want?

I promise, this will be my last flashlight purchase. Probably. Hopefully? Maybe? (Help!)

Fellow flashaholics, you have been warned!

Cheers

Glad you like it so far. It's on my list to buy still, once I receive my free Olight battery to test in my iffy H2R. In the meantime I ordered a PD36R for myself, as my two Rigid Industry Halo's are going to be mounted to my kids dirt bikes for late rides in the forest.
I wish Fenix would provide 0.5 or 1 lumen in every light they make however.

It does not, it is constant regulated so it maintains stable output untill the battery is depleted.​

I would like to see a comparison to the Wowtac A2S headlamp of this one. I have an HL60R and the white modes/spacing is almost identical but the UI of the Wowtac is superior.
I just got my Wowtac off my hardhat and measured it. I have a camo headband I bought off Ebay for $2 and the 3400mah battery it came with in it. The total weight is 0.128Kg and the length is 1/16 of an inch over 4 inches.

jirik_cz said:

Actually Fenix HM61R is the lightest headlamp in this class. Especially due to very light "hollow" headband.
..
So seems pretty "mature" to me. No need to wait for three years for a new version.

Especially if you check the Fenix HM61 AMBER version which has neutral white tint, direct access to red light with double click from off state and included battery is also equipped with micro-USB for wider charging compatibility. So far it is only available in the Czech republic and Slovakia :thinking:

Here is the Czech video with the Fenix HM61R Amber

Click to expand...

I prefer a more neutral white tint and direct access to red light with double click from off state. I wonder why a) it's only in Czech/Slovakia markets and b) the different UX.

Curious about the color temperature and CRI, I found some specs on the LED:

Product name: Luminous SST-40-W Specialty White LED

Features:
• High Brightness Cool white LED with maximum output in excess of 1,800 lm
• Available in 5000K, 5700K and 6500K, 70 CRI (typical) color points
• Wide viewing angle: 120°

Luminus SST-40-W Product Datasheet

Fenix HM61R Multifunctional Rechargeable Headlamp Operating Instructions

3L3M3NT: What was the Black Friday price? It's currently 85 USD.

since yesterday it's official in my life of things :ironic:, i have retired my Olight H1 Nova, bam! It has been sitting on the window sill for many months without getting any use, looking sadly at coroona me, and whenever i wore a headlamp (which is maybe 1-2x per week) i preferred to choose the Fenix HM61R: i'd grab the fenis headband off the shelf, put it on fast (what a fast, secure and comfortable thing!), then grab the light off my desk and clip it on, blindly (usually using 2 hands), done, and off i go typically doing some work stuff. Beautiful setup!

The Olight .. i hand-washed :sick2: the worn-out headband, cleaned the H1 Nova, and packaged everything neatly back into the retail box and finally stored the package away; that's the official ceremony of retirement. Well, everything except for the nice Olight carry box which i continue to leave on the window sill with a bunch of 16340's in it to serve my Olight Smini Ti NW which is my "EDC" light in addition to my keychain light (Ultratac K18 SS 10180). I use the Smini, often placed between my lips, more frequently than the Fenix, but whenever i need a standing light, a headlamp, long runtime, or a powerful 1handheld flashlight (lacking a wrist strap), i'd pick the Fenix. Here a summary of what lights i use in everyday life:

- Nietcore TM15 on a "holder": main lighting for cleaning tasks, physical work tasks, or as wall bounce light; gets recharged every night
- Olight Smini Ti NW: most used light #stayathome, when navigating thru rooms and corners, often placed between lips for quick/lazy handsfree personal lighting, and when wearing the Fenix would be ridiculous/overkill. sometimes i'd take it with me when leaving home to supplement my real EDC light
- ultratac k18 ss 10180: my real EDC light since it's attached to my bunch of keys. invaluable personal lighting tool. powerful, useful, invaluable. beyond home it replaces the utility of the Smini. i've got at least 4 units of the k18 ss. imho the best EDC keychain light ever.
- fenix hm61r: as explained my now only headlamp, for personal lighting during work tasks in or around the house and whenever more lighting power than the Smini's is needed. it stays headband-unclipped on my desk, connected to the magnetic charging cable, ready to be used as regular flashlight; the headband sits far away on a shelf, ready to be grabbed like my baseball hats. for extra fun light in my shower i used to point the TM15, meanwhile i point the Fenix in mode5 to the shower cabin. our flashlight to light the shower! :huh:

anyway i found it notable that i took the conscious decision to ban my beloved H1 Nova in favor of the Fenix. Whatever the H1 Nova can do, the Fenix does it better. Whatever the H1 Nova cannot do (e.g. it can't be used as jogging lamp imho), the Fenix cannot do either. i still love the Olight, so when time comes, i wouldn't mind reintroducing it to my everyday life (with a freshly sourced replacement headband) but for the time being i only need and want just 1 headlamp in my life. So if i had to choose which headlamp to stick with me for the rest of my life, i'd pick the Fenix, no doubt.

Time will tell how long the Fenix headband or the plastic holder on the headband will hold up. If the holder breaks (say by aging or thru an accident), we'll deal with it then. If the spare part isn't available, we could use a third-party headband (Armytek, etc) instead, I'm confident. Too early to worry.

Just know, the Fenis has become my one and only headlamp! :thumbsup:

Mike_Smith said:

I prefer a more neutral white tint and direct access to red light with double click from off state. I wonder why a) it's only in Czech/Slovakia markets and b) the different UX.

Curious about the color temperature and CRI, I found some specs on the LED:

Product name: Luminous SST-40-W Specialty White LED

Features:
• High Brightness Cool white LED with maximum output in excess of 1,800 lm
• Available in 5000K, 5700K and 6500K, 70 CRI (typical) color points
• Wide viewing angle: 120°

Luminus SST-40-W Product Datasheet

Fenix HM61R Multifunctional Rechargeable Headlamp Operating Instructions

3L3M3NT: What was the Black Friday price? It's currently 85 USD.

Click to expand...

The Black Friday price was $67.xx with free shipping from https://www.batteryjunction.com/

If you've never order here----> https://www.fenix-store.com/ They offer 20% off for any 1st time customer, so it would only be $68 shipped if my math is right. lol