# Fenix HL21 - Some Brief Observations



## Stevie (Sep 4, 2012)

Fenix HL21- Some Brief Observations
I was thinking recently about buying a new headlamp for running with once the sun went down. I already own a PT Eos (rebel) and the old Zebralight H30. I also have a handheld Olight T10. Much of my current outdoor recreation involves using a light for descending off a mountain in the dark, but I now needed something that would fit the bill for running. The Zebralight H30 is a wonderful light in its own respect; used around camp, inside the tent or for map reading it excels. But the pure 80 degree flood soon displays its limits when one is moving quickly.

The PT Eos does a pretty good job, with a very smooth beam, not too floody, not too throwy. But the 3 x AAA format is irritating. I find the lamp to be bulky when sitting on the forehead and I don’t like buying a 4 pack of AAA’s, to have one battery returned to the drawer due to not being needed. I suppose one could buy three packs of AAA’s and then have four lots of batteries, but it just seems awkward. Changing batteries in the dark is also awkward with multiple cell AA and AAA lights, especially with gloved hands. 

The Olight T10 is a wonderful little handheld light; I have the older Q5 version with five outputs. A very good pocket thrower, it will easily illuminate a target at 100 yards. But running with a handheld can be frustrating, as your arm is swinging as you run….

So enter the Fenix HL21. I got it through a respected outdoor shop here in the UK. There were four on the shelf, I selected one with a perfectly centred LED (there were two specimens where the LED was off centre, so be careful when buying). Upon opening the package at home, I discovered a very well manufactured product with no defects in construction. The smooth reflector was clean and blemish free. I particularly liked the aluminium bezel, which should do a good job of protecting the optics if the lamp is dropped. The battery tube is plastic, it would be nice if this too was also aluminium, however the plastic appears tough and is certainly not of poor quality. As a mechanical engineer I noticed that the headlamp design incorporates some nice thinking – the centre of gravity of the light revolves around the battery tube – a good thing as this is where the head angle is swivelled. With the centre of gravity here, there is no chance of the light mischievously changing angle if being bounced around. This also keeps the centre of mass close to the user’s head for greater comfort. The head angle is changed with a very positive ‘click’. I also love the fact that the power source is one battery. No more faffing in the dark with gloved hands to change three or four batteries, just one AA makes life so much easier. 

The headband is reasonable quality, but I found that the adjustment points slip occasionally. This is not at all desirable, but I was able to get around this by fitting the lamp to the headband at the point in-between the two clasps, where the band doubles up. The extra friction provided by the lamp in this position guarantees that it won’t slip.There is a diffuser included, I have read many reports about this being mediocre. I won’t use it for my intended task, but will comment below.

Beam, Operation and Outputs
I was intrigued to see the beam of the HL21. Some describe it as too throwy and not that useful for general tasks. Upon turning the HL21 on, I did discover a throwy beam but the spill was excellent, far more than I expected. It was not a complete pencil beam as I thought it might be; there was a strong hotspot, blending into a floody corona, blending into a rather wide spill area. The beam was perfectly clean, with no holes or doughnuts. I was very pleased, and was eager to get outside. The spill was around an extra 30% greater than the Olight T10.

The HL21 has three levels of output and one flashing mode. 3 lumens (53 hrs), 43 lumens (5.5 hrs) and 90 lumens (2.1 hrs). The flashing mode is SOS.All are rated to ANSI standard, so appear brighter to someone like me who has not yet owned an ANSI rated light. The 3 lumen mode is quite good, it would be easy to walk down a well-known track using this mode. 

The 43 lumen mode, was in part, the reason I bought this light. This level of output on paper for five ish hours should fulfil my needs for running, say around ten 30 minute runs off one battery. The output is again, much brighter than expected. It certainly equals the old 60 lumen PT Apex I had (non-ANSI rated), incredible as the light only has one quarter the power tank (Apex had 4 x AA batteries). The spill is very good, illuminating the ground in front and the trees to each side of the path. The hotspot penetrates the gloom well, allowing me to realistically see about 50 yards down the track. At first I was running with the hotspot about 10 yards in front, which caused glare (as it is so bright) and the spill was wasted. The trick I eventually found when running is to have the hotspot angled to a far distance so you can see as far as possible, and use the spill to light up the area in front of you. Sounds obvious, but one may not realise this with their first run.

The 90 lumen mode is not that much brighter when indoors, but outdoors it does make a little difference. I will testify that the extra oomph does deliver a 100 yard beam. It is very much like the 43 lumen mode, just on steroids. Everything stands out more. However, when a light is on my forehead, as target distance increases I find myself looking at the beam, rather than the target! So although it did deliver a 100 yard beam when held in the hand, on the head I could realistically see about 75 yards. 

The diffuser is a bit of a token gesture to be honest, there is lots of glare reflected down onto the face and it becomes almost impossible to use unless on low 3 lumen mode, whereby it is not quite so distracting. It is a little flimsy, and I imagine it would not survive a caving trip if flipped upwards or sideways out of the way, it is at great risk from impacts. An afterthought, not so well engineered as the main headlamp. My diffuser now resides in a drawer.

Power Options
The HL21 works with alkaline AA, rechargeable AA (2500mAh recommended) and I was also pleased to discover that the instructions say that a Lithium AA (1.5V) will also work fine. This will presumably extend runtimes, and will work well in cold winter conditions. Note – Lithium RCR 14500 are not allowed – the higher voltage of 3.7V is too high.

Brief Conclusion
I am rather pleased with the HL21. It works well, has a beam suited to moving quickly when running (but not that quickly, don’t think skiing or off road mountain biking please, bit more output required for those activities). It is very compact (much smaller than an Eos), takes just one AA battery, is very stable on the head and is waterproof to IP8. The small issues are that the headband may irritate some users, the diffuser is poor and the high output is somewhat close to the mid output viewed with the logarithmic nature of one’s eyes. In all honesty I would not mind if they dropped the high output altogether, as the mid and low outputs complement each other very well. But overall I think that this is a well manufactured product which suits my exact needs and I will be out running with this during the winter months to come.

Steve Gold
Leeds 
UK

PS if you’ve any questions or comments it may be 24hrs before I get back to you as I’m over here in England. Many thanks for reading.


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## Labrador72 (Sep 4, 2012)

Thanks a lot for this. I was taking a look at Fenix headlamps for running just this morning and had noticed that the HL21 would be the lightest of the 4.
Very interesting post!


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## dealgrabber2002 (Sep 4, 2012)

Great headlamp. I bought 2 for my nephews. They love it.


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## Mr Floppy (Sep 5, 2012)

I have the HL20 and the diffuser on that thing was really bad too. Infact, one of the clipping arms broke when it hit the ground. A arm holding the light to the headband broke too. Can you comment about that? Does it look like the sort of brittle plastic that would snap on impact?


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## dealgrabber2002 (Sep 5, 2012)

Mr Floppy said:


> I have the HL20 and the diffuser on that thing was really bad too. Infact, one of the clipping arms broke when it hit the ground. A arm holding the light to the headband broke too. Can you comment about that? Does it look like the sort of brittle plastic that would snap on impact?



The ones my nephews use seems pretty sturdy. They're 9 yrs. old; so being gently with their toys are not their thing.


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## tubed (Sep 5, 2012)

great review-
my question would pertains to the low 3 lumen setting. I often use my headlight to read in bed - I need the perfect amount of light so that i can read a book but not too much to wake the wife. have you tried that?


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## Stevie (Sep 6, 2012)

Thanks for everybody's interest and replies.
 
Hi Mr. Floppy,
 
Yes the diffuser does seem under-engineered and when I originally 'clicked' it into place it was quite stubborn and I had to be careful not to use excess force as I thought I might break it. I really don't like it to be honest. Re the arms that hold the battery tube to the headband, these on first inspection do look like inferior plastic, but on closer inspection they look like they will do the job ok. I've seen vids of people taking the light out of the arms without trouble and then clicking it back, so seems ok. I haven't tried myself yet, but can't see any reason to remove the light from the headband for my own use, so will probably not tempt fate...
 
 
Hi Tubed,
 
I wouldn't really use this myself for reading, as although it is not as throwy as I first thought and has much spill, the hotspot would probably drive you mad when reading a book. For reading, I think you'd be better off with a pure flood light such as a Zebralight, operated on the low setting. I use a Zebralight and this doesn't wake my wife. The HL21 is definitely, most certainly, geared for outdoor activities. Having said that I was out running last night and dropped it down to the 3 lumen mode to tie a shoelace. Worked well, I could see myself using it on this mode for checking tent guy lines and similar proximity work. But not reading, the hotspot just glares off white paper (even on low) and you won't notice the spill trying to light the rest of the page.
 
For walking and running, it's great. Out last night on mid mode I was extremely comfortable, did not even notice this little guy on my forehead. The hotspot went up the path, I could see well ahead. The spill was superb, I was aware of everything in front of me. I think I will measure the hotspot and spill angle tonight on a white wall and let you all know what they are. The HL21 really delivers for the activity which I bought it for.
 
Steve


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## bill1 (Sep 6, 2012)

For brief observations that was a helpful and well thought out review Steve. 
I have a HP10 and have always found it to be a great lamp despite some eccentricities with the buttons. 
I thougt your comment about the comparison of the models in store was also a good point- a luxury many wouldnt have if buying online!


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## Mr Floppy (Sep 7, 2012)

Stevie said:


> I haven't tried myself yet, but can't see any reason to remove the light from the headband for my own use, so will probably not tempt fate...



I used to have to remove the light from the headband to open the battery compartment on the HL20. It was really tight. It wasn't the reason why the arms broke though. 

I don't know if it is possible to tell but can you easily unscrew the LED head or does it look like it's glued in place like the old one?
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?306349-Fenix-HL20-XP-G-R5-Mod


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## jonnydingo (Sep 21, 2012)

Thanks for the info, this is my go to headlamp for my five and eleven year old. they can handle the UI and have not broken one yet. I have found it as low as $20 on sale but picked up most of mine for $29. Great for the price.


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## Woods Walker (Sep 23, 2012)

I have a HL20 and for the money like it. In fact it might be one of my most used headlamps. The POS diffuser broke off and replaced the headband with a old PT Aurora camo as the factory band always felt too tight. I got my uncle a HL21 and he also likes it but won't use the diffuser. Comparing the two side by side it seems the older HL20 is brighter and throws father than the newer HL21. Not sure as they both use the same LED.

My HL20.


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## Woods Walker (Sep 23, 2012)

Mr Floppy said:


> I used to have to remove the light from the headband to open the battery compartment on the HL20. It was really tight. It wasn't the reason why the arms broke though.



Mine is easy to change the battery. Same goes for the HL21. I wonder if there wasn't something wrong with yours?


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## Mr Floppy (Sep 24, 2012)

Woods Walker said:


> I wonder if there wasn't something wrong with yours?



Could be, or could just be my fingers. Not too bothered by it but I do want another plate in case the other arm breaks. Does the HL20 fit in the HL21 holder?


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## Woods Walker (Sep 24, 2012)

The holder looks about the same but to be honest I am afraid to remove it from either light. I was always skeptical of this so-called feature. Next time I am over my uncle's house I will look the two over.


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## Stefano (Sep 30, 2012)

Stevie said:


> The diffuser is a bit of a token gesture to be honest, there is lots of glare reflected down onto the face and it becomes almost impossible to use unless on low 3 lumen mode, whereby it is not quite so distracting. It is a little flimsy, and I imagine it would not survive a caving trip if flipped upwards or sideways out of the way, it is at great risk from impacts. An afterthought, not so well engineered as the main headlamp. My diffuser now resides in a drawer.



I also own a HL21 was my first headlamp. I have a good opinion, has an economic cost, is quite robust and has good performance. I agree that the diffuser lens can be fragile but I tried it and if it is used in real Floody turns the headlamp.
(Translated with Google translator)


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