Headlamp recommendations

Tried every major brand of headlights, there really is no comparison.

The Zebralight H600 is the best headlight by far.

Best compromise on beam profile (throw/flood) great tints offered, a 3400mAh 18650 will offer far better run time per gram than another other battery solution,.
Great output levels with a decent turbo mode and great medium and low levels.

Don't know who said the interface is convoluted. Maybe for the first five minutes because it offers three levels each with high and low, but the Zebralight interface is intuitive, genius. I have the H52F and it's the best flashlight I have owned. The BD ion is great if you want a glorified squeeze light for gram weenies. The Princetontec Remix is also a solid light with great weight, power, run time, etc., but it falls into the three-AAA camp and I am kinda over that PITA. To each his own. It's worth a little thought. I don't care what Uli Steck uses for anything. (A) he is heavily sponsored, and (B) we are not doing the same kind of trips. I want the best light for the money with low weight and low fiddle factor, and proven reliability.

less than an ounce and long runtimes, but I wouldn't want to use it for hiking

Petzl e+LITE

Then again…

I was happy with my minimalist e+lite, but I'm not into the retractable band on the new model…so of course I thought I'd check out the Zebra stuff mentioned above…oops, need more gear!

I'm thinking of trying one out, but am not appreciating the difference between the H52 floods and the H502 floods

Any insights into why I'd go with one or the other?

thx

>> but am not appreciating the difference between the H52 floods and the H502 floods <<

The H502's have a wider flood beam (120 degree spread). The H52 flood models have 90 degree beam spread.

The wider the beam the less throw you will get out of the beam (less distant illumination), so you have to decide what you need. The 120 degree beam will basically light up your entire field of view but won't travel far. The beam spread of the H52 Floody models aren't that much different from the non-floody H52 models (80 degree vs 90 degree beam spread) but with the floody models you won't get the 12 degree hot spot that the non-flood models provide (the hot spot provides distant illumination).

While you might not find lighting important to your backpacking experience, to me and others in this thread, lighting is critical. I frequently drive 5 hours after work to get to the Smoky Mountains and then hike in 4-5 miles in the dark. I need light that is bright and efficient in order to backpack light at night.

There are 920+ gear sub-forum pages, going back 10 years, describing the many ways we obsess about our gear. Discussing gear is a great way to vicariously spend time in the wilderness when we can't be there. Clearly this flashlight discussion is not the only thing that is being over thought?

Thankfully most of us are polite enough to avoid being egocentrically dismissive.

I tried 3AAA lights and the Petzl elite. Nothing wrong with them, but I love my H52w (the "w" version is the non-floody with a neutral tint).

I think many people get a bit carried away with headlamps.

For several hundred miles on the AT I only carried a single tiny photon. Works great if you dont hike at night. The one drawback is cannot change battery without a knife blade type tool, and cant do it in dark by feel.

My H51 has been on one 60 mile trip with me. Never was used. Only used the photon. After that, just left it home.

What i found most interesting is that the OP hasnt indicates his actual usage pattern and under what conditions …

It might be beneficial to clarify these before recommending actual models ….

Hmmmmm

;)

LOL. Notice the example Eric gives for "not overthinking your light" is a top-of-the-line, bells-and-whistles, auto-adjust Tikka RXP Petzl at an equally fancy price of $95. I would say plenty of thought went into that choice, and it's a cutting-edge lamp. You can get a Zebralight for $65, but I suppose that would be over-thinking it.

If you *really* don't want to overthink your headlamp, go get a Defiant or an Energizer at Home Depot. It might give up the ghost on your first night out but REST ASSURED, you won't have taxed any brain cells.

There's some odd juju about light discussions here. When they come up, you often get a chorus of people intoning that the discussion is too deep, that actual harm will come from continuing to think about or discuss the issue.

If you can't use your lamp to hike at night, and you find it impossible to change a battery in the dark, and you need a separate tool to open it…maybe, just maybe, you NEED to think a little bit more about your headlamp choice.

Now excuse me while I go and don't over-think my quilt, tent, sleeping pad, puffy and stove. All of them need de-thinking.

If I catch any of the rest of you thinking about your gear choices, there'll be hell to pay…

i didnt recommend the petzl if you noticed

i just pointed out that someone who does more than any of us uses a regular "name brand" headlamp, which by the way if you buy from MEC has a lifetime no questions asked warranty (i would snap up a zebralight too if it was at MEC, since warranty tends to be the achilles of these chinese brands) … and i pointed out other athletes use BD and other different brands

i simply recommended not to overthink it … go buy something that meets your needs, is at the price you want, and has a good warranty … as we all know that electronics can always fail

i mean outdoorgearlab recommended the coast HL7 as one that works as well as any of the $$$$ ones they claim, and you can get that for 35$ at home depot

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Headlamp-Reviews/Ratings

but i wont "recommend" that one since i dont know what the OP will be using it for

i dont know how people can say "zebralight buy buy buy' without knowing what the OP really wants

and really … dont overthink it

any decent name brand headlamp can and will work for what most people do here … plenty of people use what they sell at REI/MEC/Backcountry headlamp section just fine

perhaps one should ASK the OP his usage intent, his price range, his warranty expectations, etc … before going off about "zebralight"

;)

Eric, why are you thinking about this thread so much?

Relax, man. Any other thread will do.

delmar …

im simply saying one should probably ask him

and that for most general purposes any headlamp will likely work … no need to overthink it

come to think of it maybe the coast HL7 is the new way forward … i may need to pick one up .. hmmmm

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Headlamp-Reviews/Coast-HL7

you seem pretty worked up …

perhaps we should stop with the recommendations till the OP clarifies his use?

;)

Self-edited … my original response was too sarcastic. Apologies.

Carry on.

The OP has posted on other threads, but not followed up on this one…

go figure.

Brian > the Zebralight interface is intuitive, genius.

And the darndest thing, Brian, is that it causes me virtually no issues in regular use, but when I absolutely, positively need to turn it onto low, it seems I invariably get it on a higher setting. I think I pause a nano-second longer on the button, trying to be very deliberate to not be too fast (as a fast click gets you on high), and that's where I run into trouble. Cracks me up how the issue never occurs except when I'm trying to be very careful, and not blast my eyesight.

well delmar …

if someone asks me for a recommendation for a climbing rope, the first thing i ask is what will they be using it for (theres alot of different climbing uses)

quite a few folks have said "dont over think it" on this thread

if you want to recommend blindly its your call ..

my recommendation is that the OP let us know what he wants … and still not overthink it

its not like everyone who aint using a particular niche brand is having a hard time in the dark out there

;)

Eric, I edited my previous sarcastic post, and apologized. We both know that the OP does not control the conversation of the entire thread. He has been asked for clarification multiple times. You're changing your stance from "don't overthink" to "don't recommend unless the OP posts more info." (Which is thinking about the issue MORE, not LESS…and I agree that's appropriate.) The OP is gone, the rest of us are discussing. More importantly, I think you and I are starting to irritate everyone else.

no need to apologize

everyone has their own opinions

my opinion is what i stated last page

now if the OP will only tell us what hes going to use it for …

;)

Poor OP, he's probably sorry he ever asked…
I still say just go a good outdoor store and play with 'em, maybe then ask some more specific questions.

Maybe it's safe enough in here now that I can ask a question though ;)

I've seen the Zebralight around online a little, but there seems to be some kind of issue with getting a bad one and customer service and some kind of hang up over that whole can of worms. Anyone care to comment or have any insight?

I want to get one of the H52 models. I understand the differences, just need to make a decision. I'm more concerned about getting a dud or something.

Flashlights are like a status symbol for the gear fanatics ;)
I also went through many flashlights because I just couldn't resist trying out a new one to see how they developed in the past months/year.
I read good things about the zebra lights, too. So before I bought one, I tried a $14.50 clone from DX to see if I like the angled head.
To my surprise, it was a really nice light and I likes it so much that I skipped the Zebras. This is my go to light now (with a head band):

http://dx.com/p/trustfire-z1-cree-xp-e-q5-3-mode-280-lumen-memory-led-flashlight-1-cr123a-1-16340-39671#.UxGdof0aX8s

I was googling for the dx-link and just ran into these ones ($31):

http://dx.com/p/ultrafire-uf-h1b-cree-xre-q5-120-lumen-3-mode-white-led-flashlight-w-clip-1-x-cr123-1-x-16340-121632#.UxGh0P0aX8s
There's also one using AA and an updated version UltraFire UF-H7.
I wonder how these perform (must not buy new flashlight ;)

If $$ is no concern, the H52W is clearly the top pick. Want to try out the angled head first? Play around with the Z1.

> I've seen the Zebralight around online a little, but there seems to be some kind of issue with getting a bad one and customer service and some kind of hang up over that whole can of worms. Anyone care to comment or have any insight?

The loudest complaint I've heard about ZL, is that in the rare event you get a bad one, you don't get to return it to Texas headquarters and get a new one shipped out quickly as a replacement. Your ZL goes back to China for reworking, which takes IMO too long before it's returned–weeks. To me it seems you should have your replacement inside a week. I've never had a ZL go bad so this has not been a personal experience, just reading commentary of others. There's been talk that ZL would move its repair stateside; I don't know if that's happened yet, or will.

If that scenario is unbearable, you might consider a SureFire light, which will get repaired here in the US. For what it's worth, I have owned 3 Sparks, 5 Fenix, 7 ZLs, and probably a dozen other lights of various brands from good to junk including Petzl (case cracked), ShiningBeam (fine), Romisen (connection issues), and Energizer (bad design). To me, they are not all the same; one is not as good as another. The ones that have given me trouble are the inexpensive lights; usually a connection going bad. The Fenix have been solid (although with poor tints and hot spots), the Sparks have been great (one has a switch that doesn't always remember its last setting), and the ZLs have given me zero trouble, just none. If SF made a smaller headlamp, I'd buy one without question–they are good quality, just larger than I'm accustomed to.

I dunk-test all my new waterproof lights to make sure I don't have a leaker. I suggest the same for any new purchaser. Turn your light on, drop it in a glass of water for 15 minutes, and see if it stays lit. If it fails, send it back right away.

I've had no issues so far. I bought directly from ZL though I understand it is better to buy from an independent for a better return policy.
It is sort of a status symbol when you really need a good light. I've yet to use it for a headlamp in which case there are cheaper choices.
The ZL, I keep in my pocket even when not hiking. It just comes in handy more often than you might think. A headlamp would be put away. When it comes to cost, which is cheaper, something I pay little for and use only on occasion or something I pay a bit more for and get multiple use out of?
It defiantly does appear durable. I've only had it a couple of months. Judging by the reviews of the H51, I have no worries.

Tuan,

I like your suggestion, $15 is a great way to give the angled head design a shot. I also have a Z1, I keep it in my fly fishing chest pack (not for backpacking). Sometimes when you find yourself "making just one more cast", or "working just one more run" you find yourself needing a little help getting from the stream to the road. The angled head design practically provides an extra hand when you need just a bit more light to tie a fly on.

That ultrafire H1B is also available as a H3B, I really prefer the 18650 cells:
http://dx.com/p/uf-h3b-cree-xr-e-q5-230lm-adjustable-brightness-memory-white-led-flashlight-w-clip-1-x-18650-122182#.UxJJboUkD_E

"if you want to recommend blindly its your call .."

Eric,

Not sure if you've tried a decent headlamp, but i use my H600 for night hiking, work, working on the car, camp duties, even used it for free diving for a few trips last summer.

It's light weight, the beam has a great flood/throw compromise, it has a high enough boost mode to enable me to safely ride down the side of a mountain at night while hitting just under 60kmh (it's my MTBing back up light), yet has decent medium and lows to make it a great camp light without blinding everyone.

Only thing i've found it not particularly brilliant at is a tent light as the beam is a little too focused to bath the inside of the tent in light, my solution is a old white 35mm film canister, i wedge it between the light and the holder and it diffusers the light to give a really nice glow.

So it really doesn't matter what the use i've found my various H600's (i have a few) to be a great light for 99% of the activities i do.