a headlight on steroids........

[Fulthrotl]

for the last few years, i've been a fan of headlights as
opposed to flashlights.... i went to restock up on batteries,
and found a new little headlight i've dropped the dime on...

http://www.surefire.com/maximushs3-a-bk.html

rechargeable, magnesium, and insanely bright.
there's a 30 day return policy if i don't like it,

something you can leave plugged into the 12V. charger in
the van, so it's always ready to go. i've been using the surefire
battery model, and love it, but the battery consumption the last
couple months has been pretty steep, so i'm gonna try this.

the battery model has a light output of 100 lumens, and that's
brighter than any other headlight i've seen.... this one is 500 lumens.

 

[Ponchik]

Seems like a lot of light but it is expensive

How did you get it for dime?

 

[Smart $]

Seems like a lot of light but it is expensive

For the price noted on the website you could get 3 of these (battery/charger set sold separately)

I do not own one, so not an endorsement... but I do have a WF-501B flashlight (not the R5 version shown on the website linked above) and am very happy with it. FWIW, any flashlight/headlight with a CREE T6 XM-L white LED (though lumen ratings vary substantially) is going to provide an ample amount of light .

 

[__dan]

for the last few years, i've been a fan of headlights as
opposed to flashlights.... i went to restock up on batteries,
and found a new little headlight i've dropped the dime on...

http://www.surefire.com/maximushs3-a-bk.html

rechargeable, magnesium, and insanely bright.
there's a 30 day return policy if i don't like it,

something you can leave plugged into the 12V. charger in
the van, so it's always ready to go. i've been using the surefire
battery model, and love it, but the battery consumption the last
couple months has been pretty steep, so i'm gonna try this.

the battery model has a light output of 100 lumens, and that's
brighter than any other headlight i've seen.... this one is 500 lumens.

This one. I have the earlier HP 10 model and liked it so much I bought six of these for Christmas gifts for nieces and nephews. It runs great with 4 Sanyo Eeneloops rechargeable AA's. This and the Fenix LD40 / 41 I use all the time.

http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-Waterproof-Headlamp-Lumens-Black/dp/B0056HR4J2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8

The Cree X-PG is a good lamp, but as noted above, the Cree XML lamps are awesome. I also have the Fenix TK41 which runs on 8 AA Eneloops. The quality of the Fenix products is very high.

 

[Gac66610]

I see at 500 lumens about an hour of use

I just use my Iphone , but i don't (normally) need a flashlight

 

[renosteinke]

Surefire .... There are a few things that it's always safe to say about Surefire products:

1) They're expensive as sin;

2) Skeptics pick up on that, and are quick to point out the $14 alternatives to the $265 Surefire offering; and,

3) Folks who actually own a Surefire product never regret taking the plunge.

Surefire does nothing cheap - except, perhaps, sell CR123 batteries for a fraction of what you'll pay at the local store. (Nor are the 'no name' batteries any worse than the name-brand ones). Maybe we can all learn from Surefire's business plan.

Just how does Surefire compete in a world where the 'competition' typically charges 1/15 of what they charge?

A) Their quality is simply perfection;

B) Their designs are rock-solid and user-friendly;

C) Product performance is unbeatable; and,

D) Customer service is first-rate.

They don't hesitate to make 'unique' items ... none of this re-packaging the same stuff everyone else uses, and just slapping their name on it!

They ofter re-set your expectations. For example, the optics make you wonder just why you've been satisfied with the shadows and fuzz put out by lesser lights. Maybe because you had no choice, and didn't know how much better things could get?

That's the other thing: they are focused on flashlights. They haven't branched out into cereal bowls and car waxes. You won't find the 'Surefire' name stuck on all manner of kludge.

It's a winning formula that we learn from - especially the next time we are tempted to whine about the 'trunk slammers.'

 

[Fulthrotl]

That's the other thing: they are focused on flashlights. They haven't branched out into cereal bowls and car waxes. You won't find the 'Surefire' name stuck on all manner of kludge.

It's a winning formula that we learn from - especially the next time we are tempted to whine about the 'trunk slammers.'

they have moved into a few other areas, but their target market is the same:
police, military, fire, first responders, etc.

need an infrared light to mount on the picatinny rail of your minigun?
will call in fountain valley has a showroom that is interesting, and that isn't
the really interesting showroom for the selective fire and suppressed fire folks.
that one is closed to the general public.

so, they also do knives... but everything they do has been based on requests of
their customer base for... why don't you make a....?

and for what it's worth, their batteries are the best 123A's on the market, at
$22 a dozen.. they have been $20 a dozen since i've been buying the lights,
and they finally crept up a bit... it happens. i was wondering how long they
could hold $20 a box....

however, you can get a lot cheaper lights. no doubt about it.
i've never regretted spending the money on their lights, however.
once past the age of 50, you begin to realize that the eyes aren't what
they were at 20. i find more and more that light goes on when i'm poking
around in junction boxes and the little dark corners that sparkies seem to
end up in.

and i'm tired of chinese knock offs... it's nice to just deal with something
that was done right.

 

[mayanees]

I ordered mine last nght!
John M

 

[Ponchik]

Which CREE modules are good? or how does a person tell if a certain LED module is better than the next?

 

[Fulthrotl]

Which CREE modules are good? or how does a person tell if a certain LED module is better than the next?

that is a good question, and i have never bothered
to look into an answer, which i probably should...
most of the time with LED lighting, we are looking
for a CREE logo somewhere on the box, but beyond
that.....

and with a lot of chinese knock off stuff, truth be told,
how do we really know it's a cree LED? there is a slight
outside chance that people could *lie* about it....

:angel:


http://www.cree.com/led-chips-and-materials/chips/chips

hm... lots of them

 

[Fulthrotl]

I ordered mine last nght!
John M

i took mine for a test drive friday morning in my favorite food packing plant
in the dark overhead above the food production area... some comparisons
with the battery powered one...

it doesn't seem to get as hot. the battery unit can get pretty warm on
my other light.

swiveling up and down is notchey with a detent wheel instead of smooth
like the battery unit. i prefer smooth, but it's not that big a deal, and
this light is not concentric like the battery unit, so it'd creep downward
over time without the clickies, i suspect.

it's obviously bigger and heavier than the battery one... but the light
output... holy crap! it's not necessary to leave it on full bright, but it
sure is nice to have when you need it. full bright is pretty devastating
on the other people near you... don't go zapping folks by looking directly
at them....

so my original battery headlamp with a box of batteries is still in the bottom
of my toolbox, but this thing is gonna get kept.. it rocks

as for fenix lights, if you look for reviews on flashlight forums... (there's a
chat board for everything, it seems) the fenix lights get the highest reviews
overall, it seems. excellent bang for the buck.

if'n i wasn't so addicted to surefire's, i'd use the feenix's....