Tell me about your Lucifer headlamp experience.

[borrower]

@xcandrew -- for what it's worth, I get great burn time out of 18650s. I'm about to run through the night (~13 hours of dark), and can imagine that I won't have to switch to my backup battery pack. (Though I'd be a fool not to have a spare battery...)

And regarding other comments about color temp/cri, I initially wanted something a little warmer, but am now perfectly happy with the 4500K. The color rendering might not be the highest spec possible, but it's perfectly adequate. ymmv.

 

[dmenezes]

We do not plan now to use 21700 as they do not offer any weight/capacity ratio advantage over 18650.

I also prefer 18650s, but was under the impression the 21700s did offer more capacity for their weight.

I just checked on Parametrek and @sirpetr is right:

* largest capacity/weight 18650: Vapcell INR18650 N40 at 300Wh/Kg (albeit that "300" number does look too suspiciously round for my tastes).

* Ditto, 21700: LG INR21700M50LT at 266 Wh/Kg.

I did some searches ordering by capacity/volume (Wh/L) and even capacity/price (Wh/$) and according to Parametrek, the 18650s keep being the best option on all of them, with the aforementioned Vapcell INR18650 N40 right on top (except on Wh/$ where it's supplanted by other, cheaper 18650s).

TIL! Thank you @sirpetr for curing me of 21700 envy! 😁

 

[xcandrew]

Lucifer offers a 2x21700 battery pack for their 8.4V lights. The weight/capacity ratio of the battery means relatively little in a whole headlamp view and helps fill gaps (the 2x21700 being a lot lighter than a 2S2P 4x18650 battery pack). For the S2X, it would mean 50% longer runtimes for not much extra weight (considering the battery-in-the-back arrangement) in a simple, inexpensive accessory (the 18650 battery tube replacement is only 19.60€). @sirpetr says it's more about product line differentiation, which makes sense. A 21700 tube for the S2X would infringe into their M6+ territory.

For me at least, the S2X is less desirable than either the smaller Z2Mini/Micro or heavier M6+ (which looks like it shares the same head machining as the S2X), probably because it came out earlier than the Z2s. The S2X is for someone that would want an M6 but prefers bare cell batteries/slightly less weight. Might as well offer those people, including current owners, a battery tube that allows them 50% longer runtimes. I personally wouldn't get an S2X because I have 8.4V chargers that someone could accidentally plug into a S2X battery tube and then magic smoke.