Looking for a new headlamp as a mechanic

I work in a dungeon to say the least. Currently use a maxxeon 620 but have had nothing but problems with it shorting out. Sure it's nice when it works. Kind of bulky too. So currently I'm thinking of either a fenix hl-60 or a olight h1r. Any suggestions?

Im using a Nitecore HL30 cool white on a baseball cap worn backwards. I have 3 18650 batteries and a charger at work. I have never had to wait for a battery to recharge to use my headlamp.
I recommend an 18650 battery type headlamp. Runtime will be too short for me with a CR123 or AA battery. Then again you may like a smaller headlamp.
Personal preference.

If using it for work, also recommend the 1 x 18650 format. Both options you recommended are nice. At that price point, I'd also look at zebralights (h600fd or h600fc, h600w mk III) and Armytek wizard. There are some good sales on the older wizards which are still great lamps. I would think about beam type and your intended use. The TIR or floody zebralights offer a good balance of throw and better up close lighting due to partially diffused light. Reflectors will be awesome if your goal is to see far, but up close create a blinding hotspot. If you look at small things up close, a reflector will allow you to use a lower output setting as the light is more concentrated and hence more intense. As for tint, I would highly recommend you stick to neutral white and consider warm too if you like that. I personally find cool white lights cold and unnapealing.

For a budget option, check out the skillhunt h03.

Hope this helps.

What do you need your headlamp for? Close up work or long range or both? Any specific requirements e.g. tint and CRI? Beam pattern? All the brands mentioned in this thread make decent headlamps but come with different features, NPL's explanation is very good. At 11 oz, your old headlamp is bulky indeed.

NPL has already given a lot of good advice.

I'm assuming you want quality, and you need it only for close up work in a shop. I'm also assuming you want at least 8 hours of light between charges for work (update me on time constraints--maybe you sometimes work 12 hours a day). Since you are always within reach of AC for recharging, you can use it for work, bring it home and swap out with a fully recharged battery and recharge the near depleted battery for the next day. Recharging before full depletion is better for the life of lithium ion batteries.

For quality, almost right away I would limit my selections to Armytek and Zebralight, both leading manufacturers (and contenders) of high tech lamps. I think Zebralight is the tops in that regard.

Then I would look at flood lamps as opposed to spot/spill lamps that are better suited for medium distance activities like trail running where you are looking ahead and determining a path to run through obstacles like rocks and roots. Pure flood lamps tend to give you an even spread of light over about a 120 degree spread. That's 60 degrees to the left and 60 degrees to the right. Armytek lamps use a high quality, tempered, beaded glass lens as opposed to the plastic lens of an Olight, if that makes a difference to you. But the center of the light will be more intense than a pure flood lamp of a zebralight, albeit nicely distributed by diffusion.

AA and CR123 battery lamps can usually get up to 500 lumens output. Double CR123's (ArmyTek only) and 18650 lithium-ion lights typically get up to 1000 lumens. How much you need depends on how close you are to your work.

Like NPL, I like neutral and warm light. Cool white tends to wash out color. Psychologically it's enervating. It makes me feel anxious. Neutral and warm light is more soothing and helps you identify colors better, like the color of electrical wires if that is important in your work as a mechanic. I'd go for something in the 4400-4000K range. 4400k tends to be more economical as far as runtime is concerned.

As a runner, I would never use a flood lamp alone to run. I need to see at least 2 seconds ahead of me for reaction time, and flood lamps spread their light so wide, their delivery at longer distances falls off quickly requiring that I use higher output levels, often the max power of the lamp which isn't energy efficient and gets ramped down because of thermal heating.

Knowing which lamp will work best for you depends on the amount of light you found satisfactory in your previous lamp. So I would ask you with the Maxxeon 620, what output setting worked best? Did you use the wide beam or the focused beam or something in between? Also, about how far from your work do you need to see? I can translate that intensity into a different headlamp and make a recommendation for a headlamp and a setting with that information.

Lots of info to take in. So bare with me. Fairly new to the whole scene. I was thinking 18650 but wasn't sure. I have access to power like stated. I currently carry a fenix pd35 with me also. Although it's my second one and have mixed emotions. Had one before loved it. Lost it then I got some olight sr1 and maybe I got used to it and that's why the love for fenix isn't there as much as before. As far as beam flood will be used most but will use spot as well. I work on school buses and will have to walk the yard in the dark looking for buses and things. But mostly it will be used for inspecting and working on things fairly close. Color I don't really have a preference yet.

And I like bright. Been using the highest output on my maxxeon.

Somedayrockstar said:

And I like bright. Been using the highest output on my maxxeon.

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So 700 lumen in the wide flood position of the zoom?

Somedayrockstar said:

Lots of info to take in. So bare with me. Fairly new to the whole scene. I was thinking 18650 but wasn't sure. I have access to power like stated. I currently carry a fenix pd35 with me also. Although it's my second one and have mixed emotions. Had one before loved it. Lost it then I got some olight sr1 and maybe I got used to it and that's why the love for fenix isn't there as much as before. As far as beam flood will be used most but will use spot as well. I work on school buses and will have to walk the yard in the dark looking for buses and things. But mostly it will be used for inspecting and working on things fairly close. Color I don't really have a preference yet.

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The Wizard line with the 18650 battery will get you beyond the 700 lumens, but the smaller batteries will not. The beaded diffuser lens gives you better throw than a Zebralight while tapering the light out to a 120 degree wide spill. Some people use a piece of magic tape over the head to get excellent diffusion results on the spot/spill versions of the ZL lamps, then take it off to get better throw.

But you only get about 1 hr 40 minutes with around 900-1000 lumens, and if you have heating, it will ramp down to the next level which is around 300-400 lumens. If you don't get a model with the charger, you'll need a separate unit if you don't already have one. If you run it all day in high, you'll need to have several charged batteries backing you up.

They are having a sale on one of the lesser Wizards right now--31% off. It's about $45. I'd choose the XP-L emitter or the even better, the XHP50 emitter if you really want to impress the ladies. That baby has 1800 out the front lumens in max turbo.

Before you buy, you can check out some videos on youtube with beam shots. Woods walker has a review here.

Just ordered a wizard pro magnet with the Xhp50. Its coming from china which is lame... what batteries do you reccomend? Do you know if any will charge with the USB provided? My current charger is a tenergy n270.

Also got the warm tint... been liking that lately.

Somedayrockstar said:

Just ordered a wizard pro magnet with the Xhp50. Its coming from china which is lame... what batteries do you reccomend? Do you know if any will charge with the USB provided? My current charger is a tenergy n270.

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Sorry that I missed this post.

Are you aware this particular model comes with an ArmyTek li-ion 18650 battery?

I think you are asking if there is a lithium ion chemistry that doesn't charge well with the provided USB? That's a good question. Can't say I have an answer. I'm not that deep yet :laughing:. Maybe you can find a thread on this particular model and ask that question. This board is FULL of geniuses (sometimes that can be a good thing! :shakehead) The moderator Woods walker did a review with this headlamp I think, let me see if I can find the link....and here it is ask him in the thread. He should know!

I can't say I know much yet about battery quality, performance and so forth. Someone else will have to help you with that.

I do know 18650s come in different lengths. Sometime they won't fit and you can't close the cap well enough to seal out water. Sometimes an improper fit can cause a problem with intermittent flickering. Usually the manufacturer will have a note on the best length to use for the light.

You have protected cells (special circuit in battery) and unprotected. If you have a headlamp that has discharge protection, it's sort of redundant, then you can buy the cheaper unprotected type. The protected types (more often than not) aren't performance fit for headlamps that have a high drain requirement. The discharge protection in them usually doesn't allow enough amperage to pass to run the turbo boost.

These batteries come in a variety of capacities. I don't know the full range, but I've seen anywhere from 2600 mAh to 3800 mAh. The latter lasts almost 50% longer.

Since lithium batteries carry an explosion risk (USPS hates these batteries in their air mail regardless of them being rechargeable or primary), I think it just makes good sense to go with a reputable name brand. I think Panasonic/Sanyo is great in that regard. Anyone feel free to jump in here.

Side note: Don't let your li-ion battery fully discharge. Better to keep it topped off.*

Your manual emphatically states:

Turbo mode needs rechargeable 18650 Li-Ion batteries without PCB (unprotected) or with PCB which guarantees 7A discharge current for stable work.

I think they weren't very clear. It means the protected battery will only allow turbo mode if it specifies the manufacturer guarantees it has a high discharge current of at least 7amps. (PCBs in general don't guarantee 7 amps simply because they are PCBs. Get the difference in meaning?)

*Some good advice on not letting your Li-ion battery reach full discharge:

Somedayrockstar said:

Also got the warm tint... been liking that lately.

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Yeah, I'll never go back to cool white.

Well I got it yesterday evening. Gonna try it out at work today. Looks awesome so far. I'm not sure if I got the wrong one though. It's a wizard pro 3 with magnet but no battery or USB. Oh well.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll be sure to have to get a couple more one for the truck and one for at home. We'll see how well the work one holds up first.

Somedayrockstar said:

Well I got it yesterday evening. Gonna try it out at work today. Looks awesome so far. I'm not sure if I got the wrong one though. It's a wizard pro 3 with magnet but no battery or USB. Oh well.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll be sure to have to get a couple more one for the truck and one for at home. We'll see how well the work one holds up first.

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Check your order ticket's model number with the shipping ticket. If it's not the same and therefore not what you ordered, don't cause wear to the unit. Use the contact form at Armytek's website or the phone number to advise them of the mix up, and they will send you the correct model. You shouldn't have to pay shipping charges in the case it is their fault. They should send you a shipping label for the return.

Even if you were responsible for the order mistake, and you'd like to return it and buy the correct one, they will accept no question returns within 30 days provided the unit is in original condition. You'll just be responsible for all shipping charges.

Sandra and the AT team are sincerely trying to help customers with their questions and issues. They have been very helpful assisting me. I don't think you should have a problem.

Somedayrockstar said:

Well I got it yesterday evening. Gonna try it out at work today. Looks awesome so far. I'm not sure if I got the wrong one though. It's a wizard pro 3 with magnet but no battery or USB. Oh well.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll be sure to have to get a couple more one for the truck and one for at home. We'll see how well the work one holds up first.

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A buzz killer. The same thing happened to me ordering from Going Gear. Lots of variations of the same light. Wrong shipments happen.
Hopefully you have a good customer service experience from Armytek China. Some people do, some don't. I was going to order a Wizard from Armytek with last weeks sale but I worried about something going wrong with the shipment and their disclaimer about having no responsibility for shipping or customs.
I would guess that your Wizard should be very durable. After you hear that crack sound of the light hitting the cement floor you will know how tough it really is.

Must have put the wrong one in my box. Oh well. I really like it still. I already had a charger so I'll just use that. I have two batteries already too so I'm set.

1 x Armytek Wizard Pro v3 XHP50 (Warm). Silver.

First impressions is this thing is awesome! Love the color more than I thought I would. Beam pattern is perfect. Still figuring out the interface a little. Think I have it mostly but when I tried to show one of the guys all of the sudden it wouldn't work. When I would back out the end cap it would flash once. So I just probably put it in a lock out mode or something. I'll figure it out soon enough.

Somedayrockstar said:

Must have put the wrong one in my box. Oh well. I really like it still. I already had a charger so I'll just use that. I have two batteries already too so I'm set.

1 x Armytek Wizard Pro v3 XHP50 (Warm). Silver.

First impressions is this thing is awesome! Love the color more than I thought I would. Beam pattern is perfect. Still figuring out the interface a little. Think I have it mostly but when I tried to show one of the guys all of the sudden it wouldn't work. When I would back out the end cap it would flash once. So I just probably put it in a lock out mode or something. I'll figure it out soon enough.

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If there was a price difference and you'd like to just keep it, you can get AT to refund the difference to your credit card. Shouldn't be a hassle since businesses know your card agency will do it for you after you file an investigation, if they don't.

Somedayrockstar said:

Must have put the wrong one in my box. Oh well. I really like it still. I already had a charger so I'll just use that. I have two batteries already too so I'm set.

1 x Armytek Wizard Pro v3 XHP50 (Warm). Silver.

First impressions is this thing is awesome! Love the color more than I thought I would. Beam pattern is perfect. Still figuring out the interface a little. Think I have it mostly but when I tried to show one of the guys all of the sudden it wouldn't work. When I would back out the end cap it would flash once. So I just probably put it in a lock out mode or something. I'll figure it out soon enough.

Click to expand...

You did get the high draw batteries like Genzod mentioned ?
When I got my mixed up Wizard I also got the XHP50 version. I tried using regular 4amp draw batteries and the light would lock out when I hit turbo.

Lou Minescence said:

You did get the high draw batteries like Genzod mentioned ?
When I got my mixed up Wizard I also got the XHP50 version. I tried using regular 4amp draw batteries and the light would lock out when I hit turbo.

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Yup. That's what I just saw today. Used the 18650's I already had and that's exactly what I just found out. They can't handle the draw on turbo. I don't know how to get it out unless I put new ones in that can handle the draw and switch back to a lower mode... luckily I still had some cr123's to get it out.