australia:headlamps
Table of Contents
rechargeable headlamps for hiking
see also:
- I don't sell any of these nor do I receive any remuneration if you buy them, and I have not personally reviewed all of them, they are listed here to give you perspective
Introduction
- LED headlamps have changed the safety profile of outdoors activities and they are generally light, powerful and with good battery life of around 15hrs on a charge
- aim for:
- a beam distance of at least 80m (beam distance depends on the optical lens system which concentrates the light into a beam and the maximum output)
- a maximum output of at least 200-300 lumens/m
- 10-25 lumens for reading
- 25-150 lumens is generally all that is needed for around the house, for hiking, backpacking, and camping
- aim for 200+ if you need a navigational aid in complete darkness
- aim for 250+ if you’ll be traveling at higher speeds, such as a night trail run or mountain bike ride
- beam needs to be able to have a wide angle flood light for when working in close spaces
- adjustable beam spot and ability to tilt the beam is essential
- color of the main light can be important
- many people prefer cool white
- zero blue ray damage (RG0) reduces effects on your sleep cycle and fatigue
- very warm/orange lighting is beneficial for reducing insect attraction as insects cannot see orange/red
- if you are wanting to conserve your night vision or avoid attracting insects, a red mode is needed however this should not be too bright (eg. 5-10lumens), or, if brighter, it should be dimmable
- most have a emergency strobe function
- niche headlamps may have:
- UV mode for detecting scorpions, urine, leaks etc eg. Armytek Wizard C2 WUV Dual 1100 lumen rechargeable UV and White LED headlamp
- Green for observing wildlife
- Blue for tracking and to differentiate between green foliage and the blood of their wounded prey (most do not have a blue light mode)
- tri-color high lumen hunting beams eg. white/red/green
- eg. Brinyte HL28 Artemis Tri-colour zoomable dimmable 2x 21700 5000mAh batteries rear mounted 200g excl. batt. 500g w batt $AU334
- eg. AceBeam H30 4000lumen white (5000K or 6500K versions), 50lumen non-dimmable red (too bright for reading!), 70lumen green/CRI/UV options depending upon version; $AU174-189
- runners may require a brighter flood light mode
- water resistance to at least IPX 4 or preferably IPX 6 - it is going to rain on your head!
- IPX-4 Can handle splashing water (10-litre/min) from any angle – that’s most rainy conditions.
- IPX-6 Protected against splashed and pressurised water from any angle from a 12.5mm nozzle at 100-litre/min.
- IPX-7 Full immersion in one metre of water for up to 30min.
- IPX-8 Full and continuous immersion, up to and within the manufacturer’s specifications.
- light weight - under 200g, and preferably under 100g - if only front mounted unit, even a little extra weight can make it awkward on the head, especially if you run
- lithium ion battery USB chargeable plus option to use regular AAA alkaline batteries
- some have the battery mounted at the rear of head but this generally means more weight and bulk
Black Diamond Storm 500 R
- perhaps the best combination of features for most people
- relatively light at 100g, IP67, submersible for 30min at 1m;
- two white LEDs - one 500lumen 7hr beam and one flood;
- red, green and blue LED modes (the latter two are for hunters);
- tiltable, DIMMABLE, even the red light is dimmable which is fantastic!!!; remembers last setting when turn back on;
- USB rechargable takes 3hrs to recharge; 19hrs on 250lumen 60m medium beam, 350hrs on 6lumen 12m low beam;
- $AU109 on special in 2022
Nitecore NU33
- tiltable, triple output 60-700 lumen white beam, high CRI white 6-50 lumen flood, 13 lumen red flood (although this red mode is still a bit too bright for reading)
- IP66; USB-C 2,000mAh rechargeable but battery not removable
- 96g; position tends to slip; $AU89
LED Lenser SEO 7R
- discontinued
- lightweight design - only 93g and 29mm diameter head
- watersealed to IPX6 level
- lithium polymer rechargeable 3.26Whr battery which lasts 5-20 hours depending on output
- optionally can use 3x AAA batteries
- USB chargeable via USB power packs
- white light:
- 20-220 l/m - Optisense technology (dimming function) for automatic adjustment to the lighting conditions.
- range 40-130m
- red light mainly for reading without affecting your night vision
- Transportation Lock
- RRP $AU185
LED Lenser MH6
- ?discontinued; was presumably a much more affordable replacement for the SEO 7R - I just wish it wasn't all black!
- lightweight design - only 93g and 29mm diameter head
- 20-200 Lm
- wide beam and spot beam (40m to 120m) - Advanced Focus System (AFS), Rapid Focus single handed
- 5-20hr 3.26Wh 3.7V lithium polymer battery life depending upon output with low battery warning and charge indicator (optional 3xAAA batteries); USB chargeable via USB power packs
- dimmable, tiltable
- red reading light
- Transportation Lock
- IPX6 water resistance
- Smart Light Technology
- cons: all black - you won't find it in the dark when it is off!
- $AU109
LED Lenser MH8
- 600 lumen; magnetic charging
- option of R/G/B LED light modes
- $AU178
LED Lenser MH10
- 36mm and weighs 158g, and again it seems to only come in black
- 10-600Lm
- 20m to 150m spot - Advanced Focus System (AFS), Rapid Focus single handed
- 10 to 120hr battery life via rear mounted 12.58Wh 3.7V rechargeable battery USB chargeable via USB power packs
- only IPX4 water resistance
- dimmable, tiltable
- red tail light! color filters for various different uses
- Transportation Lock
- low battery warning and charge indicator
- $AU175
- reviews:
LED Lenser MH11
- 1000lumen; Bluetooth smartphone configurations - Set your light preference, set up a timer
- options for either R/G/B LED modes
- $299
Petzl Reactik+
- 115g, 300lumens, 110m,
- lithium battery 2.5-17hrs
- has a sensor which analyses the ambient light and adjusts the beam pattern and brightness accordingly (reactive lighting mode)
- 3 different battery modes – Max Power, Standard and Max Autonomy
- Bluetooth so can optionally control beam from smartphone app
- travel lock feature
- red light
- requires adapter to use alkaline batteries
- $AU149
Petzl Nao+
- state of the art features and very expensive and heavier, great for runners
- 185g, 700 lumens, 135m
- rear-placed rechargeable Li ion battery - takes 6hrs to recharge
- top strap for improved security when doing technical climbing
- Bluetooth so can optionally control beam from smartphone app
- $AU309
australia/headlamps.txt · Last modified: 2023/07/14 08:59 by gary1