Favorite/best headlamp?

[Zappaman]

Glad you're happy with it! I again have to say there are a lot of GREAT lights sold here by most brands mentioned (and liked a lot). Sofirn is just another good option, and for what you get- a good value.

I hope to hear more from the many who bought these last week!

 

[bigbuckdj]

I ordered the d25 and a couple other handheld lights. The brightest light I had before this was an anker rechargeable. All the lights I got are exceptionally bright but the biggest difference to me is the color of the light. I got 4000k or 5000k high CRI in all the lights I got and its really nice to use them. All of my other lights look so blue side by side with the new ones. I used the d25 a lot this weekend mostly on medium level and the battery didn’t go down much at all. I’m very pleased with what I got. It makes me want to get a super powerful light in a really warm tint high CRI for blood trailing.

 

[Zappaman]

Glad you like your lights! The lower CRI does give a more TRUE spectrum of light- no doubt. I prefer the 5-6k range myself because I want the extra "throw" they give-- albeit not a lot more.

What I do like about the Sofirn line is that they don't ever go into the "blue" or "purple" CRI range like a lot of lights do. I mean that the specs are true (as they are for output as well).

I will "gift" a light that doesn't have a good, accurate CRI range to kids and such (I still have a drawer full of them- live and learn).

 

[Broomd]

Nitecore and done.

We charge once a month via USB.
My fave is the NU20, wife's is NU32...insanely bright. feather light.

 

[Mosby]

Nitecore and done.

We charge once a month via USB.
My fave is the NU20, wife's is NU32...insanely bright. feather light.

I have the NU32 also. Long run times too. My primary hunting light for deer and elk. I wear a headlamp walking in and out when its dark or even low light whether I need it or not. I keep a Nitcore light in my truck and in my small game vest too.

 

[Broomd]

I have the NU32 also. Long run times too. My primary hunting light for deer and elk. I wear a headlamp walking in and out when its dark or even low light whether I need it or not. I keep a Nitcore light in my truck and in my small game vest too.

I always wear one as well in low light and dark, even on my own place. Too many people shot at in low light.

 

[Yooper]

I picked up a pair of the Sofirn D25L's on the advice in this thread. They came in late last week and I was able to use one on an ice fishing trip this weekend. Great light for the cost and the highest setting sure is intense! If it holds up well I can't see a better value out there right now.

 

[Zappaman]

Thanks for the good field report Yooper!

A few Sofirn buyers far have chimed in (including the original poster who also tried Sofirn). I'm glad for good reports so far. Always glad to help a hunter save a buck these days!

Thanks guys!

 

[Austin_Smedley]

I've used Black Diamond Spots and Storms for years and like them a lot.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I like the features on the Sofirn but I had one crap out in the rain(D25S) I ordered a D25LR to give them another shot. I wish Zebralight would offer more features in their headlamps, especially a rechargeable combo like the D25LR.

 

[TheGDog]

NEBO MYCRO Rechargeable Headlamps! I'll bring two or three, depending on duration I'm out there. I typically just run them at middle level which is 50 Lumen for 2hrs, when hiking out in the dark. I can get buy with the low level when just processing an animal in the dark to stretch out runtime. Plus I picked up a nice trim 5200mAh powerbank, which itself also has a small 5 Lumen LED on it, so at least you can see to hook it back up to charge if you somehow managed to get both headlamps to run completely out before addressing recharging one of them. Also... as a backup I'll sometimes bring their NEBO TORCHY mini flashlight, cause it can clip onto your cap visor and work like a headlamp if you need it to. And it has a little bit more runtime and lumens. Magnetic base. But still nice and small and compact.

But if you're somebody that is younger and tends to push at a pretty good clip when hiking out in dark... if the floor you find yourself walking over is very rocky... or has a lot of roots to step over, buncha things that could cause ya to trip... you'll want to be running at more than the 50 lumens of light in some of those scenarios, so just plan your runtimes accordingly in terms of having enough of these lightweight ones to rotate thru, so you can charge one while using another. If re-charging the other spent one is even needed on the particular outing you're doing.

 

[I hunt_dm3]

Storm 400

 

[Mountain Goat]

I like anything by Black Diamond. I have a bunch of them and they have always served me well.

 

[Squirrels]

I am going to give my detailed thoughts on the Sofirns, in comparison to the two Zebras I own. A quick summary for those that don't want to read my entire post. Zebra makes an overall better product, but at 3 times the cost it's nearly impossible for me to see they are 3 times better than Sofirns.

I have had some Fenix lights as well that I thought were really good and fall somewhere between the Zebra and Sofirn but closer to the Zebras.

I purchased 5 different Sofrin lights, 4 different headlamps and 2 different headlamps.

The Sofirn SP40 is the only Sofirn light that compared most closely to the Zebra (H600c Mk IV H600c Mk IV 18650 XHP50.2 4000K High CRI) headlamp I have. The Sofirn is about 1/2" longer. I like 4000k lights, and both of these are that color temperature. The headband and light holder of the Zebra is better but the Sofirn does have on board charging where the Zebra requires and external charger of some sort. The Zebra seems brighter to me and has many more customizable brightness levels. The Sofirn beam is more of a spot beam and the Zebra is more of a floody with a slightly brighter hotspot. Beam is a personal preference, neither is better than the other, just what the user prefers/needs.

The Sofirn SC31 Pro is the light that compared most closely to the Zebra (SC600w IV Plus SC600w Mk IV Plus 18650 XHP50.2 Neutral White) flashlight I have. The Sofirn is a little longer but more slender, offers on board charging unlike the Zebra. The Sofirn is a 6500k and my Zebra is a 4500k. Again I prefer the 4000k lights but this another personal preference. The Sofirn doesn't offer custom brightness level but it doesn't really need to because it can ramp up from moonlight to high in a smooth fashion rather than step up/down. Beam on the Sofirn is more of a spot and my Zebra is more of a spot and spill combo.

The other Sofirn lights I purchased are in different categories than any lights I own so I can't compare them to anything I own. I will just five my thoughts.

• Sofirn D25L - Bright and simply to operate, on board charging. They were sold out of the 4000k option for this light so I had to get the 5000k. This is more of a spot beam as well. The UI is simple and straight forward, which I like.

• Sofirn D25LR - This is essentially the same light as the D25L with one major exception. The D25L has two identical leds, where as the D25LR has one normal led and the other is red. I was surprised at the brightness level of the red led.

• Sofirn IF25A - All other previous mentioned lights are powered by 18650 batteries, the IF25A is my first 21700 battery powered light. It has on board charging which was great for me because my Nitecore charger will not handle 21700 batteries. I was able to get this light in my favorite color temperature of 4000k (again personal preference). I really like this light, heck of a throw and I opted for the 5000mah battery option which gives me a little longer run time. This particular light has the same UI as the SC31 Pro which is great because both of my Sofirn handhelds operate the exact same.

Summary of thoughts, Zebras are brighter and have a slightly better finish and machining overall. I prefer the beam patterns of my Zebras, but that is a personal preference and not necessarily better or worse. The Sofirns come with a battery and have on board charging which is extremely nice and even increased their excellent value when comparing them to much higher priced lights. The Zebras cost 300% more than the Sofirns. I'll likely keep my Zebras since I already own them but not sure I could see myself buying any more knowing what I can get from Sofirn at a third of the cost. I've seen lots of recommendations for Black Diamond and Petzl brand lights, they make good stuff for a light powered by AA or AAAs but in no way are they even on the same playing field of a light powered by 18650 or 21700 batteries. It's not even close. You can purchase Sofirns powered by 18650s for less than a Black Diamond or Petzl and since the Sofirns come with a battery and have on board charging you wouldn't need to buy a battery or external charger. Which is why I would suggest going that route. Always look for high CRI lights, the color temperature and beam pattern are 100% personal preference. I have to thank @Zappaman for answering several questions I had before placing my order.

 

[jtivat]

I am going to give my detailed thoughts on the Sofirns, in comparison to the two Zebras I own. A quick summary for those that don't want to read my entire post. Zebra makes an overall better product, but at 3 times the cost it's nearly impossible for me to see they are 3 times better than Sofirns.

I have had some Fenix lights as well that I thought were really good and fall somewhere between the Zebra and Sofirn but closer to the Zebras.

I purchased 5 different Sofrin lights, 4 different headlamps and 2 different headlamps.

The Sofirn SP40 is the only Sofirn light that compared most closely to the Zebra (H600c Mk IV H600c Mk IV 18650 XHP50.2 4000K High CRI) headlamp I have. The Sofirn is about 1/2" longer. I like 4000k lights, and both of these are that color temperature. The headband and light holder of the Zebra is better but the Sofirn does have on board charging where the Zebra requires and external charger of some sort. The Zebra seems brighter to me and has many more customizable brightness levels. The Sofirn beam is more of a spot beam and the Zebra is more of a floody with a slightly brighter hotspot. Beam is a personal preference, neither is better than the other, just what the user prefers/needs.

The Sofirn SC31 Pro is the light that compared most closely to the Zebra (SC600w IV Plus SC600w Mk IV Plus 18650 XHP50.2 Neutral White) flashlight I have. The Sofirn is a little longer but more slender, offers on board charging unlike the Zebra. The Sofirn is a 6500k and my Zebra is a 4500k. Again I prefer the 4000k lights but this another personal preference. The Sofirn doesn't offer custom brightness level but it doesn't really need to because it can ramp up from moonlight to high in a smooth fashion rather than step up/down. Beam on the Sofirn is more of a spot and my Zebra is more of a spot and spill combo.

The other Sofirn lights I purchased are in different categories than any lights I own so I can't compare them to anything I own. I will just five my thoughts.

• Sofirn D25L - Bright and simply to operate, on board charging. They were sold out of the 4000k option for this light so I had to get the 5000k. This is more of a spot beam as well. The UI is simple and straight forward, which I like.

• Sofirn D25LR - This is essentially the same light as the D25L with one major exception. The D25L has two identical leds, where as the D25LR has one normal led and the other is red. I was surprised at the brightness level of the red led.

• Sofirn IF25A - All other previous mentioned lights are powered by 18650 batteries, the IF25A is my first 21700 battery powered light. It has on board charging which was great for me because my Nitecore charger will not handle 21700 batteries. I was able to get this light in my favorite color temperature of 4000k (again personal preference). I really like this light, heck of a throw and I opted for the 5000mah battery option which gives me a little longer run time. This particular light has the same UI as the SC31 Pro which is great because both of my Sofirn handhelds operate the exact same.

Summary of thoughts, Zebras are brighter and have a slightly better finish and machining overall. I prefer the beam patterns of my Zebras, but that is a personal preference and not necessarily better or worse. The Sofirns come with a battery and have on board charging which is extremely nice and even increased their excellent value when comparing them to much higher priced lights. The Zebras cost 300% more than the Sofirns. I'll likely keep my Zebras since I already own them but not sure I could see myself buying any more knowing what I can get from Sofirn at a third of the cost. I've seen lots of recommendations for Black Diamond and Petzl brand lights, they make good stuff for a light powered by AA or AAAs but in no way are they even on the same playing field of a light powered by 18650 or 21700 batteries. It's not even close. You can purchase Sofirns powered by 18650s for less than a Black Diamond or Petzl and since the Sofirns come with a battery and have on board charging you wouldn't need to buy a battery or external charger. Which is why I would suggest going that route. Always look for high CRI lights, the color temperature and beam pattern are 100% personal preference. I have to thank @Zappaman for answering several questions I had before placing my order.

Nice review one thing that has been pointed out is the demising returns with higher end products you don't always get three times the product for three times the cost. One thing your review does not have is the long-term reliability of the products which I will bet hands down will go to the Zebra light.

I have been into flashlights for over 20 years and literally owned hundreds of lights from cheap to high-end. Surefire, Fenix, Sunwayman, ThruLite, Olight, Streamlight, Nitecore, Zebralight and many others. One thing I have never seen is a cheap light that could take abuse and last long term, really not even take abuse and last long term. They are never heatsinked properly which alone will kill a light in short time.

Would love to have you report back in a year and let us know.

 

[Squirrels]

Nice review one thing that has been pointed out is the demising returns with higher end products you don't always get three times the product for three times the cost. One thing your review does not have is the long-term reliability of the products which I will bet hands down will go to the Zebra light.

I have been into flashlights for over 20 years and literally owned hundreds of lights from cheap to high-end. Surefire, Fenix, Sunwayman, ThruLite, Olight, Streamlight, Nitecore, Zebralight and many others. One thing I have never seen is a cheap light that could take abuse and last long term, really not even take abuse and last long term. They are never heatsinked properly which alone will kill a light in short time.

Would love to have you report back in a year and let us know.

Agree on everything you said. Time will tell how they hold up. Diminishing returns is a real thing. There are other factors that play into additional cost such as warranties and customer service. I will have to say my two attempts to reach Zebra customer service absolutely sucked. No phone number provided that I could find and no response when I emailed. I've heard others speak highly of their customer service but my experience has been different. I will be sure to update on durability and longevity should I have any issues with the Sofirns, otherwise, no news is good news.

 

[Zappaman]

Nice review one thing that has been pointed out is the demising returns with higher end products you don't always get three times the product for three times the cost. One thing your review does not have is the long-term reliability of the products which I will bet hands down will go to the Zebra light.

I have been into flashlights for over 20 years and literally owned hundreds of lights from cheap to high-end. Surefire, Fenix, Sunwayman, ThruLite, Olight, Streamlight, Nitecore, Zebralight and many others. One thing I have never seen is a cheap light that could take abuse and last long term, really not even take abuse and last long term. They are never heatsinked properly which alone will kill a light in short time.

Would love to have you report back in a year and let us know.

I can save you a year... two years in fact.

I've also owned several brands you mention above. I AGREE 100% with you "cheap" lights don't last long. But Sofirn doesn't MAKE a cheap light that I know of.

Again, I am a small, local dealer who buys direct and I get nothing from Sofirn (*but wholesale pricing) and my opinion here isn't based on any incentive other than my appreciation for a SOLID, well built product. No fancy packaging (usually) and kinda like a Savage rifle-- they aren't made to be "pretty", but they shoot as good as guns 5 times their price (literally).

On reliability:
I can honestly say I've had one bad Sofirn light (out of about 120 I've sold/gifted the last four years since they appeared as a brand). That was an early D25s which would not charge out of the box. Sofirn replaced it.

In my market (here in Kansas) I have sold approx 40 D25(x) headlights to people I know: farmers, ranchers, hunters, and Amish barn builders and I give a "one year, no questions asked" warranty when I sell a light. So far the one older D25 I mention above is the only failure (I replaced for an Amish customer). Most of these lights have been out from 1-2 years so far being used by people who work outside, in the elements, and rely on their lights- many daily.

None of the other Sofrn models (including hand held lights and lanterns) have had a failure (some in service over three years now) to my knowledge. I have the unique priveledge of knowing most of my customers (users) where I feel they would reach out to me if they had a problem. The only calls I get are for spare batteries and a few chargers.

I got into Sofirn when they made the C8F (triple led) handheld lights (four years ago) which I started putting on rifles for coyote and pig hunting (1/2 my customers want gun lights). Those lights have stood-up to the task and run full-out on high current 18650s (I use a FET switch- so they have ZERO loss to the pressure switch and no "stepping down" circuits-- THEY RUN HOT! They are built like tanks, have PLENTY of heat sinking and are better than anything I've found out there- at any price- for what they do... to this day.

Yes, I am a "fan boy", but my "fan'ness" comes from using the heck out of these lights and selling/sharing them locally. I am not saying they are the best headlamp out there, but depending on the models (from all companies), you have the "darlings" that stand out- and the IF25, SD-05 (diving light I use as a diver), and LT-1 lantern are three that come to mind (that I own and use) that truly "stand out" among ALL these many (great) companies offers.

 

[bigbuckdj]

I also bought the if25 and sp40 in 4000k, I really like them. I bought a sp36 in 5000k because the 4000k wasn’t available in the USA shipment, I really like it too. This whole thing kind of opened up the flashlight world to me, I had no idea these powerful flashlights were available for so cheap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[twall13]

I picked up a couple of the Sofirn lamps and thought I'd share my initial impressions. I've only had them for a few days so I need to play around with them a lot more and see how they hold up over time. I purchased the D25L and the HS10. Before I get into any details on the headlamps themselves, let me just say that I'll personally never go back to AAA or AA powered headlamps. I know those batteries are readily available and that gives people a certain level of comfort but they just don't perform as well as headlamps on the 16340 or especially 18650 batteries, no experience yet with the 21700 batteries. Over the last several years I've acquired a decent amount of 18650 and 16340 batteries and I have a decent charger to keep them all ready to go. Even if I didn't have that, a lot of the new lamps like these Sofirn's and the Fenix's come with charging ports so it's not really a big deal to recharge them. I use my headlamps quite a bit year round and I'd be burning through a lot of AA or AAA batteries to keep up if I didn't have rechargeables. I do have a few rechargeable AA batteries but they just don't last as long or have the output the others have. If you are stuck on the AA or AAA world I'd recommend giving one of these Sofirn's a try. At this price, I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised at how much the battery platform can do.

My initial impressions overall are very good. I'll try to break it down by lamp.

D25L- Overall, this is a steal. I can't believe it comes with a battery at this price. I have better batteries, but this one works and will get you started and if you separate the battery cost, like you have to with a Zebralight, this headlamp is downright inexpensive. This will not replace my trusty Zebra for backpacking trips/hunts for a couple of reasons, but for the price I plan on picking up a few more, or maybe trying some other models on this battery platform. This model comes with the 2 white LED's so it does have deliver 1000 lumens of light and is a bit more of a floody beam pattern. I went with the 5000K tint and, overall, I like the beam pattern and light color. The beam is a little broken up around the edges but it's livable. It seems to have a solid build quality with good materials and should hold up pretty well over time. It has a very simple user interface for those who don't want to remember complicated programming. Push on, hold to cycle through brightness levels. Pretty much anyone is going to be able to figure out how to make it work intuitively without looking at a manual or having to remember anything.

Now for the things I don't like. I know I said the user interface is simple and easy to understand but I personally don't care for the programming on this one. I much prefer zebralight's programming, or the HS10 from Sofirn. I want to have a way to turn the lamp on to the lowest and highest settings immediately without bumping through everything in between. Sometimes I need very little light to not totally ruin my night vision, other times I want to immediately illuminate a large area and see what's going on. A single press or long press gets me those options with the Zebra. A long press or a double press gets me that on the HS10 but not so with this one. Next, perhaps the biggest downside to me, is this one just isn't as comfortable to wear. If you have a decently thick beanie or ball cap on it won't be a problem, but I often use a headlamp strait on my bare skin and the hard plastic attachment point is flat out uncomfortable after only a few minutes of use. I can probably jerry rig something to help here but I much prefer the rubber attachment point on both the Zebra and the smaller Sofirn. This won't be an issue for a lot of people who only use these with a hat on, but keep it in mind when making the purchase. (Side note here, I pulled the lamp off the headband and can make it fit, though not perfectly, in the rubber headband attachment of the ThruNite headlamp pictured below. This makes it much more comfortable. Also, something I'm very excited about, when I pull this headlamp off, it snaps into place as a perfect replacement for my Ultraspire Lumen waistlamp I use when running. Most won't care about this but that's a pretty sweet find for me. Waist mounted lamps are way better for depth perception when running in the dark, which I do most of the year.)

While I like the idea of a red LED, I haven't ever really found them as useful for my purposes as I think they should be in my mind so I've kind of gone away from them as a general rule. That said, I may pick up one of these with a Red LEDand give it another try as I hear they put out some decent light and the 500 lumens on the white side is more than enough for most situations.

HS10- I'm really glad I picked up this headlamp! So far I haven't found anything I don't like about it. I still prefer the Zebra programming slightly but maybe that's just because I'm used to it and this one really does everything I want. I was really needing a replacement for my old discontinued Zebra on this battery platform after my son lost my last one. The 16340 batteries will get you a lot of power in a small/light package. They don't have the burn times of the 18650's but they are a good compromise when weight is at a premium. The smaller weight also means they are much more comfortable to wear. I think this one is even brighter than the Zebra it's replacing. At 1,100 Lumens in turbo mode, this is the brightest light I have ever owned on this battery platform. You can switch between stepped brightness modes or continuous ramping up/down depending on what you prefer. This lamp packs alot of features into a small, inexpensive package. This purchase alone was worth the price of both lamps in my mind. Here is a photo comparing this lamp's size (it's smaller) to a AA powered ThruNite headlamp. The Sofirn is WAY more powerful in a smaller package.

Again, time will tell how durable they are and I may find more quirks or things I like the more I use them. For the price, I'll be picking up a few more lights from Sofirn to have as loaners, in the truck, etc. Here are some more size comparison photos next to a Zebra H600w MK2 for reference.

 

[rayporter]

thank you!

i got my sofirn last week just in time for the ice storm which knocked out power for 2 days.
it passed with flying colors!