Headlamps??

[Hunt'nFish]

Wow, guess I kicked an ego bone.
Sorry about that, it was just an observation.
I'm not a bow hunter, so no I haven't needed to track blood in the dark. And I shoot a .338 so things tend to just crumple. Yes been rimmed in a few times, I mainly hunt Hells Canyon here in Oregon, so yes light is handy...just don't think I need to light up the whole canyon.

But if these Zebra are as great as you guys say, maybe I should check them out. But then again, if what I have works fine why change?

20 headlamps huh? Wow, that's a serious chunk of change. I think I could pay for my new 4-24 VX6 with those kind of savings.

Sorry guys, I'll bow out and recede back to my corner.
Hunt'nFish

 

[MontanaMarine]

I don't think ego is involved. Just conversation here.

I had been using a budget headlamp from Costco for a few years that run on AAA batteries. I didn't really care for the light color (a little too blue for my liking), and battery life wasn't all that good. I figured it was a good time to look for a better light.

I started looking at the headlamp threads and Zebra kept coming up. I had never even heard of them. I knew Petzl, Black Diamond, and that was about it. So I took a good look at the Zebralight line of lights.

Anyway, I pulled the trigger on a Zebra 600 about a month ago, and am real happy with the product, so I suppose I'm talking about it a little based on my own satisfaction. I like the headband bracket too, it makes it easy to adjust the angle, or take the light out completely if you want to use it as a handheld light.

 

[IanF.]

Curious on the battery choices with the zebra lights, normally I try to have parity with more then one thing AA and AAA....

Any insight on 18650 which I never heard of till thismthread got me surfing ,,

 

[MontanaMarine]

I hadn't heard of the 18650 until recently either. I ordered a couple of them with 3400 mah capacity, and a charger from Amazon.

I was going to go with a lithium option for cold weather, and when I looked at all the options the battery life and lumen capability associated with the 18650 sold me.

Here's a pic of the 18650 beside a AA, and the 600 series headlamp.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Wow, guess I kicked an ego bone.
Sorry about that, it was just an observation.
I'm not a bow hunter, so no I haven't needed to track blood in the dark. And I shoot a .338 so things tend to just crumple. Yes been rimmed in a few times, I mainly hunt Hells Canyon here in Oregon, so yes light is handy...just don't think I need to light up the whole canyon.

But if these Zebra are as great as you guys say, maybe I should check them out. But then again, if what I have works fine why change?

20 headlamps huh? Wow, that's a serious chunk of change. I think I could pay for my new 4-24 VX6 with those kind of savings.

Sorry guys, I'll bow out and recede back to my corner.
Hunt'nFish

Dude, It was just an observation Everyone has a different need. I also shoot a big 338 at long range. So by the time I get over there it might be near dark or dark. I used a cheap energiser battery headlamp for years but it cost me a long walk in the dark. Truthfully if I count the cheap lights it's closer to 25. Maybe I'm scared of the dark.

 

[tipsntails7]

Dude, It was just an observation Everyone has a different need. I also shoot a big 338 at long range. So by the time I get over there it might be near dark or dark. I used a cheap energiser battery headlamp for years but it cost me a long walk in the dark. Truthfully if I count the cheap lights it's closer to 25. Maybe I'm scared of the dark.

Don't say that, littlebuf will reappear and mercilessly make fun of you

If I'm looking for something in the dark, wether that be blood an animal, my camp, or where I am going on my way out I'd put the sun on my forehead if I could. Night vision is not high on my priority list during those times.

 

[Clarktar]

Don't say that, littlebuf will reappear and mercilessly make fun of you

If I'm looking for something in the dark, wether that be blood an animal, my camp, or where I am going on my way out I'd put the sun on my forehead if I could. Night vision is not high on my priority list during those times.

Where is littlebuf? I miss his constant barrage of attacks! Some funny sh*t.

 

[weedwacker42]

So my curiosity was piqued and I looked up the Zebralights...and now I have a headache from looking at all the options! Neutral white vs cool white. Flood vs non. I assume some options are based on battery type. Can someone break down which two specifically I should look at getting? No experience with these and no one around here has them to look at so basing my buying on your recs. I've only used cheapie brownings and the like around home for waterfowl, etc. Nothing where my well-being and safety is dependent on a headlamp.

This is the link to their site: http://www.zebralight.com/Headlamp_c_7.html

 

[IanF.]

Thank you for your service and reply Montana marine. Wondering Similar to weedwacker

Ian

 

[justinspicher]

i always end up going back to my Petzl. It has a red lens which is handy for ealry morning hikes into my stand and out of my stand late at night. I also like to use it around camp in the backcountry.

 

[gelton]

Where is littlebuf? I miss his constant barrage of attacks! Some funny sh*t.

Good ole littlebuff, that guy made me laugh...probably went to his favorite hunting spot and it was full of fanboys so he quit giving out info in public

 

[gelton]

Curious on the battery choices with the zebra lights, normally I try to have parity with more then one thing AA and AAA....

Any insight on 18650 which I never heard of till thismthread got me surfing ,,

The 18650 is a AA lithium on steroids and the light is spectacular. Doesn't have a really long life on blast mode but in lower settings its amazing how long they last. I started with 4 fully charged last archery elk season, ran them all the way through deer season (late January) and still had a battery left fully charged.

 

[tater]

I've dragged around a BD Icon for a few years now (200 lumen version. there is now a 320), and have often questioned the sanity of it. Until i need it (like this year packing an early archery season mule deer out of an old blowdown filled burn in a canyon at midnight in lousy weather).
A couple of times on the packout i admitted to myself i would have paid twice the cash and carried twice the weight for the performance i was getting.
The features and reliability are a fair tradeoff to me for the weight and bulk.

 

[MontanaMarine]

I've only got a sample of one. It's a standard beam, neutral white. I think that's the best choice for me, as it throws light a fair distance with the 12 degree hotspot.

 

[MontanaMarine]

The floody or flood beams are probably better for caving, or indoor uses.

 

[dotman]

I've dragged around a BD Icon for a few years now (200 lumen version. there is now a 320), and have often questioned the sanity of it. Until i need it (like this year packing an early archery season mule deer out of an old blowdown filled burn in a canyon at midnight in lousy weather).
A couple of times on the packout i admitted to myself i would have paid twice the cash and carried twice the weight for the performance i was getting.
The features and reliability are a fair tradeoff to me for the weight and bulk.

I had that same BD light, it takes 4 AA batts! And weighs almost 9oz. Now compare it to a Zebra that takes 1 AA, has a higher lumen rating, is weather proof and weighs 2oz and change. The 3 extra AA you would of used in the BD are now spares and trust me, your battery life will far exceed what 4AA batts gave you in the BD. Plus it takes up less space and has hardly any bulk compared to the bulky head band battery packs.

Oh yeah the AA zebra is cheaper then the BD or at least I paid like $80+ for a BD 200 lumen icon back in the day and a 260+ lumen zebra is $60 something.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I did a fair amount of research and ended up ordering the Fenix HL55 with two 18650 3400mAH rechargeable batteries. I ordered everything off of the Promotive site and paid $80.00 with shipping. It's not the lightest, something like 4 oz. not including the battery, but it had a lot of the features I liked and was offered on Promotive. Thanks everyone for your insight, I had no idea how may different reputable headlamp manufactures there were out there and all the different models that they offered.

 

[Bmcox86]

Fenix has a sale right now, 25% off and free shipping with gobblegobble25 code

 

[Aron Snyder]

Wow, can't we just all get along....it's just a headlamp discussion

 

[Kevin Dill]

I think I need a lumenectomy. I have owned or own 5 Petzls, 3 PTs, a BD, and a Zeeb. That's just headlamps. I own enough techie flashlights to outfit a SWAT team.

My favorite headlamps have been PT units for years; specifically the Remix Pro and EOS. Both of those max out in the 220 lumen range I believe, which makes them great for typical camp and field work. I don't consider them good for bloodtrailing unless it's a no-doubter. I've had great service from these lights and it's almost too easy to grab them when heading out. Both use AAAs if I'm not mistaken.

I've always heard much good about the Zebra lights and I finally caved. I can't tell you the exact model, but it uses a single 18650 cell. I doubted it would be worth the price, but I was wrong. Huge output when needed, but can be backed way down to conserve life. More versatile than my other headlamps. Battery life is phenomenal, and I can do a two week Alaska hunt with one fully charged cell. I take an extra cell along in every case where I can't re-up easily. I went with rechargeable 18650s and really prefer them now. No wondering whether a battery is a keeper. In any event, I think the Zeeb is the Zeiss of lights. You don't usually need it, but after you really see what it can do it's hard not to reach for it every time.

Fenix: I haven't owned their headlamp but I figure it's a good one. I think I own 5 of their handhelds is various configs and they are very fine lights for the most part.