Fenix HL30 Headlamp-200 Lumens

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
Anyone have one of these, and if so, are you satisfied with it?
Four brightness modes, a red LED, and an SOS pattern.

I have an old headlamp made by Black Diamond that is not very bright, and the lens housing is rubber and now has some sticky goo on it that will not wash off.
Time to retire that lamps.

Was doing a search for a new headlamp, and I ran across the Fenix line.
I had heard their flashlights and headlamps were very good so I looked up some models on Amazon and did some reading of reviews.
Also Googled some reviews, and this little 200 lumen light gets rave reviews.
If its 200 lumens is close to one of my Surefire handheld flashlights, I will be happy.

Should have it by tomorrow.
I like that the unit itself houses the 2 AA batteries instead of having a separate battery box at the back of the strap.
My old headlamp was always getting tangled on the box.
Here are some links.

Fenix HL30 Headlamp-200 Lumens Amazon

Fenix HL30 pre-production Review on Candle Power Forums


Check out the animal he spots at night in the tree.


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Corey

OverCamping Specialist
This is one very nice headlamp!
I like bright lights so I can see what I am doing, and this unit is very bright.
Put it on high and my 200 Lumen Surefire flashlight were about equal with each other.
I also have a Surefire 320 lumen model, and it was considerably brighter.

Has a very nice wide pattern to it, and while reading the OJ in bed yesternight, I found having the headlamp on its lowest setting was perfect, I did not have to strain at all to read in a pitch dark room.
Bump the light up to the higher three settings, and it was actually to bright in my taste to read with.

Tried out the red LED too for reading, but I preferred the regular light on low.

Overall this is a great headlamp.
The only thing is it is kind of hard to open up the battery compartment for the first time, and you do have to assemble the two pieces of the headband together.
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
I am pretty sure I paid more for that Black Diamond headlamp I bought several years ago that cannot hold a candle to this Fenix headlamp.
 

RubiChris

Observer
I have one. So far I have only used it for my early morning dog walks and its worked out great. I'm taking it on a 4 day Jeep/hiking trip in about a week and we'll see if my opinion changes. It is extremely bright. I generally use it on the medium or low setting. The red light isn't bright enough for walking but would work for reading, etc. My biggest concern is the plastic hinge that allows for adjusting the angle of the light. It seems to be a little underengineered. Time will tell. I have given up on rechargeable batteries and now only use lithiums. I've had mine for several weeks and I'm still on the first set (3 AAAs).
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
The Fenix LD20 has been in my back pocket every time I have left the house the last two years. Very happy with it! 4 light intensities plus a SOS and strobe mode. Every once and a while it require a ********** on my hand to come on. That took a years worth of abuse to develop. Use rechargeable AA batteries and they last me a month or more. Just used it to direct traffic on a call. Bought the LD10 for my man purse as a backup but have never used it. They make a great product at a lower price point.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1382237052.055208.jpg
Gonna order that headlight this week. Thanks Corey!
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
You are welcome, very nice headlight for the money.

Looking forward to this new pocket torch.
Last week at work I was talking with a Boeing security guy, and we were comparing flashlights, and my Surefire 320 lumen one I carry all the time at work blew his away that he had.
This was on the back lot where there are no streetlamps, so it was pitch dark.
Cannot wait to try out this new Fenix one I have coming.
 

troyboy162

Adventurer
Budgetlightforums.com is a good place to keep up to date on flashlight/headlamp offerings. cheap 2200 lumen flashlights and 1000 lumen headlamps are pretty common now. Some of them are well made, but you gotta research them to pick the good from the just ok.
 

psykokid

Explorer
So a couple of months on how are you liking the fenix light? Thinking about picking one up after the holidays.
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
I use the headlamp nightly for reading to fall asleep.
Use it on low, and it works quite well.
I also use it at work with it being dark out for several hours before sunrise.

I use the PD35 light though more at work, and I use it on the 850 turbo setting.
Everyone that sees it at work thinks it is one of the brightest small lights they have seen, and a few have picked them up.

I ended up buying two more as complete packages plus extra Panasonic batteries for my two sons for Christmas.

I have nothing negative to say about either Fenix light.
These blow all of my Surefires away, and I will be sticking with Fenix for future lights.
 
So a couple of months on how are you liking the fenix light? Thinking about picking one up after the holidays.

Used mine for the first time last week on a mock search and rescue. Nice even spread without any harsh edges to the light. I used it on the low setting most of the time. I do wish that the high and turbo settings had more throw like when you need it. It is nice to have the peripheral light though. Less time spent sweeping my head back and forth. The head band is easy to loosen and needs readjustment every time you take it off. The band also came off the plastic fitting a couple of times when attempting to adjust it before putting in on my head. I think some electrical tape wrap may fix this. Overall still pleased with the purchase.
 

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