Need A Good Headlamp!

by **ElkNut1** » 10 05, 2012 • [Post 1]

I'm looking for a small yet strong LED type headlamp, I have the older petzel one (8yrs old) it's bigger & heavy, I want one that I can hardly tell is there when I'm wearing it. Any thoughts?

ElkNut1

by **>>>---WW---->** » 10 05, 2012 • [Post 2]

For a good walking light, I really like the little ones Cabelas has that clip right on the bill of your cap. They are dirt cheap and provide plenty of light for walking in and out in the dark and for dressing out your elk after dark. The batteries have lasted me for two years and still good.

by **dotman** » 10 05, 2012 • [Post 3]

Black diamond icon is the best for the $$. It has a very long life and can go from 0 - 200 lumens plus has a red light. Also you can turn on the different light functions without cycling thru each different cycle. What this means is if you want the red light you don't have to turn on white light. At $80 it is a do all headlamp. It isn't really small though.

by **pointysticks** » 10 05, 2012 • [Post 4]

stay with Petzl!

i have (identical) two older tikkas. they simply wont die. my headstraps are getting stretched out a tad by my melon, but the lamps are going strong.

i believe the new version is called the tikka XP 2. it is smaller and lighter than my version. i keep one in my hunting pack and wear one during camp. i have forgotten it too many times, so i got the second one to keep in the pack. i am pretty sure, one has saved my life..

you guys see that new Petzl..the NAO? geez..what a lazer beam!! too big, but you could go into tunnels with that one..

by **Freebird134** » 10 05, 2012 • [Post 5]

Been using the Black Diamond Spot for 6 months now. Love it!

by **ElkNut1** » 10 06, 2012 • [Post 6]

Hey thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into them! I need one by end of the month!

ElkNut1

by **planebow** » 10 07, 2012 • [Post 7]

My hunting partner has a new one I believe is a Premos. That thing is bright enough on high to have a game warden pick you up at night for spot lighting LOL

by **bowpackerrob** » 10 08, 2012 • [Post 8]

I have got a Petzl also, the tac tikka xp. Very good headlamp. I also have the princeton tec quad. I like the petzl a little better, just my opinion.

by **teeton** » 10 09, 2012 • [Post 9]

Look into the princeton tec remix, Small,very lite, long battery life.. Here is the link http://www.princetontec.com/?q=remix

I love mine. Two years on mine with hard core backpacking. Get the 2 weeks of elk hunting and then come home and get the whole deer season out of the same batteries. My 2 cents

by **ElkNut1** » 10 11, 2012 • [Post 10]

Thanks for the comments & suggestions!

ElkNut1

by **Dirty D** » 10 17, 2012 • [Post 11]

You pick up a new headlamp yet Paul? I got a new Fenix a couple years ago that really throws out a ton of light. I think it has four different power settings but I love that I can dial it way down for camp chores and such but crank it up for finding my way.

by **ElkNut1** » 10 18, 2012 • [Post 12]

I'm very close to picking up a couple of them! One is being sent by a member here, I truly appreciated his generosity too! I've been checking out all the ones mentioned here as well, some are just darned cool! (grin) I want more than one!! (grin)

ElkNut1

by **pointysticks** » 10 18, 2012 • [Post 13]

i'm thinking about that Petzl NAO. not so much for hunting, but for night mountain biking. days are getting short, and i dont want to relapse into fatness again during the dark months.

big money, but it is rechargeable and bright as the sun.

by **slim9300** » 10 20, 2012 • [Post 14]

Best headlamps on the planet: Zebralight. Nothing compares. Paul, the H502d or H502c is perfect for you.

My Petzel is going into storage indefinitely. I bought the H600w and the H502d and I have the best of both worlds. I took both headlamps with me on all my hunts this year and they performed amazingly.

by **slim9300** » 10 20, 2012 • [Post 15]

pointysticks wrote:i'm thinking about that Petzl NAO. not so much for hunting, but for night mountain biking. days are getting short, and i dont want to relapse into fatness again during the dark months.

big money, but it is rechargeable and bright as the sun.

Take a look at the Zebralight H600w XM-L. Its brighter than anything, rechargeable once you have the batteries and bombproof. It puts the NAO to shame in my opinion.

by **pointysticks** » 10 21, 2012 • [Post 16]

slim..

damn..i am flat out humbled by some of you guys and gear knowledge.

questions..the zebras are definately much more compact. charging them. you have to take the battery out and put it in a charger? how much is a battery?

by **pointysticks** » 10 21, 2012 • [Post 17]

dang..the zebra is cheaper than the NAO for sure!!

am i deciphering it correctly? you can essentially take two lights on one headband? and switch out as needed?

by **dotman** » 10 21, 2012 • [Post 18]

Conlan am I reading the specs on the 600 correct, it puts out 400lumen on high? Wow if that is so that is crazy bright!

by **slim9300** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 19]

pointysticks wrote:dang..the zebra is cheaper than the NAO for sure!!

am i deciphering it correctly? you can essentially take two lights on one headband? and switch out as needed?

Yes. Exactly. Plus, many of the lights come with a small clip that is detachable. This small metal clip won't come on the H502 but it will come on the H600.

I just keep each one with its own headband because they are so light. I am also paranoid that the holder may stretch out with prolonged swapping.

If you guys ever end up getting your Zebralight I would recommend adjusting your headband just like the pics below. There is nothing out there even close to as comfortable as this. It takes work to get it correct and it's harder to adjust the size but it feels like its not even on your head. This way of adjusting the band makes it so not a single common loop is pressing on your head, only soft elastic band.

: ImageUploadedByTapatalk1350917017.153691.jpg (28.19 KiB) Viewed 61963 times

: ImageUploadedByTapatalk1350917024.635854.jpg (14.83 KiB) Viewed 61963 times

by **slim9300** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 20]

dotman wrote:Conlan am I reading the specs on the 600 correct, it puts out 400lumen on high? Wow if that is so that is crazy bright!

I wasn't lying when I said that nothing compares. Its actually around 700 lumens (750 for the regular H600) for the first three minutes after you turn it on. Look at the rest of the specs.

I would suggest you get the H600fw or H600w though. You will lose about 30-40 lumens but the color of light is much more practical for the hunter who needs to see color detail. It will actually seem brighter in the woods. The w is more like halogen colored light (ie. white but not blue) where as the standard is more blueish or really bright white.

My next purchase is going to be the H600fw. I can't imagine the brightness of a straight up flood light with no spot.

Just so it's not confusing I'm going to explain the difference in the types of H600. The H600w XM-L has both a flood light that illuminates an area roughly 20 yards out by 20 yards wide and a spot that allows your to see out to about 80-100 yards if conditions are clear. The H600fw is a straight up flood light that illuminates 20 yards out and about 20 wide. The difference is that the flood is noticeably brighter than the H600w due to it not using energy to project a beam. I'm guessing its nearly 50% brighter for the flood function which I will tell you would be pretty crazy. I have the H600w now and it makes walking at night no different than daylight while on high.

by **pointysticks** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 21]

keep it up!!

what does a battery set us back? i assume it is a separate charger?

and you need two lamps because the zebra doesnt have a super low setting?

by **slim9300** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 22]

pointysticks wrote:keep it up!!

what does a battery set us back? i assume it is a separate charger?

and you need two lamps because the zebra doesnt have a super low setting?

No. The H600 has an unbelievable low setting. As a matter of fact on its lowest setting it will run for 80 days straight! See the link for specs. I wanted the H502d just in case I went through the two 18650 rechargeable batteries that I bring with me on a 10 day hunt. The H502 runs on a single Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA and I always have a few extras of those with me.

http://www.zebralight.com/H600w-XM-L-18 ... _p_82.html

Charger: http://www.illuminationgear.com/14343.html

I bought the XTAR WP2 II. Don't skimp with an eBay charger. Li-ion batteries are no joking matter if you buy cheap stuff.

Batteries: http://www.illuminationgear.com/23471.html

I bought two of the EAGLETAC 18650 3100mAh Li-ion batteries.

It was $53.97 shipped for everything.

by **dotman** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 23]

Your killing me, here I was planning on buying nothing this coming year, now this has me all excited even though my current 200lm light is good, just bulky.

by **slim9300** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 24]

dotman wrote:Your killing me, here I was planning on buying nothing this coming year, now this has me all excited even though my current 200lm light is good, just bulky.

It will go into permanent storage once you try the H600.

by **pointysticks** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 25]

thanks!!

where was this thread when i was working in a dark, damp tunnel construction job? i am gonna buy the 600..should fit nicely in my holiday stocking!!
i was trying to read the specs from my phone. frustratingly small.

by **dotman** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 26]

Haha, don't forget to ask Santa for batts and charger

by **pointysticks** » 10 22, 2012 • [Post 27]

dotman wrote:Haha, don't forget to ask Santa for batts and charger

santa is pissed!! backordered!

the bigman is already gonna have to stuff a tripod into the stocking!!

by **muleguy** » 12 03, 2012 • [Post 28]

When in bear country I like this one and no more batteries to buy-
The focusing lens lets you have a wide walking light on low power but if you need to see a spot or animal just focus the beam and slide the leaver to full power. It will blind any animal with the focused beam.

http://www.coastportland.com/led-headlamps/headlamps/

by **ElkNut1** » 12 04, 2012 • [Post 29]

muleguy, thanks! I checked out the link, what I don't really want is a battery pack on rear! This impedes comfortable hat wear along with the head lamp!

ElkNut1

by **Herb** » 12 12, 2012 • [Post 30]

I have a lot of years on my Princetontec Aurora. They are small and light enough that I now carry two of them. I'll leave one on in "flashing" mode to mark a spot if I'm going to return in the dark. Sure makes it easy to find some of those kill sites after dark has set in.

It's glowing on my forehead in my avatar picture.

by **pointysticks** » 12 12, 2012 • [Post 31]

Herb wrote:I have a lot of years on my Princetontec Aurora. They are small and light enough that I now carry two of them. I'll leave one on in "flashing" mode to mark a spot if I'm going to return in the dark. Sure makes it easy to find some of those kill sites after dark has set in.

It's glowing on my forehead in my avatar picture.

my sister gave me one of those RoadID bracelets. the ones they use to identify my decayed corpse..and call my wife

anyways, mine came with this tiny and light flashing beacon. red. smaller and brighter than what the cyclist wear at night. on a whim i clipped it to my hunting pack. after our first load of elk was on out backs..i just clipped it onto a tree, flashing. even with that thing, our elk was near impossible to find in the dark!! that light saved us! a headlamp flashing into the tree canopy would have been easier to see from afar. good call!

by **slim9300** » 12 12, 2012 • [Post 32]

I think Santa sent Paul a Zebralight. How is it that guy always knows what we need the most?

by **dotman** » 12 12, 2012 • [Post 33]

slim9300 wrote:I think Santa sent Paul a Zebralight. How is it that guy always knows what we need the most?

I bet if you took one Santa suit you could get 3 slim sized Santa suits

. Santa told me today I'm getting one also, oh wait that was me placing the order.

by **slim9300** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 34]

dotman wrote:
slim9300 wrote:I think Santa sent Paul a Zebralight. How is it that guy always knows what we need the most?

I bet if you took one Santa suit you could get 3 slim sized Santa suits . Santa told me today I'm getting one also, oh wait that was me placing the order.

You had better not hold your breath if you placed the order yesterday.

What model did you order?

by **dotman** » 12 13, 2012 • [Post 35]

slim9300 wrote:
dotman wrote:
slim9300 wrote:I think Santa sent Paul a Zebralight. How is it that guy always knows what we need the most?

I bet if you took one Santa suit you could get 3 slim sized Santa suits . Santa told me today I'm getting one also, oh wait that was me placing the order.

You had better not hold your breath if you placed the order yesterday. What model did you order?

Oh great! I went with the h600w xm-l, it said it was in stock. Oh well I'm not in any need so I guess Santa can come late

by **Bartfrncs** » 12 14, 2012 • [Post 36]

I use petzel and have never looked back. Its one of those you can lose deep in and not reget it.
Bart

by **slim9300** » 12 15, 2012 • [Post 37]

dotman wrote:Oh great! I went with the h600w xm-l, it said it was in stock. Oh well I'm not in any need so I guess Santa can come late

You will love the sheer light output. What batteries did you go with? Zebralight recently created their own 18650 battery. Looks very powerful.

Eventually I'm going to buy the Zebralight flashlight that runs on four 18650 batteries. The thing is about 1/4 the size of a mag light and 4 times brighter. Can you imagine that? Lol.

When did you order it?

by **dotman** » 12 15, 2012 • [Post 38]

I'll findout how good their batteries are, ordered 2

I put my order in last Weds so hopefully it comes in this coming week but with the holidays i'm not holding my breath, supposedly everything I ordered is instock, according to the website.

Did it take awhile to get yours?

Is that the flashlight for $199 without a pic?

Edit... just ordered the charger you recommended, was going to shop around but that was a good price.

I mainly ordered their batts because of the 3100 vs 2900 of the panasonic batts.

by **slim9300** » 12 15, 2012 • [Post 39]

dotman wrote:I'll findout how good their batteries are, ordered 2 I put my order in last Weds so hopefully it comes in this coming week but with the holidays i'm not holding my breath, supposedly everything I ordered is instock, according to the website.

Did it take awhile to get yours?

Is that the flashlight for $199 without a pic?

Edit... just ordered the charger you recommended, was going to shop around but that was a good price.

I mainly ordered their batts because of the 3100 vs 2900 of the panasonic batts.

Good call on the batteries. They came out in October so I already had my current ones.

It took about 7 days for them to process my order, package up the two headlamps for Christmas and finally ship them. They are SUPER busy for Christmas.

The flashlight is the most advanced light on the planet. The design and features will revolutionize the industry. It's not technically out yet though. It will probably take a couple months before I can get one.

by **dotman** » 12 17, 2012 • [Post 40]

Just received the email shipping confirmation

by **slim9300** » 12 17, 2012 • [Post 41]

dotman wrote:Just received the email shipping confirmation

Gonna get there just in time. Hopefully.

by **dotman** » 12 17, 2012 • [Post 42]

slim9300 wrote:
dotman wrote:Just received the email shipping confirmation

Gonna get there just in time. Hopefully.

Was talking to Aron tonight and he told me he's a tester for them. Hopefully it makes it here this week, just found out my Kifaru order shipped today which is 10 days early, feels like Christmas

by **slim9300** » 12 22, 2012 • [Post 43]

dotman wrote:
slim9300 wrote:
dotman wrote:Just received the email shipping confirmation

Gonna get there just in time. Hopefully.

Was talking to Aron tonight and he told me he's a tester for them. Hopefully it makes it here this week, just found out my Kifaru order shipped today which is 10 days early, feels like Christmas

He's a tester for Zebralight? I bet I know where he heard about them. Lol.

That Zebralight H600 is pretty dim huh?

by **dotman** » 12 22, 2012 • [Post 44]

No clue who he would have heard about them from

Yeah I'm sending it back, only lite up half of my 2 acre yard

talk about disappointment, I fully expected for it it light up all of my yard and my neighbors

lol

by **slim9300** » 12 23, 2012 • [Post 45]

dotman wrote:No clue who he would have heard about them from

Yeah I'm sending it back, only lite up half of my 2 acre yard talk about disappointment, I fully expected for it it light up all of my yard and my neighbors lol

Don't get any ideas. Spotlighting is still illegal even if you are using a headlamp.

by **Herb** » 12 25, 2012 • [Post 46]

Merry Christmas to me, got a light already been shipped.

by **slim9300** » 12 25, 2012 • [Post 47]

Herb wrote:Merry Christmas to me, got a light already been shipped.

Sweet! Which one did you pick up?

by **Herb** » 12 25, 2012 • [Post 48]

H600 with the GTD headband.

by **dotman** » 12 25, 2012 • [Post 49]

Herb wrote:H600 with the GTD headband.

DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY at the light, lol. You will be amazed at the light output, no spotlighting as Conlan says

by **slim9300** » 12 26, 2012 • [Post 50]

Herb wrote:H600 with the GTD headband.

Amazing light output! You will love it if you have always desired seeing better and further at night.

by **slim9300** » 12 26, 2012 • [Post 51]

dotman wrote:
Herb wrote:H600 with the GTD headband.

DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY at the light, lol. You will be amazed at the light output, no spotlighting as Conlan says

No joke. It may physically harm your eyes! Trust me on that one.

by **Herb** » 12 27, 2012 • [Post 52]

Wow, I didn't realize those batteries for the H600 were such a rare commodity. Got the light really fast, looks nice enough, now I got batteries and charger on order.

Walked into RadioShack and asked for the 18650 battery, got the blank look and "Huh??"

by **dotman** » 12 27, 2012 • [Post 53]

Herb wrote:Wow, I didn't realize those batteries for the H600 were such a rare commodity. Got the light really fast, looks nice enough, now I got batteries and charger on order.

Walked into RadioShack and asked for the 18650 battery, got the blank look and "Huh??"

I ordered mine directly from zebra. They are the 3100mah

by **Herb** » 12 27, 2012 • [Post 54]

That's where I got the batteries, found a ac/dc charger on Amazon, should be set, probably overkill as I really didn't need a headlamp...oh well.

by **Herb** » 12 27, 2012 • [Post 55]

I'll say one thing about Zebra, if it's in stock, they ship it fast!! Got my shipping confirmation 1 1/2 hour after I placed the order!!

by **slim9300** » 12 29, 2012 • [Post 56]

Herb wrote:I'll say one thing about Zebra, if it's in stock, they ship it fast!! Got my shipping confirmation 1 1/2 hour after I placed the order!!

Before Christmas they were drowning. Now they are a well oiled machine again.

What charger did you get? This is very crucial to your safety btw.

by **ElkNut1** » 12 29, 2012 • [Post 57]

Conlan, still chomping at the bit to try mine out that you so generously sent me! Thanks again, it appears to be a rock solid unit!

Herb, I think you'll love yours!

ElkNut1

by **slim9300** » 12 29, 2012 • [Post 58]

Herb wrote:That's where I got the batteries, found a ac/dc charger on Amazon, should be set, probably overkill as I really didn't need a headlamp...oh well.

You will be more than happy when you fire that thing up for the first time in the woods!

by **dotman** » 12 29, 2012 • [Post 59]

Herb, I also recommend the charger Conlan posted above. I use the same one and there is a lot of power going into the unit plus when the batteries are charged it can be used as a portable charging station for your phone. There are lighter portable chargers but I like the dual function of the above charger. I'm going to get a few more batts and use it to charge my phone and then I'll use only my phone as a camera and get a phoneskope so I can use my phone to digiscope from the spotter.

Overall I think in the end I'll come out with a weight wash since I will no longer have extra batts in AA and AAA also no longer have a P/S camera.

by **Herb** » 12 29, 2012 • [Post 60]

Well I should have the batteries on Monday, so will be lighting things up soon enough.

by **slim9300** » 12 30, 2012 • [Post 61]

ElkNut1 wrote:Conlan, still chomping at the bit to try mine out that you so generously sent me! Thanks again, it appears to be a rock solid unit!

Herb, I think you'll love yours!

ElkNut1

You are welcome Paul! I'm sure it will get all kinds of use next year.

by **High Country** » 01 13, 2013 • [Post 62]

I really like Petzl. Just pay attention to the lumens, I'd recommend buying the lamp with the most lumens that you can afford.

by **WapitiTalk1** » 01 13, 2013 • [Post 63]

Just sold my boat to help finance my new non hunting interest. Will have a few expendable bucks to throw into hunting gear. I'll be ordering the Zebralight for certain.

by **ElkNut1** » 01 14, 2013 • [Post 64]

The Zebralight is very good but do compare the Black Diamond models too so you get what works best for your hunting style. Just a thought!

ElkNut1