Primary cave/mine helmet light

[JohnSmith]

I am at odds as to what to get for my new primary light.

Any recommendations or thoughts would be appreciated. What do you all use and how does it hold up?

EDIT: for those also looking, I came across a google doc which is constantly updated with recommended head lights for caving and mine exploring. Great to narrow down a search for a new light. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15CvODOS0HCbDnN1n9g8TpWzBCl5YAvhnQjSBbGpmjhQ/edit#gid=1)

 

[Yorrick]

Underground or in the dark I use an H14 (not re-chargeable) backed up by both 2 P7s and a T7, all 4 backed up by spare not re-chargeable batteries. I get about 45 mins from the the P14 and 30 mins each from the P7 and T7

 

[The Kwan]

What is your budgie I used an ebay chinese bike lamp for a few years that cost £20.00 and had no qualms with it, it never broke down or failed at all but I was always a bit pissed off with having to work through the modes to get to the one that I wanted and the strobe mode used to get right on my pips, so I bought a fellows Lynx X2000 but he does a basic one for £95.00, sounds a lot but worth the money if you are using it regular.
http://www.ledcaplamps.com/X_basic.htm

 

[JohnSmith]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I'm looking under £200 and uses AA batteries. I don't like the idea of being shackled to company-specific battery packs or uncommon batteries.

Some of the Fenix head torches seem good in this respect. But my search is still ongoing!

 

[JohnSmith]

So having wrecked my brain this evening I have narrowed down a lot of caving lights to the Fenix HL60r. With an IPX8 waterproof rating, 10 hours of runtime on medium brightness and the ability to be recharged by USB it seems pretty good. While it might not be a serious light for long caving trips it seems to be able to stand up to a lot of abuse due to being made of aluminum and toughened glass. My initial criteria of being able to easily source batteries for such things is negated due to the fact that you can charge the internal battery using any USB charger. After so many hundred charge cycles it will be easy enough to buy a new battery instead of shelling out for one each time like other lights.

 

[drhowser]

I've been using a nitecore one for a few years now - http://flashlight.nitecore.com/ILLUMINATION/H/HC50/ and have had no issues at all, it's been dunked plenty of times and still fine. In fact, I've used it to go swimming in the sea at night without a problem.

The 18650 batteries really aren't that difficult to manage, one is realistically going to last longer than most trips you'll make. Take a couple of spares and you've got up to 2 months (1500hrs) of illumination with this! I just put them on to charge when I get back and they're ready to go, exactly the same as I do with the battery in my camera, which is also device specific and can't be bought from a garage if I forget it..

 

[userscott]

If it's genuinely for caving/mining and using AA then a Petzl Duo 14 w/ CustomDuo Omni V5. You'll still have some change and a top notch headlamp suitable for expedition use. Don't be tempted by the million lumen things!

 

[Kirkymole]

Personally I have one of these. It runs off two 18650s, is USB rechargable (perfect for chucking it on charge in the car whilst going from one place to the next), seems fairly waterproof, you get 4 hours on max and 12 on low. Big winner...it's light, suprisingly so, yet still feels premium. You even get a little pouch to put spare batteries in, should you feel the need. Of course it's backed up by a Led Lenser P7.2.

£35 on the bay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boruit-LE...634199&hash=item1a2eb557d7:g:CNMAAOSwsXFZJXZH

 

[userscott]

Remember that one of the primary concerns with a caving/mining helmet is the reliability. This includes traceable quality control processes and known engineering standards - this can't be done for cheap. Budget £35 for the battery for a reputable caving lamp!

 

[Kirkymole]

I've been using the cree lamps for years for cycling. Aside from some dodgy battery packs doing the rounds (the sealed units, not the 18650 kit) they've always been spot on reliability wise to be fair.

 

[The Kwan]

Remember that one of the primary concerns with a caving/mining helmet is the reliability. This includes traceable quality control processes and known engineering standards - this can't be done for cheap. Budget £35 for the battery for a reputable caving lamp!

Not sure if you mean the hemet or lamp however I think it is fair to say that even the best quality lamps can let you down regardless of build quality, price or whatever but the trick is to have a back up or preferably two in the form of a torch or other light source either stuck to your helmet or in your bag and spare batteries aswell just in case of a hiccup with your main lamp.
I always take a wind up torch aswell as my regular light sources, belt and braces and all that but as many underground explorers will tell you, it is not always about the lamps build quality but very often it is about the colour temperature which is all important when it comes to taking photographs or video footage underground and very often the cheaper chinese ones are far more suitable than some of the more expensive ones.
Horses for courses and all that bollocks

 

[JohnSmith]

Thanks for all of the insight. I ended up going with a Fenix HL60R. Seems perfect for everything underground that I might be doing. Bomb proof construction, totally waterproof, neutral white light and several 10s of hours of useable light with a high capacity lithium ion battery. Also rechargeable and has sufficient max output for pretty good photography. Only cost £90 for it all and you have the standard capacity battery as a spare for extended trips. I have used it on a few trips so far and it really is amazing for what I need.

 

[wormster]

If it's genuinely for caving/mining and using AA then a Petzl Duo 14 w/ CustomDuo Omni V5. You'll still have some change and a top notch headlamp suitable for expedition use. Don't be tempted by the million lumen things!

Wot he said, I have 2 duo 14's with Mr Biff's Omnirat inserts and they're the mutts nuts AFIK!