# Need recommendation for surgical headlamp



## Farhad Gulemov (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi,

My wife is a veterinarian and she does a lot of orthopedic surgery. She wants me to find a light and very powerful headlamp with a narrow and bright beam to, for example, look *inside* joints (which the big overhead surgery light does not do). My wife would need to keep it on at full power only for about 20mins max. 

I immediately thought of a cree based headlamp and I found this one on Amazon for only 24 bucks. It offers 130 lumens and runs on AAA batteries, which is cheap. Is this one a good deal or can you recommend something better?

Thanks,

Farhad


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## Let There be Light (Oct 26, 2010)

Try http://orascoptic.com/products:wave:


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## photonhoer (Oct 26, 2010)

LTbL

The link does not work.

J


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## AnAppleSnail (Oct 26, 2010)

photonhoer said:


> LTbL
> 
> The link does not work.
> 
> J



Try it without the smiley 

http://orascoptic.com/products


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## Farhad Gulemov (Oct 26, 2010)

Let There be Light said:


> Try http://orascoptic.com/products:wave:



way too fancy, way too complex and probably way too expensive (they don't even quote prices - you have to schedule a demonstration :shakehead)

I need a reasonably cheap solution bypassing the overpriced "professional" market (we barely make ends meet already)


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## TooManyGizmos (Oct 26, 2010)

~

Fenix headlamp , med. tight spot, very bright, 4 AA cells, 3 levels.
Battery pack on the rear for balance .

~


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## xyber (Oct 27, 2010)

what is surgical headlamp requirement?
throw more than flood? lumen range? preferred battery? I saw in the movie, doctor is using a kind of very slim and tiny headlamp, and was told by a doctor friend that is expensive.


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## TooManyGizmos (Oct 27, 2010)

~

Xyber ,

He said they are trying to By-pass the expensive part.

I think the requirement is ........ BRIGHT. And last 20 min. minimum.

~


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## Mr Floppy (Oct 27, 2010)

TooManyGizmos said:


> ~
> 
> Fenix headlamp , med. tight spot, very bright, 4 AA cells, 3 levels.
> Battery pack on the rear for balance .
> ...


Or the Fenix HL20, 1 AA, very tight spot, 105 lumens. Much cheaper. 

I have to say, for any close up work, the max is way too bright.


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## ahorton (Oct 27, 2010)

A while ago a surgeon who works in chest cavities asked me to build him a headlight with similar requirements.

I made this thing for him.

Then he said it was too bright so I dialed down the power.


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## Th232 (Oct 27, 2010)

Good grief, 2000 lumens for work that close? Well, I suppose you tried to tell him it was crazy.


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## NoFair (Oct 27, 2010)

The HL20 or a Zebralight H51 on AA/preferably a neutral white H31W. Running on a cr123 or a rechargeable R123 cell.
Zebralight: http://www.zebralight.com/H31w-Headlamp-Neutral-White_p_29.html

This one is also good (alpkit gamma): http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16345&category_id=25

Princeton Tec Eos is also good: http://www.princetontec.com/?q=eos


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## Lips (Oct 27, 2010)

NoFair said:


> The HL20 or a Zebralight H51 on AA/preferably a neutral white H31W. Running on a cr123 or a rechargeable R123 cell.
> Zebralight: http://www.zebralight.com/H31w-Headlamp-Neutral-White_p_29.html
> 
> [/URL]




*2nd* this recommendation. A good "tint" of the led such as the neutral white will be very important for color rendition of the tissues. Too blue and you will wash out the detail. Big buttons, multiple output levels (6 levels), light weight - etc. $59 Probably better than expensive medical lights you'll find...

Let us know what you get and how it works.


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## GunnarGG (Oct 27, 2010)

There are headlamps made for this purpose. Bright, good tint and good position (between your eyes). They are also expensive!

I think a Zebralight in neutral white would be good and maybe with some modification of the headband attachment so she can wear the light vertical with the emitter as much as possible in line with her eyes.


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## Farhad Gulemov (Oct 27, 2010)

Thanks for all these recommendations! I own a Fenix TK-40 which I love, but the HL20 gets less than stellar reviews on Amazon..
The ZLH31w does look fantastic, but it runs on CR123A rather than on cheaper AA/AAA :-(
Ideally, I need is a narrow, neutral and bright but not blinding beam, on a comfi headband running on AA/AAA.
What do you guys think of the one I mention in the first post. Looks like a comfortable cree for 24 bucks. Any reason *not* to try it? Or should I try the Zebralight for twice the price and pricer batteries? (sorry for sounding so stingy)
Thanks!!


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## B0wz3r (Oct 27, 2010)

The light you link to below (beware, the Mods here don't like that and will eventually remove it), seems like it would be a decent stop-gap measure for your wife's needs for now.

I agree with fellow members here, that a neutral white or warm white light is what your wife should use to help render colors in tissues better.

I have emailed Zebralight about a neutral white version of the H51 and they said they are in the works, but they have not been able to secure emitters with the tint bin they want their neutral/warm lights to have. So, they should be offering one as soon as they can get a sufficient supply of them. However, despite the fact the new ZL's have a hotspot in their beam, they are still very floody lights.

A new company, Spark, has just come out with a neutral white headlamp that would meet your wife's needs. It is very bright and has outstanding throw, so would easily be able to project a beam to where ever your wife needs to have a bright light. However, it uses lithium-ion 18650 cells rather than AA's or AAA's, so you would have to also invest about $60 in a charger and a couple of cells for it. Their responses to my emails indicate they are in the testing stages of a 1xAA neutral white model, but it will have a flood beam instead of a spot/throw beam.



Farhad Gulemov said:


> Thanks for all these recommendations! I own a Fenix TK-40 which I love, but the HL20 gets less than stellar reviews on Amazon..
> The ZLH31w does look fantastic, but it runs on CR123A rather than on cheaper AA/AAA :-(
> Ideally, I need is a narrow, neutral and bright but not blinding beam, on a comfi headband running on AA/AAA.
> What do you guys think of the one I mention in the first post. Looks like a comfortable cree for 24 bucks. Any reason *not* to try it? Or should I try the Zebralight for twice the price and pricer batteries? (sorry for sounding so stingy)
> Thanks!!


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## Farhad Gulemov (Oct 27, 2010)

B0wz3r said:


> The light you link to below (beware, the Mods here don't like that and will eventually remove it), .



oops, I was not aware that linking to an external commercial site was a "no, no". (Sorry mods!)

You mention the Zebra H51; do you see something wrong with the H31w? It's neutral and looks awfully good to me.

There is also the Zebra H501w and H60w - which one looks best to you for what my wife needs?


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## Lips (Oct 27, 2010)

The H501 models will be very very floody in their beams and no hotspot. So floody they may bother the vision of others at the table. The H31w uses a reflector and will put the light where it's needed. The cheap $24 headlight will be a tint gamble and probably too blue in output. Tint is critical point in your choice with any light you choose. The H31 or H51 (when nw is available) would give you the color rendition she will need for seeing better detail.


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## Mr Floppy (Oct 28, 2010)

Farhad Gulemov said:


> Thanks for all these recommendations! I own a Fenix TK-40 which I love, but the HL20 gets less than stellar reviews on Amazon..


In response to those reviews on Amazon, I'd take them with a grain of salt. My opinion of the build of the light, it is average but certainly not cheap and I didn't have mould lines. My issue with the light was the backplate holder which lost an arm when I tried to put another torch in there. 

The beam itself, It does have a very tight narrow beam. I didn't like this at first but it does help when I'm shining it into water. Many people say they cant tell the difference between medium and high. You definitely can but it would be nice if medium was a little lower especially for close up work. High for close up work is way too bright. 

The regulation is great. For it's price, it's pretty good. 

I have the 501w too and I love this light. Uses standard AA, brilliant tint. I've lent it to a tattoo artist who usually works under cool white fluorescent lights and he prefers the tint of the 501w. He used to use petzl tikka before but prefers the 501w's tint. The only issue he had was with the amount of flood. If you can wait, I'd wait for the H51w although you might have to be quick if it comes out. I'd imagine there will be a lot of orders.


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## B0wz3r (Oct 28, 2010)

Farhad Gulemov said:


> oops, I was not aware that linking to an external commercial site was a "no, no". (Sorry mods!)
> 
> You mention the Zebra H51; do you see something wrong with the H31w? It's neutral and looks awfully good to me.
> 
> There is also the Zebra H501w and H60w - which one looks best to you for what my wife needs?



There are two drawbacks to the H31w. First is that it uses pulse width management (PWM) on the lower settings. This is where the emitter actually receives very short pulses of electricity at a very rapid rate to make the emitter shine. In other words, it doesn't burn continuously, but flickers on and off, albeit very fast. It's just like how florescent lights work, and old computer CRT displays. PWM is used on lower settings because it's a little more efficient because it draws a little less power from the batteries, and at lower light intensities, you don't need to have a pulse frequency that's very high to be able to not notice that it is indeed not continuously lit. The greater the intensity the more likely you are to notice a strobe-like effect. Different companies use different pulse frequencies, and according to Selfbuilt's review of the SC31 here (http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=288398) the PWM rate on the H31w at low levels is indeed noticeable. However, different people have different sensitivities to pulse rate, so what might be a problem for me might not be a problem for you. I am sensitive to low pulse rates and they make a light very bothersome and uncomfortable for me to use. But, if your wife will be using it primarily on medium or high settings, it probably won't be much of an issue. It is something to be aware of.

The second issue is that the H31's use CR123 batteries, which are much more expensive than standard AA's. You can find them at relatively reasonable prices online if you buy them in lots of 50 or more, but they're still not cheap. Otherwise, you're stuck buying a couple of li-ion rechargeables and a charger to use with the light, another good $40 - $50 investment in addition to the price of the light. In the long run, the most cost effective solution is to go with nimh rechargeables like eneloops or imedions. Accupower rechargeables don't get a lot of love here at CPF but most everything I've read about them elsewhere, they get high marks.

PS: here's a link to a page with all of Selfbuilt's reviews in one place. Hopefully the mods won't mind, as he is one of the most respected reviewers here and all the links on that page come back here to CPF.

http://www.sliderule.ca/flashlight.htm


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## davidt1 (Oct 28, 2010)

Farhad Gulemov said:


> oops, I was not aware that linking to an external commercial site was a "no, no". (Sorry mods!)
> 
> You mention the Zebra H51; do you see something wrong with the H31w? It's neutral and looks awfully good to me.
> 
> There is also the Zebra H501w and H60w - which one looks best to you for what my wife needs?



Search around and you will posts by people who own these lights and can offer actual experience.


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## Arcoholic (Oct 28, 2010)

Lupine Piko X can be bought at gretnabikes. 
Bright cheap to run can be dialed down


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## NoFair (Oct 28, 2010)

B0wz3r said:


> There are two drawbacks to the H31w. First is that it uses pulse width management (PWM) on the lower settings. http://www.sliderule.ca/flashlight.htm



In the levels I'd consider using during surgery the PWM is not a problem. 

The rechargeables from Dealextreme etc. are fine in a single cell light like this. They are also very inexpensive. There are also some decent cheap chargers. 

AW etc. are better, but since the OP stated that money is a serious issue I'd go for something cheaper.

I'd be fine doing field surgery with my H31W. Outdoors in the dark the H501W might be better, but all flood isn't as good indoors with strong light.

Ideally I'd go for something with a high CRI Seoul emitter, but that involves soldering and modifying a light.:shrug:

Sverre


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## hank (Oct 28, 2010)

Waterproof would likely be useful for cleaning for the surgical environment, although waterproof certainly adds to the cost.

Found this pointer in one of the above-mentioned threads:
http://littlemonkeycaving.co.uk/default.aspx
These look very interesting


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## NoFair (Oct 28, 2010)

hank said:


> Waterproof would likely be useful for cleaning for the surgical environment, although waterproof certainly adds to the cost.
> 
> Found this pointer in one of the above-mentioned threads:
> http://littlemonkeycaving.co.uk/default.aspx
> These look very interesting



I'm looking very hard at a Hurricane. Thought I'd ask for it without leds or if neutral whites were available

They are out of stock at the moment which helps with the lack of spending control:thumbsup:


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## Farhad Gulemov (Oct 29, 2010)

Thanks for all your replies and pointers. I am still undecided so let me throw three more headlights at you and ask you what you think about them:

Fenix 7 Headlight
Fenix HP10
Zebra H50w

Thanks in advance!


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## NoFair (Oct 29, 2010)

The top 2 are the same (think) and should work fine. 

The H50W is too floody for use together with normal lights in an operating theater (or well lit room)


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## Offroad'Bent (Oct 30, 2010)

Farhad Gulemov said:


> Thanks for all your replies and pointers. I am still undecided so let me throw three more headlights at you and ask you what you think about them:
> 
> Fenix 7 Headlight
> Fenix HP10
> ...



I've used the HP10 as a backup for dentistry and it was plenty bright.
Also disinfected it with no problems.


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## Farhad Gulemov (Oct 31, 2010)

Dear friends,

Thanks for all the information and pointers! You :rock:

After presenting all the info to my wife, she decided that she wants the Zebralight H31w. My personal choice would probably have been the Fenix HP10, but then I am so partial to Fenix that I would only try out another manufacturer if there was really no other way 

Anyway - thanks a lot for everything!

Farhad


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## NoFair (Oct 31, 2010)

Farhad Gulemov said:


> Dear friends,
> 
> Thanks for all the information and pointers! You :rock:
> 
> ...



Great choice:thumbsup:. I'm very happy with mine. 

It ships without batteries so it will be wise to buy a few batteries and a charger if you decide on using rechargeables.

Sverre


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## MikeAusC (Oct 31, 2010)

The LED Lenser H7 does everything you could want -
- zoom from a narrow spot to a wide flood
- adjust brightness continuosly
- runs off AAA batteries

http://www.zweibrueder.com/ENG/produkte/html_highperformance/html_Hserie/h7.php?id=h7

You can also buy a clone that works VERY well for $20 shipped worldwide.


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## davidt1 (Oct 31, 2010)

MikeAusC said:


> The LED Lenser H7 does everything you could want -
> - zoom from a narrow spot to a wide flood
> - adjust brightness continuosly
> - runs off AAA batteries
> ...



There is a guy on youtube who demonstrates Lenser focusable headlamps. Whenever he focuses the light into a tight spot, he keeps it there for a long time. When he turns it into a flood light, he does it as quickly as he can and turns the light off, as if he is trying to hide that giant black hole in the middle.


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## martinharris (Jul 8, 2011)

You should definitely checkout the xenosys surgical headlights. they are very lightweight and have a strong focused beam.

They are probably the best one in the marketplace.


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## B0wz3r (Jul 9, 2011)

martinharris said:


> You should definitely checkout the xenosys surgical headlights. they are very lightweight and have a strong focused beam.
> 
> They are probably the best one in the marketplace.


 
The $1600 price tag might be an issue for the OP though...


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