Who's the Biggest Headlamp Lumen Liar? Milwaukee v NiteCore, Coast, Petzl, Matco
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- Опубликовано: 4 июн 2024
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Slonik: amzn.to/3pHEbIQ
Nitecore (latest) : amzn.to/3txI0kC
Petzl: amzn.to/3hH6DZD
Coast: amzn.to/34bjzjN
Matco: bit.ly/32NtBXq
USB charge monitor amzn.to/3CxUuyt
Today we tested the most commonly requested rechargeable headlamps from our viewers including the Slonik 1000 lumen from Amazon, Nitecore HC60 , Petzl Actik Core , Matco PCHDLMP , and Coast XPH30R vs our DIY light integration sphere to see if their lumen ratings are accurate as well as the battery size and runtime with plenty of upsets there.
Torque of TTC is working for Astro Tools who also make impact wrenches (air). TTC is not the only testing out there, always consider multiple sources when looking at a tool!
~We earn from qualifying purchases when using the Amazon affiliate links here~
0:00 What We'll be Testing
1:37 Amazon
2:48 Coast
3:57 Nitecore
5:06 Milwaukee
6:32 Petzl
7:48 Matco
8:56 Fit
10:45 Runtime Lumens
13:20 Charging & Data 
Авто/Мото
Slonik: amzn.to/3pHEbIQ
Nitecore (latest) : amzn.to/3txI0kC
Petzl: amzn.to/3hH6DZD
Coast: amzn.to/34bjzjN
USB Gizmo: amzn.to/3wdlRYg
Matco: bit.ly/32NtBXq
@@MichaelMantion The purpose is to determine who is fibbing about specs and which is a better deal, we test vs what they advertise on this channel. If they need help to meet their advertised specs, that's sort of on them.
Great suggestion for the Coast and a bit funny; bought the exact same one about 6-8 months ago, and did exactly that; swapped the batteries immediately, knowing I'd be wearing it all day and wanted battery swaps anyway. HUGE difference. GREAT light!! I think it would sweep the charts with a high-cap in your tests.
I know unrelated to the torch series... But have you ever considered testing 2 stroke impact wrenches?
Great video as always. I would recommend going to loves travel stop. And testing out their 1000 lumes headlamp for 40bucks. As well as going to autozone and testing their 970 lumes for 35 bucks
Could we get a comparison between the Harbor freight 1 inch and 3/4 inch Earthquake and Central Pneumatic? If you could get them compared to an IR or Aircat that would be great to see how much value you are getting. The Snap-on is pretty scary at $2800 for the "Coolest" 1 inch (For that kinda money it should take the tire off for me).
Man I am so glad you guys started testing lights. I cannot tell you how annoyed I am at the sheer number of lights I've bought over the years that didn't come even remotely close to their claims. Now I have something I can take a quick glance at and know exactly what I am going to get before even opening the package.
anything that's from Fenix works at claimed specs from my experience
There some budget brand such as sofirn and astrolux that perform just as good as nitecore and olight..$25 astrolux ec01 is really my favourite, it perform far better than my $150 surefire.. and while out hunting or camping, i like to bring sofirn q8 pro, it can light up the entire field with those 11k lumen they claimed.. but some channel such as flashaholic had do their own tested with lumen tube and it exceed 14k lumen.. it's crazy because it only cost $60 in aliexpress.
@@harisyoung4110 well surefire is way overpriced and I doubt budget brands have the same/better performance for 1/4 the price of Olight/Fenix/nitecore
@@reahs4815 build quality ofcourse nitecore and fenix seem better, but for beam profile and overall brightness it can perform better than nitecore and fenix.. you should check them out, these light the company create while having collab with flashaholic from budgetlight forum, check for sofirn sp33 v3, astrolux ea01 and q8 pro, many video review about this brand in youtube.. in flashaholic yt channel some of his video even compare these budget brand with big brand from olight, nitecore and fenix..
@@harisyoung4110 start with sofirn, slowly u'll end up with bunch of hank light
One of the things I noticed, when I first started using a headlamp, is some of them are built with optics for throw (for cycling, hiking, etc,) and some have a wider beam spread, which I found much more friendly to "hand-work" use... With the "focused" beam, I was constantly turning my entire head to direct the beam, while wider spread optics allowed a noticably more natural/transparent action, where I wasn't forced to turn/point my head all the time.
This might be a good metric to address, as your audience is most likely in the "hand-work" camp.
I keep a couple Streamlight bandits close by, for unplanned needs, and a big Nitecore for regular needs.
Yeah, you can sort that out usually via their candela rating (how focused the beam is). In order of wide to narrow beam in this video: Milwaukee, Matco (flood mode), Coast (adjusted wide), Slonik, Petzl, Nitecore (we mentioned its more focused high candela beam). See them all here: 19:34
@@TorqueTestChannel Additionally, you can "calculate" how focused a headlamp will be based on the candela and lumen numbers.
Candela / Lumen ratio will tell you just that.
1-5 cd/lm should be a very diffused beam. +15 cd/lm could be a bit too focused for work close-up.
That's one of the reasons I bought the Coast: the beam is adjustable. They're right: Buy battery swaps (high caps) and you'll have the best light on the market in my opinion.
check out the mule lights from Zebralight if you like wide, even beam patterns. I could never go back to a reflector based headlamp.
Look at Zebralight, they have flood lense models. Zebralight have been my go to for over a decade now for lights and headlamps I actually carry and use. They are compact, durable, bright, high quality lights. Between 3 Army deployments and 7 years contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan I have legitimately used them for 10 years in some pretty harsh environments. I generally use them in medium modes and while I haven't measured runtime, they seem to be pretty easy on batteries. Personally, I find turbo/high modes over 300 lumens excessive and not all that practically useful, especially on small lights.
For those of you who are considering a headlight. Get one that fit your needs. Not the brightest one.
I work as an electrician, and I use the Petzl on almost a daily basis. And I use it A LOT since it's basicly my job to work in the dark. It's super light weight so I can carry it with me at all times (not on the head). It's been dropped countless times, and never broke. I guess it's the light weight that is saving it, and the plastic is not the easily cracking kind. It's also small and not in the way when working in cramped spaces. Huge bonus for being 100% plastic as it is isolated and won't shock my head if it, god forbid, would come in contact with anything that it shouldn't. If the battery would run out at a bad time you can always temporarily change it to x3AAA.
This sounds like I'm paid to say, but it's honestly just a recommendation from someone who actually use it.
I need a pretty bright light but honestly it's way better for me to have a less bright light that doesn't light up my eyes/face/hair, or give me a headache, or make me press the button 7 times to turn it off. I have a bunch of headlamps and they're mostly fine for camping or dog park or whatever but I do high volume delivery driving and have to turn the thing off and on every 10 seconds lol. I think one of the best tactics is get a cheap Energizer or Eveready light (or even the $21 petzl) then figure out what bothers them about it and upgrade to a light without those issues
if you are afraid of buying-the-wrong-experiment take a petzl and enjoy a guaranteed peace of mind.
This is some really good info. Thanks. Based on this think I'll get the Slonik.
Plumber here.. always in the dark corners. Petzl are great but I found a Duracell $20 headlamp that owns all of them, has 2 lights, point and wide angle, 2 different intensity for each and runs on aa batteries. I love it I'd take a petzyl over any of these tested brands ( except the cheap Duracell ) anyday
@@MrDmadness What is the model number on that Duracell? All of their current lineup runs on AAA batteries now.
Missed a collab opportunity with Project Farm. You could have had cousin Eddie wear the headlamps!
You got an audible laugh from me right at the end with the "tacticool" "wear all the headlamps!" bit. 🤣
For the battery charging tests, you need to be aware of one thing: some chargers/lights have a linear regulator (charging current stays constant), others a switching regulator (charging current increases with cell voltage / charge level).
For a linear regulator, you need to take the mAh reading directly (the extra voltage between 5V and the cell voltage is just being burned off), for switching regulators you need to consider the mWh reading and divide by the nominal voltage (they have a buck converter, that keeps the current into the cell constant).
That means that the cheaper linear regulator design will get hotter during use, while also seemingly having more capacity (being less efficient with the charge supplied to it)
Yes this came to mind when they said the nitecore had almost 4 Ah of capacity. That's impossible with current 18650 tech. Looking closely the capacity delta was around 3.5 Ah which is realistic, so clearly it's using a linear regulator as you said. Using Wh can be very misleading when the charging circuit and battery DCIR impacts this directly.
Big fan of the channel. This is "Project Farm" level testing. Outstanding! You guys could head towards a million subs!
"One thousand lumens? We'll test that!"
ProjectFarm has a test oif 18650 batteries that would go well with this review. Due to the huge disparity among 18650 batteries (similar to the Lumen-lies, heh), when TTC is testing how long a light lasts, I can't help but wonder whether or not he should have used the same 18650 for each.
Very impressive!
one thing to keep in mind is that high charging current isn't always desirable, a lower charging current will increase the lifespan of the cell because it stresses the cell less. personally, i prefer to charge slower because i always get a spare battery anyway
I use the Milwaukee headlamp as an auto tech and I love it. The true view color is a life saver on your eyes and the low mode provides more than enough light for me. Run time is great and having the ability to swap out for another battery means I can working.
Same here, I have a couple of them for working on the acreage and in the garage. I don't have any of the fitment issues they found. I also like the battery in the back ( i get irritated with heavy thing on the front of my head). Were well worth the money.
Stumbled onto this by accident, ended up watching the whole flashlight series, then subbed. Supremely useful data and the way it was presented was superb. Great job.
Thank you!
Love your name bro
Great video, thank you. I've got a Fenix HP25R I've used the heck out of, mostly with the warm-temp high-spread light for close in working on projects. I really really like it, only downside is that over time the headband has gotten a little loosey-goosey.
The HP25R has the separate battery case at the back with a micro USB to charge it, and it can run while being charged. Kind of a niche use case, but I have gone on a longer winter hike where I had a 3' usb cord powering/charging it from a powerbank in my pocket.
The Petzl headlamps are surprisingly durable. I have never broken one either in the military or using them as a Bat Biologist. Racked up a lot of hours of use and the only reason I've replaced them is to get the newer models. They have brighter headlamps as well as ones with larger batteries. Petzl focuses on more of a tailor made lighting approach.
I agree. I have a few, and they are quirky at first, but very useful. Weird switches. Black Diamond makes a few good ones too.
Two lumens is shockingly usable when you're in the middle of the mountains trying to find your campsite at one AM. Really says something about the dynamic range of the human eye and how dark things get when you're not near a city or highway or other major source of light pollution.
For sure. I use my petzls on low all the time for looking in packs, reading, and other close tasks. I really wouldn't want low any brighter than maybe 20 lumens.
Pro tip. Use a red lens or cut a peice of red plastic. Human eye sees In the dark almost as good as a cat but takes 2-3 hours to get to that, any light disrupts this except red light. That's why the army uses red lights ( also cause hard to spot at distance )
The creator mentions "keychain lights" in passing as though being too dim to be usable but on a backpacking trip I was looking to save weight /space in my pack. So for ten days I in late April /early May on Isle Royale I only used a Nite Ize keychain light for all my nighttime needs. (Single led squeeze light from a CR2032 with a locking switch) Super easy to work with, not even noticeable in weight, just click it on and hold it in your teeth or shine it at a opaque water bottle for an area light. 20+ years later, it is still on my keychain. Awesome little workhorse.
The human eye can see a single photon of light in a completely dark space!
When testing lights that use an 18650, please consider using the same 18650 for each test. There is a huge disparity among 18650 mAh ratings (some are blad-faced lies, IMO).
I use a headlamp every working day. I use a Milwaukee but forget the model. The battery is mounted to the rear of the lamp and it’s $60ish. Pretty good quality for the price and it charges quickly. My only complaint is that the strap needs and overhead band because it slips off of my hat and it’s a struggle between band tightness head ache and the lamp falling off.
Also to everyone complaining that they didn’t test headlamp X there are so many headlamps out there that they have to pick a batch and test them. They are spending their own money on these products as well. If you want it tested buy it for them or donate.
Thank you
@@TorqueTestChannel I would suggest you test the ones recommended on the flashlight sub on Reddit, at least. Much cheaper, and pretty incredible - the Wiki is hugely educational and they even programmed a "bot" that gives recommendations. I have a D25S 1200 lumens headlamp, for reference. It's pretty incredible, and the headband can be washed!!!
CRI? Lumens? Reflector type? Beam pattern? All of these things matter. As far as brands go, Sofirn, Wurkkos, Thrunite, Skilhunt, etc., are all massive improvements over the "top shelf brands". I also have a barrel-type 6k lumen Sofirn flashlight and it is phenomenal for the dark - 90+CRI so I can see everything in great colors and doesn't ruin my depth perception. It throws about a half mile easily. A HALF mile!
The Milwaukee 600 lumens probably doesn't even illuminate past 200ft in my neck of the woods (actual forest next door) because a basic Duracell flashlight from Costco is 500 lumens and with that one you can't even see the deer at 100 feet, barely bright.
Look into night running and climbing headlamps. I use one everyday and ended up with a Fenix. 18650 battery, crazy bright, 2 10hr shifts on a charge
The selling point for me on the Petzl is the red light, the low lumen setting, lightweight, and can use 3x AAA if needed instead of the rechargeable battery. I’ve been very happy with my petzl but would love a lightweight but brighter and less pricey option. Thanks for these tests and sharing the results. The right tools for the job make a huge difference!
Try the Iko core
The low setting on the Petzl is really nice when you are backpacking at night (intentionally or unintentionally). The battery last forever and it lets your eyes adjust to the surroundings so you can see where your stepping but doesn’t blind you to thing in the distance. I have a much cheaper Dorsey for that sole purpose. I use the Milwaukee at work because I like the color of the light (took some getting used too though now I wouldn’t want to use anything else).
I love the review!! I personally own the coast. I feel like you may not have had it on the high setting for the run time test. If you put it on turbo mode while on the low setting you will drop back down to the low setting. I use it almost everyday and would not use it if the high setting wasn’t bright. Regardless I like the recommendation of getting a better battery to try. I also got it on sale for half price so the value is there even if it’s not the brightest because turbo mode is temporary.
We understand a lot of people wished we would have tested X brand or model, but these are all from our viewers' cumulative comments. We tested 8 different ones (2 didn't test well due to sensors) all on the channel's dime. Let us know if we should continue to do more lights and light types? (They take 2-4X the resources to make each vs other episodes)
Torque of TTC is working for Astro Tools who make lights as well, just like the Matco and others. Always consider multiple sources when considering a tool!.
You should test out firefighter helmet lights pretty please. I'm currently using the Streamlight Vantage II.
Klarus flashlights would be a good contester
It would be great!! But you guys should do what you wanna do! We really appreciate the time, effort, and cost of all of it!!
I'd definitely like to see more lights and light types.
This was awesome. thank you. The drops in lumens shocked me. I just came here from a Petzl Bindi vs Nitecore NU25 video, and I think I'm not the only one who would watch these before buying something.
As a Petzl fanboy, the Actik really isn't set out for being an automotive/ industry lamp. It's an outdoor recreation headlamp where volume/weight concerns are at a premium. If you had to ruck any of these through a long hike or multi-day hunt, you'll be begging for a sub 3 oz lamp. All that being said, thanks for shining some light on this lumen industry clouded in BS.
It's a tradeoff as more power with battery life is more weight
Also low lumen / red light only modes are usefull for the outdoors to protect nightvision. Max lumen is less relevant.
I've worn my heavy ass headlamps for 8+ hrs 5 days /wk for years the weight never bothered me once. Do you have trouble holding your head up?
you sound like a super human with epic neck strength. we are all lesser than you obv.
@@marambula maybe he has no neck like Butterbean.
I have the Slonik. It came with a free second battery which is nice. I just had to go to their website and request it. I live at 4,000' on the U.S./CA border and have discovered that once the outside temps get below zero (F), the on/off switch can stop working until you warm it up. Based on your review/test, I'm glad I got the Slonik. I'm out a lot at night and have always found it to be bright enough for my needs.
I have several of the ones you tested, as well as my favorites that you didn't: Streamlight and Olight headlamps.
Armytek and Zebralight headlamps are the best that I'm aware off, would be great if those got included too.
AWESOME video. Subcribed. It's great to see how the light performs over time as I've noticed many lights are bright initially but quickly fade. I will definitely be picking up a nightcore headlamp for the jobsite, however I see they have some higher end lights as well.
I'd say since Nightcore is pretty clear winner here, maybe do a comparison of some of their models together?
I’m glad I just got the Milwaukee. I’m a painter so the true view color light will be very helpful in differentiation of colors as well as sanding drywall patches.
amazing review. I love your integrating sphere. Hope you plan to review more powerful headlamps like Fenix HP30R v2.0, Fenix HP25R v2.0, Acebeam H30, Ledlenser H19R, Coast KPH34R or Petzl duo S. Especially the fisrt one 😉 congrats for the channel!
Happy new year TTC and fans! Brought in 2022 with this video. Here is to a great year! 🍻
I have the coast light and love it for work. But the magnet does pull your head to the side and stick it to the side of anything iron if you get to close
My 2 year review on the 2115 milwaukee light, the headband stretched alot and requires frequent adjusting, the runtime seems to be the same, the hinge still clicks and stay firmly in place, battery cap is still tight, sometime the charging port have some issue recharging the battery removing and reinstalling the battery and plug usually fix it. If you are doing any work on a creeper bed, this isnt a light for you as you wont be able to easily rest your head.
I've had the home depot coast headlamp for about a year now. And I love it, it has saved me a lot times. I usually keep it the middle to lowest setting most of the time and it does last me about 8 hours. With some off time so hard to know the actual run time on low. But it does work better than the milwaukee, not going back to them in headlamps.
Thanks.
I use Coast headlamps exclusively. They stand up to abuse.
Fenix hm70r good output and endurance with USB C charging and 21700 batteries.
I have the HP25R and it's excellent
Love the testing. Battery capacity is usually measured with a discharge test, not a charge test. I know, harder to do with some, but there are good battery charger / testers out there that will measure true discharge capacity.
I have some AAA batteries with a true capacity of about 700mAh, but yesterday they took 2Ah to charge... Huge difference.
I have a Petzl headlamp that is 30 years old, has been through hell caving and still works. If you need something your life depends on, get the Petzl.
Dear TTC,
Please don't take any of these guys's criticisms personally. You guys are legends. Right up there with Project Farm, only more so. Just read the crap and throw it overboard. Don't stew in it.
Thanks for all your hard work this year and thanks again for all your objectiveness and tenacity. You guys are BONUS GRADE!
Battery pack in the back is mega important on a hard hat. I used one for years every day and I can tell you with total certainty that all the weight in front sux severely. I used a Coast with a 3X AAA pack in back. It was balanced front to back so my hardhat was not always tipping to the front blinding me to overhead obstacles.
That sounds a little too loose a fit on the headgear
I’ve gone through two of the Coast ones so far, as they both have flickering issues. First one got super, super bad after time, the other was flickering day one out of the box. Otherwise, I LOVE the twist and the magnet. Holy hell that magnet is so handy
I’ll go yell at them for you, the company is based 15 minutes from my house lol
As a painter and finisher, I swear by the Milwaukee headlamps. When going over painted woodwork, the light they produce makes every little imperfection jump out.
It would be interesting to see beam shape and light hotspot comparisons, also performance at different temperatures.
Glad you’ve expanded into lights. It’s nice to see Nitecore exceeding claimed output. I have one of their 900lumen lights and that thing is crazy bright with a crazy long throw.
Now your going to have to do Olight and Fenix.
I’m confident the fenix ratings are legit. My 900 lumen fenix is insanely bright and doesn’t throttle down at all.
@@christopher6895 I have one of their headlamps and it’s good as well. I haven’t tried any of their flashlights yet but plan on it.
Olight I’ve seen testing and complaints where they really don’t live up to the lumen claims. I have one of their lights and I don’t feel it outputs what it claims.
This is the sort of content I don't press skip ad for.
Top quality and informative.
Hey thanks! But def skip the ads, it's not a big deal. Just appreciate you watching!
Great video. As always.
I feel you missed out highlighting that the petzl battery is indeed swappable, as you can not only buy multiple "core" batteries (but they are spendy at $30), but also swappable with regular AAA which are ubiquitous. I know you mentioned it in the video, but it didn't show up in the final chart and for something like backpacking or traveling, or keeping in a big out bag - it can be a great selling point
Hello again Torque Test channel
Thank you for another Great Video.
Nice work, we really appreciate your efforts, but there was some bias regarding the Coast XP30r when you tested the runtime at 1000lm level, which is considered "Turbo" that lasts for 1-2 minutes then significantly decreases.. so you should test it at "High" level to check their adv claim.. however, observations were great.
Had the slonik for about 7-8 years or so. Using a 3000mAh 18650 batteries with external charger. Still works great but getting another one because bracket broke. Even tho at 600lumens like you guys tested. Light is plenty bright for a diesel tech.
I use the Milwaukee and love it compared to the last version. Once adjusted it's comfortable all day and honestly when you are close to a white wall doing switch/ plug install you use it on low. When on low its 1.5 to 2 days of use. Or put on high to blast a hole site while others work.
Just discovered your channel and I am impressed. It's informative and entertaining. Your methods are well thought out and some of the results are fascinating. I like that you aren't afraid to speculate about the reasons that some products disappoint or excel.
What it comes to flashlights, I'd like to see some Olight products included. Olight has a large customer base and would like to see if this is earned and not just a result of their very aggressive marketing. I admit that I like the Oli g ht products that I own. They can often be found on-sale for a reasonable price, but I lack the objective eye that your channel brings.
Thanks!
I guarantee that coast is using lumens measured at the LED, not "out the front" lumens per the ANSI standard. The focusable optic on the coast is a neat party trick (for some folks) but it subtracts massive lumens from the output.
Focusable flashlights using aspheric lenses (Coast/LEDlenser aren't "plain" aspheric) are similarly handicapped in the gross lumen metric, where a 1000lm LED might do 600 OTF in flood mode and only 300 OTF in focused mode.
Spot on!
I'm not sure how applicable it is in other industries, but in healthcare the CRI of lights can be pretty important. It would be interesting to see this tested in future videos if it's feasible for you to test
I've used Zebra lights for years. They've taken a beating and kept on working. The UI can be as simple or complicated as the user needs. You can use whatever battery you want and best of all the type of light output is excellent with a high CRI.
I think Zebralights are amazing, but for headlamps I absolutely love some Skillhunt lights too.
I second this, can't beat the simplicity, durability, and constant and high output
@@tjackman I've never heard of Skilhunt before. Did some research on them and they look like they're easily a match for Zebralight. Being in Canada and Zebralight no longer ships outside the US I might just have to try a Skilhunt. Thanks for the headsup on this brand. What model(s) do you have and what lens and led you using?
@@daifeichu the skillhunt h04rc is amazing! Neutral white with high cri is definitely my go to!
Great job as usual and thank you for the share!
Would like to see the Husky brand of headlamp, I bought a couple and really enjoy them even though they have the battery pack on the back but the pack is curved and not too uncomfortable.
I have a petzl I have used doing industrial electrical work in rain , sleet, snow, and lots of dirt, grease, and dust. I paid over 125 bucks for that thing at cabela's over 25 yrs ago. It isn't rechargeable but 3 triple A's will run for months even in subzero temps. It has even been used in spray chambers at steel mills where molten glowing steel was 10' feet away. There is a reason all emergency services used to use petzl exclusively. Also the fact that A LOT of mountaineering and climbing gear is made by the same company.
Wonderful comparison, lovely to see my most important tool get some attention. Criticism: performance at 1000 lumens (eye burn mode) is mostly irrelevant, it's too bright for most work. I run a single LED Slonik, guessing it might be 250 lumens on normal high, unlikely it hits the advertised 500 lumens on max. I only bother with max when riding bike, where the extra distance helps. Which begs the question about how long all these lights last, how the output holds up, at lower and longer burning settings. My Slonik won't make 8h on normal high, but I wonder if some of the competition could, at comparable middle settings that are realistic for many work settings.
There are many 18650 batteries available that can provide longer run time than the one that comes with the Slonic but the provided battery is actually pretty good. I don’t have a lot of experience with the batteries but did some research on them so I can’t say how much more run time is available with this type of battery. It seems like a balancing act between run time and how much heat they generate. Not to mention recharge times. If one wanted to make a comparison of each lamps abilities, one could change out the batteries so they all matched but this test was what is advertised vs what was actually provided.
coast are the ONLY lights i have bought that have lasted more that a few months . the ones i have are between 2 and 6ish years old and work perfectly fine . happy new year dude , jeff
Nice comparison, Id like to see some small 16340 headlamps compared like the Fenix HM50R V2.0 and Thrunite H01! I'm going to be carrying a mini headlamp in my mountain bike tool kit this year. Fenix claims some amazing run time for something so small.
I have an older Petzl rechargeable head touch and quite frankly its been brilliant. They might feel cheap but are one of the top names in the outdoor world for a good reason.
No surefire minimus? I like the variable output at work. Love your channel always have something I wanted to know or learn about. Please keep it up!
Out on our remote ranch we use headlamps but find that one certain weakness is the elastic wearing out. Not sure how many manufacturers offer replacement head bands at reasonable price.
Agree all of me petzle headlamps have ended up useless for this reason
I have that Petzl and it is a champ. Owned it, or the original model I guess, for several years. The battery is a no issue example of functionality and quality.
I've been using a stream lite rechargeable from amazon, and a snap on that is pretty cool, it sits on magnet on the band and can be taken off and placed on magnetic surface that you maybe can't put your head in.
I use the Petzl Reactic for work a lot, but I hardly ever use it on the Reactic light metering mode, I just use it on the constant light modes, definitely nice when you can pop the battery pack out of it and swap in a fresh one, the Reactic mode just doesn’t work well with shiny/chrome materials and or IR heat sources
I have a Gerber headlamp that lives in my electrical toolbox, does what I need. But best is one that came in a kit of cheap torches years ago, cost a third of £5 always works, single red beam or twin white, good enough to rewire a switch in the dark !
I've been using Fenix lights for a few years and have worn them camping in the Grand Canyon, North Carolina and up and down Florida from mangroves to beaches in the Keys up to Ocala National Forest. The build quality is decent, though on the heavy side versus other lights. I get that plastic lights feel cheap too, but after wearing a heavy headlamp for a few hours I do understand why many opt for the lighter, less durable lights.
I used the single blub slonik light all the time at work, the rotating mount doesn't move the light when you bump into something in tight spaces. The only weak point is the tabs that hold the head band, those break off easily.
I'd add some Black Diamond headlamp. Lots of options, extra touch button to have quick max brightness, lots of light modes, red light easy on the eyes to adjust, waterproof. Overall the single strap ones will move move more, the straps wear a lot faster and more tension is needed giving forehead imprints. Even if takes more initial adjustments, for long hours I'd take the top strap variants. The petzl's light weight is great for camping, climbing and they got lots of high end models for alpine use. The option to use two types of batteries can save one's butt. Let the job choose the lamp.
My favorite headlamp has been my Thrunite TH-20. Sure, it's not the brightest, but it runs on a single AA and is plenty good for close up work.
I personally use the OLIGHT Array 2s, the motion sense is kinda sketchy when in tight spaces so it will go up down or change light modes but as for longevity and brightness I use it everyday as a technician
I'd love to see a comparison of 'multi-lights' or right angle lights as I find them overall most useful. I'm specifically curious to see how Armytek stacks up.
Mini lanterns or lights with diffusers would also be interesting to see, fenix CL09, nitecore LR12.
I don't know what it takes to measure it, but having the Color Rendition Index and color temperature would be nice. I don't care for LED flashlights that have a blue tint to them. Probably most of the quality ones these days don't have that issue, but still, it'd be nice to know.
Color rendering makes a big difference if you are using a light for a long time, very blue lights are harsh on the eyes leading to eye fatigue and headaches.
The device is a few thousand dollars :P
This exactly why i like the Milwaukee line of lights so much. Very little blue aspect to the light. I honestly feel half blind in the blue tinted lights.
@@TorqueTestChannel It's only money. I'll buy another T-shirt if that'll help :)
I agree, I like hi cri lights and warmer tints and it's important that we do our homework and check on those things before making a purchase. Luckily it's usually easy to find this information online in reviews or at least specs from the manufacturer.
Great review. The only ones I am familiar with is the Petzl and Milwaukee. I currently use the Milwaukee and love it. I agree with your fit assessment, as I am often readjusting. However, one thing that I think you missed is that the Milwaukee feels great for me (no hard hat) with the battery in back. The size on your forehead for me is why I use it most. I have another Milwaukee that has the larger single light/battery on your forehead and I do not like it. I will wear it for hours at a time, so I am willing to adjust it to get the more comfortable feel. Keep up the great work.
One test that I really wish for is, watts/per lumen. I know this would require invasive testing on some of these headlamps but I feel this test would better reveal the overall efficiency/design of each headlamp.
I've had the slonik on my hard hat for the past half a year or so. She's been good to me, lumens aside as a mechanic it's need really good. I've likes how I can just rip it off the mount and use as a flashlight when needed
I used the Magicshine Monteer 8000S on my Safety hat with a mount, works awesome for nearly a year. It's 8,000 Lumens and ultra bright... as in ultra bright. When I'm not working, I take it off and use it on my Intense Carbine Bike for night riding.
Would like to see the armytek wizard headlamp, I have one and really enjoy it. Claims to have 2500 lumen and it would be fun to se how well it would compare to others
Never been impressed with the few Coast lights myself and friends have owned. I would like to see you testing Nebo brand lights. I have a couple, including a headlamp which I really like.
Thanks for your time to do this video that really helps to have a better idea of what we can get from those products 👍
Would love to see more Olights tested. Recently picked up the Array 2 Pro from them and absolutely love it.
Great review, one info that would be useful for some would be cone shape/amplitude at 5 or 8 meters per example.
Great video. I purchased a flashlight last year from Amazon that was advertised as 100,000 lumens. I told them the light was defective and nowhere near 100,000 lumens. I returned the light 2 times before I think they finally caught one and refunded my money. Maybe if more people did this they would crack down on the false numbers.
The Matco interests me because it's thinking about mechanics in a shop. Stick it on, do the work you need, take it off and slap it up against the charger so that when you're not wearing it and its placed in its storage location, it can always be charging and with that charger, two or three guys can have one and always expect it to be near its top capacity. That, I think, is a really nice consideration and from that standpoint gives it a leg up, IMO.
The head lamps you can buy from Decathlon are pretty nice. I have the trek 500 lamp, and it continues to serve me well after almost two years
I would say the Milwaukee 2111-21 is much more intended for being worn directly on the head than the 2115-21 is. Downside is it's only rated for 475 lumins, but it fits on the head nice and secure with its rubberized nonslip headband.
agreed i have 2 of them one for my hardhat and one i keep for home use w/o a hardhat love this light great runtime comfy and plenty bright
As stated in a previous comment on a light video you produced, Try and enjoy the Nitecore HU60(with Anker 20k mAh power bank). 2 full night's of light. Adjustable. I was so happy with my first purchase that I bought a second just in case anything happens to the first! (highly doubt anything will happen because it's a tank!!)...If you do another video on headlamps you would be wise to include it. Although not the brightest it's definitely the most well built from a durability standpoint.
I have had a couple headlights that impressed me. The stream light bandit is a really small rechargeable that probably won't win any awards for brightness or capacity but it is so light and handy I usually grab it first. I also have a rechargeable headlamp by cobalt that has a similar layout to the Milwaukee. It has stupid long runtime and a focusable bezel but is heavy and clunky. I use it when I know I will need a bright light for extended periods and don't care about the weight.
Would you like to know the best headlight (yes I am from the UK so it's a headlight not a headlamp!) for making efficient use of whatever 18650 you put in it? It's a Zebralight. They'll run for a month on moonlight level! When your hiking the Cairngorm Plateau overnight in the middle of winter, a battery life of 2 or 3 hours doesn't cut it. I use the Zebralight H600FC which is high CRI and has a beam which is short range but floods the whole near area with light. For long range, I also carry a small 18650 torch that has a very narrow beam that reaches very far. Ideal for searching a river for a suitable crossing place or looking for that bothy on the side of a hill.
The headlight also does sterling service for working on cars!
Petzl is a name brand in rope climbing gear
Am starting to use the 180 degree type for in my home, better in power failure, under the sink, outside making repairs. The spot type is good for trails and walking. Thanks
The only one that works for me as a heavy truck mechanic is a silicone strap headlight by EGUKU, which I'm sure is a generic brand. I'm not sure about the lumins but it has decent light output for my application. It's very light and very flexible and comfortable, I've put it on in the morning and when I take my hat off for lunch find that I didn't realize it was still there. Would I like more lumins? Yep, but best is the enemy of good enough to my job done 🙂😱
I’ve come to the conclusion there’s companies straight up lying about light output.
Has anyone tried buying aftermarket truck/tractor work lights/ bars only to find pages of obscene lumen output advertisements that are quite obviously lies? Did ts Frustrating
Eyy, the HC60. I have one of those and absolutely love it when I'm working in the dark, the medium setting is plenty bright for most of the work I do.
My best headlamps have been the Walmart hyper tough rechargeable
Mine are 2 years old, and both have 3000mah batteries and still chug along. It’s great cause they were cheap cheap.
The choices are endless, depending on need and specific usage. What headlamp is packed in your bugout/emergency kit? Hurricane season is coming to the coastal East and I want the best one in case the power goes out. Cheers!
I'd love to see you guys test the acebeam headlights. By far the best headlamp I've ever used or seen so far.
Word, true.
Scrolled a bit but didn't see the question. Either I missed something but what is that blue device you test battery capacity and charge time with? Seems very useful! Great video!
Good video... I would have liked if you ran a test on the coast with that better battery.
LEDLenser MH10 comes with an 18650, a green and red filter.
Can be adjusted from tight beam to flood by twisting the bezel.
Should have been a 4-way competition between Petzl, Princeton Tec, Fenix, and SureFire.
garbage brands
Nice video. As a suggestion, let us know what LEDs the lights use, when they are brand names (Cree, Samsung, Nichia, etc...). And consider testing chinese brands in the future. Convoy, Sofirn, Wurkkos, Astrolux among others offer an amazing bang for the buck and put most of the tested lights to shame, for half the price.
Love that Nitecore. I have one, once you get the darn strap adjusted its ok but the light itself rocks !
I have the EZ Red...( they call them neck lights but most people put them on their head)..and use them... they work really well and hold a decent charge
Not the same class as this type..but wear them in my backyard and they light up everything...