I want a new headlamp

[Stephen R]

A sub 2 ounce, 100 lumen, single AA or AAA, battery headlamp would be the holy grail. Doubt it exists except in a homemade version.

Since it's not mentioned yet, I think the Mammut headlamps are underrepresented. The s-lite is $20 and 1.7 oz w/ a single AA alkaline battery on my scale. It's only 20 lumens, but bright enough for me to climb in when I have to. Fits a good brightness niche b/wn my eLite and BD spot.

The sFlex version is my favorite – same specs as the S-lite but w/ a red bulb function, and $10 extra.

[James Connolly]

Bob,

I understand, but thought I'd throw it out there. However, the surefire is regulated, i.e. Output does not diminish overtime unlike most of the other lights discussed in this thread.

[Bob Gross]

Jeremy, I could not find any online vendors except for the manufacturer itself. Thanks. I'll try to report back when it arrives, or maybe when I get the strap cut down or replaced.

I have a whole pile of new lithium AA batteries, so that is ready also.

The glow-in-the-dark bracket thing might be interesting to some, but I have some luminous tape that is far lighter and can be stuck onto anything. What is it that you are always feeling around for in the dark? Your flashlight or headlamp. So, I stick little pieces of luminous tape on and give it a few minutes of sunlight during the daylight so that I can find it all night.

Now all I will need to do is to get my backpack outfitted with helium side pockets.

–B.G.–

[Bob Gross]

"Output does not diminish overtime unlike most of the other lights discussed in this thread."

Sure. However, any of the flashlights, hand torches, and headlamps that use only a single 1.5 volt battery have to use a chip called a charge pump, because the LED needs to run on around 2.4 to 3.6 volts, depending on the actual LED. The charge pump chip does something like pulse width modulation to chop up the 1.5 and make it into a higher voltage which can be regulated out to be whatever the LED needs for that particular light intensity requested. So, some of the manufacturers don't specifically describe how they are doing it, but they are doing it.

I've done designs with charge pump chips starting about 35 years ago, but I could be wrong.

–B.G.–

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Good thread going.

I bet you could save a ton of weight over manufacturers headbands simply by ditching all the plastic buckles and extra strap. If you simply took the included headband and ditched most of the brackets and sewed it to be a fixed length, I bet you'd chop 1/3 of the weight off. Using lighter elastic (ie. the stuff used in stretchy pants waist hems) could result in a very light headband. I need to try this.

I'm a bit concerned that the Zebralight H501 won't shine far enough for your needs. My H51 is 2x as bright as the H501 (200 lu vs. 96 lu) and it has a hotspot and it still doesn't shine that far because much of the light is used as flood. With 96 lumens and no hotspot, the H501 probably won't cut into the darkness very far. It would be great for around camp but if you want to spot that racoon up a tree I doubt you'll be very successful. Then again, I've never used one.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure all of the Zebralights 'headlamps' come with the strap included and they include both a glow-in-the-dark and black mounting bracket thing. I use the glow in the dark one because it weighs the same. All headlamps also include a clip that can be used instead of the headband.

[Bob Gross]

"I'm a bit concerned that the Zebralight H501 won't shine far enough for your needs."

Why is that?

I stated that my existing headlamp puts out about 100 lumens, as compared to another 100-lumen headlamp. The high setting on the H501 is rated at 96 lumens. That is virtually the same, which was the stated goal. I think the Inverse Square Law applies.

Raccoon up a tree. Pffft. I go for black bears up a tree.

–B.G.–

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

As you probably know, 'lumens' is a measure of the total light output from the light, not how intense the light is. To know how intense or bright a light is, you need to know both the lumens and the area over which the lumens are being spread. So if you have two lights that are both 100 lumens, but one light has a beam that is 2x as wide, then that beam will also be half as bright. So it's always a trade off between a narrower but brighter beam, or a wider but less bright beam. A narrow beam is good for spotting things far off, but not that useful when doing camp chores and vice versa.

Zebralights in general are quite 'floody' lights, which means that the lumens are really spread around, thus making the light appear less intense then you'd expect. Until recently, I had both a Princeton Apex and the Zebralight H51. The H51 is rated much higher (200 lumens vs. 130 lumens) but I could see significantly further with the Apex, because nearly all of the 130 lumens are used in the fairly narrow beam, whereas the Zebralight uses most of it's 200 lumens for the 80 degree flood, and maybe only 70-100 lumens are actually used in the center beam or 'hot spot'.

With the Zebralight H501, there is no hot spot at all. The 96 lumens are evenly spread out over a big 80 degree flood, which means in any one direction you're not going to be able to see that far. This kind of light is great for camp chores, but not so great for seeing far. I speculate that a 20-30 lumen light that utilizes 80% of that in a beam, could probably shine about the same distance as the 96 lumen H501. This is quite speculative, but hopefully you understand my main point which is that the H501 really spreads the light around so it's not as intense as you probably imagine 96 lumens being.

This is why I like the H51. You get basically all the flood light that the H501 provides, plus a nice brighter spot in the middle for times when you want to see further.

[* *]

Your explanation makes a lot of sense, and I've spent a lot of time looking at videos and photos of the beam spread difference between the H51 and H51F.

My question is, will the hotspot in the H51 be distracting when you're trying to read or doing camp chores? I mean, do you feel like you always have to aim the light perfectly so the hotspot is directly on what you're looking at? Does the boundary between the hotspot and the rest of the beam pattern create a distraction? Does the beam feel like it's "bouncing" when you're hiking along?

Obviously the H51F has none of these problems, but (as you explained so well), it isn't going to project nearly as far.

I have a Tikka XP 2 which has decent projection, and a really great pop-up diffuser that makes reading/camp chores easier, but I want a light that runs on a single battery and is both brighter and less weight. The H51's (and also H31's) appear to be what I'm looking for…

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

"will the hotspot in the H51 be distracting when you're trying to read or doing camp chores?"

No. The H51 is great for reading. The hotspot isn't that much brighter than the rest of the light and it smoothly blends into the flood area (ie. no clearly defined boundary) so I've never noticed it when reading. The H51 can be set to be super low if you desire which is awesome for reading. The H51 beam is going to be wider and more even than your Tikka XP2 beam, so there isn't really a need for a diffuser IMO. BTW, I think you can use a small piece of scotch tape as a MYOG diffuser if you really feel the need.

The idea of a hotspot plus floody area around it is nothing new…virtually all single beam headlamps out there have this. The only difference is that Zebralight's typically have an even wider floody area (ie. 80 degrees vs. 50-60), so you get better peripheral lighting.

"Does the beam feel like it's "bouncing" when you're hiking along?"
No it doesn't that I've noticed because the hotspot blends smoothly into the rest of the beam. The H51 really does have the perfect spread of light for all around use. If I could only have one beam pattern, it would be the H51's. If I could have two beam patterns in a light, it would probably still be the H51 beam plus a narrower dedicated spot beam.

Aside from 14g and $5, there isn't really a good reason to buy the H501 over the H51. If the 14 grams aren't a problem, then for a $5 more you get a light that can emit 2x as much light and has a hotter spot for seeing much further. The H51 is going to be hands down the better all around beam, unless you only do camp chores where flood is king.

I use the H51 for trips when I need to use a headlamp quite a bit, and then I use my 1.0oz Petzl e+Lite for regular summer trips.

[. .]

Fenix has this option (link).

From Amazon:

"The HL20 by Fenix is designed to provide its user to have the flexability of high constant brightness levels, long runtime, and waterproof design in a very lightweight body (1.73 oz-excluding battery) that utilizes a easy to find power source (AA alkaline battery). This headlamp utilizes a Cree XP-E LED (R2) to reach output levels as high as 105 lumens reaching distances over 70 meters (231 feet). It has 4 modes of output starting at 4 lumens (56 hrs) -> 48 lumens (5.5hrs) -> 105 lumens (1.8 hrs) and a SOS feature (15 hrs)"

[James holden]

i just use a tikka xp2 and dont worry about it … hopefully my knee wont give out from all that extra weight

still need to get a core for it … can save a lot of money that way i figure

[Mark Verber]

I think the headlamp which meets Bob's request the best is the Zebralight H501. It's 2oz complete with lithium battery/headstrap/holder, has a good range of brightnesses, and the most beautiful floody light I have seen. The headband/holder is .8oz. I suppose you could make a replacement for less than that, but we are talking seriously diminishing returns, and I doubt the DIY replacement would be as comfortable of functional.

I don't use the H501 backpacking… it's in our go bag for emergency & car camping. It's great for lighting up the table (has replaced a canister lantern) but it's throw is very short due to it's flood pattern. I use the H51 (non flood) which is a bit heavier but has enough throw to be used for nighttime navigation.

Some people have suggested the Fenix HL20… it's heavier than the zebralight, and even with the defuser down, doesn't have as nice a flood pattern.

I have a some notes on LED lights for backpacking

–Mark

[James Wyse]

I don't own a Zebralight H501, so I don't have personal experience with it. However, I have been poking around comparing various options and just ordered the Zebralight H31 (I like to use CR123 batteries).

The GoingGear website has a video review of the H31 and H31w, at the end of which he goes outside and compares the beams with the H501, so you may want to check it out. The H501 has very little throw–basically a very floody beam. The reason is simply that it has no reflector. That's one reason it's lighter. Check the photos and you'll see that there is virtually no reflector around the LED emitter. At least that's my take.

Sounds like an excellent choice if you're pretty sure you won't need a focused beam for longer distance illumination.

Here's the link:

http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_20&products_id=622

Or, just navigate to flashlights/Zebralight/H31

[Paul McLaughlin]

Bob – have you looked at a Petzl Zipka? it's 2.4 oz with 3 AAA alkalines, so I bet with Lithiums you'd be close to 2 oz.
another idea – do you always wear it with a hat? if so, maybe velcro on the hat and the unit might work and be lighter than a strap.

[Bob Gross]

Paul, the Petzl Zipka did not meet the brightness standard that I had set. Its strap is obviously uncomfortable.

Lithium what?

Hat. Already addressed.

—

[Bob Gross]

"If the 14 grams aren't a problem"

Good Lord, that is about a half ounce!

–B.G.–

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

"The GoingGear website has a video review of the H31 and H31w, at the end of which he goes outside and compares the beams with the H501, so you may want to check it out. The H501 has very little throw–basically a very floody beam."

Great video. The difference is huge.

[Bob Gross]

Excellent. It appears that the right decision was made.

–B.G.–

[drowning in spam]

Zebralight is a good solid choice, but man, this beast is tempting:

http://www.spark001.com/Products.aspx?ProductID=10

[Bob Gross]

A little too heavy for us, but 500 lumens! With that, you could put a spot on the moon, almost.

–B.G.–

[Derek Cox]

Just a comment on Bob's statement that the zipka strap "is obviously uncomfortable". While I no longer use this headlamp for the same reason it doesn't fit Bob's criteria, its low output, I found the head strap to be surprisingly comfortable. Just as comfortable as a typical strap in fact.

[Bob Gross]

But, the "thing" in the back is located exactly in the wrong place when I am wearing a baseball cap.

–B.G.–

[Derek Cox]

Ah true, Bob. I don't really wear hats, but I can see that being an issue.

[Bob Gross]

Supposedly the Zebralight was shipped, so I may see it in several days. I've already got a good head strap idea, and that material is on hand and ready to go (0.22 ounces). No buckle or slide. I think there is some kind of a mounting device where the flashlight mounts to the head strap. I have two or three different substitute materials for that.

While backpacking, I wear a baseball cap during the day, then a 1-ounce watch cap during the evening, and nothing while inside my shelter. It is best if the new light can be supported on my head without the need for any cap.

–B.G.–

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Maybe I missed it, but did you order the H51 or H501?

A 0.22oz strap sounds neat.

[Author]

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