Newer high powered headlights at reasonable prices

[ryan162]

Just putting the word out on two very nice headlamps that have come down the pipes recently. The Cree XML seems to be pairing with fairly floody reflectors.

I have the spark 500. I didnt like it at first because it was a drastic change from the all flood headlamp I had. Turns out after adjusting to it that I prefer it for the little throw it does give. My only problem with it is that it is a bit heavy and cant really push a XML hard with its 500 lm max that is thermal limited. That combined with the price puts the spark in second place for me.

I have a H600 in the mail right now. No I'm not a baller but it will get to where I'm working faster then the cheap light I wanted to buy. Anyhow I think its going to make a killer mine light!

The two lights represent some good output for the money. Of course hand held cannons are still the best bang for the buck, but reasonably good priced headlamps with some juice seems like a new trend.

Spark st6-500cw
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...6-500CW-review.

Zebralight H600

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?326341-Review-Zebralight-H600

[ryan162]

not a full report since I havnt taken into and mines yet, but the H600 seems like it will be good. It has some throw but has lots of usable flood. It defaults to the 420 lumin high when first powered on and a quick double click gives you up to three minutes of 750 lumins to light up a stope. If you double click again it goes back to 420 lumins at any time. So even though the UI is much different then the Spark, the way the power button will be used in mines is exactly the same.

The settings other then high or turbo are where this light shows its supposed to be EDC and NOT a mine light. The low settings are extremely low and wont be useful underground. The medium settings would be good for conserving battery, but are much lower then most of us would find acceptable these days. So when it auto steps down as the battery drains you might want to swap the battery into something less hungry to get the most use out of it.

As long as this thing dosnt burn up with on 420, its gonna be a my favorite. 750 is only going to be good for short periods because as you would expect the small light cant disapate that much heat, but its handy to double click a headlamp rather then pull out the hand cannon sometimes.

I'll update if the light cant handle underground use on 420 lm for long periods

[Ossyconno]

Looks like a good light Ryan. I rather like the new item I just bought two of and mounted to my protective head cover. With both lighted up on full gives me 2800 lums. Blinding but sure lights up those big stopes.....

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ssc-p7-2-xp-e-16w-3-mode-1400-lumen-led-bike-light-set-4-18650-included-36018

[ryan162]

Looks like a good light Ryan. I rather like the new item I just bought two of and mounted to my protective head cover. With both lighted up on full gives me 2800 lums. Blinding but sure lights up those big stopes.....

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ssc-p7-...included-36018

those look sweet. can you post up pics of your setup? can the side lights be seperated from the main?

there is a similar XML version that I was looking at a couple weeks ago that looked nice as well

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/cree-t6-dual-xpe-r2-3-mode-1800-lumen-3-led-white-bike-light-w-battery-pack-105489

[ghostwanderer]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WPXN8E/ref=oh_o01_s00_i00_details

will be bringing this to the christmas party

[offroadcmpr]

I have the spark under the tree for Christmas. The newer version do not have the stepdown feature so it should be able to stay at the 500 lumen level constantly. However I don't I will need it on that level for very long. I had a hard time deciding on whether I wanted the spark for the zebralight. I decided that I liked the brightness levels and UI better on the Spark, and the beam too. It looked the like the initial reports had the spark with a slightly wider hot spot than the zebralight. That meant less throw but better for 99% of what I need out of a headlamp. I have other lights for throw. Of course I haven't seen a good comparison between the two of them, or comparison beamshots so the initial reviews I was looking at could have been off.

Did you find the weight a problem? It weighs less than the fenix HP-10 I am using right now, and once I put something on a helmet it doesn't seem to matter to me anyway because the helmet is heavy itself.

[ryan162]

The weight of the spark isnt too bad really. I always look for the lightest setup possible but 14 hours with the Spark and a ultrafire H30 both on the front of my helmet was not a big deal. Some one with a side mounted back up headlamp would be even better off. I wish I had my Spark here to compare, but the H600 may indeed have a bit less flood from my memory then the Spark. Glad to hear the spark can stay at 500 now. That could come in handy. The H600 will melt on turbo but I can see the Spark handling 500 quite well for long periods.

[offroadcmpr]

Another thing that put me over the edge for the Spark was the headband. While on a helmet it may not matter, I also use the light for night hiking and other places where I would not be using a helmet. The Zebralight doesn't have a top strap which makes it not as sturdy.

The zebralight does seem to have a little better efficiency. But the spark's I think would be good enough for me.