# Dosun Solar Headlamp



## nzbazza (Jun 13, 2008)

Just been browsing through Fenix-Store.com and noticed that they have a new headlamp for sale: the Dosun H-1. 

This headlamp has some really interesting ideas, firstly by twisting the bezel one can go from spot to flood, no flipping flimsy diffusers, and also have a eye-shaped flood as well, and secondly, there is a main beam focussed out to 10m and a second beam aimed 1m out.

The design engineers seemed to of thought of most things such as heatsinking, battery level indicators, output regulation, waterproofing (IPX?). No word on light output or runtimes on each of 5 levels.

Details here https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=91&products_id=487

and the Dosun website is here
http://www.dosun.us/portablelight/index_light.html

it has nice pictures of the different beam profiles


*Features* 

Dosun Bi-Light reflector (patent pending) simultaneously illuminates at one meter and ten meters
Three beam profiles
Focused Llight (spot)
Eagle Light (cut-off flood)
Flood Light (flood)

Five modes of output
1
2
3
4
5

Aluminum heatsink
Battery power gauge
Water proof construction
Digitally regulated constant current
3AA battery pack


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## phypaa (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

Any review?


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## PhantomPhoton (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

Looks interesting. Too bad I can't see anything on their website because it's all flash trash. 
I agree it looks like they've thought out some important things. Hope to see more detials for this soon.


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## josiah (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

Yeah, this does look interesting. Kind of big, but some people don't mind that. 3AA format sounds good. 

I've been wondering when more Cree headlamps would come out. I'm looking forward to a review from someone! (Probably won't be me, I've got a Zebralight H30 in the mail right now, and an SSC U star waiting to plug into my Petzl Tikka XP.)


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## Illum (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

judging from the pics on fenix-store.com, the cree is mounted on a half circular stool and the dome oriented horizontally at the reflector rather than parallel with it :shrug:

I'm not sure what kind of beam profile your going to get but its not going to be round. Note also the two different halves of the reflector used

This lights begging for a beamshot test:thumbsup:

Pics rehosted for argument purposes


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## half-watt (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

just ordered one to ship via USPS Priority Mail. hope to rcv. it Tues or Wed of next week, depending upon when FS ships it.

i'll Post back w/any salient info.


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## PhantomPhoton (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*



half-watt said:


> just ordered one to ship via USPS Priority Mail. hope to rcv. it Tues or Wed of next week, depending upon when FS ships it.
> 
> i'll Post back w/any salient info.



Thanks, I look forward to your findings!


I do think the reflector and emitter setup looks interesting. I still think throw/ flood would be better off of a 2-emitter headlamp, but hey if I knew everything...


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## 276 (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

i just want to know the lumen rating of them?


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## Yucca Patrol (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

I've got one on the way and with luck it will be here tomorrow. If it is at least as bright as my modified PT Apex, has some usable beam patterns, decent run-times, and very durable/water resistant, I'll be thrilled.

I called Fenix-Store today about it and they were still awaiting a detailed spec sheet, but was told that it "appeared to be a Q5" but they still need the manufacturer's spec sheet to confirm.


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## RGB_LED (Jun 15, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

Interesting design... I can't wait to hear the reviews.


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## Yucca Patrol (Jun 15, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

The beamshots are certainly going to be odd, but perhaps they will be useful. Hopefully my unit will arrive tomorrow. 

I'm just so curious that I had to get one to see what it would do. . . and it will be something to play with until Surefire and Fenix release their models. . . .


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## Illum (Jun 16, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*



Yucca Patrol said:


> The beamshots are certainly going to be odd, but perhaps they will be useful. Hopefully my unit will arrive tomorrow.


 
Not necessarily odd as such design concepts have been previously discussed here on the forum.
I'm sure many of you are familiar with mcGizmo's Tri-lobe reflector?
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/138999
Well Evan9162 tried the "bi-lobe" concept similar with what Dosun did. Provided the reflector is positioned correctly for optimal focusing I'd say the beamshots looks pretty good
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=40228

From the looks of it Dosun simply has one side textured to diffuse the spot beam and the other side faceted for throw, it doesn't appear that the parabolic value between the reflectors change so I'm not sure what difference the throw values would be...

Just from the standpoint of looking at the pics I could speculate that the heatsink used for the CREE looks pretty solid, I hope theres a bigger chunk worth of aluminum somewhere around back. 

Waiting for reviews


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## Yucca Patrol (Jun 16, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*

I just received mine this morning, but will have to wait until this evening to post some beamshots and compare it's performance against my modified PT Apex headlamps. 

The battery case seals well with a rubber o-ring and thumbscrew, so it should be waterproof. The buttons are raised and easy to feel, and also appear waterproof and sealed to the unit.

The back of the lamp is a solid plate of aluminum, so there seems to be adequate heat-sinking.

It would be nicer if the rotating bezel clicked into place at each of the three different reflectors, but there are some raised ridges to help align the reflectors by feel.

The various beams are certainly odd, and will look strange against a white wall, but might be very useful in real-world situations, but I'll have to wait until tonight to really get an idea of how they will work.

The plastic construction seems quite solid and just a little bit flexible which might be better than being brittle.


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## jezzyp (Jun 16, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*


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## cat (Jun 17, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*




Compared to the Primus Race that Szemhazai reviewed (Primus PrimeLite Race - review [Rebel inside]), which is about the same price and also has an alloy head, the Dosun has the advantage [?] of the adjustable focus. Some close-up photos of the Dosun would help me choose. 

PS: A big disadvantage of the Dosun is that it has 2 strobe modes.


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## uk_caver (Jun 18, 2008)

Depending on the precise LED positioning, it's certainly possible to get a more-than-passable spot beam out of a single LED firing into half a reflector, even a reflector designed for a regular bulb. If you don't want a semicircular beam, the LED needs to be positioned slightly off the 'correct' position, and if done correctly, that can give a fairly circular beam except when very close-up

For a headlight, there's the advantage that if the LED is downward-firing, the light that misses the front of the reflector can give a good downspill of light, as long as the reflector isn't too relatively deep.
Presumably that's what Dosun refer to as 'Bi-Light'?

I've been making/selling caving lights using _that_ geometry for the spot beam since mid-2004.


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## MichaelW (Jun 18, 2008)

Tri X Bi light would be more appropriate.
It provides 'two modes': via the reflector (which has three profiles), and straight to the ground.

http://www.dosun.us/portablelight/images/productframe/H1/H-1.gif

What is with the name 'eagle light'? Because eagles have good stereoscopic vision. It looks very interesting, spot or flood? Yes I will have both.


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## uk_caver (Jun 18, 2008)

MichaelW said:


> It provides 'two modes': via the reflector (which has three profiles), and straight to the ground.


If _that's_ the core of the idea that they have a patent pending on, unless they filed for a patent quite some time ago, they may have a bit of a prior-art problem if anyone wanted to challenge them.

As far as I can see, once there's the basic idea already out there of using a section of a reflector in a headtorch to get a spot beam with good downspill, having a rotating bezel to bring in different reflector profiles is a pretty obvious step (for anyone who wants different beam profiles), not really any more novel than, say, having a rotating bezel allowing a diffuse film to be brought into a beam.


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## PocketBeam (Jun 18, 2008)

I say you sell them your prior art... Or mention that you will sell the prior art to someone like Maglight. Should be worth a few bucks.


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## uk_caver (Jun 18, 2008)

PocketBeam said:


> I say you sell them your prior art... Or mention that you will sell the prior art to someone like Maglight. Should be worth a few bucks.


I think with patents, once something is out there in public and unpatented, that's it. It's not novel anymore.
Anyway, it seems fairly clear that the idea of using a section of a reflector was something that other people were experimenting with at around the same time, quite independently.


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## half-watt (Jun 19, 2008)

1. DoSun's idea may still be patentable - depends upon the "claims" (viz. the proper legal term) that they make. it is not unusual to have a couple of dozen claims in a single patent. an engineer who works for a company might like to break these "claims" out into multiple patents (sometimes successfuly; sometimes not), but often corporate patent counsel will bundle a bunch together, either for legal reasons (to better insure that the patent is granted), or for financial reasons (cheaper to file for one patent than for five patents or two dozen). 

2. DoSun's idea may(???) be unique in certain respects - particularly their "eagle" [eye] beam pattern (broad/wide like our eyes are naturally used to seeing in daylight). some headlamps provide this feature as an array of multiple LEDs (think FoxFury here) and as a somewhat fixed output mode (unless lower output levels are used by lighting fewer LEDs, again FoxFury). DoSun uses a single light source and a moveable reflector such that the wide/broad/eagle beam is not mandatory. also, the output level is variable for any of the beam patterns. is this unique? don't know. one would need to do a search of prior art.

3. If the next logical step has NOT been patented, then it may(???) be patented subject to at the very least the following standard caveat (using the actual legalese phraseology which after 25+ yrs as an engineer i've now committed to memory): "the invention must be unobvious to one skilled in the art". the comment on the rotating bezel might(???) be obvious to one skilled in the art of headlamp design, but then it might not be so to the patent examiner and so might be granted (though it could later be challenged in court with outcome uncertain). however, IMO, it would not so much be the concept of the rotating bezel, but rather the overall system operation that might be patentable, i.e. something like "a system using [some "tech" [talk/speak], to use the Hollywood script writing term, here for their particular mechanism/design] which rotates between three areas of a reflector, providing a pure flood output, a unique[??? i'm not sure 'bout this either being unique, but assume for the moment that it is] wide angle field of illumination from a single LED light source, and a near-far dual spot...". something like the idea of a four wheeled vehicle that moves under its own power is a nice concept/idea, but is not patentable in and of itself. patents are intended to provide protection and foster an atmosphere of creativity. such a broad claim of a four wheeled vehicle that moves under its own power (i.e. self-propelled) would stifle creativity and would never be granted, IMO.

4. as far as public knowlegde goes, that would, again, probably depend upon the "claims" made in DoSun's patent. public knowledge and knowledge which the inventor has not kept secret until disclosing and applying for a patent (though the patent may not yet be granted), is not patentable.

5. in the good ol' USofA patents are good for 17y after which others may make use of one's invention without licensing/royalties (this, again, is to foster continual improvement and invention, hence the shorter "protection" of 17y for US patents), though they are in effect longer in some other countries.

i've been amazed at what can get patented. for some decades now with a technology explosion occurring and patent examiners not knowledgeable in some areas of science and technology, sometimes patents are granted which would never even pass the test of "unobvious to one skilled in the art". however, the patent examiner grants the patent since he/she is not skilled in the art and thinks that the invention is pretty neat. among others, there is a famous early software patent granted a number of years ago regarding insuring the visibility of a mouse pointer/cursor regardless of the background color. this patent was granted when, IMO, it never should have been due to the innate/obvious method that was being employed (a programmer would obviously use the XOR [aka "logical difference"] operation to ensure pointer visibility on any background color). an entire US company was formed on the basis of the patent with what appeared to be one sole "raison d'etre" [i.e. "reason for being" - IIRC, this company at the time did not have a marketable product - only an obvious idea for which a patent was, IMO, mistakenly granted], viz. with a legal department that cruised trade shows and conventions looking for POSSIBLE patent "infringement" and then issued letters demanding either cease and desist or licensing royalties, else the inevitable litigation would ensue - both Apple and IBM received "nastygrams" from the legal vultures circling above, or is it the bottom-feeding slugs slithering along??


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## uk_caver (Jun 19, 2008)

The 'flat' beam is somewhat unusual, though noncircular beams from LEDs do seem to be available in various LED optics, so the possibility of doing something similar with a reflector isn't enirely novel.
In fact, if playing with an LED and half a reflector, the possibility (if not the actuality) of all kinds of odd shapes is hard to avoid, though it would presumably take some ability with optics and/or good software to get a nice clean beam pattern of given shape.

I wonder, would some similar effect (spot, diffuse, oval) be possible if using a fixed half-reflector along with a rotating front-glass with a fresnel lens for the oval, as well as a fresnel +/or diffuser film for the diffuse light?


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## lasercrazy (Jun 19, 2008)

So where are the beamshots?


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## half-watt (Jun 19, 2008)

*Re: Dosun Solar Headlamp at Fenix-Store.com*



276 said:


> i just want to know the lumen rating of them?



all number Mfr. Claimed:

Boost 120% / 104 lm for MOMENTARY use (not sure of continuous TIME allowed)
Hi 100% / 93.6 lm for 3h on alk. (currently testing it with Sanyo 2700 NiMH 02:07 at this time)
Med 60% / 52 lm for 5h
Lo 30% / 20.8 lm for 12h
Slow Strobe (a dbl-flash with a short pause) 100%/Hi for 12h
Fast Strobe (very fast strobe) 100%/Hi for 6h (so, probably a 50% duty cycle or thereabouts since burn-time is 2x constant 100%/Hi burn-time).

i'll try to remember to Post-back the final burn-time on Hi w/the Sanyo 2700 (they came off the charger early yesterday evening and the burn-time test started at 0730 today).

if the burn-time results are similar to another CPF-er's test of the DoSun R1 (a 2xAA flashlight), then the NiMH burn-times in the H1 are expected to be >2x as long as cp. to the alk. burn-times. however, other than the fact that both lights are made by DoSun, there is no other basis on my part for ASSUMING (actually HOPING) that a similar increase in burn-time will occur with the H1 running off of 3xAA NiMH.


EDIT:
at this point in time i still don't have a light meter (logging or otherwise) and am merely timing the burn-time until the light becomes very dim, glows, or shuts off (don't know if direct drive occurs if Vin gets too low to support the regulator/converter electronics).

also, have never owned a camera, so no beamshots from me. beamshots, IMO, would NOT be helpful unless they were pics of actual outdoor use. why? the reflector on the H1 has three distinct areas which are rotated to the bottom of the head, thus placing that portion of the reflector directly UNDER the downward firing LED (the LED has a reflective cylinder all around it, including "out the front", except the part pointing down which allows light to only directly strike the bottom ~120deg of the reflector when the reflector is positioned at any azimuth.

if one is white wall "hunting", the beam is NOT a pretty beam, IMO, when in any of the three positions (i.e. spot, eagle [a broad/wide horizontal beam pattern], or flood). however, in actual use the artifact-like anomalies in the beam's appearance are *NOT* at all objectionable. anyone who is used to a good incandescent/Xenon headlamp beam probably won't mind the beam patterns of the H1 at all. IMO, while NOT up to LED beam pattern standards (ignore Cree-donuts and rings), it is better than Xenon headlamp beams that i've used, or at the very least as good as some of the better Xenon headlamp beams in terms of appearance and artifacts.

only other point of note at this time is that while a "Herculean" effort is *NOT* required to actuate the buttons (two of them to be precise - ON/OFF/MODE selection button w/a 2sec press and hold to turn OFF, and a BOOST button), the buttons, IMO, required just a tad too much force to actuate - though this can probably prevent accidental "turn-on" in one's pack.


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## uk_caver (Jun 19, 2008)

> So where are the beamshots?



They do at least have illuminance maps on the Dosun site.
I guess it's hard to do a good beamshot of both parts of the beam in operation, hence their drawings.

(PS another possibly useful feature of the downfiring-into-partial-reflector geometry is that as well as giving good downspill, there's very little upspill above the spot, which means it's a very nice non-dazzling arrangement if looking at someone wearing one, as long as they're directing the spot at or below your chin.)


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## half-watt (Jun 19, 2008)

uk_caver said:


> another possibly useful feature of the downfiring-into-partial-reflector geometry is that as well as giving good downspill, there's very little upspill above the spot, which means it's a very nice non-dazzling arrangement if looking at someone wearing one, as long as they're directing the spot at or below your chin.)



EXCELLENT POINT!! wish i had mentioned it in a Post. good observation on your part. i noticed the sharp cut-off (almost like in some auto HID headlights) in the "eagle" beam pattern, but failed to really take notice of it in the "spot" (other than the fact that the "spot" is somewhat well defined, but still with decent spill).


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## uk_caver (Jun 19, 2008)

I can't see any real value in a boost that's only seemingly ~10% higher than the regular Hi output level, beyond allowing the packaging/marketing to carry a number above 100 lumens despite any given lamp hardly ever (possibly never) being likely to be run at that level.
Practically speaking, it seems likely to be almost totally pointless.


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## uk_caver (Jun 19, 2008)

The lack of upspill is most easily noticeable when *other* people are using lights in a face-to-face group situation.
Otherwise, except maybe if using a light for crawling or climbing, you may well not notice that feature of the beam.
However, even face-to-face, it's easy to simply not notice being dazzled, rather than to notice not being dazzled.


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## half-watt (Jun 19, 2008)

uk_caver said:


> I can't see any real value in a boost that's only seemingly ~10% higher than the regular Hi output level, beyond allowing the packaging/marketing to carry a number above 100 lumens despite any given lamp hardly ever (possibly never) being likely to be run at that level...



another excellent point. DoSun's claim of 120% figure output for their BOOST increase over HI/100% output differ's from their actual "claimed" lumen numbers (104 v. 93.6) which have the "Boost" only ~11% higher. 

however, indoors, an increase "Boosted" output is noticeable to the "eye" (not sure what a light meter would show - that would be interesting), and i get the impression that it's at least 33% (or a bit more) brighter. i only say this b/c some years ago, while playing with a Photon Fusion headlamp, i learned that 33% is 'bout the smallest increase in light output that i can easily notice w/o having to switch back-and-forth b/t modes multiple times to make sure that i'm really perceiving (and not imagining) an increase in light output. 

again, it's daylight here, and my darkened basement is my only testing "grounds", so to speak, at this point in time. indoors in the basement the BOOST difference is easily noticeable both on white wall and the basement workshop which doesn't have any white walls - just studs, wood, concrete, tools, and equipment, etc.. don't know, however, if BOOST will be noticeable out in the forest on a hike or in camp at night; probably not much or at all if it's really only a 10% to 20% increase in brightness. not a caver, so i won't speculate at all in its use for caving (it's probably *NOT* robust enough in construction, but then again, the Petzl Duo is of plastic construction and is used for caving, by some cavers at least - ok, ok,...so, i speculated...).


EDIT:

HI/100% burn-time test is at ~03:28 on 3xAA Sanyo 2700 NiMH.

while extremely imprecise, to say the least, the H1 output still appears to be as bright as when i started. however, i'd be kidding myself if i asserted that the light output appears the same to my eye now as when i started the "test" (i almost hesitate to call it a "test"). how am i to really know if less Lux is being output without a light meter? all i'm saying is that it is still quite bright and i can't tell if it has dimmed any.

also, DoSun warns NOT to touch the aluminum backplate on the head as it can get rather hot when used for a period of time on the higher output mode(s).

don't know if it the reduced voltage (i.e., as cp. to alk. cells) of the NiMH cells is the reason, but the Al backplate has never really gotten too hot to touch, just quite warm or slightly hot (could hold my fingertips there for several seconds with no problem; removed them NOT b/c of heat). checking now, maybe light output is down a bit as the Al backplate, while still very warm, seems to me to be just a bit cooler than when i started and the cell voltage was higher. just held my fingertips there for 10s and there is no doubt that i would NOT have to remove them due to heat even one or two minutes later (or longer).


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## uk_caver (Jun 19, 2008)

I'd certainly agree with you that something like a 30% brightness difference is about the smallest that might be reliably detected by eye with even the briefest interruption while changing power levels.

What happens as the cells discharge - does it switch levels, slowly fade, or suck the cells dry?

Heatsink-wise, unless there was a large mass of aluminium acting as a thermal store, I'd guess that with only a Watt or so of heat going in, if you could hold your fingers on the heatsink for more than a few seconds without pain, you _could_ probably hold them there indefinitely.

(Underground, Duos actually seem to do fairly well, though they are designed to be easily boltable onto helmets, not relying on elastic straps like most other lamps. However, unlike most headtorches, they are designed by a company that was started by a serious caver, and which is a *major* supplier of caving hardware.)


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## cat (Jun 19, 2008)

Why do those lumens numbers seem to be a bit low, like those given at fenix-store for the R1 ? Cree Q5 claims usually higher than that (if that is what it is.) 

half-watt, no camera, ok,...but have yo seen the beamshots on Szemhazai's review of the Primus Race? What would you say, how the Dosun would compare to that?


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## half-watt (Jun 19, 2008)

uk_c, good info. many thanks.

-----------------------------------------

DoSun H1 Hi/100% output burntime test on Sanyo 2700 NiMH cells:

it is now approx. 6h 10m since the "test" was started and the output has dimmed quite noticeably (if it was dark, i would have undoubtedly noticed it sooner). probably 10% or so of the starting brightness. it is still much more than sufficient for proximity/task lighting, but i wouldn't want to use it in the forest to walk much more than a simple footpath at night.

adjusted for "spot" output, it is probably 100% brighter than or 2x as bright as (against a white wall in my basement) a Muyshondt Nautilus on its LOW output mode (supposedly ~4 lumen) running off of a fairly fresh CR123A. so this is easily still outputting 8+ lumens after 6h 10m of running on HI/100% output. the spot is much brighter, i'm trying to compare the overall brightness (hence my mentioning lumens, plus i don't have Lux measurements for the Nautilus, only claimed lumen numbers).

even as i've begun to type this, the brightness is dropping off further. i'll have to pop the NiMH cells out and check their %SOC. just a moment...

ok, back. here are the results:

none of the cells lights even the 10% LED on my ZTS MB-1 battery tester. the cells have cooled a bit to the touch (they don't feel warm at all, so little current is being pulled out of them), and their resting, no load voltage (i know, i know...) is

+1.04VDC, +0.92VDC, and +0.94VDC. 

given their current temperature (NOT warm to the touch), i don't expect too much voltage recovery by letting the cells rest.

putting them back in the H1 and comparing again to the Muyshondt Nautilus on low, it is no different to the "eye" than before. still looks to be at least 2x as bright when adjusted for "spot" output as compared to the Nautilus on LOW, and approx just as bright when adjusted for "flood".

i hope that this amateurish experiment gives some idea of the much better performance one can expect from the H1 when using NiMH cells as opposed to alkaline cells.

if anyone has any questions, just Post back and i'll attempt to answer them.


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## chadne (Jun 19, 2008)

I got mine today, but it isn't dark here yet 
The only thing I notice is that the battery pack seems big, and the part that physically holds the batteries in place appears screwed into the unit, which might mean I could put in a proprietary battery back -- rectangular lipo, or something like that. I haven't taken the head apart, but metal faces the outside. which hopefully means a good heat path exists. It might be a good candidate for a the p7 headlamp build I'm planning (okay, maybe the new four chip cree is a better idea, but that wasn't announced when I bought the p7's)


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## clg0159 (Jun 21, 2008)

Would someone owning this headlamp please post some beamshots.


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## DragonFlame (Jun 21, 2008)

I'm also looking forward to beamshots ...
It might be (at last) the headlamp to offer both a concentrated beam for scouting further ahead and some diffused light right in front of you .... 
I'd also be curious about a nice plotted runtime test ...


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## half-watt (Jun 21, 2008)

cat, my apologies, only just now noticed that your Post addressed me.




cat said:


> Why do those lumens numbers seem to be a bit low, like those given at fenix-store for the R1 ? Cree Q5 claims usually higher than that (if that is what it is.)



first off, while i like the H1 a lot (but NOT as much as a PT Apex or MyoXP '08 model), i can't comment on the R1 (i know, not addressed to me) since mine showed up obviously used, greasy, scratched bezel, and fried electronics. however, the R6 that i have is very nice construction, but lacking in output, and all those extra modes are, IMO, "fluff" modes that will almost never be used. 

also, compared to some other lights that i have, the R6 is dim (i'm expecting that the R1 will compare similarly, but have no empirical evidence to base this statement on. so, it's merely my opinion. YMMV.) and, unless those other lights (not SF lights in this case) really underguesstimate their light outputs, the R6 is in no way producing the numbers they claim, comparatively speaking. for example, a Ra Twisty-100-TW on its default MED o.p. level of 17lm (Mfr. Claimed) is clearly brighter than my particular R6 on its 48lm (again, Mr. Claimed) o.p. level. do the math, the claimed 48lm value is nearly 3x higher than the 17lm value and the claimed 17lm of the Twisty is brighter!! 


now, on to your H1 questions:



> half-watt, no camera, ok,...but have yo seen the beamshots on Szemhazai's review of the Primus Race? What would you say, how the Dosun would compare to that?



yes. i've seen the beamshots. i also own a Primus Race and it's output is warmer and quite pristine in appearance - quite nice beam pattern, IMO. in comparison, the H1, which again i like a lot, has the ugliest beam pattern of any LED headlamp or LED flashlight that i've ever seen as it's filled with artifacts from the fancy reflector. however, this doesn't bother me in the least. it reminds me (other than its much cooler/whiter beam output) a bit of an incadescent/Xenon headlamp's beam pattern which very often had artifacts unless the reflector was quite stippled.

the H1, IMO, makes up for the artifacts with its 3-way beam pattern selection capability and the usefulness of its beam patterns - the spot and eagle have very clearly defined and sharp cut-offs with little spill beyond the portions of the beam patterns that cut-off, yet there is sufficient spill in the non-cutoff areas/azimuths of the beam pattern. the H1 also has some pretty decent burntimes, and even more so on NiMH cells (~6h on HI in my own testing).

however, i'd definitely rate it behind a MyoXP '08 version headlamp. given the choice between the two, i'd go for the unregulated MyoXP '08 headlamp. 

'nuff said. my two shekels. YMMV.


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## chadne (Jun 21, 2008)

I have to agree with the ugly beam statements. If you consider yourself a beam purist, this is so far from being the light for you it's not even funny. The decent build (close to PT apex), and the variable pattern are a great idea. I was using the flood to take out the trash last night and loved it -- I use the 4 leds on my apex for flood, and then switch to spot to see stuff further out, so this is perfect for that as it is brighter than the apex.. Someone complained about dual strobe. I used slow strobe on my apex to hike several miles in the dark since my buddy was using my backup light and it worked great at providing bright light when the battery was nearly dead. The fast strobe is also probably useful if you need to annoy someone -- as in get their attention, or go into convulsions.... 

If I didn't have to sign up for a spam inducing photo sharing site, I'd put pics up.


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## clg0159 (Jun 24, 2008)

Still interested in seeing the beamshots, I don't really care that the beam is not perfect!


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## Mercaptan (Jun 24, 2008)

chadne said:


> If I didn't have to sign up for a spam inducing photo sharing site, I'd put pics up.



www.imageshack.us


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## cat (Jun 27, 2008)

Thanks, half-watt, that helps a lot. Sorry about the belated response. I need to take a closer look at the Myo XP. And consider that I probably need more focussed beam more than anything else.


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## Wattnot (Jul 31, 2008)

I'm almost afraid to ask about the beamshots but I've been "sniffing" around headlamps and wonder if this is a decent one.

How's the beam on the new MYO XP? Spot? Flood? A little of both? I like the look and output on that one.

Oh and I use www.photobucket.com and have zero spam problems.


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## half-watt (Jul 31, 2008)

Wattnot said:


> ...How's the beam on the new MYO XP? Spot? Flood? A little of both? I like the look and output on that one...



as you probably know from reading other Posts, i have the Dosun H1 and it think that it is a good HL in many respects. however, both the Petzl MyoXP and the BD Icon beginning in '08 use a Cree based LED. they are both, IMO, much superior to the Dosun H1. also, the BD Icon, at least, can be purchased cheaper than anyone sells the Dosun H1 for (at least that i've been able to find). not sure if you can find an '08 Petzl MyoXP for less than the Dosun H1??? 

the MyoXP is FLOOD *or* SPOT, depending upon whether you deploy the attached flip-up diffuser which deploys out of the way when you're not requiring it.

the Icon used the 3W Cree LED for throw and the 4x0.5W LEDs for flood lighting. the 3W Cree is MUCH, MUCH improved over my two examples of the 3W Luxeon based Icon released in earlier years. both of mine have such a tiny hotspot and dim spillbeam. this one has a bright hotspot and pretty bright and broad (read that as "very useful", to say the least) spillbeam.

as far as the MyoXP goes - make sure to get a "grey"/"gray" one; *NOT* a blue one (that's pre-'08 and doesn't have a Cree). 

as far as the Icon goes, to BE 100% POSITIVE that i was getting a Cree, i could have either driven to REI and looks at them (you can easily see the Cree die - looks just like that in any Fenix CE flashlight), or i could order directly from BD. i chose to save some petrol and order via telcon directly fr/BD. i asked them and they told me that BD is only selling '08 versions now, but that some other retailers have acquired BD's old pre-Cree stock of Icons and Spots (a smaller 3xAAA 1W Cree-based HL - also very nice) and may not distinguish in their advertisements/webpages (or even know if you speak w/them) whether the HL you purchase is Cree-based. plus, some warehouses may just dump both in the same SKU??? who knows. so, i ordered directly fr/BD to get an '08 Cree-based Icon HL.

both are non-Regulated; not that it matters much in a 3xAAA HL, IMO - unlike in some flashlights where it does matter, to me at least (see a couple of my other Posts elsewhere for an explanation of my logic, or lack thereof, as to why regulation is not mandatory in 3xAA and 4xAA powered headlamps).

now, you could also wait for AUGUST when PrincetonTec is supposed to release a new Rebel-based version of the Apex HL (don't confuse it w/the current 80lumen version which i've been told via telcon by an authorized online PT dealer is an INTERIM upgraded release, pending the Rebel equipped version, supposedly to be released some time in August '08).

there is also a wonderful HL made by Primus, viz. the '08 Rebel-based Primus PrimeLite Race HL. it is very bright; warm-ish tint, and broad, bright spillbeam - very useful for hiking. it uses 4xAA. however, its LO mode is still very bright (as is the lowest mode in the '08 MyoXP, '08 Icon, and even the '08 interim-80 lumen Apex/ApexPro - i know, i have them all, as well as this '08 PrimeLite Race).

with any of them, you'll probably want to also carry a smaller, lighter, dimmer secondary light source for use in camp as a task/proximity light.

my two shekels. hope this info helps.


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## Marduke (Jul 31, 2008)

FYI, the 2008 gray Myo XP is SSC, not Cree. It's sold locally here for $80, and I've seen it for as little as $70 B&M.


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## half-watt (Jul 31, 2008)

Marduke said:


> FYI, the 2008 gray Myo XP is SSC, not Cree...



great! many thanks for the correction. can't remember what the MyoXP LED looks like (haven't used it in some time now). much appreciated. hope all those misled by my words read your Post. thanks again, Marduke.


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## hopkins (Jul 31, 2008)

Since you Dosun H1 owners keep making excuses for not posting any
beamshots and the Dosun website has comicbook art representations 
of the H1's beams...
I'm led to some ugly conclusions: In the dark you can only see the beam
and it does not matter how space age pretty or hillbilly ugly the hardware is.
...and that H1 sales would plummet if prospective buyers could research 
what the beams really look like here on the webs leading blog for portable
lighting:thinking:


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## half-watt (Aug 1, 2008)

hopkins said:


> Since you Dosun H1 owners keep making excuses for not posting any
> beamshots...I'm led to some ugly conclusions...



actually, in some respects at least one of your assumptions may not be far off - at least as far as i'm concerned.

in actual field use, those terrible artifacts are not really objectionable. i like this HL, but still have some minor crabs which are, perhaps(???), more impt. to me & how i use this HL. YMMV.

on HI it is very bright in all 3 reflector orientations (i.e., spot, eagle, & flood). on MED the light o.p. drops off more than i would like it to, but i still find it usable for most of what i would want MED o.p. for. on LO it is too dim for me to use while on the move in the dark on an unfamiliar trail (please keep in mind that i do have age degraded low light vision; so, some of you young'uns won't have this particular problem). sometimes, i kick it up to HI to make sure that i don't miss anything. as such, the burntime suffers a bit. this is NOT too bad if you use NiMH cells. elsewhere, i've posted just a wee bit over 6h on NiMH cells on HI. IIRC, that's ~2x the Mfr's claimed alkaline burntime. so, this is NOT a real long burning headlamp if one needs to use HI continuously, but it is generally satisfactory in this regard for my purposes - as long as i can mainly used MED o.p. level.

all that said, i still prefer the new '08 BD Icon (Cree) and '08 Petzl MyoXP (SSC - thanks again, Marduke), '08 PT 80lm Apex/ApexPro, and Primus PrimeLite Race (Rebel) HL's. in fact, my prev. favorite '06/'07 PT Apex/ApexPro/ApexExtreme, are still a bit better (NOT brighter w/it's stock 3W Luxeon emitter), IMO. 

my personal opinion is that if someone decides to purchase the Dosun H1 they have NOT made a bad decision. i don't feel that i wasted my money which i have felt in the past and recent past on a number of other flashlight purchases.

oh, almost forgot...

now, if one uses this headlamp for white wall hunting, that's another story - those artifacts are awful!!! however, both you and i (and anyone else reading this) KNOW that Dosun didn't design the H1 to be king of the white wall hunters. for those who are avid white wall hunters and really enjoy spending an evening hunting down some of their favorite white walls that they may have misplaced somewhere in their home, i'd still recommend a HL w/a 3W or 5W Luxeon LED in order to get that generally artifact free wall of light which is oh, so necessary when white wall hunting proper like, especially if one wants to really look the part of the great white wall hunter! 'nuff said!!


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## hopkins (Aug 1, 2008)

Half-watt - I'm ready to concede to your wisdom that beam artifacts
are mostly unimportant for leafy sticks & stones terrain...
But still need to see some pictures of the beams! 

..... but here's a pic of a 'white wall' area I visited last spring. Did not think
of artifacts with a Petzl Myo Xp showing the way on the snow slopes. 
Getting to the trail head after midnight to hike on firm snow was a real treat and got us in a lot faster than slogging up with snowshoes during the heat of the day on soft mashed potato snow. -hopkins


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## half-watt (Aug 1, 2008)

H, very nice pic; musta' been a great excursion. Now those ARE great white walls!! 

IMO, the Dosun would've been a fine HL for huntin' them white walls, though i'm sure that the MyoXP was fine too. actually, in snow, MED or LO would've been fine on the Dosun H1 and also on most HL's (the snow reflects so much light and prevents it fr/being "swallowed up", but then i know that you already know that fr/your trek up them white walls). many thanks for sharing.

also, i've rcv'd some suggestions as far as "baby's first" camera goes. i'll have to work it into my budget and eventually get my first ever camera (film or digital) and get one in 2-3 months.


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## caltemus (Jan 1, 2010)

Bumping to say that the Dosun H1 is on clearance on 4sevens for 39.50

http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=58&products_id=487


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## Linger (Jul 17, 2010)

anyone swap an emitter in one of these? A rebel 100 with its narrower projection area may be suitable, also the lower VF could be helpful for longer run-times.


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