Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,960
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Post by Westy on Sept 8, 2018 17:45:03 GMT -8
Lithium ion batteries don't like spending too much time either fully charged or discharged. For storage they like to be at their nominal voltage (3.8V per cell. Half full). ErnieWAppreciate your post very much, especially since I have devices expected to be in storage for an extended period, most notably an Anker 10000 PowerCore. Thanks again.
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,949
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Post by ErnieW on Sept 8, 2018 18:32:53 GMT -8
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driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 15,004
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Post by driftwoody on Sept 9, 2018 11:37:02 GMT -8
I don't know if it quite fits the bill for you, but the headlamp I have been eyeing is the Nitecore NU25. It looks like a great balance (for my needs) between weight, cost, and function. After obsessing for days about my headlamp options and despite some concerns about the non-removable Li-on battery, I decided to purchase the Nitecore NU25. It has all the performance features I want (including waterproof) and weighs just under an ounce. My previous headlamps (3+ ounces) always felt a bit clunky on my head. My next trip isn't until November, but I'll try to remember to post on how it performed. The real test will be long term battery charge retention.
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Post by trinity on Sept 9, 2018 13:24:46 GMT -8
After obsessing for days about my headlamp options and despite some concerns about the non-removable Li-on battery, I decided to purchase the Nitecore NU25. Great, I look forward to a report. I may just break down and pick one up myself.
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Post by Freestone on Oct 4, 2018 20:02:50 GMT -8
I don't know if it quite fits the bill for you, but the headlamp I have been eyeing is the Nitecore NU25. It looks like a great balance (for my needs) between weight, cost, and function. I have the NU25 but have not taken it backpacking yet. I ordered it for a spring trip but it took forever to arrive, Amazon shipped it to me at no charge from China! I'm getting ready for another trip next week but still on the fence on taking it. I did notice that the on-off switch can easily be turned on while in storage so care has to be taken to avoid that battery draining mistake. I mostly just use my smart phone flashlight and BA MtnGlo these days since I'm not much of a night owl anymore. Please disregard my comment on the switches being easy to accidentally turn on. I discovered that the NU25 has a switch locking feature that prevents accidentally turning the lamp on.
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Post by ryanlivas on Oct 5, 2018 1:02:42 GMT -8
I would recommend the Petzl tikka headlamp. It's really good and cheap as well. You can buy it in amazon with a price not exceeding $30.
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driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 15,004
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Post by driftwoody on Oct 5, 2018 9:28:52 GMT -8
I have the NU25 but have not taken it backpacking yet. I ordered it for a spring trip but it took forever to arrive, Amazon shipped it to me at no charge from China! I'm getting ready for another trip next week but still on the fence on taking it. I did notice that the on-off switch can easily be turned on while in storage so care has to be taken to avoid that battery draining mistake. I mostly just use my smart phone flashlight and BA MtnGlo these days since I'm not much of a night owl anymore. Please disregard my comment on the switches being easy to accidentally turn on. I discovered that the NU25 has a switch locking feature that prevents accidentally turning the lamp on. I purchased the NU25 and like it a lot, having used it around the house and for reading in bed. I'll have a better feel for it after my next backcountry trip.
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Jason Klass
Trail Wise!
There is no such thing as having too many sporks
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Post by Jason Klass on Oct 6, 2018 19:19:32 GMT -8
Another vote for the Petzl Tikka. I used to use a PrincetonTec EOS and it was OK but a little bulky. I also had two E+ Lites and both of them broke almost right away. But I've been using the Tikka now for years and it checks all my boxes. Good output, light, compact, and durable.
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Post by k9education on Oct 9, 2018 23:07:25 GMT -8
Can anyone offer any personal experiences on the BD Storm vs the Petzl Actik Core/Tactikka Core (same device, different colors)?
Based on my reading of reviews, the primary complaints about the BD are an electric hum, a pressure point on the headband, and over-complicated usage. The Petzl primary complaints seem to be that it feels cheap/flimsy and appears as if it won't even stand up to a light rain despite its IPX 4 rating (though not even one reviewer mentions this actually happening). It seems few people have used both of these though and my nearest REI is almost 1.5 hours away so I'm shopping vicariously through others. :x
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Oct 10, 2018 0:18:11 GMT -8
I’ve only used the Storm. Nice enough. It fit fine. Never noticed a noise. Didn’t find it all that complicated. The color leds aren’t anything I use but other than that decent lumens, decent brightness control. Decent weight (light). Good battery life probably because the low setting I find useful for just about everything I suppose.
Had it about a year. I’d buy it again.
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reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Oct 10, 2018 2:03:27 GMT -8
Have an older Storm, don't know much about the Petzl.
No hum, no pressure point. Maybe they had it on too tight. Complicated? I guess, but learning its cycles would help.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2018 5:25:21 GMT -8
In you favorite calendar program, put an entry, for once a week, to energize the head lamp containing the Li battery for 30 seconds per week. Every 10 charge cycles let the headlamp run completely down before recharging.
As a note, the parts cost to build a 260 white, 190 red, electronically controller brightness (PWM), lumen, USB rechargeable with battery headlamp is $20.00; add another 6 bucks to double the white lumen output.
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gabby
Trail Wise!
Posts: 4,539
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Post by gabby on Oct 10, 2018 8:14:06 GMT -8
I’ve only used the Storm. Nice enough. It fit fine. Never noticed a noise. Didn’t find it all that complicated. The color leds aren’t anything I use but other than that decent lumens, decent brightness control. Decent weight (light). Good battery life probably because the low setting I find useful for just about everything I suppose. Had it about a year. I’d buy it again. I'd have to concur. I've had 3 or 4 different versions of the Storm**. After actually buying the new one and trying it rather than harping like I did on the "Black Diamond Headlamp - STORM" thread a few weeks ago (that link to my "rant" does, however, have a couple of Youtube videos that are somewhat relevant), I did finally post a recant of my original rants on that same thread with some observations about the new Storm after using the new Storm around the house for a few weeks. I found that it's a pretty reliable headlamp that performs well, at least for me. It's a bit on the heavy side and it's a somewhat "clunky" rectangular shape, but, you gives and you gets. Most of the time, I don't really need 350 lumens. Still, it's a good solid lamp, even if it's not "ultralight". No hum, no pressure point. Maybe they had it on too tight. Complicated? I guess, but learning its cycles would help. I don't find any "pressure point" on the headband. On the new Storm, BD actually added a Petzl-like pad behind the unit on the headband - and, if that gave a problem, it's removable. In fact, I thought at first that the comment on "pressure point" was about the new "tap for max"/"power tap" feature, which at least one reviewer found to be problematic - I did not, however. It worked quite well. On the "over-complicated usage" point, I found that it works pretty much the same as the Storm always has, only the way the switches work on the new Storm were more rational. From my post cited above: This time around, BD has made the switches from one light to the next much more reasonable, consistent and coherent. Further, as we seemed to be wondering earlier in this thread, all lights, including all 3 colored lights, are dimmable by simply pressing and holding the one main switch on top of the headlamp, once the chosen light is on.
As usual with the BD Storm, switching from the main white beam to the colored (red only in the old model) is accomplished by turning the headlamp off, then pressing the main switch for ~2 seconds. Locking and unlocking the light takes a ~6 second press. To switch from blue to green to red takes 2 presses of the main switch for each light switch. I didn't have any trouble whatsoever accomplishing this. The guy in the 2nd video did, for some reason.
In the old Storm, switching the main white light off meant that the next time you turned the unit on, the light that illuminated would be the secondary white lights. And, on the next switching off and on, you got the main white light again. They "toggled". Not so anymore. The new Storm remembers where it was at all times. If you had any one of the 5 lights on when you turned the light off last, assuming the battery didn't die, the Storm will return to the light you had on. It also remembers where you had dimmed any of the 5 lights, even if you used the "power tap" feature to go to maximum. (The "power tap" feature allows you to momentarily go to the highest setting, and then back. IME, I found that it was more of a "touch" than a "tap", but it works.)
The Storm now has a Petzl-like forehead pad on the strap. **I even have a set of 4 ancient BD Moonlight headlamps I bought on clearance a very long time ago for cheap, cheap, cheap (I think like $5 apiece or something). At the time, I liked the fact that the battery compartment was on the back, balancing the light up front. But this thing is hardly "bright" when compared to today's LEDs. It has a high, middle and low setting, as well as a strobe, but none of them is all that strong. In fact, the only reason I kept the things is because they're just about right for reading and poking around, and you can move that battery pack thing just about anywhere you like. Never throw anything out is my motto. I also have some old, old BD Ions I bought for one reason or another when REI "clearanced" them one season to make room for the new model. I gave a couple of those away to friends who like to run and don't need much in the way of light. I got a lot of shit, and it's all sitting around somewhere in the house. Just need to organize. But, maybe...someday. BD Moonlight BD Ion
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Oct 10, 2018 11:50:48 GMT -8
BD Ion We had (have? Might still be in the glove compartment of the car) one of those. Not enough light, and the special battery proved a PITA.
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Post by k9education on Oct 10, 2018 13:55:44 GMT -8
Thanks for the replies. The pressure point reviewers kept referring to was related to one of the buckles on the back that faces in instead of out. One guy said he cut it with a wire cutter to move it to the outside, but not having ever seen one in person I can't envision whether this is really a viable fix if I share his opinion on the problem. Overall though, the BD stuff seems to be much better rated than the Petzl stuff.
That said, the Tikka XP (TIKKA XP E86 PR) I purchased in 2008 still works great, albeit not very bright compared to today's offerings. Hiking at night in areas where the trail markers are brown (wtf came up with this brilliant idea?!) sometimes requires walking right up to the trees. In terms of light output, I don't think I'll be disappointed in anything either company offers if I'm comparing it against what I have. :D
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