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I Really Hate Headlamps

wingnut55 said:
Nine times out of ten its the battery that runs out, so all you need is to take spare fully charged ones with you, and keep them out of the cold, batteries don't like being cold.. ;)

Ian.
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I have a usb re chargeable so no batteries necessary.
 
SoManyDogfishSoLittleTime said:
Is it me or do these things just never last?
I don't know how many €10 headlamps I have gone through over the years. Then I bought a 20 pound sterling LED Lenser headlamp which worked fine but it ran on AA batteries and I only ever got a couple of hours out of a set of batteries.
After that everyone recommended the Fenix HR65 so I bit the bullet and spent €100 to get one thinking it would last me years. From the get go it gave me bother with not charging fully, the lights dimming despite being fully charged, the lights switching between different settings etc etc. I have had it a year and a half now and I can't get it to change settings anymore and it only holds its charge for a day or so now. It got every day use cycling back from work at night.

So today I decided I would go all out and bought an LED Lenser H19 Signature for just shy of €300. If this gives me bother within the 5 years warranty then I am going back to €10 throwaway torches.
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The H19 is bomb proof....
 
Sonar said:
A post on here mentioned a backup.

I am trying to keep my gear to as Little as possible .
no having too much of anything.

after reading the post about buying a new head torch and keeping the old one as a backup. Has prompted me to think about buying another head torch as a backup as well.

makes sense if your in the total dark and a headlight stops working ..

so here we go again. Buying backups. …..AGAIN
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If it’s only a backup you don’t have to spend a lot. My main head torch 10 years ago was bought off that well known auction site for under a tenner. Worked off three AAA batteries and was great until I upgraded for no particular reason other than wanting one with a ‘name’. The torch still works but is unused now. I’ve just had a look and there are still loads under £15.
 
Sonar said:
A post on here mentioned a backup.

I am trying to keep my gear to as Little as possible .
no having too much of anything.

after reading the post about buying a new head torch and keeping the old one as a backup. Has prompted me to think about buying another head torch as a backup as well.

makes sense if your in the total dark and a headlight stops working ..

so here we go again. Buying backups. …..AGAIN
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The nitecore are pretty bombproof, decent light output and very compact, I use them for bass fishing
 
Manxsteve said:
The nitecore are pretty bombproof, decent light output and very compact, I use them for bass fishing
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Not come across the Nitecore headlamps, but I've got a Nitecore charger for all sorts of batteries including the 18650 ones that fit my Olight, and it's been brilliant.
 
Always best to have a fully working spare that you can put your hands on immediately. You certainly do not want to be attempting to change batteries in the dark! Always when at, in or near the sea you should bet that if something can go wrong it will and probably in the midst of high winds, mountainous waves and torrential rain! I learned my lesson the hard way when wading out on LW at night - not something I ever want to repeat! The moral of that story is be properly prepared
 
Goatfish said:
If it’s only a backup you don’t have to spend a lot. My main head torch 10 years ago was bought off that well known auction site for under a tenner. Worked off three AAA batteries and was great until I upgraded for no particular reason other than wanting one with a ‘name’. The torch still works but is unused now. I’ve just had a look and there are still loads under £15.
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I bought two for £18 off Amazon, actually pretty bright considering, USB charging so no batteries to faff with.

The reason I bought them was for the relatively dim red light setting for surf bass fishing, certainly not as a main light to rely on.
But the ‘white’ (blue) light is still fairly bright and would be more than enough for fishing most marks.
I wouldn’t rely on one as a main light but as a back up to finish a session or get off the mark, they’d be absolutely fine.

Plus one will easily fit in a coat pocket so it doesn’t add much to carrying extra gear.

The brand name was Le but tbh there seemed to be quite a few on there that were very similar so possibly just rebadged.
 
Just to add, while headlamps are pretty damn reliable these days, anything can fail - in fact my current model did while still less than a year old, faulty connection.
The previous one I had (Princeton Tec) lasted 15 years and in fact still works except the strap has turned into overstretched knicker elastic.
The failed one came from the USA but Princeton Tec UK replaced it FOC under the warranty.
The one I have now is fine.

So anyway, having also learned the hard way (think I already posted about rewiring battery contacts in the pitch black on a rock in the arse end of nowhere surrounded by many more rocks), I always have a back up now.

They’re very very rarely needed, but when you do need one, you’re very glad to have it!
 
Mr Fish said:
Just to add, while headlamps are pretty damn reliable these days, anything can fail - in fact my current model did while still less than a year old, faulty connection.
The previous one I had (Princeton Tec) lasted 15 years and in fact still works except the strap has turned into overstretched knicker elastic.
The failed one came from the USA but Princeton Tec UK replaced it FOC under the warranty.
The one I have now is fine.

So anyway, having also learned the hard way (think I already posted about rewiring battery contacts in the pitch black on a rock in the arse end of nowhere surrounded by many more rocks), I always have a back up now.

They’re very very rarely needed, but when you do need one, you’re very glad to have it!
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That does seem a weakness in headtorches……droopy elastic after a couple of years which is quite annoying when it starts to droop over my eyes! I have a Led Lensor which I keep in my pocket and use for dark winter dog walking and much lighter to carry than a torch.
 
Goatfish said:
That does seem a weakness in headtorches……droopy elastic after a couple of years which is quite annoying when it starts to droop over my eyes! I have a Led Lensor which I keep in my pocket and use for dark winter dog walking and much lighter to carry than a torch.
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I like a big heavy metal torch.. the kind that would withstand giving someone a smack over the head..👍
 
Goatfish said:
That does seem a weakness in headtorches……droopy elastic after a couple of years which is quite annoying when it starts to droop over my eyes! I have a Led Lensor which I keep in my pocket and use for dark winter dog walking and much lighter to carry than a torch.
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Tbf this one was 15 years easy though I had to knot a loop in it after eight lol
 
Sonar said:
I bought these very cheap headlights

charged using a usb.
so can be charged in your car if you have the fitting or one of the insert usb fitting that fits into the cigar lighter socket.
or at home before or after your trip.

They have a bright spotlight or a not so bright light .
It also has a button so it’s off or on By using a sensor.
activated by moving your hand of the lamp. Stays on until you move your hand in front of the light again turns the light off

hands free .. bought another one as a spare.. less than £6 each

I also use another one for dog walking ..
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That’s the thing, they’re dirt cheap now and although I wouldn’t trust one as my main headlamp on a rock in the middle of nowhere, they are ideal for a back up or lighter fishing.

Might have been better off buying a lead for the dog though? 🤔
 
Sonar said:
That’s all its for just a bit of shore fishing with easy sight of the van.

I used to have an expensive lamp when fishing years ago.
headlamp waist belt and battery. Think it was a petzel. or something like that ..

But now a lot older the weight of it would stop me fishing full stop .
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Oh the days of belts and heavy batteries are long gone, they’re all pretty light!
 
I had an issue at the weekend with a fenix light, landed a decent bass and went to turn the light off for a photo and the sand off my hands got stuck down the sides of the lights switches and became inoperable.
My spare night core came good for the rest of the session but it’s put me right off the fenix ( spent an hour with a tooth brush , hook point and wd40 to get it working again) back to my lensor from now on
 
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