# Need a headlamp , must be bright and light.



## bighest (Sep 21, 2011)

Im gonna be based in the bush for a month, I have plenty bright torches etc but i want a nice head lamp for the camp.

How is the Fenix - HL20 Headlamp? does it have throw and flood, is it light on the head?

any other recommendations?


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## Ian2381 (Sep 21, 2011)

HL21 is the newer version. I also bought one as backup for my Zebralight H51 for camping/ Mt hiking. waiting for it to arrive.


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## jhc37013 (Sep 21, 2011)

I like the Zebralight H51 and H31 for lightweight and high out performance.


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## thaugen (Sep 21, 2011)

Zebralight H51fw is my favorite light and bright headlamp. Second, Princeton Tec EOS 70 Lumen version (not as light or bright, but a very nice light).


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## bighest (Sep 21, 2011)

Im limited to what i can buy in south africa, I'm kinda stuck with the fenix HL20, Led lenser, and all the Petzl head lamp. I wont have time to import a zebra light in...
Should i then be looking at the Petzl or stick with the fenix?


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## ico (Sep 21, 2011)

The petzl shows long run times but it needs 3 AAA to operate. It is also not current regulated so it gets dimmer.The hl20 or hl21 only needs 1 AA and has decent run times.


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## carrot (Sep 21, 2011)

Personally I am a very big fan of the Petzl headlamps. However, it depends on what you are looking for. For me, being able to see well at close to medium distances is very important and being able to see further away is significantly less important. So for me the Tikka 2 does very well. If throw is important to you, then the Fenix is supposed to do a very good job at that. If you want a bit of throw but flood is also very important to you, then the Tikka XP2 might be right up your alley, since it has lens optics for throw but also a flip-up diffuser for when you want flood.


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## robostudent5000 (Sep 21, 2011)

for most campsite use, you'll want a headlamp that excels at close to mid range illumination. of the choices that you mentioned, i'd get a Petzl Tikka2 (40 lumen version) over a HL20 or a LED Lenser.

if you really want the HL20, it has some issues and needs a couple of modifications to make it usable for the kind of close range use that you are likely to encounter.

first, the HL20 has a design flaw which causes the back of the headlamp body to scrape against the headlamp holder/forehead plate which prevents it from tilting up and down freely. this is exacerbated by the fact that the obstruction happens right at the tilt angle that most users are likely to use most often. the required modification involves sanding down a portion of the headlamp holder/forehead plate to prevent the obstruction. this flaw has been fixed on the HL21. 

second, although the beam on the HL20 has a very wide spill, the hot spot is very tight and bright. the brightness difference between the tight hot spot and the spill often overwhelms the spill in close use and all you end up really seeing is the hotspot. this causes the appearance of a very narrow angle of illumination. this effect is exacerbated by the lack of a brightness level in the 10-30 lumen range which means you either have to choose between a level that too low for most camp tasks (4 lumens, which is useful in areas of complete darkness, but mostly useless when there is ambient light of any kind) or a level that is too bright for close use (~45 lumens, which is not too bright if diffused, but too bright when concentrated in such a tight hotspot) . the optional diffuser is mostly ineffective and doesn't really solve this issue. the required modification involves applying adhesive diffusion material to the outside of the lens to spread out the hotspot to make the 45 lumen level more usable. i think that this flaw remains on the HL21.

ALSO, the HL20 only runs for 5 hours on the medium brightness on an 2000mah Nimh battery, even less on an alkaline. since many camp tasks require more than 4 lumens, the HL20 forces the user to use the needlessly bright and battery draining medium level for a lot of tasks. and if you're spending more than a few days in the bush, the poor runtimes may become an issue.


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## Zenbaas (Sep 21, 2011)

bighest said:


> Im gonna be based in the bush for a month, I have plenty bright torches etc but i want a nice head lamp for the camp.
> 
> How is the Fenix - HL20 Headlamp? does it have throw and flood, is it light on the head?
> 
> any other recommendations?


 
How often will you be using it and for what...? Just for a braai or something else  The fenix lights are quite expensive in SA but I guess that goes for petzl as well. I have an led lenser H7 and it performs relatively well. The adjustable focus can be useful although the regulation isn't great. 

How soon is your trip...? Maybe one of the international guys can send it via express shipping..?


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## bighest (Sep 22, 2011)

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going in a week.... I have the led lenser H7 and it is way to big and uncomfortable. I think im gonna lean towards the Petzl Tikka XP2 for now...


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## DM51 (Sep 22, 2011)

Wrong forum. Moving to Headlamps...


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## subwoofer (Sep 22, 2011)

It seems you have very limited choices available. The Zebralight H51 is excellent with a moon mode and a smooth beam profile without a very bright hotspot. For close range you can't beat a full flood model like the Zebralight H501, but this runs out of steam after a few metres.

If you are out in the open you might want something with a bit more output. The Fenix HP11 is a 4AA light so is bigger, but the weight distribution makes it very comfortable with high output and long runtime

I have reviewed it here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?321269-The-Fenix-HP11-a-Review-in-Four-Parts

If you just want small, light and close range, the Petzl is probably fine.


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## bighest (Sep 22, 2011)

Yeah I just want small and comfortable with a nice spill. I Got a tk 40, tk60, tk 70 for anything further than 15 meters 
how are blackdiamonds headlamps? i see there are alot here.


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## whiteoakjoe (Sep 22, 2011)

I have a Fenix HL21 and its a good headlamp, the Zebralights are better so the Fenix was gifted to my father. If I had never pruchased a ZL I would love the Fenix, and if that is all you can get it would be a good light, the spot on the Feinx reaches out quite a bit and it does have a nice spill to keep you from walking low limbs. It came with a diffuser and I liked the beam much better with the diffuser attached and flipped down. If you purchased one I think you would be happy its better than any other headlamp I have used excluding the ZL's...


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## varuscelli (Sep 23, 2011)

bighest said:


> Im gonna be based in the bush for a month, I have plenty bright torches etc but i want a nice head lamp for the camp.


 
Hey, bighest -- I'm curious. Do you do work for a hunting outfitter or something along those lines? Maybe a PH/professional hunter? Just curious. I do quite a bit of photo book design work for people in the U.S. who go on hunting and photo safaris in South Africa. I've never been there myself, but feel like I've visited by virtue of all the photos I've worked with as taken by others who have.


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## Ian2381 (Sep 23, 2011)

whiteoakjoe said:


> I have a Fenix HL21 and its a good headlamp, the Zebralights are better so the Fenix was gifted to my father. If I had never pruchased a ZL I would love the Fenix, and if that is all you can get it would be a good light, the spot on the Fenix reaches out quite a bit and it does have a nice spill to keep you from walking low limbs. It came with a diffuser and I liked the beam much better with the diffuser attached and flipped down. If you purchased one I think you would be happy its better than any other headlamp I have used excluding the ZL's...



+1, Ive been using my Zebralight H51 on all my hiking trips and outdoor activities and recently bought the HL21 to serve as my backup headlamp, Love the light, it fits perfectly in my head, it wont bulge even on extreme movements and really lightweight. The included diffuser compliments it really giving you option for flood and throw. Will be using the fenix on my next climb, The H51 will be taking a break for now.


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## B0wz3r (Sep 23, 2011)

Okay, I'll be the heretic for this thread... I like my Spark ST5-190NW better than my ZL H51w. I use the frosted lens in the Spark and really like the beam profile it provides. A center focused flood is the best way I can think of to describe it. It is brightest in the center, and gradually tapers off in brightness toward the edges of the beam; there is no hotspot in the beam mind you, but it's not a "pure" flood like the older Zebralights. I also find the Spark has a wider beam profile than my ZL. I tested myself one night with the Spark on M2 and I could literally see my thumb at arm's length in the beam for the entire width of my peripheral vision... My ZL is about 10º less on each side. I'm not sure if that's a function of the frosted lens though, I haven't actually tested it out to see for certain.

Other things I like about the Spark are the T body design, works better wearing a cap or hood than the ZL does. The strap is slightly heavier, but more secure at the same time. I find the bracket holds the light more tightly than the ZL's bracket holds the H51w. The Spark also can use 14500's and gets a good boost on turbo with the li-ion chemistry. My next headlamp will be a 460NW in fact.

I've never been much impressed at all with anything made by Princeton Tec, Brunton, Black Diamond, etc.


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