# Remington Arms LED Headlight RMHL4AA-B Review



## nksmfamjp (Jan 2, 2009)

*Quick Summary:* 
All of what you need in a do-it-all hunting light. Maybe too much, but that's OK! Not really a work light, where I would want the batteries in front so I could res my head back. 

*The Good:* 
Bright spot or flood beam 
Red night vision beam 
Strain relief-ed wire, instead of too tight 
All the modes needed in a hunting light 
4xAA form factor, leaves you with all 4 batteries used in a charging bundle or a battery package of alkalines. 

*The Bad: *
Lo mode on the CREE, is probably still too bright for reading or up close work. 

*The Use Case: *
Cabela's sells 36 items called “headlamp”, so this must be a key component for hunting. I hunted for quite a few years before my first headlamp. It was OK, but it was hard to get ready in the morning and sometimes to get in position before first light or out after dark. In addition to getting in and out of a hunting site, there are the camp chores which are always done after dark outside or in a dimly lit camper. Sure a flashlight in the teeth is OK, but it really slows down the story tellin'. This and camping are what I use my light for. While camping, it is used for chasing 'coons away, cleaning up before bed, reading, and making some late night mixed drinks. 

*Where to Buy:* 
I bought this at Lowes locally for about $40. Look for the green packaging and the words “150 lumens”. You can't miss it. It is also available online here or here It is a Remington RMHL4AA-B. 

*Specifications:* 
On packaging - 
1)Extreme Track Blood Tracking Mode 
2)Red LED – Night Vision 

3)Rotating Diffuser





4)Durable Polymer Impact, Corrosion, and Heat Resistant 
5)Wicking Head Strap 
. . .and I would add - 
A)CREE LED main LED with hi(150 lumen) and lo modes with good heat sink 
B)Red LED's and 1 Blue LED used in a Red or Blood Tracking (mixed color) mode 
C)Rear red LED flash for hunter identification 
D)Is it regulated? Runtime definition? 25hrs 'til what? 

E)4xAA form factor for increased resistance to cold weather compared to AAA





F)All internals o ring sealed for dust and water intrusion resistance 

G)Side wire is clipped to headband and coiled for strain relief





H)Made by Rayovac in China. 
I)Lifetime warranty 


*Functional Details:* 
Battery pack switch – Turns rear red flashing LED on and off. 
Top left switch – 1: Hi 150 lumen mode 2: Low approx 40% mode 
Top right switch – 1: RED night vision 2 LED mode 2: Extreme blood tracking mode(Red x 2 + Blue x 1) 3: Redd x 2 strobe. 
Both sides cannot operate at the same times. 
Snapping the diffuser lens to either side creates a flood beam from the original spot beam pattern. 

*Construction Details:* 
We will start at the core of the headlamp assy. At the core is a nice large well finned AL heatsink to which the CREE LED is mounted. 





Is this a regulated circuit for the CREE? 





Then on top of the CREE and heatsink, is a circuit board with switches. 





This subassy drops into a reflector, button housing and seals to it with and o-ring seal. Lubrication seemed adequate to start with and I added a bit more during reassembly. If the lenses are sealed to the front of the housing, this appears water tight. It does seem to rely on the clear lenses being glued onto the housing for water resistance. To me, this looks like a good mix of quality and reasonable weight management. 

*Beamshots:* 
This is where camera quality leaves some to be desired. All are ~1m away from a cinder block wall for some relative size measurement. 
CREE Hi Spot 




CREE Hi Diffused 




CREE Lo Spot 




CREE Lo Diffused 




Red Spot 




Red Diffused 




Blood Tracking Spot 




Blood Tracking Diffused 





*Other Pictures:*

Side view





This just allows you to see the 2 separate lenses glued to the front of the reflector housing. I believe any concern for watertightness lies here. It is strange that the whole thing would have orings everywhere and then just glue these lenses on. Maybe they have someway to guarantee this process? 






Looking in here allows you to see how the retention rod from the cap is retained to the side of the case in the bottom of the photo. At the top of the photo is the LED "fiber optic" which allows the LED in the cap to be seen on the outside of the case.





I think I have shown it all. If it looks incomplete or I can add some detail, let me know.


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## LightObsession (Jan 2, 2009)

Thanks for the nice, concise review.

I like the separate switches for the white LED and the colored LEDs.

The attached diffuser is definately attractive.

A medium brightness option on the white LED would be a clencher.


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## nksmfamjp (Jan 2, 2009)

The lo setting, is really a medium. A 3 - 10 lo setting would be the nice addition to me. If you have no use for a real low, the lo on this light is more like medium. You can kind of tell that from the beam shots. Honestly, it's gotta be atleast 40 lumens!


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## JetskiMark (Jan 2, 2009)

Excellent review and comprehensive pictures.

How is the throw? It would be helpful if you could take some outdoor shots at a longer range. Maybe 100 feet or more aimed at a large tree.

How well does the diffuser work at close range? I'm thinking about if you are reading and the light is about a foot from a magazine. Is the entire page evenly illuminated? This is where the Zebralight is perfect.

I wonder if a resistor could be added to produce a much dimmer low?

That does look like a decent light. I like the separate switches and the coiled cord.

If I did not already have so many nice headlights, I would probably pick one up. I am waiting (and not holding my breath) to see what SureFire and Fenix come up with.


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## nksmfamjp (Jan 2, 2009)

I will have to see if I can get the 10 yr old digi camera on a tripod for the throw shots. On hi, the throw was amazing. There is a line of brush 50 yards(laser measured) from the house which it lights up ok. Not bright, but the spot beam is on it and you would see a person or animal out there.

So, IMO, the diffuser does what it can. On high, it would be a good flood work light around camp. On low, it might be a bit better because it would give less glare back. 

Reading was ok, but lo and diffused still has a little too much glare on a magazine. Changing the page angle totally fixes that. Also, on a magazine, it is only providing good light for one page at a time at normal viewing distance. On a book, it is ok. Yea, the entire page would be illuminated.

What great headlights do you have?


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## Marduke (Jan 2, 2009)

Swap the blue 5mm for a white for a low low.


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## JetskiMark (Jan 2, 2009)

That is a good idea except for the fact that the blue LED only comes on with the two red LEDs. I wonder if it could be modded to come on by itself?

Too bad the Cree does not have three levels including a nice low.



Marduke said:


> Swap the blue 5mm for a white for a low low.


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## adirondackdestroyer (Jan 2, 2009)

Great review!

This is the best bang for your buck headlamp on the market. Over 100 lumens on high, and has over 4,000 lux as well! I'd love to see a comparison between this and the Energizer Hardcase. I only wish the Hardcase was easier to find. 
The Remington has some awesome features, but it could be made perfect with a little help from us flashaholics. If only the following changes could be made:

- start out on low and then go to high
- if you wait longer than 1.5 seconds the next click turns the light off
- instead of the blue LED turning on in conjunction with the red LED's, they could have a single white LED that turns on by itself on the second click of that button

If these changes were made, this would be the ultimate headlamp! It's my favorite headlamp the way that it is, but it could be even better! I can only dream of a manufacturer that consults with serious flashaholics before they make a product. Imagine what incredible stuff would exist.


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## Marduke (Jan 2, 2009)

Well, since you have access to the board, you could rewire it so the two red's that are presumably in series are instead in parallel, and replace all three 5mm's with white. That gives you a 2x and 3x 5mm white low's.


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## f22shift (Jan 2, 2009)

this is a nice thorough review. i guess you can replace all the leds to white or the blue to another red.
i'm assuming it's easy to disassemble?


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## nksmfamjp (Jan 3, 2009)

I used it yesterday for over an hour on hi with the diffuser lens. I was caulking and the lighting(in my house) isn't good for detail work, so I added this in. It seemed to run the entire time with no loss of brightness. A nice feature was it didn't get hot at all. It was slightly warm to the touch, but didn't make my head sweat.


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## adirondackdestroyer (Jan 3, 2009)

nksmfamjp said:


> I used it yesterday for over an hour on hi with the diffuser lens. I was caulking and the lighting(in my house) isn't good for detail work, so I added this in. It seemed to run the entire time with no loss of brightness. A nice feature was it didn't get hot at all. It was slightly warm to the touch, but didn't make my head sweat.



I wish light-reviews would pick one of these up and review it. That way it could be directly compared to the Energizer Hardcase. I'd expect the runtime on high to last quite a while, since it does have 4xAA cells. I wonder if Energizer Lithiums can be used.


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## nksmfamjp (Jan 3, 2009)

I would think so, but that isn't really discussed on the packaging. The packaging refers to alkaline, standard and Ni-cad. . . .but this is on some do not mix warning.


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## likeguymontag (Jan 3, 2009)

I got this light today. It shares a number of design elements with the Rayovac / River Rock K2 3AA headlamp, but there were some aspects of the K2 that irritated me, so I hoped that this model would fix those issues. For me, this Rayovac / Remington lamp will replace the K2.

My chief irritation with the K2 had been that the K2 headlamp used three cells, and had no regulation except for PWM dimming. I would have used NiMH for the more constant output they provide, but it's irritating to charge odd numbers of cells. Should I have to wait until I have six spent cells? The K2 probably shouldn't be used with lithium primaries, especially since it was said to overheat in high mode with alkalines anyway.

The Rayovac / Remington headlamp uses four cells, and I assume that means it's regulated in some way. Why use four cells otherwise? Low mode on this light is definitely PWM dimmed. :shakehead I'm not sure if this is true regulation, because I don't have the equipment to measure. High mode may be PWM regulated, but if so, the frequency is very high, and near the threshold of my ability to detect it by swinging fingers in front of my face.

I immediately ditched the alkaline cells that shipped with the light in favor of lithium primaries. I'll let you know if I burn out the led or driver board. With lithium cells, the battery case weighs about 130 grams, which is almost exactly what the battery case of the K2 headlamp weighs with alkalines. The head weighs about 70 grams, while the K2s head weighs in at 60. I may steal the K2s elastic straps, because the green and black ones on the Rayovac / Reminton are fugly. The hinge does not ratchet; it's held by friction, but you can adjust the tension on the bolt that holds the head to the forehead plate. The bolt is held with a nylon locknut, which is a very nice touch. You could almost certainly run with this lamp if you put the battery pack on your waist.

Let's see, what else? The red led on the battery case now only has one mode, flashing, and the light pipe diffuser thingy is frosted, so it works a bit better off-angle.

Any questions I can answer without measurement equipment?


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## Phaserburn (Jan 3, 2009)

How noticeable is the PWM on low?

What is the current draw on high and low (if you have a DMM)?

Is the beam as artifact and ring free as it appears in the pics?


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## adirondackdestroyer (Jan 3, 2009)

Phaserburn said:


> Is the beam as artifact and ring free as it appears in the pics?



The main beam has some artifacts if you don't use the diffuser. With the diffuser it is completely smooth and 100% artifact free.


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## likeguymontag (Jan 4, 2009)

Phaserburn said:


> How noticeable is the PWM on low?
> 
> What is the current draw on high and low (if you have a DMM)?
> 
> Is the beam as artifact and ring free as it appears in the pics?




With fairly fresh lithium cells (1.60 V open circuit), it draws 220 mA on high, 48 on low. With new alkalines (1.62 V open circuit) it draws 250 mA on high and 52 on low. NiMH from the desk drawer (1.29 V) is 173 mA and 37. 3x NiMH cells is 74 and 16 mA. I guess that means that it doesn't use constant current regulation. Shame...

The PWM on low is noticable if you know what to look for, but isn't noticable in regular use. Likewise, the beam isn't perfect, also not an issue in regular use.

Update: One leg of the Cree is connected to the ground plane via an array of SMT resistors measuring 3.6 ohms total. I don't really know enough about circuit design to diagnose things further. However, there definitely appears to be room for custom circuitry if you're willing to gut the 5 mm half of the headlamp. You'd have to save enough of the board to retain the switch and hold it in place. The Cree star is securely mounted to the heatsink with two screws and thermal goop.


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## Phaserburn (Jan 5, 2009)

173ma on nimh high will result in 10 hr runtimes using Eneloops, which is impressive. However, even if the circuit is converting some voltage to current, which I don't know is happening, that low of a current wouldn't require such a large heatsink. Its not a bad thing, but seems that the led is barely being driven. It could be getting from 173ma up to maybe 250ma or so (guesstimate). The Cree would need to see 350ma or so to produce 100 lumens. I'm a bit confused here.


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## likeguymontag (Jan 5, 2009)

Phaserburn said:


> 173ma on nimh high will result in 10 hr runtimes using Eneloops, which is impressive. However, even if the circuit is converting some voltage to current, which I don't know is happening, that low of a current wouldn't require such a large heatsink. Its not a bad thing, but seems that the led is barely being driven. It could be getting from 173ma up to maybe 250ma or so (guesstimate). The Cree would need to see 350ma or so to produce 100 lumens. I'm a bit confused here.



If I wasn't clear, I was measuring current at the batteries. That's not the current at which the LED is being driven, it's the current at which the driver circuit is being driven. For example, 4 x 1.29 V = 5.2 V for the whole battery pack, and I measured a draw of 173 mA. That's 0.89 W. I don't know what the Vf is, because I didn't measure it, but if we assume it's 3.2 V (and the drive circuit is 100% efficient) then 0.89 W / 3.2V = 279 mA. That's a much more reasonable number. Making some more assumptions, the LED is being driven at about 470 mA with fresh alkalines.

Yes, this thing ought to run a while on NiMH cells, but that's because (_I suspect_) this thing doesn't have true current regulation, just a voltage stepdown circuit. It seemed less bright on NiMH cells than lithium, but I only have one unit, so I couldn't do a side-by-side. That said, the flat discharge curve of NiMH or lithium should make this a pretty respectable headlamp.


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## adirondackdestroyer (Jan 5, 2009)

470ma on high sounds more like it. I'm not sure what Cree bin they use, but it does produce over 100 lumens on high with fresh cells, so I would expect at least a Q2 or better.


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## Phaserburn (Jan 5, 2009)

:wave:

I understood that the 173ma was at the battery. My "math" looked like this: 4 cells x 1.2V (nimh voltage under load) = 4.8V x .173A = .83W. At 100% efficiency (it isn't) and a vF of 3.2V (might not be), you'd get 260ma to the led. 

It makes sense to me to use a voltage stepdown rather than current regulation circuit. In actual usage, headlamps and lanterns are better off dimming as they go, so you don't get a sudden super-dim moon mode, or worse, no light at all. The average consumer might not understand that, but dimming as batteries deplete, they all get. They will get longer runtimes, which is one of the prime requisites of this kind of light. I agree using nimh will produce very decent "regulation"; I typically use nimh in my headlamps for that reason. But, it will always come at the cost of initial brightness vs alks. At only a 250ma draw, alks will be brighter for a considerable amount of time vs nimh until their voltage under draw declines past (not equal to) nimh working voltage, around 1.2V/cell. I guess what I'm saying is that this HL, and the Energizer Hard Case, seem to be optomized (shocker coming)... to run on alkalines.

I'm torn between getting the Remington vs the Energizer HC. I love the diffuser, which I consider a must have feature for a HL. Using 5mm leds for close range flood costs more and is less efficient in space, build cost, etc.


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## likeguymontag (Jan 5, 2009)

Phaserburn said:


> In actual usage, headlamps and lanterns are better off dimming as they go, so you don't get a sudden super-dim moon mode, or worse, no light at all.



I definitely agree. I was very happy with the Coleman 1xAA 1 watt headlamp *until* I saw how it went out "like a light" on NiMH once it couldn't power the boost circuit. I found that kind of behavior unacceptable, and it was only a little better with alkaline, so I am not sad to have dropped and broken that lamp.

I'm glad this headlamp uses four cells so I can use NiMH conveniently and solidly heatsinked so I can use lithium. I personally want constant output followed by progressive and long-lasting dimming. Low battery notification would be nice too, but this is a mass market product, not expedition gear. I'm satisfied with this Remington; for $40, it's respectably close to being as good as the PT Apex.


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## likeguymontag (Jan 7, 2009)

I took some more measurements. On high, and with partially used lithium cells I measured:

Vbatt = 5.5 V (under load)
Vf = 3.2 V
V(led & resistor array) = 4.5V

That means the resistor array is burning (4.5V - 3.2V)^2 / 3.6 ohms = 0.47 Watts. That's at a current of 360 mA, for a LED power of 1.2 Watts. Something, possibly a voltage stepdown circuit, is dropping about 1 V prior to this portion of the circuit, while the resistor is dropping 1.3V. Seems wasteful to me, since ~30% of the power in this part of the circuit is burned by the resistors. Maybe I'll hook this thing up to an adjustable-voltage wall-wart and see how the upstream portion of the circuit responds. I'm betting that it drops ~1 V regardless of the input voltage.

Edit: I got a DMM that measures frequency. Low mode is pulsed at ~140 Hz.


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## fishx65 (Jan 7, 2009)

I took a look at this one today. Seems like a nice headlamp but not sure if I can handle that big box of batteries on the back of my skull. Anyone know how the lumens compare to the new 4 mode EOS?


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## likeguymontag (Jan 7, 2009)

fishx65 said:


> I took a look at this one today. Seems like a nice headlamp but not sure if I can handle that big box of batteries on the back of my skull. Anyone know how the lumens compare to the new 4 mode EOS?




The new EOS is rated at 50 lumens out the front; this Remington/Rayovac is rated at a theoretical 145 lumens before optics, sagging batteries, etc. I have both; I'd say the output is closer than you'd think, although the Remington/Rayovac is definitely brighter. The EOS is a better engineered product though.


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## adirondackdestroyer (Jan 7, 2009)

fishx65 said:


> I took a look at this one today. Seems like a nice headlamp but not sure if I can handle that big box of batteries on the back of my skull. Anyone know how the lumens compare to the new 4 mode EOS?



I have both and have tested both of them, and the Rayovac is a little more than twice as bright as the EOS. 
You won't even notice the battery pack on the back of you head, because the top strap takes most of the weight away.


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## sjarea99 (Jan 8, 2009)

FYI- I have extended the battery pack wire so that it its into a hip-pack or backpack as I use this light for bicycling commutes during 'dark' hours.

I would agree w/ the comments that the unit is comfy and I would more than likely forget the battery pack was strapped to my head. 
However, in using the HL w/ a bike helmet it could/would snag when I looked to the left or right sometimes. I tried letting all the slack out in the included head-strap, but it still had the same issues when looking to the left or right.

It is a 4-wire set-up. I found 22-AWG 4-four at a local hardware store (osh) for about 0.40cents/foot.

Note - if you look to go this route be aware that the 3 straps included w/ the unit all must attach to the battery pack.
I used a spare two-piece strap (one all the way around and one over the top) to re-mount the HL.

So far so good.


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## likeguymontag (Jan 8, 2009)

sjarea99 said:


> FYI- I have extended the battery pack wire so that it its into a hip-pack or backpack as I use this light for bicycling commutes during 'dark' hours.
> 
> I would agree w/ the comments that the unit is comfy and I would more than likely forget the battery pack was strapped to my head.
> However, in using the HL w/ a bike helmet it could/would snag when I looked to the left or right sometimes. I tried letting all the slack out in the included head-strap, but it still had the same issues when looking to the left or right.
> ...



Two of those wires, the green and blue ones, power the red led on the battery pack. I guess the flashing is controlled by the circuitry in the head. You can skip those wires if it makes extending the cord easier.


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## sjarea99 (Jan 11, 2009)

Thanks likeguymontag! 
I was wondering why it had four-wire and that what you stated makes sense. Also, thanks for all your additional input on this HL.

CPF users are the most helpful and intelligent users in the whole galaxy!

I was in a hurry and just did a quick slice job. The 4-wire is not a bulky as I thought it would be. And since it now has it's own home in back-pack or hip-pack I don't even notice the extended wire.

However, if someone is going to extend the batt-pack wire I would say to follow your advice as it would make the wire a little less bulky.

I guess I am kinda lucky - I showed my Franken-slice job to a buddy of mine and he said I should have given it to him since he could heat shrink the wire tubing, etc. at work. (NOW he tells me!) If my hack job fails I will give it to him and forgo the green/blue since I do not need the LED on the batt-pack.

Used the light again to get home from a 50-mile all-dark bicycle ride yesterday. On the bike trail (which follows creek path and has tons of reed coverage on both sides on certain parts of the trail) I saw many 'eyes' in the night from quite a distance - about 10 Deer(greenish eyes), 3 bobcats(yellowish eyes) and 50,000 rabbits galore(reddish eyes). Surprisingly, I was able to ride up to and almost on top them before they bailed off the trail into the bushes. Didn't see any mtn. lions this time. So far, just during the day/dusk 

When is someone going to mod this sucker!!??


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## likeguymontag (Jan 11, 2009)

sjarea99 said:


> When is someone going to mod this sucker!!??



Um... I already did. I just haven't posted about it yet because I'm not totally satisfied with my work. I gutted the lamp, removing the driver board and red/blue LEDs. I'm now powering the XR-E at about 500 mA from a genuine constant current driver circuit stolen from a PR drop-in bulb. Unfortunately, it's single-mode and can't use the original momentary switches. I'm feeding it with the 3xAA pack from the K2 headlamp. Earlier I'd complained about lamps that use odd numbers of cells, but I finally got around to buying an independent-channel charger.

I'm not satisfied with my work though. My switch installation is a total hack, and I had wanted to install a second power led where the 5mms had been with some kind of floody optic. Unfortunately, I couldn't find room for the LEDs _and_ the drivers_ and_ the switches. Maybe I could have used a driver capable of powering two LEDs in series, but I don't know if I want both LEDs running at the same current since the second one wouldn't be heatsinked.


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## sjarea99 (Jan 11, 2009)

likeguymontag said:


> Um... I already did. I just haven't posted about it yet because I'm not totally satisfied with my work. I gutted the lamp, removing the driver board and red/blue LEDs. I'm now powering the XR-E at about 500 mA from a genuine constant current driver circuit stolen from a PR drop-in bulb. Unfortunately, it's single-mode and can't use the original momentary switches.



Nice! I would say my mod skills are hack (no pun intended) at best. I am thinking of giving this over to a friend that is much more skilled at building.

As far as just a single mode goes- all I use is Hi. But, it would be nice to some switch functions for when I am not using the HL for bike riding (say- next camping trip). 

As far as the red/blue LED's it would be nice to maybe go w/ a white set-up.(?) As cool as the red/blue features are I would never use them for my primary purpose. (fyi- also my state says it is illegal to bike w/ these at night - no blue lights and red for rear only). Right now I just play with 'em when I walk the dog.

I am noticing when I re-charge my eneloops that they are 'soaking' up ~1000ma after about 3hrs on Hi. This is a ballpark guess. I have not taken the time really look. I assume some is lost to heat in charging. Dimmer? probably a little, but I really do not notice. I haven't taken it up to a 5 or 6hr yet.

Post some beam shots of your mod if you got 'em.


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## dla (Jan 17, 2009)

The only major downside I see with that light is that it is using the River Rock (Nuwai) battery pack. That battery pack is the weak link because of the contact style. The contacts will deform from heat and you will discover that the contact end of the case is cemented in place making it impossible for you to repair it. Had Nuwai put another 5 cents of metal in the contacts this would be a dependable battery pack.

I predict you'll have this light for about a year and then it will go into the dumpster (or hobby parts drawer).


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## sjarea99 (Jan 17, 2009)

dla said:


> The only major downside I see with that light is that it is using the River Rock (Nuwai) battery pack. That battery pack is the weak link because of the contact style. The contacts will deform from heat and you will discover that the contact end of the case is cemented in place making it impossible for you to repair it. Had Nuwai put another 5 cents of metal in the contacts this would be a dependable battery pack.
> 
> I predict you'll have this light for about a year and then it will go into the dumpster (or hobby parts drawer).



Do you have any pictures?

I guess I wonder how did you ID'd the batt-pack as Nuwai? (i.e part #/ product # or ???)

Which end of the battery pack will the "glued" contacts warp? Top? Bottom? Both?

From what I have seen the contacts are *not* glued as I have taken the batt-pack apart completely. (both ends - one screw in the bottom and two at the top and it comes apart in about 60 seconds).

If people want I could post some pics (I would have yet I do not own a digi-cam, but could easily borrow one)

Now, my hack mod skills could put this light in the 'junk' drawer, but that is a whole seperate issue.


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## lasercrazy (Jan 17, 2009)

I just bought this headlamp but I can't seem to figure out how the battery box comes apart. I don't want to fiddle too much with it or I might break it. Any advice on how to open it correctly?


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## likeguymontag (Jan 17, 2009)

lasercrazy said:


> I just bought this headlamp but I can't seem to figure out how the battery box comes apart. I don't want to fiddle too much with it or I might break it. Any advice on how to open it correctly?



Twist the end that _doesn't_ have the cable. Counterclockwise, I think.


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## sjarea99 (Jan 18, 2009)

lasercrazy said:


> I just bought this headlamp but I can't seem to figure out how the battery box comes apart. I don't want to fiddle too much with it or I might break it. Any advice on how to open it correctly?




The end that does not have the cable or green button for LED on battery pack should just twist off counter clockwise as per likeguymontag said.

The end with the green button and cable - I just slide a small flat-head screwdriver under one of the clips and it popped off w/out much pressure needed. This end just 'clips' back on when you are done. Again, I needed very little pressure to make this end pop-off, but be careful because you don't want to break the clips. To see the contacts you need to remove the two small screws at this end.


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## lasercrazy (Jan 18, 2009)

Thanks guys. I expected the usual latch top not a twist top.


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## likeguymontag (Jan 18, 2009)

I took the XR-E mini star out of mine, and it said P4 on the back. Not too shabby.


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## shadow745 (Jan 18, 2009)

likeguymontag said:


> I took the XR-E mini star out of mine, and it said P4 on the back. Not too shabby.


 
I'm pretty new to this LED technology... what does all this mean? Thanks in advance. Later!


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## likeguymontag (Jan 18, 2009)

I don't have too intricate an understanding of Cree binning, but P4 is a luminous flux bin, meaning 81 to 87 lumens at 350 mA. My mini star might have had a chromaticity bin as well, but I didn't notice before I put it back in place.


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## Marduke (Jan 18, 2009)

None of my 3 local Lowe's have this light. Too bad, I was really wanting to see one in person.


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## dla (Jan 19, 2009)

sjarea99 said:


> Do you have any pictures?
> 
> I guess I wonder how did you ID'd the batt-pack as Nuwai? (i.e part #/ product # or ???)
> 
> ...



Unfortunately I threw my River Rock 1watt headlamp battery pack away....but I kept the led to play with.

The retainer and the lightbar red led are the tipoff I used to id it as Nuwai.

My battery pack had the wire end cemented in place, obviously yours doesn't have that, which is good. Mine died when the contacts deformed the retaining plastic due to heat. The heat was from normal use - I didn't see where a battery went mustang on me.

I sincerely hope that your experience with the Remington is better than my experience with the River Rock.


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## King Ghidora (Jun 28, 2009)

Your board deleted a post I spent 20 minutes writing. You missed out on a lot of valuable information about hunting with head lights. I'll give you the Cliff Note version instead. Coon hunters use head lights. 

You might want to fix your board or warn people not to waste time posting.


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## Marduke (Jun 29, 2009)

King Ghidora said:


> Your board deleted a post I spent 20 minutes writing. You missed out on a lot of valuable information about hunting with head lights. I'll give you the Cliff Note version instead. Coon hunters use head lights.
> 
> You might want to fix your board or warn people not to waste time posting.



Same with all message boards, you copy you post to the clipboard or write in external editor prior to posting lengthy posts.


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## Kevenater (Aug 16, 2009)

Would this be a good light for night fishing in a boat? would occasionally need a decent amount of light when throwing close to the banks. and would use the red light for tying line/changing lures/unhooking fish and looking for items in the boat. What do you think? worth the money or just buy a $20 head lamp with white led and a red led? I'd prefer the battery pack to waiste mount so I'd probably mod this if i got it. thanks


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 16, 2009)

one thing that would be cool for a fisherman is a light with a UV LED in it. you could use fluorescent line and see it plainly in the dark without ruining your night vision.


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 16, 2009)

Marduke said:


> Same with all message boards, you copy you post to the clipboard or write in external editor prior to posting lengthy posts.



there is an addon for firefox that is supposed to save stuff that you post in text boxes in case something happens.... may be called something like lazarus or something and it should just allow you to hit back and all you just wrote will reappear.


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## Kevenater (Aug 16, 2009)

i use firefox and it does save stuff you've typed in a post if the browser shuts down or is closed, i never knowingly added a specific add on, it just does it. Wal-mart does have the lights that slide onto the bill of a cap with uv leds in them as well as other colors. I'm gonna try one real soon probably but I also need a bright light for viewing the banks.


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 16, 2009)

depending on how far the banks are away you may need something with a little more output than a headlamp, perhaps a spotlight or one of those 190 lumen or brighter throwers. I think coleman makes a 3 cree spotlight? I have a few headlamps a 3AAA luxeon 1 type and a rayovac 1AA with optics and neither of them are as bright as my dorce 3D luxeon which throws like a laser almost. 
I think the plugin I meantioned was for forms now I think of it.


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## Kevenater (Aug 16, 2009)

nah don't need nothing that strong, i'm usually 40 ft or so from the bank.


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 16, 2009)

I would guess 80 lumens or so would suffice then with a decent throw to it. I wish someone would make a headlamp designed with sockets for 5mm leds and 2 modes for them so you could choose your colors as some like red or green or white and uv would be nice also.


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## Kevenater (Aug 16, 2009)

yeah it'd be nice to have this light with the big white led, a small white and a red and a uv for florescent line!!!! a fishermans dream light!


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 16, 2009)

I don't think there is any headlamps with 4 different modes/leds on them... 3 is the max so you would have to give one of the 3 5mm LED modes up.


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## Kevenater (Aug 16, 2009)

but there SHOULD be!! lol


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## Lynx_Arc (Aug 16, 2009)

rather have two modes on the high power LED and two 5mm LEDs instead as 5mm white LEDs can sometimes look poor compared to an underpowered cree or luxeon


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## tnuckels (Aug 17, 2009)

This light should be good for reaching to banks, as its undiffused spot mode is somewhat narrowly focused and the hotspot is quite distinct. Thank goodness for the diffuser.

The high and low modes of the main LED should fit the bill for you white light needs, however the 5mm LEDs come on in a pattern that might not work for your RED/UV needs. 

The 5mm side works like this:
1 click = 2x5mm RED
2 click = 2x5mm RED + 1x5mm BLUE
3 click = 2x5mm RED blinky
4 click = OFF.

The RED+BLUE combination does “bring out” certain colors, blood being one, the yellow petals of a Brown Eyed Susan (flower) for another, and I’m sure there are others. I don’t have any fluorescent line to try, but will be at the store later today and will borrow :devil: a sample then. 

I’ll let you know.

*EDIT: *The RED+BLUE mode of this light does NOTHING for a strand of fluorescent fishing line. Double checked the line w/a UV light. Sorry ...


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## degarb (Sep 5, 2009)

Anyone drop a brighter star in? Is it not an xre q5?

I like how easy it was making it a 3 fuel light (4aa, 2 lithium or 1 agm) But, I am not sure it is as bright as it should be. I have a q5 on star in basement....and a hacksaw...

Comparing it with the browning nitro, The Nitro rebel 100 on a 3 aa format at same current has same throw, except a larger more useable hotspot with better color rendetion. The Remington gets nod for easier modifying the battery case, the handy diffuser, and local availability. Also, with one extra cell, the Remington disappoints by comparison to the nitro. Using white paper over each lens to judge over all relative lumens, I couldn't tell which was overall brighter.


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## Corollachemist (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, I joined this forum strictly for this thread as I have some information to share.

I was in love with "Target" brand River Rock flashlights and I once owned one of their handlamps.

At any rate, I placed some heavy cargo on my headlamp recently and broke the battery case, effectively disabling my favorite flashlight. And since Target has since stopped carrying the headlamp, I desperately wanted another.

Short story long, I don't think they make it anymore, but RMHL4AA-B headlamp which is apparently "made by" Remington is the next generation headlamp with the exact same battery case design, etc, but with new features.

Short story short, check out the HP-908XR8 located on the http://www.shykuang.com.tw/ and you will see that the Remington is just another re-brand. Of course, it doesn't matter, as the quality of these flashlights is amazing whichever the brand.

Just thought I'd share.


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## Flashfirstask?later (Sep 13, 2009)

Corollachemist said:


> but RMHL4AA-B headlamp which is apparently "made by" Remington is the next generation headlamp with the exact same battery case design, etc, but with new features.
> 
> Short story short, check out the HP-908XR8 located on the http://www.shykuang.com.tw/ and you will see that the Remington is just another re-brand. Of course, it doesn't matter, as the quality of these flashlights is amazing whichever the brand.
> 
> Just thought I'd share.


Actually this Remington headlight is carried by Rayovac. Go to http://www.rayovac.com ->Flashlights->Remington lights->Headlights

But then again Shyguang International seem to have a number of the headlamps, flashlights in generic form that Nuwai, Rayovac, Browning carry under their names or have?


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## degarb (Sep 13, 2009)

The rebel version HP-908xr8 at 
http://www.shykuang.com.tw/P04ok.html#
looks interesting, if color rendering better than the cree. 

Again, I don't know why they don't break down and put a rebel 100, instead of a rebel 80.

Don't see a way to buy.


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