First a disclaimer – I'm a bit of a flashaholic so I tend to take the opportunity when in the woods (and lots of darkness) to try out different lights and configurations. The vast majority of my backpacking is with my son and his Scout troop – so I tend to hike somewhat shorter distances and have a schedule that is not necessarily the hike, eat and go to bed when the sun goes down that many employ (which necessitates less light obviously). Consequently I take more lights with me than most here would consider necessary or even rational. For example on my last trip I had with me a headlamp (Zebralight H31w); a AAA lantern for my tent (Snow Peak mini Hozuki – truly a luxury but I admit to very much liking a tent light to supplement my headlamp – it makes getting dressed etc… much easier and I leave it on after dark on low which helps me find my tent among the 20-30 somewhat similar 1-2 person tents); a pocket flashlight (in this case my old standby modded Novatac 120P); and a second flashlight I was testing out (Fenix E11 which I've since given to my son to use). Oh yeah and I did also have a Photon Freedom attached to a lanyard as backup to the backups. Yeah, I know…
The one thing I've learned as I've started backpacking and camping is the value of a headlamp. Headlamps are sort of the black sheep in the flashaholic world. They get some but generally very little discussion – for a variety of reasons. They tend to not be the lights that are on the cutting edge of technology – the newest emitters, user interfaces, etc… all start and sometimes end in handheld lights never making it to headlamps. They also tend to be somewhat niche lights with many of the main producers being somewhat headlamp only producers – Black Diamond and Petzl spring to mind – which like Mag aren't really focused on the latest and greatest. They are, in one word, boring – at least for those fascinated by new ways to illuminate things.
However, one night in the woods after dark and it becomes crystal clear how valuable and indispensable a good headlamp is… I'm also now convinced for emergency situations the utility of one – try putzing around your house after a hurricane has knocked out power always having to hold a flashlight. I've previously used the basic 3xAAA Energizer headlamp (now property of my 7yo daughter) and a Petzl Tikkina (now the property of my son – although he may get an upgrade soon). They work OK but I wanted something more…
Zebralight H31w. If there is one headlamp that gets a fair amount of attention in the flashaholic world it is the Zebralight and so my first "real" headlamp was the H31w. I won't go into a huge amount of detail even for gear heads like those here – but for me the CR123 format is my preferred base – in the flashlight realm I've mostly committed to that format (most of the smallest and cutting edge lights tend to use CR123s) so I have rechargeables and primaries around. I understand others choose different ones for good reasons. It has performed admirably on the past 6-8 camping/backpacking trips. The range of levels works well – particularly the lows – runtimes are more than sufficient for my uses – it is lightweight – the strap works fine. I like that it turns on in low or at least can. The UI is pretty good – it meets one criteria for me that is the ability to start in low – however I do find that I sometimes misgauge the input and start on high blinding myself. The switch is fine – really other than the HDS/Novatac interface it is about as good as any multi level setup. Plus – no "disco" modes (SOS, Strobe, etc…) to complicate things – other than a low beacon mode I've never thought those added much. And the "w" tint is quite nice – not yellow like some other high CRI emitters – but certainly good for color rendition. The beam is a decent hotspot with wide spill.
Surefire Saint Minimus. I recently acquired a Saint Minimus to evaluate – I've wanted to try one as a fan of some other Surefire lights (the E1L in particular is a fine and practical light). And the Saint/Minimus get a fair amount of attention in the flashlight community as well like the Zebralights. I have not used it in the field yet – I'll update here after using it on our Sept 15 trip to coastal SC. So this is really first impressions and comparisons to the Zebralight. The Saint is up to Surefire quality – built like a tank. The finish is excellent even used – the control knob works predictably and my sample at least is a nice neutral tint. The strap is excellent. The UI is as simple as it gets – turn the knob for light (starts in low), turn it more for more light. there is a midpoint detent that is helpful to gauge where you are on the spectrum. This is my first true infinitely variable (or at least highly variable) light and I like how it's implemented – I'll have to see how useful it really is to dial in the exact amount of light in the field.
Comparison. The Zebralight has some advantages compared to the Saint. It uses rechargables which for me at least is important. I buy 123s online so I don't pay $6 a pop for them but given the option I prefer rechargeables despite their shorter runtime most of the time. The Minimus like most Surefires runs on primaries only. It is smaller and lighter than the Saint. The "w" tint or at least ability to get that if you want is also nice. The Saint has a better interface. I think the strap, mount and build quality are also slightly better and more robust. I emphasize slightly as the H31 is nicely made particularly for the price point and I never felt it was at all flimsy, particularly compared to plastic alternatives. The beams, well, there is a matter of taste/use. I generally don't hike at night. The Saint beam is pure flood – a sort of wall of light. I like this as one frustration I have with the H31 is I feel like I'm always having to move my head around to focus the hotspot on something particularly when using lower levels. No question the H31 on full power is a bit brighter and for sure throws a lot farther. How much this matters really depends on your uses – the Zebralight would be a better light to hike with I think but even walking around the campsight the spot beam can be marginally frustrating. I will, for full disclosure, note that the Zebralight is also available in an "f" version which stands for "flood". I have not used one but wish I'd perhaps gotten that version versus the standard one I have. I've had no cause to use Zebralights customer service, but have used Surefire's and it is exemplary. Like MSR and some others they set the bar pretty high – part of what you pay for.
Two nice lights – a few points in each ones favor in a head to head comparison. In the end, as nice as the Saint is and as nice as the UI is compared to the Zebralight – for most I think that the interface on the H31 is better than most others and more than adequate. And at less than half the cost I'm not sure the UI and build quality justify the extra cost for most users. Having said that – there is something about the Surefire fit and feel that is really nice and I'm happy to have it in my arsenal for the next trip…!
I'll update this after some more use in the field – next trip is drive up camping so I'll take them both and have the chance to do some real side by side comparisons.
