Nichia 219c

Patch*

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Waiting on delivery of my Manker EO3 AA (nichia 219c). I'm hoping this is a good headlamp for night rockhounding, specifically for true color i.d. of specimens. Anyone have any experience with this light for said activity? Or another light they prefer for this subject?
 

sandalian

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You can't be wrong with Nichia 219C.
I've been using 219C flashlight for taking video in the night, the color is just right.
 

Patch*

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I wonder why there are so few of them in headlamp form. The only one I found was the Manker EO3 AA. It only has a 240 lumens max. Kinda curious why it's so low.
 

iamlucky13

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Most casual users don't know much about light quality, but they do know about brightness. Therefore, higher lumen numbers are what usually sells best, not high CRI.

The Nitecore Nu20 CRI is another high CRI headlamp that is fairly popular, and super-light weight due to the built-in (but non-replaceable) lithium-ion battery. It uses the Nichia 219B.

I'm sure the E03 should be a good light for inspecting rocks.
 

Patch*

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Thanks for the insight. I am by no means knowledgeable about lights but I did figure out I needed a light source as close as possible to the 5000k or whatever it's called. I looked into the NU20 but I think it was expensive than the EO3. Which one is better in your opinion? Not sure I'm a fan of built in batteries. I picked up a pack of Panasonic eneloop batteries. Hoping it will be a good combo.
 

iamlucky13

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I don't own either, but I'm seriously considering getting an E03. The metal body appeals to me, the mode spacings fit what I like, and it can be used very handily as a hand-held angle light, especially with the tail magnet.

5000K or similar color temperature is partially a matter of preference, and partially a matter of what other light sources you may be around that might make it seem neutral or off-toned. However, 5000K is a very good choice for most situations, I think including what you're describing.

High color rendering index (CRI) is the feature I think is most important if you want good discrimination of the colors in the rocks you're inspecting, and that's a spec that the Nichia 219C is very good at - the particular 219C used in the E03 should have a CRI score of 90 or higher (out of a possible 100), where as most headlamps score in the 70's, and most household LED bulbs are in the 80's.

So I think you made a good choice, both on the light and on your batteries.
 

LED_Power_Forums

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Just got this light recently. I have more than one and interestingly the supposed "serial number" at the back of the light is not unique to each of them. Looks more like batch number than serial number.

The switch of the light is lighter than zebralight so i'm not sure about the durability in long term, and this is comparing to the later zebra model. Earlier zebra model had even more robust feel to the switch. And the headband...is the thinnest i have seen and stiff like those cheap under $5 headlamp. The colour of the headband is nice though.

Other than that, i like the mode spacing and the tint of this e03h. There is 21 moonlight modes for night vision, low for navigating around the house, medium for outdoor use and high/turbo for momentary use should the need arise. I've tested it in a cave and surprisingly it perform better than the noon sunlight! Something soothing about the nichia just can't be described. At the entrance of the cave, i shine it on my leg and then walk out to compare with the noon sunlight shining on my leg and surprisingly the nichia beam seems to be more soothing to look at. So there you have it. :)

By the way, it looks more like 4000k than 5000k though.
 
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