# Fenix HP-10 - review.



## Szemhazai (Nov 28, 2009)

I like doing things my way… So here it is, my version of the Fenix HP-10 review :huh:.

When one of the most recognizable torch makers is going to produce headlamp, announced as hit for more than a year before the market premiere, the expectations are really great. With experience in the field of electronics, optics, thermal design, they have almost everything needed to create brilliant headlamp - they need only the ergonomics and product quality at a good level to get a true masterpiece. 
It's time to check whether the product meets the expectations or fail 

Here's *Fenix HP 10*: 






* Some technical data[/ b]
• Cree XR-E LED(Q5) with lifespan of 50,000 hours
• 4 output levels, 3 flashing modes
• 7 lumens, 210 Hrs - > 50 lumens, 22Hrs -> 120 lumens, 7.5Hrs -> 225 lumens, 2.5Hrs
• Strobe, 5Hrs -> SOS, 50Hrs -> Warning Flash, 4 4Hrs
• Max lighting distance: 220 meters
• Dual switch system for easy operation - one for turning on and off, second for output adjustment
• Digitally regulated output - maintains constant brightness
• Output memory function
• Overheat protection system
• Uses four 1.5V AA (Alkaline, Ni-MH, Lithium) batteries
• Separated type structure to balance the weight for comfortable wearing
Light head - 54mm (Length) x 43mm (Width) x 33.5mm (Height)
Battery pack - 84mm (Length) x 64mm (Width) x 21mm (Height)
• Light head made of aircraft-grade aluminum, the rest made of high quslity plastic
• Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish
• Light body: 40g, Battery pack: 77g (excluding batteries)
• Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard
• Toughened ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating
• Price : 65$

Impressions

A little fun with the blister, a kitchen knife may be handy. Now, mount all straps, put the cells on and go into battle. 
It's very hard to set the head angle - -you need to use much force for that and this is probably not a task to perform, while the light is still on your head. Head base is very broad, but too flat and it's not fitted very well, the same case with battery pack. The main problem looks to be the headband - clamps hold weakly and you have to set-up the headband almost for every use. 
Execution ? At first glance, there is no sealing at the cable entrance to the head and the battery container, but otherwise flawless. It's strange that weight of the head and battery container is given separate, but the complete set weighs 140g (264g with a set of GP 2500 cells).






Beautifully presented light source - Cree XR-E Q5 led - I’ll not give my head for the bin, but the Q5 is for now standard in all better products. Plastic head with aluminum front ... Where I have seen this solution? Primus PrimeLite Race - fortunately, here producer give much more heat exchange surface.






The buttons aren’t too big, but you can sense them, and they work without a problem - the upper ON / OFF, and side to switch modes. I must admit that they are pretty sensitive, there was no problem to change modes wearing the gloves, but you have to keep in mind, that switching the modes during run may be almost impossible.

Inside looks…

Screws are firmly held, but to meet the standard headlamp IPX8, which means "protection from flooding by continuous immersion and increased water pressure (over 1 m deep) for 30 minutes", they have to be. IPX8 is pretty impressive considering the fact that most of the competition meets only IPX4, which means that they are only "rain resistant”.






You can see a well-sealed enclosure, they even put o-rings on the screws . Sealing of cable entry into enclosures is resolved very simply - flooding them with epoxy glue, the battery container is sealed in a similar manner, rubber buttons are also permanently glued into the case.

A moment of fun with a screwdriver and you can see the whole construction of the HP10. 






Led is just behind the silver top – I was unable to disassemble it, because the glue used to seal the cable leaked to the thread :sigh:.






Power supply

The driver is based on  Microchip PIC12F629 . It works very well, the overall performance parameters are very good, led current levels are almost independent from the power source, and in a case of too low power supply it will simply not allow to turn on two strongest modes. You can clearly see the company experience in this field.



Code:


Fenix HP 10 – a bit used batteries ;) 
       V-in   I-In   P-In     V-led  I-led  P-led   Eff.
Boost  4,99V  802mA  4,00W    3,48V  971mA  3,38W   84,4%
High   5,48V  285mA  1,56W    3,20V  420mA  1,34W   85,9%
Mid    5,68V   96mA  0,55W    2,97V  151mA  0,45W   82,2%
Low    5,75V   14mA  0,09W    2,67V   19mA  0,05W   62,0%

Fenix HP 10 – NiMH rechargeable 
       V-in   I-In   P-In     V-led  I-led  P-led   Eff.
Boost  4,72V  850mA  4,01W    3,44V  904mA  3,11W   77,5%
High   5,03V  311mA  1,57W    3,20V  418mA  1,34W   85,4%
Mid    5,15V  104mA  0,54W    2,97V  152mA  0,45W   83,8%
Low    5,21V   14mA  0,08W    2,68V   20mA  0,06W   73,7%


The battery case is solidly constructed and well sealed, closing the screws are not big, but just the right size to be able to easily tighten and loosen them, without using a screwdriver / coin, etc.. Inside the container you can see gold-plated springs to improve contact with the cells. The design of the battery container is very similar to me with Primus .





Burn time

The manufacturer give precisely burn time in each mode, with data on energy input it can be easily verified. Set of 4 rechargeable batteries with a capacity of 2500mAh of have 12Wh of stored energy. 


Code:


Mode  Lumens   Declared   Calculated   +/-
Boost    225       2,5h        2,9h   +20%
High     120       7,5h        7,6h    +2%
Mid       55      22,0h       22,2h    +1%
Low        7     210,0h      158,7h   -20%

Declared times are for certain achievable, and even with a small reserve (except for low mode, do not know why).

How it light ?

Probably the most important element for this headlamp, it is the strongest headlamp on the market powered with AA cells yet. It is true that the utility of the Boost mode that can only stand for about 3 minutes because of overheating of the lamp is debatable, but 120 lumens of light for 7 hours is a very good result in these category headlamps. Competition? Petzl Myo RXP - declared 140 lumens on high. 

HP 10 Boost vs Myo RXP High (225 vs 140 lumens)









HP 10 High vs Myo RXP High (120 vs 140 lumens)









HP 10 Mid vs Myo RXP Mid (55 vs 51 lumens)









HP 10 Low vs Myo RXP Low (7 vs 25 lumens)









Based on jtr1962 data, about Cree XR-E Q5 lumen's output I was able to carry out one more comparison... :devil:


Code:


Mode  Declared    Current  Calculated
Boost    225      904,2mA    220,0
High     120      418,4mA    120,0
Mid       55      152,1mA     49,0
Low        7       20,8mA      6,5

Number looks quite good for the Fenix I think :thumbsup:

Summary

On the plus, the full regulation and the amount of light leaving competitive solutions far behind - almost, because the 225 lumens mode works only for 3 minutes, so that the utility mode is instantaneous, as in the boost mode Myo RXP, which works only when pressing the button - at least you don't have to hold the button here. 

Mode 120 for sure competes with the Myo’s 140 - remains the question torch type beam, the reflector was chosen reasonably and we have enough spill to be able to run or walk, but still it isn't ideal for the headlamp.

There is no diffuser integrated - the manufacturer offers for sale separately diffuser, but its construction will disqualify its use in applications other than basement adventures, due to poor attachment and the high possibility of loose it in the contact with branches. 

Poor fitting to the wearer's head - the battery case is moving up and down during the course and the head base doesn't fit to forehead. These are problems of manufacturer that begins his adventure with the headlamps and should be easily eliminated in future models. 

What, for one is minus for another maybe plus. Flat base and strips easy to remove, allow you to easily mount this headlamp on bike helmet by using two stripes, a helmet also does not complain about the discomfort and very strongly tighten stripes, similarly for safety helmets.

Another question, all the headlamps without integrated power supply, which I had the opportunity to test, allow the exchange of power cable, the cable here has been carefully glued and there is no such possibility. The manufacturer is so sure about endurance of the selected components, or it is the effect of shortcut in the sealing?

In total, cool headlamp, but designing it so late and with so many competing models to test they could have avoided several shortcomings. For now, despite the smaller amount of light and poor led cooling, I will stay with the RXP . For running and walking the headlamp must be comfortable and versatile, and for a bike I have much stronger DIY headlamp :naughty:.

Fenix - we waiting for more ... :devil:*


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## vizlor (Nov 28, 2009)

Thank you for the excellent review! Seeing the comparison between the HP10 and the Petzl, which I've actually been eyeing, was great. I wasn't expecting such a difference in spill between the two. Now I can tell that the beam of the HP10 better suits my needs.

Also great to see the lumen ratings are correct and not overrated. 

Random question, which do you think better works with a riding helmet? The HP10 or the Petzl?


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## Ferry (Nov 28, 2009)

Bravo 
Excellent review!!


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## Oddjob (Nov 28, 2009)

Good reveiw and beamshots! Thank you.


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## Szemhazai (Nov 28, 2009)

vizlor said:


> Random question, which do you think better works with a riding helmet? The HP10 or the Petzl?



HP10 - better range, and it is much easier to mount if you are mounting the head and battery holder separately.


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## Swedpat (Nov 28, 2009)

Szemhazai,

Thanks for sharing your impression and for the careful review! :thumbsup:

I have HP10 since some month and love it. It's the best headlamp I ever had and it's excellent as a cycle light. But I don't really like the 3 minutes overheating protection, especially when it doesn't take in consider if it's risk for overheating or not. For example: when using this headlamp as a cyclelight when it's cold outside (below minus celsius) I really doubt for any risk for overheating.



> Fenix - we waiting for more ... :devil:


 
When you say that I think about a HP30; a headlamp version of TK30...

Regards, Patric


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## Yucca Patrol (Nov 28, 2009)

Very good review and I thank you for opening up the case to show that it is very water resistant with the epoxy and quality o-rings.

Since I am a caver and mount the light on a helmet, the complaints about how it feels on the head don't matter much when mounted on a helmet.

My only complaint so far is that it has too much of a hotspot and not enough flood for my general caving use. But this is not a terrible problem and this light is a BIG improvement over the PRinceton Tec Apex which many cavers use but is prone to water damage.

Again, thanks for such a thorough review.


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## Lightcrazycanuck (Nov 30, 2009)

Thanks for the great Review.:thumbsup:We are all looking for the perfect light but we never seem to find it.

lovecpflovecpflovecpf


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## jakomait (May 31, 2010)

*Battery life*

Hey Szemhazai!
Thanks for the great review. I'm actually in the middle of trying to pick between the MYO RXP and the HP10 and found this perfect thread. The beamshots were great to see but battery life is even more important to me. Can you comment on the run time on the MYO RXP in the 50L range?

thanks!


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## spyros (Jun 3, 2010)

Is the cable that connects the battery pack and the headlamp long enough so i can detach it from the headband and put it in a pocket of my jacket?


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## Szemhazai (Jun 3, 2010)

*spyros*, no, it's too short.


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## racoon (Sep 10, 2010)

Szemhazai said:


> ```
> Fenix HP 10 – a bit used batteries ;)
> V-in   I-In   P-In     V-led  I-led  P-led   Eff.
> Boost  4,99V  802mA  4,00W    3,48V  971mA  3,38W   84,4%
> ...



Hello Szemhazai

Thanks for a really comprehensive review - the pics of the disassembled lamp are particularly useful for giving an idea of construction quality.

A couple of questions though:
- Presumably V-in and I-in are the voltage and current between the batteries and the electronics while V-led and I-led are the voltage and current between the electronics and the LED?
- If so, how did you measure I-led? Did you break into the cable between the electronics and the LED?
- Are the different brightnesses achieved by constant-current regulation or do you think it's PWM dimming?
- Also, if it's 4 x 2500mAh batteries then the total capacity is 10Ah instead of 12, no? Or am I missing something...:thinking:

Thanks man!
Seb


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## Szemhazai (Sep 10, 2010)

*- *Presumably V-in and I-in are the voltage and current between the batteries and the electronics while V-led and I-led are the voltage and current between the electronics and the LED?
+ Yes 

*- *If so, how did you measure I-led? Did you break into the cable between the electronics and the LED?
+ Yes, you are simply soldering meter cables betwen electronics and led.

*-* Are the different brightnesses achieved by constant-current regulation or do you think it's PWM dimming?

+ It's PWM.

*-* Also, if it's 4 x 2500mAh batteries then the total capacity is 10Ah instead of 12, no? Or am I missing something...

+ No, my bad, it should be like that 1,2V (average cell voltage) * 4 * 2500mAh = 12Wh


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## racoon (Sep 10, 2010)

Many thanks Szemhazai! :wave::wave:


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## paikinho (Mar 18, 2011)

*Re: Fenix HP-10 - review. - Helmet mounting options?*



Szemhazai said:


> HP10 - better range, and it is much easier to mount if you are mounting the head and battery holder separately.



What are you using to mount the HP10 and has it been effective? I just bought one for my wife for skiing, but with spring we want to move it over to a helmet.

Thanks for any help on helmet mounting you can give.


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## arizona1 (Jun 2, 2011)

*Re: Fenix HP-10 - review. - Helmet mounting options?*

Just took my HP10 out on a hike the other night and loved it... others with me were using a black diamond storm and spot, and a pt eos, by far i preferred the HP10 to all of them.


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## gcbryan (Jun 2, 2011)

*Re: Fenix HP-10 - review. - Helmet mounting options?*



arizona1 said:


> Just took my HP10 out on a hike the other night and loved it... others with me were using a black diamond storm and spot, and a pt eos, by far i preferred the HP10 to all of them.


 
Could you mention the reasons why for those (me) who are curious about the comparisons? Thanks!


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## asval (Jun 2, 2011)

*Re: Fenix HP-10 - review. - Helmet mounting options?*



gcbryan said:


> Could you mention the reasons why for those (me) who are curious about the comparisons? Thanks!


 
If I had to take a guess I'd say it's because it has more than double the power for 3 minutes or longer if you hit the turbo mode again. Also has a higher IPX rating (8 vs 7) and uses AA vs AAA 

Personally I'd hold off for the HP11 which is rated at 277 lumens vs the HP10 225 lumens. Shame there aren't any reviews for it as I'm trying to decide between the HP11 and a zebralight.


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## gcbryan (Jun 2, 2011)

*Re: Fenix HP-10 - review. - Helmet mounting options?*



asval said:


> If I had to take a guess I'd say it's because it has more than double the power for 3 minutes or longer if you hit the turbo mode again. Also has a higher IPX rating (8 vs 7) and uses AA vs AAA
> 
> Personally I'd hold off for the HP11 which is rated at 277 lumens vs the HP10 225 lumens. Shame there aren't any reviews for it as I'm trying to decide between the HP11 and a zebralight.


 
Well, it's a different category of headlamp in the battery sense (integrated battery vs battery pack connected by wire).

When he says he went hiking and preferred his light over the others I was assuming there was something on that hike that made him prefer his. The batteries and the water rating probably wasn't it (on that hike). The Storm is waterproof anyway.

I was thinking it was probably the beam type that he preferred. The Storm has 100 lumens and most likely no one needed more than that on this hike.

Maybe I misread it. Maybe he just prefers a "AA battery pack in the back" style of headlamp.

Anyway, just curious.


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## asval (Jun 2, 2011)

*Re: Fenix HP-10 - review. - Helmet mounting options?*



gcbryan said:


> Well, it's a different category of headlamp in the battery sense (integrated battery vs battery pack connected by wire).
> 
> When he says he went hiking and preferred his light over the others I was assuming there was something on that hike that made him prefer his. The batteries and the water rating probably wasn't it (on that hike). The Storm is waterproof anyway.
> 
> ...


 
Yeah another thing I'm debating on my choice of lights and wondering if the wire connecting the light and battery is strong enough to take abuse from branches or whatever.

I don't know why but I always think that a higher IPX rating implies better quality, might be due to the fact that I tend to look at different ratings (UL, Goretex, etc.) in other products to make my decision as to which would be better, and this is the only rating that seems to be common among flashlights. 

Could be as I've never really looked too closely at the Diamond headlamps, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I also eagerly await his reply and any future comparison of the HP11 and HP10 to see if they've fixed some of the drawbacks Szemhazai mentioned.


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## arizona1 (Jun 2, 2011)

I preferred the HP10 for a few reasons, i liked the beam style on the trail. It had just the right amount of side spill and it threw a good distance, when compared to the other lights i just liked it better. I also liked that it was waterproof (although i am aware that the storm and eos are waterproof) due to the fact that we were going through streams looking for northern dusky salamanders during parts of the hike. And with 4 AA batteries the runtime was longer than the other lights. Im sorry i cant get to technical about why the HP10 is better, but just after going on out i can say that to me the HP10 was the best out of the lights that were there.


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## gcbryan (Jun 3, 2011)

Thanks Arizona1. I thought a lot of it might be the beam. I think the beam could improve on the two BD lights mentioned. If someone has compared the HP10 beam to a Petzl Tikki XP 2 I'd like to hear about that comparison as I'm guessing those two might be similar (I've seen the XP 2 beam just not the HP10).


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## Szemhazai (Jun 3, 2011)

It's like comparing BMW M3 to a Nissan Micra :huh:

Fenix HP 10 high (120 lumens) - Tikka 2 XP (claimed 60 lumens). 






Fenix HP 10 mid (55 lumens) - Tikka 2 XP (claimed 60 lumens). 





Fenix HP 10 low (7 lumens) - Tikka 2 XP (claimed - don't know, but led is getting 77mA in theory it is almost 19 lumens on led). 





If you will look here : http://www.light-test.info/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=58&lang=en you will find many more beam-shots


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## gcbryan (Jun 3, 2011)

Thanks for the pictures Szemhazai. I was thinking that the beams might be similar not as far as the lumens output but regarding the shape of the beam. I see that the Fenix has a tighter beam although both are tight compared to many of the other common headlamps that tend to have frosted optics if not outright flood beams.


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## Szemhazai (Jun 3, 2011)

If you are lookig this way you may be interested with modded EOS - Cree XP-G R4 Outdoor White 3B + 25* optics.


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## regulation (Jun 7, 2011)

fenix has just posted its hp10 upgrada version_the hp11, seems quite a lot change in the data.


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## StandardBattery (Jun 7, 2011)

regulation said:


> fenix has just posted its hp10 upgrada version_the hp11, seems quite a lot change in the data.


Probably need an HP11 thread. 

This typo on their website is pretty funny: 


> "The *mental* part has a premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish"


"


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## regulation (Jun 8, 2011)

> Probably need an HP11 thread.


indeed， wait for the reviews.


> "The mental part has a premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish"


I guess the mental should be the metal >_<


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## Woods Walker (Jun 9, 2011)

Yea looks like they have the HP11 out. Anyone get one yet?


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## leaftye (Jun 9, 2011)

regulation said:


> fenix has just posted its hp10 upgrada version_the hp11, seems quite a lot change in the data.


 
They fixed my biggest gripe with the HP10, that is, the lowest setting was too bright.


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## wyogold (Jul 4, 2011)

*HP-10 vs HP-11*

I was looking at buying a HP-11, and had a question regarding the waterproof rating. I thought the HP-11 was an upgrade of the HP-10, but the waterproof rating went down from IPX-8 to IPX-6. Does anyone know if the body is fundamentally different, or what the reason for this downgrade is?

Another question: the HP-10 had a feature that killed the turbo setting after 3 minutes to prevent overheating, I don't think the HP-11 has that feature. Is that correct?

I feel for now that the higher brightness always-on light of the 11 is less great if it results in a significantly reduced IPX rating.

Thanks for the feedback, this is a great forum!!!:thumbsup:


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## regulation (Jul 4, 2011)

*Re: HP-10 vs HP-11*

as for me ,i think the ipx-6 is OK, as long as you are not gonna diving with this headlamp or pur it under the water.


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## Szemhazai (Jul 5, 2011)

*Re: HP-10 vs HP-11*

IPX8 - compliance is increasing the production price, over-complicating the design, and not gives you the real sales advantage over competition, because not so many people will check that.


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## DisrupTer911 (Jul 5, 2011)

*Re: HP-10 vs HP-11*

as long as IPX-6 can withstand driving rain/snow I don't care as I don't think I'll be submerging myself and it intentionally or not...


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## Arch (Jul 7, 2011)

Excellent review! I got an HP10 for my birthday and was curious to see what others thought of it.
While I like it I have two major gripes with it, compared to my old beat up Apex:
* I found the buttons impossible to use with any reliability while wearing mittens during the winter here in Alaska. I had to take off a mitten, which was no fun.
* The beam is so narrow for me as to be almost useless when hiking in the forest; I want to illuminate a nice area (e.g. not a small spot), and the optic on the Apex does that nicely.

So... Nice headlamp, higher build quality for sure, but not for me. I'll hold out for the new headlamps coming from Surefire (whenever that is...)


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## robostudent5000 (Jul 8, 2011)

Arch, welcome to CPF. if you still have the HP10, you might be able to salvage it by taping some diffusion film to the lens. DC Fix seems to do a good job too. Scotch tape will also work in a pinch.


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## wyogold (Jul 8, 2011)

Well, I got the HP11, since I'm not going cave diving anytime soon anyways, and I really like the high brightness always-on option over the three minute timer. Let's see how it turns out!


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## DisrupTer911 (Jul 8, 2011)

I don't know if you care too but can you test the waterproofness of it somehow?


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## wyogold (Jul 8, 2011)

It should be here in a week or so, I'll take a look at it then and see how waterproof it really is. I wont try to submerge it, but I'll look at the seals and build quality and let you know.


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## steel515 (Nov 29, 2012)

regulation said:


> fenix has just posted its hp10 upgrada version_the hp11, seems quite a lot change in the data.



is there (cheaper) alternative to fenix hp10/11?


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## degarb (Dec 2, 2012)

$60 is a good deal... I write with hp11 on head... I have tried going cheaper, but you wont get attention to reflector, lens, driver. Side by side, my hp11's blow away my xml U2 and xpg2. My xpg2 could be good if it had a better non linear controller and deeper reflector. The xml is hopeless, only good for non detail and very close up work. 

The hp11 offers 4000 lux at one meter for 9.5 hours, about 4x more light being reflected to eye at center of detail vision. Came in handy today for assembling a computer kit. Such tiny writing and post connections that 1000 candela (about what my other lights tend to run) was not enough.

This said. I don't recommend laying on a pillow (abusing the wire to battery by grinding it into pillow), using the hp11 to read at night. The rear pack make it not amenable to hanging it from my waist for periodic mobile use. So, My main EDC--hanged each morning to my side belt loop-- is the $17 Home Depot xpg r3 Defiant 3 AAA head lamp. Simple mod: I used elastic, plastic epoxy and tinfoil "L" to make an 18650 work as fuel. I still can use 3AAA, if needed. Maybe a 26650 or something would work, but don't own one. With the 18650, I can use it 2 hours a day (in morning and a little in evening, plus reading at night) for about a week between charges, rather than 3AAA 3 hours between. The candela is about 1300 to 1400 on fresh 18650 (less than 3 alkaline, more than 3 nimh), probably settling to 1000. Hotspot is wide and corona bright from far left periphery to far right. Good for detail work 3 to 6 foot from eye. I trust HP, at quadruple lux for double that distance, professionally, as a painter. 

Yes, you can see beyond 12 foot with the hp11-well beyond- but not optimally, per my tests. Side by side, looking at wall skips and texture, the hp11 will make you wonder how you even can see anything with only 1000 candela. The HP11 has the perfect runtime settings: half work day, one workday, two workdays, and camping trip. It would be more perfect with an xpg2. But rather than waiting, I just bought two more.


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## florinache (Dec 3, 2012)

http://www.ultrafire.net/showproducts.asp?id=165 
A surprise? In the *People's Republic of China*​ they're all friends...


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## degarb (Dec 3, 2012)

florinache said:


> http://www.ultrafire.net/showproducts.asp?id=165
> A surprise? In the *People's Republic of China*​ they're all friends...





Looks similar to the HP11. The curly wire is actually an improvement over the hp11. I googled about 10 pages, still no specs. Likely, a q3, plastic lense that looses 20% of light, shallow reflector, and linear controller. Leaving now from computer, so still no specs or price. Price and specs would determine if it is a waste of money.


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## Szemhazai (Dec 3, 2012)

*degarb*, plastic is a crap - my broke after few times during testing, cost about 18$ (so quite expensive for the quality), powered by 3xAAA, lumen output is about 80. 

http://kaidomain.com/product/details.S009974


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