# Long Throw 18650 Headlamp



## DAGGAFISH (Jun 8, 2017)

Hey guys, 

First of all please bare with me, this blew out to a novel length first thread lol. My apologies...

I recently got introduced into the world of 18650 by a mate of mine. I have been running with a h7 led lensor headlamp for a long while now and was happy enough. Really liked the adjustable beam and power feature and its served me well however now iv been exposed to the high output and long life of what 18650 batteries have to offer im keen to upgrade my headlamp and my P7 flashlight. 

So I have been racking my brain and going in circles doing my research on youtube and sifting through reviews on here to try and make a decision on how I want to part with my hard earned but Im really struggling with the lack of adjustment in beam focuss etc that i have become used to with the led lensor.

I have resigned to the fact for the uses i want it for i think something with the longest throw would cover most of the situations i want it for. 

I live out bush with relatively dense growth around and need to take my dogs out to go toilet a few times a night. I go out first and check to make sure theres nothing around that the dogs might want to chase into the darkness and like a more focussed beam so im not being blinded by trees and bushes closer to me. I also want to use it for spotting fox and bunny eye reflection when out hunting out as far as i can with a headlamp. Ill also be using it a fair bit for sitting around the camp fire, fishing and hiking and a bit of photography aswell (still trying to decide if i want to sacrifice distance and power for neutral white for camera work) even considering making my own diffuser for the odd occasion i want more even flood light.

I have looked into the following and the pros and cons of each still leave me undecided....
Olight H1R
Olight H2R
Nitecore HC30
FENIX HP25R
And a heap of others including thrunite, zebra, armytek and more.

The nitecore HC30 seems to have the most throw according to the stats iv seen so far.

I just realised how much im waffling lol. 
Long story short...
Priority is long even throw, with as little flood as possible and prefferably no distinct step into the hotspot.
Fairly high lumens for a practical amount of time while hunting.
Option to step down to a practical around camp and hiking kinda brightness for more then one night of pretty constant use.
Fast UI again for less fumbling while hunting.
Accepts a universal 18650 that i can interchange easily with most flashlights that i may decide on down the track. So not a custom only suits that one headlamp kinda deal.

Im sure im forgetting a few things but id be impressed if many people have actually read this far down so ill leave it at that for now haha.

Id really appreciate some help/input with this, i know im being fussy but i figure this is the right place to get some good advice.

Ill probably be writing a novel when it comes to deciding on a flashlight in the near future  lol


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## Genzod (Jun 8, 2017)

I'm sorry, I had flashlights on the brain and forgot I was in the headlamp forum!


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## fiass (Jun 13, 2017)

Thrunite TH10 has a big reflector for a headlamp, it may suits you


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## Genzod (Jun 16, 2017)

I'm going to make a HEADLAMP recommendation this time along the lines I think you are looking for, but with a little caveat. 

You described desiring a headlamp with a lot of throw. The Imalent HR20 is probably the longest throwing headlamp I've seen with 18650 battery. It's around 12,700 cd or 225 m throw to 0.25 lux. One reason it throws so well is because of the high surface brightness XP-L HI emitter. Another is the large, smooth reflector. The 1000 lumens in boost helps a lot too.

Here's a review.

The headlamp had some manufacturing and quality control issues in the beginning, and there has been some issue raised with how water proof the rotary area is. Also there were some issues with anodization in the tail that caused some flickering problems, but that is easily resolved according to a reviewer on Reddit.

Banggood and Gearbest sell these, sometimes with coupons for a very low price. I've seen less than $30 shipped. But I wouldn't pay $50 for it. And I wouldn't rely on it on a major hike, but I would if it were for home use. I'd use something like Amazon to buy through if you can, just because of their consumer protection.

I think the quality control issues have been dealt with. There are some photos online with a really messy internal build, but I believe that was one of the early runs. The blue cap models were later runs, so if you can get one of those I think your chances are better.

It's got twice the intensity of the Nitecore HC30 and about 65 meters of extra throw distance. It's also got a narrower spill than the 100 degre spill of the Nitecore. I only recommend (or rather make you aware of) this model because of that design.

There is a good pic of the beam profile with spot and spill in one of the reviews linked above.

You might also take a look at the new Fenix HP30R

Hope that helps.


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