AA headlamp questions

[ozyclint]

gday guys, i broke my old BD spot last night. it served me well but looking for something different now that i need a new light. i want to run a single AA battery for interchangeability with my other electrical stuff like GPS and handheld radio's. i've been searching on here and found some great info.
i've sort of narrowed it down to the zebralight H52 or the fenix hl50. the hl50 says it takes a cr123 or AA's. are these two batteries interchangeable? i thought the cr123 was a different size?

your pick of the two?

 

[ozyclint]

forgot to mention i like the look of the princeton tec remix tactical MPLS. it takes a cr123 battery so i ruled it out but if AA's can be used in place of cr123's i'd consider it.

 

[Fixitman]

They are not interchangeable Zebra offers several of there models with the option of either

 

[ozyclint]

does the fenix come with some adapter because it says that it can use both the cr123 or AA? is the AA longer than the cr123? if so that would rule out the remix tactical since it only uses the cr123. i guess the fenix must come with an extender or something that you use with the cr123 and take it out for AA???

 

[hooker]

Zebra

 

[ozyclint]

i'm leaning towards the fenix HL50. they include an extender tube to allow use of AA's, it seems simple to operate, waterproof, alloy housing, good brightness, lightweight and good run times.

i'm a bit put off by the interface of the zebra. too much clicking. also the website says free international shipping but states that they guarantee the international orders will be shipped but can't guarantee that they will be delivered. via china, 10 days to several months!!!! that's what i call getting what you pay for....... judging by some of the wait times of customers on different forums i've searched, you can wait a long time.

 

[LostArra]

Fenix makes a good headlight. I've been using the HL30 for years with no problems. I like the more substantial on/off button when I'm wearing gloves. And the red led works well in a pre dawn treestand so I'm not a coastal lighthouse.

The 50 looks like a nice step up but until the 30 breaks or gets lost I'm good.

I also own a Zebra. Nice light I use as a backup. The owner instructions are a joke with their levels and sublevels, various clicks.
What's wrong with on-off and bright-brighter??

 

[Trial153]

Second the fenix, I have a head lamp and a handheld from them and they been bullet prof so far.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Just putting this out there: I've owned 5 different Fenix lights and enjoyed every one of them, but I'd give their long-term durability rating a 6/10. I found almost nothing negative about their function and output, and I still own 4 units by them. That said...

After years of hearing about them I bought a Zebra this year. I used it on a recent Manitoba bear hunt and it was superb. I can't speak to durability, but it appears to be built like a pro-level tool. I agree with the assessment that the user interface could be simpler, but I didn't find it to be a negative...at least not enough to irritate me. My Zeb uses a rechargeable 18650 battery and it runs a LONG time on one charge. I'm so impressed with the Zeb that it's going to be my primary lamp for Alaska this fall.

For what it's worth: I also own a PT Remix and can vouch for it being a very superb unit. Small and trouble-free so far.

 

[LostArra]

Just putting this out there: I've owned 5 different Fenix lights and enjoyed every one of them, but I'd give their long-term durability rating a 6/10. I found almost nothing negative about their function and output, and I still own 4 units by them. That said...

After years of hearing about them I bought a Zebra this year. I used it on a recent Manitoba bear hunt and it was superb. I can't speak to durability, but it appears to be built like a pro-level tool. I agree with the assessment that the user interface could be simpler, but I didn't find it to be a negative...at least not enough to irritate me. My Zeb uses a rechargeable 18650 battery and it runs a LONG time on one charge. I'm so impressed with the Zeb that it's going to be my primary lamp for Alaska this fall.

For what it's worth: I also own a PT Remix and can vouch for it being a very superb unit. Small and trouble-free so far.

That's interesting on the Fenix. I use a headlamp in the morning probably 350 days per year for at approximately an hour and I've used the same HL30 for four years without a glitch. (Knock on wood). You know.....YMMV

 

[darcytribe]

I've never run the fenix but I used a Zeeb last season and was super impressed!

 

[ozyclint]

i bought the fenix HL50 last night. found it here in australia for the same price it would cost me to buy it in the USA.

can't wait to use it.
thanks for the input everyone.

 

[ozyclint]

I also own a Zebra. Nice light I use as a backup. The owner instructions are a joke with their levels and sublevels, various clicks.
What's wrong with on-off and bright-brighter??

ha ha. i can just imagine myself outside looking at someone in their tent with a zebra. "what the hell, are they having a disco in there?"

 

[rayporter]

HL-50 for 6 months, so far, so good. not complicated at all.

 

[teflonhunter]

I've been using a Black Diamond for a few years now am still impressed.