Light, Powerful, Easy Adjustment, Rechargeable!
"As an avid ultrarunner, I was pleased to be invited to test out the HL18RT headlamp from Fenix. From running to camping and life in between, this headlamp has done the job and has exceeded my expectations. The most impressive feature, besides the massive light output, is the headband. It is much wider than all the others I've owned and I have owned a lot of headlamps. I'm kind of a savant when it comes to illumination on my cranium. Ever since I worked in a camping store and was able to buy them with an employee discount, I've always had a collection that could outfit a small army. Petzl, Black Diamond, Princeton Tec - I've had them all. Heck, when I ran coast-to-coast on a self-supported solo run across America in the ’90s, the only option available to me was the iconic Maglite Mini-Mag penlight with 2 AAA batteries and a tiny incandescent bulb. I wore this strapped to the side of my head with an aftermarket elastic strap. That penlight produced a meager 13 lumens of light for about 45 minutes and then greatly diminished until a few times I was actually holding it up to street signs with my nose pressed against the sign trying to use what little power was left. Clearly, any newer product from this Millennium is going to be superior compared to those dark ages. But I can also compare my Fenix HL18RT to the other current models in my well-stocked running closet. Gone are the hot little filaments and here to stay are LEDs. But why does anyone need another headlamp? The answer is simple; better features, better design, better comfort. On all three, the Fenix HL18RT passes with shining bright-white color. One of its best features is the wide secure headband. It is much wider than anything else I’ve tried on the market. It is snug and grips the head well, offering stability and security in the most action-packed adventure. The rear of the headband sports the most unique feature of this model: a locking click-wheel to adjust the tension of the band. The click wheel pops out to loosen and clicks to tighten. There are two very thin strings wound in this tensioner that allow for a customizable fit, regardless of whether you’re wearing a hat, winter cap, or different hairstyles. There hasn’t been any issue yet with this tensioner and string system but if it does happen to fail, it would be nice if the headlamp included a backup system for tightening the strap. One big perk of the tensioner system is that you can operate it with just one hand. Let’s look the most important part of the headlamp: the light. The HL18RT offers ample illumination using two different sources, a center spotlight and a pair of more general use diodes. There is a button for each, side by side. The spotlight has three levels of brightness, thus saving battery life, and two levels plus an SOS mode in the low beams. At max power, this headlamp can put out 500 lumens, or 38 incandescent Mini-Mag flashlights with fresh batteries. Not bad for a piece of nylon that rides comfortably on your head at just 3. 4 ounces including batteries. The headlamp allows you to recharge the included rechargeable battery using a standard USB to USB-micro connector (included) and has a listed runtime of 3 hours at the maximum output or up to 20 hours at low beam. A multi-day adventure can continue late into the night by replacing the battery with three disposable AAAs. Mounted below the main diodes, there are a series of four blue lights along the bottom front of the headlamp. At first, I thought this was for map reading, but later learned it’s the battery indicator. As the batteries reduce in strength, the indicator lights display the current level, letting you know if you should swap out the batteries in your next aid station bag or not. For all-around general use, I would like to see a map reading light added but if ultra-lightweight and powerful beam are your goals, you’d be hard-pressed to find a lamp that can shine as bright as well as the Fenix HL18R."
