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ReviewTheLight: Fenix HP25 (Dual Emitter Headlamp) [TRANSFER RE
QUEST]
By: Bigmac_79 Date: July 7, 2013, 9:11 am
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Fenix has been a leader in the high-end flashlight industry
for the past several years, popular among flashaholics and
"normal" people alike.  They have flashlight models of all
shapes and sizes, and now they've added another headlamp to
their lineup.  It's got two XP-E emitters, one set up as a
flood light and the other as a spot light, hooked to a 4xAA
battery pack in the back, so you're ready for all sorts of
headlamping situations.
<a href="
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Thanks to Fenix for providing the HP25 for review.</i><span
style="font-family: verdana">
</span><span style="font-family: verdana">
I&#8217;ll be reviewing the HP25 in two sections:
first, I&#8217;ll discuss the light objectively (the facts
about the light itself), then I&#8217;ll discuss the light
subjectively (my impressions about the light's performance when
used for specific applications). If you have any other specific
applications you'd like the light tested for, let me know and
I'll see what I can do.
<font size="5">Quick Overview</font>
Below is a video "quick review" you can watch in just a few
minutes, if you're not up for reading the full review right now:
</span> <iframe class="restrain" title="YouTube video
player" width="640" height="390"
src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OfBIESKDYdY?wmode=opaque"
frameborder="0"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: verdana"><i>This video is
available in 720p HD, but defaults to a lower quality. To select
the playback quality click the settings button (looks like a
gear) after you've started the video.</i>
<font size="5">Objective</font>
<b><font size="3">Manufacturer's Specifications</font></b>
Price: 70 USD
</span><a href="
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<span style="font-family: verdana">
</span><a href="
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alt="" /></a>
<span style="font-family: verdana"><i>this image provided
by Fenix </i>
<b>
<font size="3">Packaging</font></b>
</span>
<a href="
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The HP25 comes in a cardboard/plastic package displaying
all the light's stats, and includes 4xAA batteries.
<span style="font-family: verdana">
<b><font size="3">Construction</font></b>
</span><span style="font-family: verdana"><font
size="3"><font size="2">
</font></font></span><a href="
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alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana"><font
size="3"><font size="2">
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alt="" /></a>
The Fenix HP25 is a headlamp-format light, set up with the
emitters in front and the 4xAA batteries in a separate pack in
the back, connected by a spiraled cord for stretchiness.
 The majority of the body and battery case are made from
plastic.
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Both emitters feature a lens with an anti-reflective
coating for maximum light transmission.
<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
</font></font></span><a href="
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<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
Both emitters are CREE XP-E's, so if they used the same
optics they would have the same beam patterns.  However, one
is set up in a deeper reflector (on the left as you view it from
the front) to focus the beam to a tight spot, and the other uses
a combination of very shallow reflector and aspheric lens (on
the right) to spread the beam to a very wide and even flood.
</font></font></span><a href="
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<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
The Fenix logo is between and above the two emitters, and
the light is controlled by two electronic switches along the top
edge of the light.  The one controlling the spot emitter has
a symbol of parallel beam lines, the one controlling the flood
emitter has a symbol of diverging beam lines.
</font></font></span><a href="
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<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
On one side of the light, the cord comes out to go around
your head back to the batter pack.  On both sides, a hinge
with ridges to gives the HP25 an adjustable angle.
</font></font></span><img
src="
HTML http://www.freegifhub.com/i/Fenix%20HP25%20Angles%20Small.gif"<br
/>border="0" alt="" /><span style="font-family: verdana"><font
size="3"><font size="2">
The front part of the HP25 (that houses the emitters) is
mounted by a hinge on a base where the headband attaches, so
that you can adjust the angle of the beam.  The above
animation shows the various angle available.
</font></font></span><a href="
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alt="" /></a>
<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
This is the base of the HP25 where the headband attaches.
</font></font></span><a href="
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This is the battery pack, which sits on the back side of
your head.
<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
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The battery pack unscrews and a clear plastic battery case
slides out.
<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
</font></font></span><a href="
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<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
The four slots of the batteries are marked for polarity,
with springs for the negative terminals.  The threads for
the screw holding the case together are metal, not plastic.
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<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
The HP25 comes with four Pairdeer AA batteries included.
</font></font></span><a href="
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alt="" /></a>
<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
Attaching the headband takes some time to figure out at
first, but it works very well once attached.  Because of the
weight involved in using the four AA batteries, it requires both
a strap around the side and one over the top to keep it from
sagging.
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<span style="font-family: verdana"><font size="3"><font
size="2">
The headband attaches to slots on the inside of both the
light and the battery pack.  Two small clips hold the cord
to the headband so it doesn't hang loose.
</font>Dimensions</font></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana"><font
size="3">Accessories
</font></span><span style="font-family: verdana">
</span><a href="
HTML http://razzi.me/p/1087149"
target="_blank"
rel="nofollow"><img
src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
The HP25 comes with the light, battery pack, 4xAA Pairdeer
alkaline batteries, headband side strap, headband top strap,
warranty card, manual, and two cord clips.
<b><font size="3">User Interface</font></b>
</span><a href="
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<span style="font-family: verdana">
The HP25 has two emitters, independently controlled by two
electronic buttons.  Each emitter is controlled by the
button directly above them, the Spot button labeled with
parallel lines and the flood button with diverging lines.
 Each emitter has four available modes, though not the same
modes.  
To turn an emitter on, hold down the button for about a
second.  To change the brightness, pressing the button will
advance you to the next mode in the sequence.  For the Flood
emitter, the sequence is Low -> Medium -> High -> Turbo.
 For the Spot emitter, the sequence is Low -> Medium ->
High.  The fourth mode of the Spot emitter is SOS, which is
accessed by holding down the Spot button for about two seconds
(whether the emitter is currently on or off).  To turn an
emitter off, hold down on it's button for about a second.
The emitters are controlled completely independently, so
either can be on any mode or off at any time without being
affect by the mode of the other.
</span><span style="font-family: verdana">
<font size="3"><b>Action Shots</b></font>
You can click on any of these shots to see them full size.
Light in Hand
</span><a href="
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src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
White Wall
<i>ISO 100, f/3.3, 1/20"
</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana">Flood: Low,
Medium, High, Turbo
Spot: Low, Medium, High
Flood Turbo + Spot High
</span><a href="
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</span><a href="
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target="_blank"
rel="nofollow"><img
src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><a href="
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target="_blank"
rel="nofollow"><img
src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
</span><a href="
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target="_blank"
rel="nofollow"><img
src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
BeamSlice
Flood, Spot, Flood+Spot
</span><a href="
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target="_blank"
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rel="nofollow"><img
src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
MugShot
</span><span style="font-family: verdana">Flood, Spot
</span><a href="
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src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
</span><span style="font-family: verdana">Indoor
Shots</span><span style="font-family: verdana">
<i>ISO 100, f/3.3, 1"
</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana">Flood: Low,
Medium, High, Turbo</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana">Spot: Low, Medium,
High</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana">Flood Turbo + Spot High
</span><a href="
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</span><a href="
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</span><a href="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
Outdoor Shots</span><span style="font-family: verdana">
<i>ISO 100, f/3.3, 2.5"
</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana">Flood: Low,
Medium, High, Turbo</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana">Spot: Low, Medium,
High</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana">Flood Turbo + Spot High
</span><a href="
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alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
Long-Range Shots</span><span style="font-family: verdana">
<i>ISO 100, f/3.3, 5"
</i></span>Flood Turbo, Spot High, Flood Turbo + Spot High
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<font size="3"><span style="font-family:
verdana"><b>Performance</b></span></font>
<span style="font-family: verdana">Submersion: Fenix has
rated the HP25 at IPX-6, which for water resistance is labeled
"powerful water jets".  This means it's not approved to
survive being completely submersed, but it has passed a test of
having high-powered jets of water squirted at it from all
directions.  I don't have any powerful water jets, so I
squirted it from all angles with the most powerful squirt gun I
could find.  I could find no evidence of water entering or
damaging the light, however the strap did of course get soaked
and took time to dry out.</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana">Heat: I notice no heat
buildup on any mode of the HP25.</span>
<span style="font-family: verdana">PWM: I did not detect
pulse-width modulation on any mode of the HP25.</span><span
style="font-family: verdana">
Drop: I dropped the HP25 from a height of one meter onto
various surfaces.  I found no cosmetic or functional damage
to the light.
Reverse Polarity Protection: Fenix claims the HP25 has
reverse polarity protection for <b>all</b> the battery slots, so
if any combination of 1, 2, 3, or all 4 batteries are inserted
backwards the light will not be damaged.  I tried reversing
the batteries in all 15 possible combinations, and the light did
not turn on when any battery was reversed.  Afterward, I
corrected all the batteries and the light resumed normal
operation, with no sign of damage.
</span><span style="font-family: verdana">
Over-Discharge Protection: The HP25 does not accept lithium
ion batteries, so over-discharge protection is not necessary.
<font size="3">Spectral Analysis</font>
</span><a href="
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target="_blank"
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src="
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<a href="
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target="_blank"
rel="nofollow"><img
src="
HTML http://just.razzi.me/photos/1090173/7834a15.jpg"
border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
All light that we see as white is actually made up of
several different colors put together. The relative intensities
of the different colors in the mix are what determine the tint
of the white we see. For example, cool white LED's have a lot of
blue, and warm white LED's have more red or yellow. This
measurement was done on a home made spectrometer. The plot below
the picture is corrected for the spectral sensitivity of the
human eye. Note: the peak in the 900nm region doesn't really
exist, it's a piece of the second-order spectrum that's showing
up here because of the high intensity of the light source.
As you can see, the flood emitter in my review sample is
noticeably cooler than the spot emitter, which is reflected in
the beamshots as well.
<font size="3">Output and Runtime</font>
</span><a href="
HTML http://razzi.me/p/1090163"
target="_blank"
rel="nofollow"><img
src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
ANSI FL-1 runtime ratings are the time it takes for a light
to fall to 10% of it's original output (counting from 30 seconds
after turning the light on).
The vertical axis of the graphs below represents a relative
brightness measurement using a home made light box. The
horizontal axis is time in hours:minutes:seconds. Runtimes are
stated in hours:minutes:seconds. These graphs may be truncated
to show detail.
<b>Mode Comparison</b></span><span style="font-family:
verdana">
</span><span style="font-family: verdana">
All of these graphs are truncated to show detail, the HP25
runs on for quite some time on very low output for each mode.
Food + Spot
</span><a href="
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</span><a href="
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Flood
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</span><a href="
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src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
Spot
</span><a href="
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target="_blank"
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<a href="
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src="
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border="0"
alt="" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana">
<font size="3">Throwing Distance</font>
ANSI FL-1 standard for stating a light's throwing distance
is the distance at which the peak beam intensity (usually at the
center of the beam) is 0.25 lux. I calculate throwing distance
and candela (lux at 1 meter) by measuring peak beam intensity at
five different distances and using the formula
lux*distance^2=constant.
<u>Flood + Spot
</u><b>Peak Beam Intensity: 5573 cd</b>
<b>Throw Distance: 149 m</b>
</span><u>Flood
</u><b>Peak Beam Intensity: 120 cd</b>
<b>Throw Distance: 22 m</b>
<span style="font-family: verdana">
</span><u>Spot
</u><b>Peak Beam Intensity: 5415 cd</b>
<b>Throw Distance: 146 m</b>
<span style="font-family: verdana">
I measured the throw for Flood + Spot independently of the
Flood and Spot measurements (I didn't just add the Flood and
Spot together for a calculated Flood + Spot), but the
measurements are very close to what I would get if I did just
add them.  This shows that the HP25 is perfectly capable of
running both emitters at full power at the same time.
<font size="5">Subjective Review</font>
Quick break down:
</span><span style="font-family: verdana">+ Separate flood
and spot emitters!
+ Excellent regulation with NiMH
+ Very accurate output claims
+ Headband is comfortable
+ Adjustable light angle
+ Common battery type
+ Spot and flood beams controlled separately
+ Smooth mode transitions
+ Output relatively high for a headlamp
</span>
- Mode labeling is just weird
- Heavier than single-battery headlamps
<span style="font-family: verdana">- Emitter tints don't
quite match</span>
The HP25 has been a very impressive headlamp.  Using
four AA batteries and two XP-E emitters, it's in the "large"
range for headlamps and is brighter than most, but doesn't rival
contemporary hand-held lights in brightness.  The only
headlamps that have significantly higher output than the HP25
are those few that mimic handheld lights using an 18650 lithium
ion battery.
Number one high point of the HP25 is it's dual-emitter
system, focusing one for a tight spot and dispersing the other
for an extremely even flood.  The flood is so even, that in
normal outdoor use it's almost impossible to identify a hot spot
at all.  It's also great that both emitters are controlled
independently, so you hace have whatever combination of flood
and spot that you need--this was a great decision on the part of
the designers.  Depending on my environment, I found myself
using flood only, spot only, or a combination of the two.
 While using it indoors, the flood alone was great for
lighting up a whole room extremely evenly, which makes it easy
to see everything going on without being blinded to your
surroundings.  Late at night around the house the 4 lumen
mode is good for not ruining your night vision or waking up
family.  The higher modes worked well for lighting up a
larger room and working in it.  I found myself usually only
turning on the spot when outside.  For general going for a
walk, I usually used the flood on High and and the spot on
Medium.  For biking, I turned both emitter on max and had
the entire area lit so I could see all my surroundings, plus I
could see a long distance down the path.
One of the big concerns with a headlamp is comfort over the
long term, so you can use it for full night without getting a
headache.  The wide, stretchy band provided with the HP25
was definitely comfortable on my head, and the addition of the
band over the top meant I didn't have to have the headband very
tight in order for the light to have enough support to stay in
place.  The adjustable angle feature meant I could mount the
light wherever was most comfortable on my forehead, then adjust
the angle accordingly.  The addition of the battery pack on
back meant the light was well balanced on my head, but over a
long period of time I could definitely notice a difference from
smaller single-cell headlamps, though not enough to cause any
pain or fatigue.
From a technical standpoint, I was very impressed with the
extremely accurate output claims for the HP25--I measured output
level at or above those claimed on almost every mode.  Where
the max is claimed at 360 lumens for both emitters combined, I
actually measure 395 on NiMH and 423 on alkalines.  Also,
the regulation on each mode is absolutely excellent.  After
a very small ramp down at the beginning as the battery voltage
levels out, the regulation is near perfect for the duration of
the main run.  Then, the light quickly drops to a very low
(lub-lumen) output and stays on at that level until the
batteries give out.  This is great, because you have
reliable light without dimming for the expected run time, then
an obvious alert that your batteries need changed, followed by
plenty of time to find the fresh batteries while you still have
a little bit of light.  This is pretty much exactly what I
like to see in an output graph.  The ANSI values for run
time that I measured where slightly lower than what Fenix
reported, but this may be due to the fact that my NiMHs are 1900
mAh, where I believe 2000 or more is pretty standard now.
 One more technical thing to note, is that on the HP25 the
mode transitions have a quick smooth ramp instead of an abrupt
change.  It takes much less than a second, but it's
noticeable that one mode ramps up to the next.  I don't know
if this is standard for Fenix (this being my first Fenix to
review), but it's not standard for most lights and it's a
pleasing touch.
There are very few negatives I found for the HP25.  I
did already mention the size and weight, which some may consider
a negative depending on your desired usage, but really it's a
tradeoff that you have to make in order to get the high output
and run time from a common battery type.  My one real
(though petty) gripe with the HP25 is that the mode labeling is
just weird.  I'll re-post the graph here to explain:
<a href="
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target="_blank"
rel="nofollow"><img
src="
HTML http://just.razzi.me/photos/1090165/3a2f473.jpg"
border="0"
alt="" /></a>
<font size="1"><span style="font-family: verdana"><i>this
image provided by Fenix</i></span></font>
For some unfathomable reason, Fenix decided to offset the
mode labeling so that while both emitters have a 180 lumen mode,
one is called "Turbo" and the other is called "High".  Thus,
only the flood emitter has Turbo (though it doesn't behave like
a Turbo mode, it's fully regulated like all the others).
 High mode for the flood emitter is 90 lumens and High for
the spot is 180 lumens; same problem with Medium and Low.
 Why not ditch the Turbo label, and instead call the flood's
4 lumen mode "Very Low" or something, then everything's peachy.
 Does this actually affect the performance of the light in
any way?  Nope.  But it made it a pain for me to keep
straight doing the review, and it just seems like a pointlessly
silly decision by whoever at Fenix made this chart.  <img
src="
HTML http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/images/smilies/icon3.gif"<br
/>border="0" alt="" title="Icon3" class="inlineimg" />
Other than that, the only other negative is that the
emitter tints aren't quite matched.  As you can see in the
Spectral Analysis section, the flood emitter is measurably
cooler than the spot emitter.  This isn't a huge issue and
will only bother the most picky of eyes in real use.  This
could be due to the different optics used, because a reflector
handles light differently than a lens, so that even two emitters
with the same tint bin and color temperature would end up
appearing different when inserted into these two different
optics.
Overall, the HP25 is an excellent headlamp.  If you're
looking for a high quality headlamp and are willing to have the
extra size and weight for the benefits of higher output, longer
run time, and independently controllable spot and flood
emitters, then the HP25 would be a great choice.
<font size="3"><span style="font-family: verdana"><b>Long
Term Impressions</b></span></font>
<span style="font-family: verdana">I'll fill this part in
after carrying the light for a while. If nothing get's added
here, either I find nothing else worth noting about the light,
or I end up not using it often.</span> [/html]
#Post#: 1672--------------------------------------------------
Re: ReviewTheLight: Fenix HP25 (Dual Emitter Headlamp) [TRANSFE
R REQUEST]
By: Spasmod Date: July 7, 2013, 11:02 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Awesome review of a great light Bigmac. It's great to see you
here also, welcome to TFE :)
#Post#: 1685--------------------------------------------------
Re: ReviewTheLight: Fenix HP25 (Dual Emitter Headlamp) [TRANSFE
R REQUEST]
By: MRsDNF Date: July 7, 2013, 3:21 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Hi and welcome Bigmac. Great review . I'm looking forward to the
completion of it. Thanks.
#Post#: 1687--------------------------------------------------
Re: ReviewTheLight: Fenix HP25 (Dual Emitter Headlamp) [TRANSFE
R REQUEST]
By: Spasmod Date: July 7, 2013, 4:42 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
After reading it through again it suddenly occured to me that
the ability to choose between flood or spot or both is
brilliant.
I do a fair bit of walking at night through fairly enclosed
(tunnel like) overgrown trails and an old dissused railway line.
I find that when there's a spot I tend to find myself focusing
on it and after a while starting to feel nauseous.
With a perfectly even spill beam with no spot (like a zoomie set
to wide) I don't have this problem and can walk for miles in
complete comfort. It's far easier to flick a switch than to
fiddle around with zooming in and out so that makes this light a
sure winner for me.
The only thing which would make it complete would be a remote
keyfob type switch as an additiional means of controlling the
light without having to touch it by hand physically (In fact I'm
surprised we don't see this with these headlamps)
Just a few of my thoughts there :)
#Post#: 1688--------------------------------------------------
Re: ReviewTheLight: Fenix HP25 (Dual Emitter Headlamp) [TRANSFE
R REQUEST]
By: MRsDNF Date: July 7, 2013, 6:40 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Spas wrote. ''I do a fair bit of walking at night through fairly
enclosed (tunnel like) overgrown trails and an old dissused
railway line.''
Sounds like the same trail I walk on. Say gidday to the old
bloke hobbling along with two Jack Russell's and if I can con
someone, either Mrs DNF or one of the kids and a couple off some
sort of flashlights. Cheers.
#Post#: 1691--------------------------------------------------
Re: ReviewTheLight: Fenix HP25 (Dual Emitter Headlamp) [TRANSFE
R REQUEST]
By: MRsDNF Date: July 8, 2013, 4:05 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanks JM for another in depth review. This looks like a well
thought out light. I suppose if you have 2 emitters and 4
batteries it is going to be reasonably large. With the two led's
how would this work as a bike light? Another plus is that it
runs on regular alkaline batteries.
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