electrician headlamp

[felipe007]

hello everybody

i'm looking for a headlamp, first and forall i wanna use it as a torch when i'm working on electricity. but second i wanna use it also when i'm hiking.

i have already a solarforce l2r, and i'm happy with it. now a headtorch, could somebody advice me something ?

1)i was thinking about the zebralight, but the led has no protection, so it might get broken ?

2)i need a lot of flood, i don't like a small center spot that is very bright and the rest of the flood that is dimm, i want everything to be the "same lighting".

i can mod something like a petzl to get a better result.
i can use a headstrap with an small torch...
i really like AA battery (or AAA, but i prefer AA)

what would you guys like ?

oh yes i like normal white light, not blue, yellow, reddish.

thanks

 

[Dsoto87]

Spark st6 500cw. Remove the reflector if you want all flood

Edit: just seen that you want it to run off AAs. So scratch that suggestion

 

[tedh]

I think you're on the right track though, how about the Spark ST5?

I haven't had trouble with the protection of the LEDs in the Zebralight. The glass is recessed, so difficult to break, I think.

Ted

 

[felipe007]

i didn't know the zebra had a glass, so that's great.
the spark isn't that cheap, i guess you get what you pay for
still looking around
thanks

 

[Potato42]

I don't know what gave you the idea that the zebralight has no protection for the LED, but that is not the case. The older models had a lens made of tough plastic basically, and the newer models have a typical flat lens, it's just at 90*. Unfortunately all the newer zebralights have a hotspot, unlike the older models which were pure flood. This can be remedied with diffusion over the lens. The only complaint I have about my zebralight as a headlamp is the holder/strap. It tends to sit a little loose in the holder, and if I tighten the strap to the point it feels as secure as I'd like, I get a headache in short time.

You might try one of the other dedicated headlamps with the idea of diffusing the beam for a smoother more even beam. Here is a thread showing floody headlamps http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?310856-Flood-Beam-Headlamp-List-2011

Unfortunately headlights are not often found in neutral tints, except for zebralights. If tint is very important to you, I'd suggest an older (flood only) zebralight like the H60w with a neutral tint. You could of course get one of the newer ones in neutral as well, but again they have a hotspot, so you might end up modifying it with diffusion.

 

[Bolster]

Did you get a chance to review your floody beam options by studying the thread in my sig line?

As everyone has already said, the Zebralight LED has protection via its lens. If you go Zebralight, get the H501w rather than the H51 which has a mild sort of "directional flood" or "diffuse hotspot." It really can't easily be remedied by the application of more diffuser material. Just get the H501 instead.

H501 if you like a little blueish tint, and H501w if you like a more neutral-to-warm tint. My opinion? H501w shows colors better.

 

[Glock27]

I do HVAC work. I use an H501w everyday. Perfect light for service or construction.
G27

 

[robostudent5000]

if you're on a budget and don't mind modding the light, you can get an old (but unused) 25 lumen PT EOS cheap right now as discussed here, swap the emitter for a neutral CREE, and pop out the optic for flood. total cost of lamp and new emitter should be around $25.

 

[felipe007]

thanks guys interesting stuff. at this moment the h501w takes the lead. but i'm also thinking about an ultracheap headlamp like the alpkit, although it might be to much focus on this one. i'm still looking around, the pt eos, i'll look into it, but first i gotta be a member of the marketplace.

 

[Yucca Patrol]

For your purposes, the zebralights mentioned above would be great. Another new option is the Petzl Pixa. There are 3 models, but the Pixa 1 should do the trick and only costs $30. It is also rated to work in hazardous conditions (explosive atmospheres, etc) which might be a plus for you. I just bought the Pixa 3 as a durable backup headlamp for caving and am very impressed with the super durable construction. It is a good bit chunkier than a zebralight but is worth considering. Works with 2xAA so it has very long run time too.

 

[Bolster]

Very curious about the Pixa 1. I doubt I'd choose it as a light for an electrician since it puts out max 25 lumen. When hunting down wires in the attic, I find that's when I often switch my H501 to high mode (80 lumen). I'd miss the higher modes for that sort of work. Also I find that wire colors are more identifiable with a neutral-to-warm tint.

So compare: The Pixa 1, 2xAA, 25 lumen, for 12 hours. The Zebralight cool-tint (more comparable tint, probably), 1xAA, 18 lumen for 19 hours. You'd hardly notice the difference between 18 and 25 lumen. But the Zebra would give you the option of a 96 lumen high for 2.3 hours, and does it all on a single AA. Oddly, the Zebra has a better waterproof rating at IPX8, whereas Pixa is IP67. (If you don't know how to read that it means: Pixa rated for "temporary" immersion, Zebra for "prolonged" immersion. The first numeral is for dust...the Pixa is rated "completely protected" and the Zebra was not tested for dust.)

BUT, as a backup long-run light such as for caving, seems ideal.

 

[felipe007]

bolster, you give some very interesting information. i find myself also switching to the highest illumination where ever i can (not on a focus spot, but always on wide flood). i'm going in for the kill, it will be a neutral h501 thanks a lot for the information people greetz

 

[rick oz]

Ive been using two petzl headlamps as an electrician everyday for 8yrs straight and counting. A set of cells per light per week. One is an original Zoom that had endless caving use for years before switching to work duty, this has been modded with a Cree XR-E Q5 direct drive on 3AAs. It is ALL flood with a slight but very large hotspot. Some people will give these away for free when they upgrade so $5 for a neutral led and bit of scrap aluminium is probably the best cost to performance headlamp around.
The other is a Tikka XP i did a simple Soeul P4 then Cree XP-G R5 swap on(AAA format though). Great with its ability to switch from flood to throw. I also use this for hiking, just like at work generally in conjunction with a handheld. Note that both of these were fantastic in standard form, i just cant help modding things...

I have other Petzl lights and gear and have never experienced a single failure. Cant be beat for reliability. And of course non-conducting plastic body.

 

[jbrett14]

I assume you have already made the purchase, but just wanted to share another post for anyone else looking for the same thing.

I do remodeling work and I primarily use my headlamp for electrical and plumbing work. Used a Petzl Tikka for years and recently bought the Zebralight H501. I LOVE it. Far better than the Tikka. Not only is it's flood of light excellent for this kind of work, but I really like the ability to pivot it precisely where you want it, as opposed to having a pivot bracket that clicks into position (the way many headlamps are). This gives the user infinite pivoting positions.

Thus far, the ONLY thing I don't like about the light is the fact that it's rubber mounting bracket leaves an impression on my forehead, and even after removing the light, the impression remains for a couple hours. And I have mine fairly loose.

 

[zare34]

I have the Coast Led Lenser H7 Headlamp. It runs on 3AAA batteries. It has a dimmer switch on the battery pack and the lamp has controls
that allows you to go from flood to spot beam. Its a bright light. I believe it was rated at 170 lumens when on high. The only thing I don't
like about it is it runs the battery down in about 2.5 hours or so when at full power. I wished they would have used AA batteries instead
of AAA. Other than that I love the light.

 

[lyklyk616]

You should get yourself a SureFire Saint !
100 SureFire Lumens (about twice in ANSI reading)
I am running it you just can't go wrong with it !
From 1 to 100 lumens , choose the lowest , the brightest or any between !
It's optic provide flood like no other , no hotspot , just clear even wide angle light and the ability to throw !
It runs on 3 or 1 CR123 or you can use 2 AA batteries !
SureFire provides the best in class and out , with aluminum body Hard Anodized Type 3 Mil-spec , this headlight is used by the U.S. Armed Force Engineer and me ( aviation engineer ) , and when it comes to close up work this will be the one you put on !
With this headlamp , you don't want to use it as a handlight because it is very comfortable !
It is perfect for your work , your outdoor activities , or even when you need to take a **** is the night , variable output 1 to 100 , do the math , you'll get 100 different outputs , just a twist far !
It may come in pricey $200 , but it is top notch !
The get a cheaper or more compact version , get the Saint Minimus , 1 CR 123 model !
This model can take 3 , 2 , 1 CR 123 or 2 AA ! This is the best money can buy for a headlight !

 

[electrothump]

1+ on the H7. I've yet to use or see another design that is easier to use, or brighter for its size. The batteries last longer if not left on high. Very useable flood, and spot. No modes to cycle thru. Uses two levers, one for focus, one for brightness. 50 bucks at lowes.

 

[BRAAP]

Level 5 Necro poster... :devil:


Cracking a cold one, Another Electrician here looking for as close to the the ultimate close proximity floody task head lamp that can utilize either AA or AAA batteries.
After hours of searching the Zebra h501w may be what I want, though now at the end of 2014 finding it is no longer available, (haven't found its successor).
Short list of desirables in order of priority;
1) FLOOD! Broad flood, with enough lumens to illuminate space within arms reach, (working in electircal panels, boxes, or under the dash of cars, etc)
2) Able to run on AA or AAA batteries
3) Light weight
4) Neutral-warmish hue
5) As even a spread across the flood as possible, (i.e. as little hot spot as possible)

Ideally the Flash LED on our iPhone and Droid smart phones would be PERFECT! They have more than adequate lumen output, perfect amount of flood with great coverage within that flood.

What are the closest currently available headlamps that mimic the light our smart phones flash produce?

Thank you in advance,
Paul

 

[davidt1]

BRAAP,

Zebra H502w is very floody.

More beam shots here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?393336-Zebralight-H502-L2-images-and-Beamshots

 

[BRAAP]

BRAAP,

Zebra H502w is very floody.

***pic edited out for bandwidth***

***pic edited out for bandwidth***

More beam shots here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?393336-Zebralight-H502-L2-images-and-Beamshots

PERFECT, thank you. :thumbsup: Looked over the pics and the link and also the Zebra site, the 502w L2 and 502d L2 are the two I've narrowed it down to. Looks like the only difference is the LED used, CREE vs Phillips LUXEON. Cree appears to be a little warmer hue with a few more lumen for a given power level at same battery life spans.
Any input on the CREE vs the Philips LEDs of these 2 lights, (life span, actual battery life for given lumen output, etc), greatly appreciated, will place order pending feedback.

More specifically these are the 2 I am looking at;
H502w L2 AA Flood Headlamp Neutral White
H502d L2 High CRI Daylight AA Flood Headlamp