Hi folks, I found this sub and thought "hey, these guys will know what they're talking about". I am a general contractor and I'm frequently in attics and crawlspaces. I've had random headlamps in the past but their light has been anemic at best. I picked up a little wurkkos wk03 light and it works great but I'm carrying it around in my teeth. Any suggestions for something al least as bright, in a headlamp configuration though? I don't care about runtime or weight. Max it's going to be on is a couple hours. Thoughts?
u/BrokenRecordBot headlamp
Hereβs a million option. Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Warm is probably the best headlamp, all things considered. I love my Wurkkos HD20 though. Sofirn HS10 is a great small choice.
Tl;dr: Get a Skilhunt H04 RC
$0-40:
- Sofirn D25LR: ~$25, nice white LED and red LED, simple UI, traditional headlamp, hidden Micro-USB charging port, 18650 battery included, my full review here, buy this if you just need a basic headlamp*
- Sofirn HS10: ~$20, 1100lm, ultra-light, right-angle, moonlight mode, USB-C rechargeable, 16340 battery included, magnetic tailcap, pocket clip, poor regulation, pretty LED, cheapest headlamp I would buy. Also on Amazon for ~$30 if you need it fast. Sofirn HS05: is similar but trades built in USB-C charging for dual-chemistry 14500/AA support.
- Sofirn SP40/SP40A LH351D 4000K: ~$35, ~900lm, nice LED, right-angle, pocket clip, magnetic tailcap, Micro-USB charging port, 18650 battery included, poor regulation, no moonlight, simple & easy to use
- Wurkkos HD15: ~$35, 2000lm, right-angle, pocket clip, magnetic tailcap, USB-C charging port, powerbank function, flood/throw function, 18650 battery included, multiple body colors available, moonlight mode, poor regulation, more complicated to use than the previous options
$40-70:
- Skilhunt H04 RC High CRI: ~$60, ~600lm, medium size, 18650 (included) or two CR123A batteries, right angle, magnetic tailcap, pocket clip, high CRI neutral white emitter, best-in-class headband, great UI, good regulation, magnetic recharging, moonlight mode, my review here
- Skilhunt H150: ~$60, ~600lm, small size, 14500 (included) or AA battery, right angle, magnetic tailcap, pocket clip, high CRI neutral white emitter, best-in-class headband, great UI, good regulation, magnetic recharging, moonlight mode, my review here
- Sofirn HS20 SFT40: ~$40, ~2000lm, traditional headlamp, high CRI neutral white flood emitter, cool white throw emitter, great UI, poor regulation, USB-C charging, can work off powerbank in cold conditions, 18650 battery optionally included, dedicated button for each channel, my full review here
$70+:
- Skilhunt H300: ~$80, ~1500lm, medium size, 18650 (included) or two CR123A batteries, right angle, magnetic tailcap, pocket clip, high CRI neutral white emitter, best-in-class headband, great UI, good regulation, magnetic recharging, moonlight mode, my review here
- Zebralight H600Fc MK IV: ~$90, ~1500lm, excellent durability & efficiency, high CRI neutral white LED, floody beam, light weight for its class, best-in-class regulation & efficiency, ultra low moonlight, no battery nor charger included, only works with unprotected flat top 18650 batteries, mediocre headband
- Acebeam H30: ~$130, ~4000lm, traditional headlamp, high CRI & red secondary LED's, great runtime and efficiency, 21700 battery included, hidden USB-C charging port
- Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia just because so many people bugged me to add this to the bot, top-notch durabiity, lovely high CRI LED, great efficiency, magnetic USB charging, 18650 battery included, above average headband, bike mount included, weird user interface
SOME THINGS TO NOTE
- right-angle lights are extra versatile because they can be detached from the headband and used in a variety of other ways, often including a pocket clip or magnetic tailcap
- Moonlight mode works about as well as red light for preserving night vision and it's a lot simpler and cheaper to implement than a secondary red LED. Here's more info if you're interested.Β Red is also a poor choice for use around sleeping people because red light passes through eyelids very easily. Red is great at not attacting bugs though.
- Li-ion batteries don't like sub-freezing temperatures all that much. If that's your use-case, consider CR123A's or a light that can run off a powerbank that you keep warm inside your coat.
MISCELANEOUS NOTEWORTHY LIGHTS
- Emisar DW4: The ultimate enthusiast headlamp. A million different emitter options, several driver options (including dual channel), long and short tubes, RGB aux LED's, Anduril 2 firmware, and magnetic tailcap. Kind of heavy, can get expensive, battery & charger not included, and the headband isn't great so pick up a Skilhunt HB3 as well.
- Petzl Iko Core: The absolute best running headlamp I am aware of. It disappears on your head.
- Nitecore HU60: electronically focusable, bracelet remote control, powered off USB so you can run it off a power bank (can be kept inside coat in extreme cold weather), powerbank/battery pack optionally included
- Fenix HM61R: similar to Skilhunt H04 RC but with secondary red emitter, worse UI, & worse main emitter
(written by TacGriz, updated 2023-09-12, if you have any suggestions for changes to this entry please don't hesitate to send me a message)
I AM A BOT. PM WITH SUGGESTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS. SEE MY WIKI FOR USE.
Skilhunt H300 with the Nichia 144ART 4500K option.
This brand is also called ESKTE, same company.
Also, would like to keep it under $50.00.
Then the skilhunt h150 with nichia 519a is your next best bet. It's basically the same light, but smaller
Not bright enough.
Tbh I don't have an issue with it inside, but looking again now, he said it's gonna be used on max so not ideal
The 519A sustains what 200lm? A Wuben E7 is⦠350? Trying to think of sth under $50 that sustains more
For reference the Wurkkos OP is using takes a couple hours to drop from 650 lm to 300 lm which is impressive for a small inexpensive non buck/boost driven light.
https://zeroair.org/2022/11/03/wurkkos-wk03-flashlight-review/
I canβt think of any inexpensive headlamps that can match that.
A lot of headlamps from a few years back are now way up in price. $50 for an HD15? $60+ for older Skillhunts with a battery?
I canβt think of any compelling bargains that look like a good option over a Skillhunt H200 or H300
Iβve spent a good bit of time working in a tight attic with a headlamp that sustains 200 lm and itβs not enoughβ¦
I've had a good experience with my Skilhunt H150, and I have used it for a couple hours straight, but only on relatively low settings, so I'm not sure if it's going to be bright enough for you.
For quality, I'd say open your budget a bit, and look at a Skilhunt H04, H04 RC, or H300. The H04 is almost in your range at $55 with the battery from the Skilhunt website, but you'll have to get a dedicated charger for the li-ion battery if you don't have one already. The ones with built in charging are closer to the $60-$70 range.
Alternatively, you could go over to the wurkkos.com or sofirnlight.com websites and look through their headlamp options. You typically don't get quite as good quality or quite as good a driver for consistent brightness across battery charge levels, but either of those companies will give you a good baseline product on a budget without having to wade through complete garbage no-name brands on Amazon. You can probably get most of their products from Amazon as well if you shop by Sofirn or Wurkkos, but you'll pay a bit more. Better returns and faster shipping though, so it's a trade-off.
Thanks for all the suggestions! I think i need to spend a bit more and get one of the detachable one.
u/brokenrecordbot headlamp
Tl;dr: Get a Skilhunt H04 RC
$0-40:
- Sofirn D25LR: ~$25, nice white LED and red LED, simple UI, traditional headlamp, hidden Micro-USB charging port, 18650 battery included, my full review here, buy this if you just need a basic headlamp*
- Sofirn HS10: ~$20, 1100lm, ultra-light, right-angle, moonlight mode, USB-C rechargeable, 16340 battery included, magnetic tailcap, pocket clip, poor regulation, pretty LED, cheapest headlamp I would buy. Also on Amazon for ~$30 if you need it fast. Sofirn HS05: is similar but trades built in USB-C charging for dual-chemistry 14500/AA support.
- Sofirn SP40/SP40A LH351D 4000K: ~$35, ~900lm, nice LED, right-angle, pocket clip, magnetic tailcap, Micro-USB charging port, 18650 battery included, poor regulation, no moonlight, simple & easy to use
- Wurkkos HD15: ~$35, 2000lm, right-angle, pocket clip, magnetic tailcap, USB-C charging port, powerbank function, flood/throw function, 18650 battery included, multiple body colors available, moonlight mode, poor regulation, more complicated to use than the previous options
$40-70:
- Skilhunt H04 RC High CRI: ~$60, ~600lm, medium size, 18650 (included) or two CR123A batteries, right angle, magnetic tailcap, pocket clip, high CRI neutral white emitter, best-in-class headband, great UI, good regulation, magnetic recharging, moonlight mode, my review here
- Skilhunt H150: ~$60, ~600lm, small size, 14500 (included) or AA battery, right angle, magnetic tailcap, pocket clip, high CRI neutral white emitter, best-in-class headband, great UI, good regulation, magnetic recharging, moonlight mode, my review here
- Sofirn HS20 SFT40: ~$40, ~2000lm, traditional headlamp, high CRI neutral white flood emitter, cool white throw emitter, great UI, poor regulation, USB-C charging, can work off powerbank in cold conditions, 18650 battery optionally included, dedicated button for each channel, my full review here
$70+:
- Skilhunt H300: ~$80, ~1500lm, medium size, 18650 (included) or two CR123A batteries, right angle, magnetic tailcap, pocket clip, high CRI neutral white emitter, best-in-class headband, great UI, good regulation, magnetic recharging, moonlight mode, my review here
- Zebralight H600Fc MK IV: ~$90, ~1500lm, excellent durability & efficiency, high CRI neutral white LED, floody beam, light weight for its class, best-in-class regulation & efficiency, ultra low moonlight, no battery nor charger included, only works with unprotected flat top 18650 batteries, mediocre headband
- Acebeam H30: ~$130, ~4000lm, traditional headlamp, high CRI & red secondary LED's, great runtime and efficiency, 21700 battery included, hidden USB-C charging port
- Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia just because so many people bugged me to add this to the bot, top-notch durabiity, lovely high CRI LED, great efficiency, magnetic USB charging, 18650 battery included, above average headband, bike mount included, weird user interface
SOME THINGS TO NOTE
- right-angle lights are extra versatile because they can be detached from the headband and used in a variety of other ways, often including a pocket clip or magnetic tailcap
- Moonlight mode works about as well as red light for preserving night vision and it's a lot simpler and cheaper to implement than a secondary red LED. Here's more info if you're interested.Β Red is also a poor choice for use around sleeping people because red light passes through eyelids very easily. Red is great at not attacting bugs though.
- Li-ion batteries don't like sub-freezing temperatures all that much. If that's your use-case, consider CR123A's or a light that can run off a powerbank that you keep warm inside your coat.
MISCELANEOUS NOTEWORTHY LIGHTS
- Emisar DW4: The ultimate enthusiast headlamp. A million different emitter options, several driver options (including dual channel), long and short tubes, RGB aux LED's, Anduril 2 firmware, and magnetic tailcap. Kind of heavy, can get expensive, battery & charger not included, and the headband isn't great so pick up a Skilhunt HB3 as well.
- Petzl Iko Core: The absolute best running headlamp I am aware of. It disappears on your head.
- Nitecore HU60: electronically focusable, bracelet remote control, powered off USB so you can run it off a power bank (can be kept inside coat in extreme cold weather), powerbank/battery pack optionally included
- Fenix HM61R: similar to Skilhunt H04 RC but with secondary red emitter, worse UI, & worse main emitter
(written by TacGriz, updated 2023-09-12, if you have any suggestions for changes to this entry please don't hesitate to send me a message)
I AM A BOT. PM WITH SUGGESTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS. SEE MY WIKI FOR USE.
Budget?
Ghe skilhunt h300 with the nichia 144art led is my absolute favorite headlamp! Its a 90Β° so you can use it as a normal light, and a headlamp very easily. The headstrap is really nice as well. So good that people 3d print clips to use other lights on it
It's also super efficient, lasts a while, it's beam is perfect for a headlamp, and has on board magnetic charging (not as good as olight's, but better than nothing I suppose)