Hello everyone, I hope your all keeping safe and well.

I've recently bought a headlamp/headlight for outdoor chores ect, that I though would becoming with the two 18650 batteries it needs but didn't(guess who was the blind bat that didn't read the fine print?).

I've been looking for some from a reputable brand/company and frankly I feel like I'm in over my head, could anyone give me some pointers on what I should be looking for or be taking into consideration?

1. Buy protected cells - more expensive but worth it - much safer

2. Buy high capacity - at least 3000 mAh, more expensive but, again, worth it for significantly longer run time. 3500 mAh is even better.

3. Buy name brand - Sanyo, Fenix, Panasonic. I have heard that any battery with "ultra" in the name should be avoided.

There is a lot of useful info in candlepower forums - probably others as well.

Some headlamp concerns also sell their own brand batteries. I have high capacity Zebralight and Fenix batts and they are doing well.

Expect to pay about 20 bucks per batt - money well spent.

Wow hikermor, I wasn't expecting a reply that fast.

Protected batteries are definitely something I want to have in a headlamp, and I'll check out the brands you mentioned.

Many thanks.

NiteCore makes good ones (actually they put their name on other manufacturer's batteries probably). They come in different capacities. I have some of the 3400mAh ones, I think they even have higher capacity than that these days.

A HEADLAMP that takes two 18650's? That's either going to be one bright son-of-a-gun, or it's going to last for 27 years continuous use per charge.

Please tell what lamp it is, if you will.

There are only a handful of big name makers.

LG
Panasonic/Sanyo
Sony
Samsung

Almost everyone else is just rebranding cells from those companies.

For a battery, as previously said, a high capacity (above 3000mAh and absolute maximum capacity is currently around 3500mAh, any higher and they are lying) from one of the above.

Eg.

Samsung 35E in the UK: https://www.fogstar.co.uk/products/samsung-35e-18650-battery £5.45

Other options are the LG MJ1.


In the US, shouldn't be paying more than $10 (usually $7) for an 18650 from one of the above.

https://www.illumn.com/
https://www.18650batterystore.com/

haertig, Herman30.

The headlamp in question is a cheap Chinese one I got on ebay that kinds looks like a the extra spot lights on a 4x4. Its not something I would want to rely on during a hike but seems good enough for outdoor chores and other at home uses I have in mind for it.

Here's a link to the one I bought link obviously I haven't tried it yet with batteries but I have found that it will run from the build in USB charging port and haertig's right it's a bright son-of-a-gun. It's probably overkill for what I need to be honest but I liked the design, sometimes I'm just attracted to non standard designs like this and as it seemed like it could do the job I though "why not?".

Also it was cheap enough that I'm thinking out using it as a "project" to try some ideas out.

Just do not buy any cheap 18650 batteries. They can be like a bomb if they fail. Those batteries are not to be toyed with.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=18650+battery+accidents

The link you provided said "6000 lumens" !!!!!!!

That will be quite bright indeed, as it's over double what an HID car headlight puts out.

Your friends at the campsite are going to hate you...

https://scanneranswers.com/how-many-lumens-is-a-car-headlight/

Well, there are things like ANSI lumens and eBay lumens. The latter tends to be a bit off.

Herman30, No fear, I have no intent of putting something that's likely to "kaboom" on my head! Using a cheap headlamp with good batteries is one thing, a cheap headlamp with cheap batteries is quite another.

haertig, Yup!, it's definitely quite bright indeed though I don't think it's double what a car headlight can put out. As Tjin pointed out eBay lumens don't seem to be very accurate, I've been looking at these types of headlamps for a while and I've seen some claim to be 10,000, 20,000 and even up to 50,000 lumens!!

I am a fan of good, dependable lighting, especially in headlamps. I have had way too much experience with the cheap stuff to compromise.

My go-to light is a Zebralight 600, which is spendy (90 bucks plus the 18650 battery) but it is solid and dependable. Puts out n honest 1000 lumens (ANSI). It is a very popular light with cavers, who absolutely must have a dependable light source, and often two are mounted on the helmet..

10,000 lumens is absolutely ridiculous. Even at 1000 lumens, the tradeoff is shorter runtime. Generally, lower lumens for longer runtime is a good deal. 200-300 is usually perfectly adequate.

I strongly agree with you hikermor, in this case however the headlamp has a secondary role as "project fodder" for some ideas I have.

While engaging in this thread, my thoughts turned fondly to the first headlamp I ever used during my first summer of fighting fires in 1957 - a Justrite powered by four D cells (which often leaked). When it was working, it must have emitted a rousing 10 lumens.

The stuff available today, even the marginal iteems, impresses me greatly...

Hikermor
Thanks for the memories I am slightly younger. Take care Dave

Must be tired: I first read that as "cadavers"...;-)

Well, if(when) I had to journey to the underworld, that would be the light to have.....

And as part of your banishment to the underworld, they make you use that 6000 lumen beast as your middle of the night dark adapted eyes go to the bathroom light. That would indeed be ^&(*%!

(My middle of the night light is on it's 1/2 lumen setting - and even that sometimes seems too bright!)

This is an excellent point. When eyes are adapted to darkness, very little or no additional light is needed to travel or perform many tasks. With clear skies, especially at altitude in a non-urban setting, you may not need any additional light.

Ren, I bought the Samsung batteries you linked to, they seemed to be about the average price. Hopefuly they should be here in a few days.