Headlight recommendation ?

I am going to buy a headlight for floating down a river after dark. I want a headlight with a flood that shows the immediate surroundings brightly. I am not interested in throw as I have other small 2xcr123 lights that have plenty of throw and are waterproof that I can carry in my pocket or in a sheath. I need to see where to place my feet as best as possible because it is dangerous floating after dark. I would like a light that runs on AA batteries (or possibly larger if the battery pack is not attached to the head.) Waterproof or dunkable for a few seconds is a must.

i bought one of them tripple led headlights, with a BIG head, it runs off of 3 aaa , i just pulled its reflector piece out, and the 3 light board, and shoved a 12 led array in instead, it has worked great.
but its not "comfortable" i put it on to have a head light.

one time they had a glasses type frame , with 2 AAAs on each side, and a penlight incadescent, that was very comfortable, even though the light was very bad.

then i got a few of those hat clip/head band things that are 3AAAs and 3 leds in a cylinder that stick out straight out from the headband, they were not bad.

but the same problem existed in all of them, having all the weight on just the front, batteries and assembly. the headband then either has to be crushing your head, or its falling off during normal activity . its not like people are using them watching tv in thier recliners

so the best IDEA that i could think of to MOD the manufacturers stupidity, would be to put a Luxeon star on the plastic base of thier headband, with or without optics.
then either put a 3 AA battery module on the back , or around the headband, or put the pack down on my belt, or even in my pocket.
you can get a cruddy 4AA holder at radioshack for little, that fits in the pocket good, i made a few quick led lights with them.

i dont wory much about water resistance (in california) everything dries easily, and Low-voltage will work totally exposed in fresh water without a problem.

also along the lines of WHAT a head light is used for, i agree that it is rarely for a 2* SPOT light, when its on your head, and follows you head, it should be at least 20*. most of these have a additional spotting through a magnifying lens.

when you are Waving a flashlight around, its OK to Spot light specific things, but when its a headlight, where you LOOK is where the light should be, when they are to spotty, i end up twisting my head, and looking with rolled eyes, thats Just not right, its just not right
hey look over there is that guy spazzing, or does he have ticks.

the light should go in the area of your main vision, and because it is offset from your eyes, a spot is useless. with the glasses location, a spot is better, because it is aligned to your eyes.

I like my princton tec aurora, petzl tikka or zipka. The EOS is also good but it's more throw oriented. none of the ones listed have the giant battery pack hanging on the back of your head and extra straps to support it.

The PT Corona might work for you.

I use a Princeton Tec Yukon HL for kayaking after dark. A nice little flood from the three 5mm led's and some good punch from the 1 watt luxeon when I need it.

I'll second the Princeton-Tec Corona. Runs on 3xAA (Alkaline or Lithium), 8 LEDs that light up in 4 combinations and have two levels of brightness for each (as well as blinking mode for each). Current regulated. Secure headband and standsup to a dunking.

On High, you can perform surgery with a Corona. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Princeton-Tec Corona Headlamp

Britt

The Yukon HL was a nice idea poorly implemented. It makes no sense that the four 5mm LEDs should draw more power than the 1W Lux.

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RonM said:
The Yukon HL was a nice idea poorly implemented. It makes no sense that the four 5mm LEDs should draw more power than the 1W Lux.

[/ QUOTE ]

My Yukon HL has THREE 5mm LEDs and one Luxeon. According to the info in the package, the three 5mm's should get 120 hours of useful light and the 1 watt Lux 25 hours.
review

Does anyone have a Foxfury headlight that they can tell me what they think about it? How would it compare to the Corona? Is it way brighter than the corona etc. ?
Is it worth the price difference?

Hi Grumpy

Not sure if you've checked out the Manufacturer's corner but there is a discussion there as well as on the Headlamps section.

We make an Outdoor version and a Water version. The Water version is ideal for fishing, kayaking, etc.

Both units are waterproof.

You can find out more info by PMing me or checking out our website, www.foxfury.com. The website is Flash-based and may take a while to load--I apologize if this causes any inconvenience.

The comments about the Yukon HL drawing more current in the "low power" setting got me curious so I put in fresh Duracells and turned it on Thursday night for an informal run test. I noticed it was definitely dimmer after about 20 hours and I would have probably replaced the batts then if I were using it for kayaking. After 48 hours on, it's dimmer than I would want for walking around outside but it's fine for finding my way around a dark house or reading or working on something up close. After I get through in this mode, I'll put in some more batts and try it in Luxeon mode.

Check this thread. A great discussion on what the "best" headlamp is.

hsjrev, do a forum search on the HL. When it first came out I remember people taking current measurements and discovering that the "low" mode actually drew more current than high. I could be wrong, so it's best if you checked for yourself.

Not that it matters, however, my .02 cents is a vote for the Princeton Tec Aurora. It does everything you want on three AAA (sorry, not AA) and it can be found at bargain prices on the net every once in awhile.

rgc