Help me choose 2 wildland firefighting (bushfire here in Australia) lights for helmet

Hi,

I used to be a regular here, but I have not brought any fancy new lights for probably at least 5 years I would say, and my old collection is starting to die and I am starting to run low on lights again.

Today I am here seeking advice from people who have up to date info on good LED lights, specifically two. Here are the requirements:

Both must fit in a Blackjack BJ005 under brim mount on a Pacific BR9 helmet (Basically, single 18650 or 2x CR123 1 inch tube with a bezel size that is not excessive, with no non-removable cigar grip style rings)

I would like 1 to be a very "floody" light (ideally pure flood with no hot spot), and one to be a very "throwy" light (to the degree possible with limited bezel size)

I need to be able to turn the light on, have it on full brightness, and turn it off again with hands in thick leather gloves while attached to the helmet, so basically lights that can be mostly operated with a protruding tail switch. My Fenix SD-SomthingOrOther with the twisty controls would be out of the running.

Does not need to be intrinsically safe, and most bright lights are not, I already have intrinsically safe options if required (couple of Streamlights).

Am after at least 300 lumens, prefer 600+, with very good reliability, waterproof, for USD $150 or less (for each light)

Being as light as possible is a bonus, because having weight on one side of the helmet can cause some issues with the helmet tilting around and annoying me.

I have purchased a number of Fenix, Eagletac, Olight, Streamlight, Surefire, Klarus and Zebralights in the past, I did not have good luck with either Eagletac or Olight, so I would probably avoid those, my luck with Zebralight is borderline. Before posting this I did go to the Fenix website but back in my day they only had TK and E and a couple of other series, now the options are overwhelming, hence I am here . The Fenix's seem to have also gotten more complicated since I last purchased one, and for this use complicated is not an advantage. I think right now I am leaning towards Surefire at least for the "throwy" option but I would like to hear the forum recommendations before getting anything, mainly because Surefire is a little out of budget right now given I think I need 2 of them and my bank balance says i don't need any...

Thanks in advance guys and girls.

Oh, I forgot, battery must be removable and swappable easily.

I have used these with great success in Headlamp aplications. I got a pair for my Vetenerian who uses them for cremations.
Single IMR RCR123

Foursevens Mini MKIII



Foursevens Mini MKIII Turbo


Wish all those effected by these wildfires to be Safe
Take Care
GL

Edit: I also like the Foxfury series of lights for firefighting applications.

Got Lumens? said:

I have used these with great success in Headlamp aplications. I got a pair for my Vetenerian who uses them for cremations.
Single IMR RCR123

Foursevens Mini MKIII

Foursevens Mini MKIII Turbo

Wish all those effected by these wildfires to be Safe
Take Care
GL

Edit: I also like the Foxfury series of lights for firefighting applications.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply.

I had a number of 4 Sevens lights in the past and had reasonably good luck with them, I thought they had gone but a short google search finds they have just been brought out.

I think I would prefer a full 18650 size for the extra run time at a higher lumen output, it can be a bit of a pain to change batteries out half way through an incident sometimes.

I had forgotten all about FoxFury, I thought they were really expensive but I just checked the site then, looks like the prices have come down.

I would suggest the Surefire G2X 15/600 lumens and add a flip-down diffuser for when you need it.

You can also mod you light's lens with diffuser film or remove the reflector to get more flood from you light.

Here's an old thread:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...ve-Protector-that-snaps-open-amp-closed!-Pics!

It looks as if Blackjack likes the Surefire, too.



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adnj said:

I would suggest the Surefire G2X 15/600 lumens and add a flip-down diffuser for when you need it.

You can also mod you light's lens with diffuser film or remove the reflector to get more flood from you light.

Here's an old thread:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...ve-Protector-that-snaps-open-amp-closed!-Pics!

It looks as if Blackjack likes the Surefire, too.

Sent from my LG-V520 using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Thanks,

The G2X is on my favorite candidates list, along with the Fenix FD41. I'm not a massive fan of diffusers normally as they reduce output significantly, I would rather use a lens like the Fenix does, but I think the G2X could be a good candidate for the longer range light.

I ran a surefire G2X tactical on my structural helmet when I was still on the department. It was just about ideal. Simple, rugged. A little short on battery life I suppose. I liked the one mode with forward tail clicky as it was dead simple to operate with gloves and under stress. I melted a helmet in a burn house once and the light didn't show anything somehow.

Buck91 said:

I ran a surefire G2X tactical on my structural helmet when I was still on the department. It was just about ideal. Simple, rugged. A little short on battery life I suppose. I liked the one mode with forward tail clicky as it was dead simple to operate with gloves and under stress. I melted a helmet in a burn house once and the light didn't show anything somehow.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I am stuck with an intrinsically safe light on my structural helmet, which is a comparatively low output Streamlight. I do have a halfway decent angle light on my jacket though. No such intrinsically safe limitation for this wildfire helmet though fortunately.

I think I am going to run a Surefire (maybe G2X, maybe I pony up for the Fury, or maybe I save money and use my old 6P I already have) for my longer range light and the Fenix FD41 for my pure flood light.

Help me choose 2 wildland firefighting (bushfire here in Australia) lights fo...

That old 6P with a McClicky switch and a lumensfactory drop in (do the nichia 319) would likely serve very well!


I originally ran a surefire g2L-fy which was rated as intrinsically safe. Most of the guys did and do run the streamlight helmet mounted lights which have pretty good specs.

What chest light do y out run? Despite the fairly unimpressive specs those streamlight survivors really worked well. I still have mine, though it doesn't see any use now.

Re: Help me choose 2 wildland firefighting (bushfire here in Australia) lights fo...

Buck91 said:

That old 6P with a McClicky switch and a lumensfactory drop in (do the nichia 319) would likely serve very well!


I originally ran a surefire g2L-fy which was rated as intrinsically safe. Most of the guys did and do run the streamlight helmet mounted lights which have pretty good specs.

What chest light do y out run? Despite the fairly unimpressive specs those streamlight survivors really worked well. I still have mine, though it doesn't see any use now.

Click to expand...

The chest light is a Streamlight Survivor, one of the newer model ones. The specs are not great I think it is only about 200 lumens, but the throw is pretty good given the output so thats OK.

My helmet light is just a 2AA Streamlight pretty sure its under 60 lumens and is almost pointless except in the darkest of places.

Maybe this will work- https://www.streamlight.com/products/detail/index/vantage

Maybe this will work- https://www.streamlight.com/products/detail/index/vantage

desertrunner said:

Maybe this will work- https://www.streamlight.com/products/detail/index/vantage

Click to expand...

Ouput is a lot lower than I am looking for, thanks for the link though.

Since you're gravitating towards Fenix (and just need a little help finding the right model), check out the PD35 and the PD36R.

- Size: Both have 1" bodies with 1" (or less) heads
- Switch: Both have tail clickies, with one of the best "feels" of any tail switches I've tried
- Clips: Both have removeable clips
- Lumens: Both are spec'd at 1,000 lumens or more (and measure up pretty close to that in real-world tests)
- Beam profile: Both have surprisingly tight spots
- Memory: Both will memorize your last brightness level and come on at that same level the next time you turn the light on
- Price: Both are under $100

While they're not technically designed as throwers, their beam shape is pretty concentrated: a tight spot with a moderate, well-defined corona. (My PD35s have a slightly tighter hotspot than my PD36s, because they use different types of LEDs, but both throw well. In part, that's due to the beam shape....and in part, because you're throwing a ton of lumens downrange!) Fenix claims at least 250+ meters on both models; I haven't seen any real-world tests of this, but can confirm from my personal use that their throw is impressive.

Build quality is excellent. Fenix has really come a long way, and both their machining and their QC is really impressive. I gave a PD36R to my friend - a former firefighter - and he was as happy as he's been with any Surefire. And personally, I also own a ton of lights - Surefire, Fenix, 4Sevens, Imalent, Zebralights, HIDs, custom builds from Don, cmac, etc. - and the Fenixes stack up nicely. The light just feels solid in your hand. The clicky feels amazing.

The PD36R has a great runtime using the new 21700 battery (which has a higher capacity), but the PD36 has the added bonus of being dual-fuel: it can run on both 18650s *or* CR123s in a pinch. Regulation on both is excellent - I believe ZeroAir reviews saw a rock-solid 350+ minutes of 500 lumens on the PD36.

Two caveats: First, both use relatively cool LEDs, so if color temperature is an issue, you may want to look elsewhere. Second, the PD36R defaults to the lowest brightness level again after you remove the battery. So if you swap batteries in the field, you'd need to ramp up the brightness again the first time. It's a minor issue, but I wouldn't want you to be in the middle of a fire and not have immediate light when you need it!

Hope this helps! And thanks for fighting the fires.

If you're interested in a floodier Surefire, the G2X-MV has the same body as the G2X but uses a MaxVision lens to make it much floodier.
Can also +1 for the Fury DF Intellibeam: its great, with good throw/spill balance, and the ability to run 18650 or 2x CR123A is really handy.

Thanks for your replies both FlashInThePan and Caelyx.

I probably should have "closed off" the thread but I have already found a backup Surefire P2X Fury I had as an EDC spare in my shed, so that will be effectively be free so I am using that for my thrower and I already ordered a Fenix FD41 that I will set to full flood as my area light when it arrives on the slowest boat they can find from China

I spent the money I saved not having to buy a thrower light on 2 spare batteries for the Fenix (unfortunately I cannot jam an 18650 in the Surefire so until I get around to getting some better RCR123's I will use it sparingly on disposables)

It is not shaping up to be a particularly bad fire season at the moment anyways but we will see I guess.