# Fenix HP30R



## narmattaru (Jun 14, 2017)

Hi, guys.

Fenix`ve released new headlamp. HP30R. As far as i see not, that`s the almost same 25R healamp body (great headlamp, btw) with separate battery case and both spot\floos light woorking together, feature that people asked about in comments to review of HP25R.


HP30R is a headlamp with separate battery case, powered by two 18650 Li-ion batteries. The belt-worn battery case reduces the load bearing of user’s head and maintains optimal performance in cold areas. This headlamp is rechargeable via the Micro USB port in the battery case, and the battery can be used as a power bank. Featuring four white spotlight output levels, and four neutral white floodlight output levels, the spot- and floodlight can be switched on simultaneously to deliver a max output of 1750 lumens, runtime of 400 hours and a far-reaching beam of 202 meters. The HP30R will be an indispensable aid in your mountaineering, searching, snow-hiking or any other challenging outdoor activities.

*Features*

·Uses Cree XM-L2 and XP-G2 R5 LED’s with a lifespan of 50,000 hours
·Powered by two 18650 or four CR123A batteries
·Headlamp: 77mm Length x 52mm Width x 34mm Height
·Battery case: 115mm Length x 56mm Width x 30mm Height
·Weight: 285 grams (excluding batteries)
·Accessories: cable clip,Micro USB charging cable,top headband mount, spare O-ring, belt clip, 2*cable buckle, 2* Fenix 3.6V/2600mAh 18650 rechargeable Li-ion batteries


There seems to be mistake in specifiacation. Text above says that there should be 1750 lum mode. and this pic below has only 1000 lum turbo. I`ll get in touch with Fenix representative, they`ll give us correct specification.


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## colina (Jun 14, 2017)

The head unit looks very similar to the HP25r but has two flood emitters rather than one and the ability to run spot only, flood only or combined. At least they have ditched the silly red led that the 25 had - too dim to be of any use for me. Not sure how hot the head unit will get if you both spot &flood together. Looks nice.


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## colina (Jun 14, 2017)

Perhaps the 1750 figure refers to running spot & flood together.


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## BloodLust (Jun 14, 2017)

Looks good. I wonder if itcan run off just 1x18650.


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## iamlucky13 (Jun 14, 2017)

colina said:


> Perhaps the 1750 figure refers to running spot & flood together.



Yes. It clarifies that in the product description.



BloodLust said:


> Looks good. I wonder if itcan run off just 1x18650.



That would be a good feature, but they don't say anything about it, so I'm guessing not.

It does seem to say it monitors the charge of each battery individually when charging to achieve a balanced charge. It also says you can use the headlamp as a USB powerbank, which is interesting.


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## narmattaru (Jun 15, 2017)

no, i asked manager, only 2x18650


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## thermal guy (Jun 15, 2017)

Great runtimes!! And they are listed with 2600mAh batteries. Put some 3500 in there and you would be even better.


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## proceed5 (Jun 15, 2017)

Will you be reviewing this HP30R Narmattaru ?
Would love to see the run time chart. 

In Fenix we trust.


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## Loverofthelight (Jun 16, 2017)

The output 1750 lumens comes from the turbo output of spotlight and floodlight together. The spot- and floodlight can be switched on simultaneously, I believe. How do you guys think?:nana:


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## proceed5 (Jun 16, 2017)

Loverofthelight said:


> The output 1750 lumens comes from the turbo output of spotlight and floodlight together. The spot- and floodlight can be switched on simultaneously, I believe. How do you guys think?:nana:



IMO, advantages of the HP30R are:
+ ability to use flood and spot simultaneously. This is functionally good for me. Light coverage area is capable of lighting up wide and far.
+ I have always wanted a headlamp that can throw further. (well 200 meters is not exactly far, but sufficient for a headlight)
+ having separate batteries box, which is separated from the light unit, enables mounting on belt or camelbak on the back, which removes weight from forehead.
+ If its gonna be a typical Fenix design, i.e. the output regulation is gonna be flat constant with at least/ close to 2 hours runtime on Turbo, then this unit in my opinion would be almost perfect, for me. 
(per Fenix's specs, it will run 4 hours in turbo with 2 batteries ... is this in either Flood OR spot OR 4 hours for both ? ... confusing) 
+ main light body is made of die-cast aluminium 
+ IP66 dust proof (although the water proof level a bit disappointing)

I rather buy this HP30R than the Olight H2R

Just my 2cents worth..


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## degarb (Jun 16, 2017)

I am guessing, xpg 3 in spot. Anyone know what bin? Bin of floods? 

They probably saved $5 using the xpg over an xpl hi. Sadly. 

Are the 18650s in parallel or series. If series, then a good buck driver and efficiency. I hate 3.7 volt single cell drivers. With protected 18650s, name brand, series is perfectly safe, as long as no parasite drain. Need a true off. Though the low voltage cut off should kick in. Also, I recommend monitoring cell voltage several times a week, during use, after charge and depleted. Make sure cells matched and charging is cutting off correctly. 

Apparently, the toolbelt design is popular enough to keep making. I guess the subpar 3800 candela at 6.5 hours work setting, could squeeze out 8 hours with better cells. 3800 is a little dim bouncing from 1 meter to 2 meter for detail inspection, but is close enough that I would pass it. 

They should have used a v5 4300kelvin xpl2 hi, not a $2 xpg for the spot.


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## degarb (Jun 16, 2017)

Just out of curiosity, is the driver in the battery pack? This is safer, because my buck drivers have short circuit cutoff. Backing up protection on cells.


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## narmattaru (Jun 17, 2017)

proceed5 said:


> Will you be reviewing this HP30R Narmattaru ?
> Would love to see the run time chart.
> 
> In Fenix we trust.



i hope )

i`ve got HP25R, so that will be chance to compare.


> Just out of curiosity, is the driver in the battery pack? This is safer, because my buck drivers have short circuit cutoff. Backing up protection on cells.



i`ll ask manager.

--

seems to be promising product with great runtime and weight.


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## narmattaru (Jun 21, 2017)

manager says that driver is in flashlight


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## CyberCT (Jun 25, 2017)

Well there aren't any reviews I've seen of this light yet so I thought I'd give my 2 cents. Mine arrived yesterday but I didn't get a chance to pick it up from my apartment's lobby till early this afternoon.

I'm on night shift and have been using the Fenix HL55 which is a fantastic neutral white headlamp. On high that headlamp barely got warm and the neutral white tint is superb. Having that headlamp since it came out a few years ago I thought I'd treat myself to an upgrade. The neutral white floodlight of the HP30r, and ability to use spot and flood at the same time got my interest.

The HP30R's flood capability is excellent. Flood on high is fine for me but surprisingly the headlamp gets pretty darn warm. The flood turbo is obviously noticeably brighter but on turbo this thing gets HOT. This disappointed me because I wanted to have the flood turbo on at all times. I haven't tested the spot light's output much yet.

Another issue is the tint. The two flood neutral white LEDs are not the tint I expected. One of these LEDs is nearly cool white. The other is a tad warmer. If I look at both LEDs when on I can notice a slight color difference if I really look for it. The spotlight is very cool white. This headlamp makes my HL55 look very neutral white.

I've never had a headlamp with a separate battery pack before. Once I fingured out how to put it under my refelctive vest it works just fine. I'm 6'2.5" and wish the cord was a few inches longer but it works.

I use 4 headband hardhat attachments I bought off Amazon. Same ones I used on the HL55 and they work fine for this light too.


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## ThePerishers (Jun 26, 2017)

CyberCT said:


> Well there aren't any reviews I've seen of this light yet so I thought I'd give my 2 cents.



Thanks for your review. I was just checking out this headlight a couple days ago and couldn't find any reviews on it, other than two sites mentioning it briefly.


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## CyberCT (Jun 26, 2017)

hi narmataru,Im not sure if your manager works for fenix or has special infomation but can you please ask if the actual headlamp part (not the battery pack) is dunkable ipx-8 waterproof? im wondering if fenix gave the overall ipx-6 rating because of the battery pack?


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## narmattaru (Jun 27, 2017)

yep, she is from China, works directly in Fenix. so she know things )
i`ll ask her.


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## CyberCT (Jun 29, 2017)

I spent more time with this headlamp on night shift and here are my final thoughts:

The flood output is quite good on medium for close up tasks. The lamp is cool to the touch. The flood high output is good for walking at night with other barely adequate ambient light sources around and flood turbo is fantastic.
The spotlight actually throws quite far (high and turbo). For a headlamp this size. It's very impressive and more than enough.
Using medium spot and medium flood together is fine if it's nearly pitch black for most tasks. And the headlamp just gets warm. However, I work on a construction site with dark shadows from other light sources cast from structural steel, equipment, etc. so I want output on the higher modes.
I'm used to the cord now. I figured out a quick easy way to conceal the cord under my safety vest and it never gets in the way. The battery holster clips to my belt easily and the cord is just long enough for me. I'm just under 6'3". The light feels a tad lighter than the HP55 on my hardhat. This is a good thing.

Here's what I don't like:

TINT. Why did Fenix go with a cool white spotlight and mis-matching (more cool white than neutral white) flood lights? They should have did a better job pairing the color temps. My HP55 is way more neutral than even the floods on this lamp. IMO the flood LEDs and Spot LED should be the same neutral white as the LED in my HP55. Then it would be an absolute winner.

HEAT. The HP55 barely got warm on high mode (400+ lumens). This headlamp gets almost hot on flood high mode OR spot high mode, separately. Spot high mode AND flood high mode on together, yes it gets HOT. This makes no sense to me. Previous to my purchase I suspected I'd be able to run turbo flood and the headlamp would only get warm. It gets HOT. Fenix should have used more efficient LEDs or better heat sinking to avoid this. 

BATTERIES. It's OK Fenix included batteries and it's very convenient to be able to charge them in their battery case via USB, but I really wish Fenix would have included at least 3200 mah batteries. It's 2017. Why on earth are 2600 mah batteries even still available? Price difference is minimal and since the power draw shouldn't be demanding considering the heat output, higher output batteries would make common sense.

I'm still keeping the headlamp reguardless but if Fenix fixes these issues and makes an update (HP312R maybe?) I'd say we have an absolute winner!


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## Loverofthelight (Jun 29, 2017)

proceed5 said:


> IMO, advantages of the HP30R are:
> + ability to use flood and spot simultaneously. This is functionally good for me. Light coverage area is capable of lighting up wide and far.
> + I have always wanted a headlamp that can throw further. (well 200 meters is not exactly far, but sufficient for a headlight)
> + having separate batteries box, which is separated from the light unit, enables mounting on belt or camelbak on the back, which removes weight from forehead.
> ...



Wow, amazing personal views. I agree with you that the IP66 rating is a little bit disappointing, usually Fenix flashlights feature IP68, but headlamps IP66, maybe cuz the battery case. As the Fenix spec shown above and what I see from the Fenix official website, the runtime of Turbo of spot- and floodlight are both 4 hours. :twothumbs


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## Loverofthelight (Jun 30, 2017)

degarb said:


> I am guessing, xpg 3 in spot. Anyone know what bin? Bin of floods?
> 
> They probably saved $5 using the xpg over an xpl hi. Sadly.
> 
> ...



As what I've read on Fenix official website, the 18650s charging is in parallel, while the discharging is in series. You can have a look.


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## narmattaru (Jul 1, 2017)

manager says that both parts of this light are IP-6, not 8


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## CyberCT (Jul 6, 2017)

narmattaru said:


> manager says that both parts of this light are IP-6, not 8



Thanks for confirming!

Can you also relay to your manager that if Fenix were to 

Swap all the LEDs for the same good neutral white tint
use efficient modern LEDs so the headlamp doesn't get hot
include higher capacity 18650 batteries ore none at all (the charger case is excellent though)

..... Fenix would have a real winner! The above changes would make it perfect


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## fenix1 (Jul 13, 2017)

Hello CyberCT, although neutral white tint owns a better light rendering, Fenix will not swap all the leds for neutral white tint because there are still many customers who like cold white light. As for leds, Fenix usually uses Cree's leds, may I know what kind of efficient modern leds you specifically refered to ? Thanks for your constant support for Fenix.


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## CyberCT (Jul 15, 2017)

fenix1 said:


> Hello CyberCT, although neutral white tint owns a better light rendering, Fenix will not swap all the leds for neutral white tint because there are still many customers who like cold white light. As for leds, Fenix usually uses Cree's leds, may I know what kind of efficient modern leds you specifically refered to ? Thanks for your constant support for Fenix.



Hi Fenix 1.

Basically I'm saying why did Fenix go for "neutral white" flood LEDs (even though the color tint is much more cool than neutral) and a cool white spot? Why not just keep the whole output of the headlamp neutral white? It's kind of silly. Having both flood and spot on at the same time is a great function but you can quickly tell the color difference between the 2 modes in real world use.
Fenix should have offered 2 versions. 1 with all cool white LEDs and 1 with all neutral white LEDs.
Fenix also should have gone with the new XPG3 instead of the XPG2, for instance. Why make a new light with outdated LEDs? The XML2 has been around for a while and I'm not sure what replaced it since I'm not completely up on new LED technology these days but I'm sure there's a newer LED that's more efficient.

My old HL55 headlamp is a few years old, has the perfect XML2 neutral white tint, and outputs over 400 lumens on high and barely gets warm. Here the high output for flood makes the headlamp VERY warm and on turbo the headlamp is cooking. Makes no sense.

Don't get me wrong, I have over a dozen Fenix lights over the years but lately they seem to be missing the mark by just a hair, like in this example.


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## Tripp Knightly (Jan 10, 2018)

I know thread's 6 mos old but I stumbled on it while researching the HP30R. I was just about to hit the buy button on the HP30R and then I read CyberCT's comments here. I'm going to wait until a new model emerges or buy something else. To not bring a product out w/ the latest LEDs when the HP30R's price point is so high (and especially for that reason) when the technology is continually advancing seems weird. And if I choose a neutral white light, yeah I want all the lights to have the same color temperature... I'm not even a compulsive person. 

Like with so many things, I do realize nothing will be perfect and there will always be some shiny new thing 6-9 mos around the corner. But I'm keeping my powder dry.


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