Flash Reviews No. 4

[Ryan Jordan]

Companion forum thread to:

Flash Reviews No. 4

[BlackHatGuy]

C'mon Art, did you know this was coming out beforehand? :-)

[Jack M]

Haha, this certainly gave me a good laugh.

[Mitchell Ebbott]

At just $40, the Casio SGW300 is the frugal little brother of the PRG-270. The design is similar, but it’s missing the solar charging and compass features. Well worth the $75 savings, IMO.

[Dave G]

Mitchell,

I've had an SGW-300H for 18 months, it was cheap and has proved robust, functional and reliable. 46grams and reasonably sized.

Dave

[Ken Thompson]

Including MSRP would be nice. Am I looking at a $30 or $80 headlamp?

[Gary Pikovsky]

@Ryan Jordan – Ryan, does the Fenix HL22 give off regular white LED light or is it warmer? Trying to decide for night photography to warm up the shot.

[James holden]

I have a fenix hl55 … And i would disagree with easier bat changes compared to a petzl

The problem is that to change the bat you risk

– dropping the tail cap (a worry at a belay)

– getting moisture in the system as it exposes the electronics

If yr nice and dry it wont matter, but in the middle of a rainstorm you need to make sure yr quite dry before doing a bat change

In contrast the petzls can be changed in the shower as it has different sealed compartment for the electronics and you only risk dropping the bat not the tailcap

And contrary to popular belief you can change the bats on a petzl in the dark with yr eyes closes with some practice

This being da intrawebz i would like to issue a friendly challenge as a test

See if you can changed the bat on a single bat fenix/zebralight/etc (something without a sealed seperate compartment) in a shower thats turned on facing the nozzle with a your eyes covered

Im not responsible for what happens to your light!!!

;)

Also as a note the fenix hl23 goes back to an aluminum body

http://www.fenixlight.com/ProductMore.aspx?id=157&tid=27&cid=2#

[David Ure]

Eric – which Petzl do you own?

[James holden]

Currently the new tikka and tikka rxp

I also own 2 fenix hl55 … Im happy to say that fenix resolved the issue with my light in a good manner … Without having to ship it to china !!

;)

[David Ure]

I was looking at the new Tikka to replace my many year old PT EOS.

Thread drift: any downsides to the new Tikka v.s. the previous generation?

[James holden]

The tikka and tikkina dont have a sealed electronics compartment anymore

This isnt a problem IMO as the its a mechanical swith which is very simple, and ive used it just fine the the rain and shower

The mechnical switch means that it makes a great long term emergency light as it doesnt drain bats when off

The tikka+ and xp get a substantial increase in lumens and for the XP have a seperate spot and flood light

The best review …

http://www.light-test.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=140:petzl-tikka-2014-tikka-plus-tikka-xp&catid=35:czolowki&Itemid=54&lang=en

However if you can afford the weight and price get the tikka RXP … The usb charging, reactive lighting and the spot/flood combo will change the way you view headlamps

Otherwise i would pick up one of these chinese headlamps with the best warranty … fenix is good in that their distributer network should deal with warranty claims locally … And the operation is very simple and intuitive

When i got nightclimbing my partners use the fenix …. They can learn how to operate all the features 10 seconds and wont fiddle with it in the middle of a climb

Not ti mention that with an 18650 bat they get 10 hours of 150 lumens… No need to change bats

Regardless just buy it from mec and its a riskless purchase

;)

[Joe S]

The now available HL23 does indeed look more like the HL21, and seems substantially more rugged than the HL22, plus a bit more power. I have and like the HL21, but may upgrade to the HL23.

[John S.]

Just say no to humongous watches ; ).

[Monty Montana]

Why is this being posted on Editor's Roundtable (along with Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest # 8) instead of my Wednesday or Thursday e-mail? I discovered these items here by accident, all the while wondering why I've received nothing for the week of the 11th and the 18th. Any suggestions?

[Jack M]

Monty- All articles are placed in the Editor's Roundtable. I believe it's been like this for quite some time(years). They are usually accompanied by an email but that didn't seem to get out this week.

[Ken Thompson]

Jack is correct. I did not receive the weekly e mail either.

[Ethan A.]

Thank you for another helpful set of reviews. Any idea where you can you find the Casio PRG-270B-1 for $125? Best price I've seen is $135 on eBay.

Also the B-1 models seem to have variants or series – CR, JF, DR, etc. Any idea what's the difference between them?

[Joe S]

I dug out my HL21 last night and was reminded of wild feature of this great little light. The HL21 has a pretty focused lens and a flip down diffuser. The diffuser works great to spread the light out, but when you flip it up and out of the way, you get 93 meters of throw at the 90 lumen high setting, which is pretty amazing (the new HL23 at 150 lumen is only 55 meters). One of my hiking buddies, who really is a climber, freaked out at the distance throw of the HL 21, as he often uses his head lamp to scout routes, etc., in multi-day climbs. Myself, I have never desired to spend a night on a port-o-ledge.

[Ken Thompson]

http://www.casio.com/products/Watches/PRO_TREK/

[James holden]

The petzl tikka rxp does the same as a diffuser without a moving plastic piece that can break

The ~200 lumen rxp has more throw than my 900 lumen fenix hl55

And it has a repectable close in flood

It does this using 2 seperaye cree xpg2 LEDs

Of course you do pay a price for it … And it weights 115g all in

On the other hand the battery has 6.6 Wh vs the 2-3 of a typical eneloop AA

;)

[Dondo .]

Gary, I just tried my HL22 in a dark room and it appears to be the standard white LED light. Of course, if you shoot RAW, you can pick any color temperature you like in post-production.

Ken, I found my HL22 at B&H for $33 and free shipping.

Eric, you make a good point about getting moisture in the electronics and I won't take you up on the shower challenge, but I did change the battery with numb fingers in the dark in frozen mix conditions. It was quick and easy and nothing bad happened to the headlamp.

I've had the HL22 for about a year now and have used it for backpacking, bicycle commuting and outdoor work in all weather conditions. It's still going strong.

[Garrett McLarty]

From previously using the petzl zipka as my light weight light, I have gone to the zebralight h52. It uses 1 AA light and though a bit pricey, is now my most used light. I often wear it as a neck light, since you can rotate the light in the band.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Ive been using an HL21 since they came out, but I like the more compact design and specs of the HL23. I'm putting that on the wish list.

The diffuser is a fragile part of the HL21, but you still have a fully functional light if you break it. I've had no problems with mine.

I like single AA designs for the ease of managing spares and loading in the dark. I do carry an Olight i2 on my survival keychain for backup. I can carry one spare battery for both lights or swap between— the Olight can be considered a battery case :) Fumbling with three AAA batteries is a pain.

My EDC keychain has a Fenix LD01 that makes a good single cell option if you want something lighter. I went to AA for hiking to get a higher performance headlamp and wanted all my lighting on the same battery type.

I've run into the same issues on my bike between head and tail lights. The tail light is AAA, but it isn't critical off-pavement. I did dawn on me that my bike headlight makes a perfectly good flashlight in camp.

[Keith Selbo]

I am heavily invested in trail electronics both for the convenience and safety they afford. My current ensemble consists of: Bosavi Headlamp, Brookstone folding Bluetooth keyboard, Samsung Camera, DeLorme InReach SE satellite communicator, Iphone5.

What they all have in common is a micro-USB socket that supports re-charging from my MonoPrice 25 wh lithium ion rechargeable battery pack (7oz.) which I am planning to replace with a much smaller pack because I've never used even half its capacity on my longest treks.

The Sonim is, for most practical purposes a most impressive and wonderful piece of gear, but this is backpacking light — emphasis on light. It weighs twice as much as the combined Iphone5 and it's Seal Line soft plastic case. The case is waterproof and affords shock protection. The touch screen operates through the case window. I don't know if the shock protection is as robust as the Sonim's, but as the case has a lanyard attach point, (I have string lanyards on all the small items I can't afford to lose) a dropped Iphone5 stops short of hitting hard objects. Even so, my clumsiness has provided ample evidence that the Seal Line soft case provides excellent shock protection.

The Sonim's temperature performance is admittedly excellent, and overkill for all but the most extreme conditions. Only once has my Iphone5 flashed me the battery temperature warning and on that occasion I had left it sitting out next to me in the tent. Normally, it's nestled close to my body in a pocket. I've never had the need to keep it out long enough for it to cool to where it wouldn't function.

At 1.6 oz, the Fenix HL-22 is a good ultralight headlamp especially when you consider its high beam performance, however, it has some significant drawbacks. As has been noted in the reviews section, the battery compartment cover isn't captive and when open, the electronics are exposed to the elements. I have a similar Ray-O-Vac headlamp that overcomes these difficulties, but I don't take it backpacking because it shares the following drawback with the Fenix.

The high lumen output of the Fenix can't be achieved with a single AA battery in any headlamp that iluminates with a high intensity white LED unless the lamp employs a boost supply. This type of power regulator boosts the low AA battery voltage to a level that can produce high illumination from the LED. It also offers the advantage of being able to extract almost all of the battery's stored energy, an area where non-boost, and unregulated supplies fall short. It has the added advantage of providing a near constant light output over the life of the battery. Unfortunately, there is a price for this. When the battery is exhausted, the light doesn't fade slowly, it simply winks out. The first time this happened to me was in a high stress situation on a cold stormy night. It also was the last time. I prefer a slightly heavier lamp with slowly tapering illumination that allows me to chose the right time to replace/recharge the battery.

My choice is the 2.3 oz Bosavi rechargeable headlamp. In a recent five day thru-hike of the Shenandoah National Park which included two to three hours of night hiking each day plus an hour or two of use in camp, the Bosavi still had 3/4 charge remaining on the battery at the end of the hike. Full disclosure, I almost never use the high beam. I use the low white on the trail and the red in camp.

As for the Casio Pathfinder PRG-270: I need this because??? The Iphone5 has displaced all its functions. The last watch I carried was a Pathfinder predecessor; The ProTrek. It was a good, albeit heavy, ABC solar timepiece. My only complaint was the alarm which was outside my 2000 Hz hearing range. I don't miss it.

In terms of valuable inventions, the InReach is exceeded in utility only by the wheel and sliced bread. True, it requires a smart phone to achieve full capability, but I don't leave home without a smart phone anyway.

There's nothing special about my camera, I just recommend one you like that has a USB charging port.

The BlueTooth keyboard? It's a luxury. If I needed to carry a few more ounces of food, water or fuel for a hike, it would stay home, but as it is, typing with ten fingers is far more convenient than thumbs.

I long ago dumped the notion of wilderness power generation when I realized the longest I've ever gone between touching base with an AC outlet is ten days. I've never seen adequate generating capacity that weighs less than a lithium ion battery pack.

You may blanch at my 7 oz. battery pack, I know I do. It's overkill. I'm currently shopping for something with about a third that capacity and weight.

[Author]

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