LED Hunting Lights
- Thread starter Jackindistress
- Start date
Just copy and paste the link into your browser. Lots of choices there.
I just got my gel pack today and haven't done anything other than look at the red which was much darker than what I had been using. I'm going to scan with the red I have been using and play with the amber and or yellow in my G4 gun light.
I just got my gel pack today and haven't done anything other than look at the red which was much darker than what I had been using. I'm going to scan with the red I have been using and play with the amber and or yellow in my G4 gun light.
ordered 2 headlamps but got one in AA by accident. My fault. The other uses AA or 14500. Basically a 3.6 volt super charged AA. Here's the difference. Pic was taken at the same time but the 14500 was so much brighter the room appears darker. I like the light. There's no battery pack on the back and the design is simple but you can't take the lens off to slip the gel under as far as I can tell. I had to awkwardly tape it to the front. It comes in a little camo pouch so I'll keep it in my pack as a backup.
This is advice from the Sniper Hog Lights site:
What is the life expectancy of the 18650 battery? -- In almost 2 years of testing the 18650 batteries and charging them hundreds of times they still are running at about 85% capacity. The 18650 batteries will last up to 10 years.
Do I have to run the 18650 battery all the way down before I charge it? -- No, the batteries can be charged at any time and they should never be run all the way down. We suggest charging you battery after every hunt or every other hunt.
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and from another site:
Lithium Ion
These are the newest and best rechargeables, since they offer the most power, the smallest size, the lowest weight and require no babying like the Ni-MH and Ni-Cd. They are also the most complex and expensive. They were introduced in laptop computers about 1994 and became common in camcorders and everywhere in the late 1990s. They removed many pounds from each laptop and doubled the run time almost overnight. We would have no iPods or tiny cell phones and microscopic digital cameras today without these. Today every camcorder or digital camera and laptop computer uses these. They only come in special sizes designed specifically for a given piece of equipment and typically cost $30 - 100 to replace.
Care and Use: Completely different from Ni-Cd and Ni-MH, lithiums prefer to be charged early and often. They don't like to be run all the way down. You will get only a few hundred cycles if you run them all the way down each time, and thousands if you charge them up while still mostly full. Lithium Ion's life tends to be measured by how much total energy comes in and out of the battery and not by cycles. Actually you can get more total energy from the battery by only partly using the battery's capacity. Thus I always charge every Lithium Ion battery every night when I've used it the day before, completely unlike the other technology cells. I've gotten great service out of every one I own; I charge my cell phone daily and I've been using it for years.
What is the life expectancy of the 18650 battery? -- In almost 2 years of testing the 18650 batteries and charging them hundreds of times they still are running at about 85% capacity. The 18650 batteries will last up to 10 years.
Do I have to run the 18650 battery all the way down before I charge it? -- No, the batteries can be charged at any time and they should never be run all the way down. We suggest charging you battery after every hunt or every other hunt.
====
and from another site:
Lithium Ion
These are the newest and best rechargeables, since they offer the most power, the smallest size, the lowest weight and require no babying like the Ni-MH and Ni-Cd. They are also the most complex and expensive. They were introduced in laptop computers about 1994 and became common in camcorders and everywhere in the late 1990s. They removed many pounds from each laptop and doubled the run time almost overnight. We would have no iPods or tiny cell phones and microscopic digital cameras today without these. Today every camcorder or digital camera and laptop computer uses these. They only come in special sizes designed specifically for a given piece of equipment and typically cost $30 - 100 to replace.
Care and Use: Completely different from Ni-Cd and Ni-MH, lithiums prefer to be charged early and often. They don't like to be run all the way down. You will get only a few hundred cycles if you run them all the way down each time, and thousands if you charge them up while still mostly full. Lithium Ion's life tends to be measured by how much total energy comes in and out of the battery and not by cycles. Actually you can get more total energy from the battery by only partly using the battery's capacity. Thus I always charge every Lithium Ion battery every night when I've used it the day before, completely unlike the other technology cells. I've gotten great service out of every one I own; I charge my cell phone daily and I've been using it for years.
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happyyoter
New member
takem cut your gel and find a small bottle or something thin walled that fits inside the lens housing..and it will hold your gel in place...plus give ya a small shield...
The seller contacted me on the ebay headlight and is sending a replacement. I will see how long it takes. I still have not found out about the red light on the back. Mine seems to be opposite. It blinks all the time unless the light is on. To me this makes no sense but I am not Chinese.
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Hey guys I have a nother question for you. I see a lot of the larger lights we are using for shooting lights are very similar in all aspects except the output rating. When you see one listed at 500 lumens and the voltage range is 3-9 volts would it be 500lumens at 9 volts. I have seen quite a few listed higher than my hs-802 but are actually the same brightness or less. They all seem to run the same 18650 battery so what is the deal Thanks
happyyoter
New member
the headlamps are made for bicycling...thats why the red light is on back it should only be on when the light is on...on the front...
they are all pretty close...look for deep shiny reflectors...always...
they are all pretty close...look for deep shiny reflectors...always...
Originally Posted By: mikemacThe seller contacted me on the ebay headlight and is sending a replacement. I will see how long it takes. I still have not found out about the red light on the back. Mine seems to be opposite. It blinks all the time unless the light is on. To me this makes no sense but I am not Chinese.
that made me chuckle
that made me chuckle
Originally Posted By: mikemacHey guys I have a nother question for you. I see a lot of the larger lights we are using for shooting lights are very similar in all aspects except the output rating. When you see one listed at 500 lumens and the voltage range is 3-9 volts would it be 500lumens at 9 volts. I have seen quite a few listed higher than my hs-802 but are actually the same brightness or less. They all seem to run the same 18650 battery so what is the deal Thanks
LEDs only want a certain voltage (called the LED forward voltage) to run properly. For Cree LEDs that produce white light, the forward voltage needed is in the range of 3.5 to 3.9 volts. For Cree LEDs that produce red or amber light, the forward voltage needed is around 2.5 volts.
The unloaded, fully-charged 18650 battery has a voltage of 4.2 volts. When it is under load, its actual voltage ranges from 3.2 to 3.9 volts, with 3.7 volts being typical.
Flashlight LED modules will often contain a voltage (and amperage)regulator called a driver. Some driver designs are called "buck" drivers. The buck drivers regulate the voltage from the flashlight batteries so that the proper forward voltage (3.5 to 3.9 volts) is delivered to the LED. Therefore, even if you have a flashlight that has multiple batteries in series (for example, two 18650 batteries in series has up to 8.4 volts), the LED driver regulates the voltage supplied to the LED to still be in the range of 3.5 to 3.9 volts. The LED driver is not 100% efficient, so there is some wasted battery energy when the driver is doing its job of regulating voltage.
Some driver designs are called direct drive (and they are more efficient). Basically, the direct driver provides the single 18650 battery voltage directly to the LED forward voltage. The light output varies directly as the battery depletes its charge. Flashlights designed with direct drivers CANNOT handle multiple batteries, or else "poof". So these flashlights design are not advertised to work with voltages up to 9 volts.
The are other designs of drivers. One is called the boost driver. It's job works opposite to the buck driver. The boost driver regulates by increasing the forward voltage (for example, LED flashlights using a single alkaline battery - the LED still requires its proper forward voltage to work).
Then there are the combined drivers (boost and buck).
Getting to your question about lumens. Many of the Chinese manufacturers "fib" about their lumens. Depending on the LED type (for example, XR-E or XP-G or XM-L, etc) only a certain amount of lumens is possible. The hard driven XR-E can produce up to about 270 lumens; the hard driven XP-G can produce up to about 450 lumens; the hard driven XM-L can produce up to about 900 lumens.
The XR-E type is a smaller size LED, so its design is great for light "throw" (even at lower lumens as compared to other LED types).
LEDs only want a certain voltage (called the LED forward voltage) to run properly. For Cree LEDs that produce white light, the forward voltage needed is in the range of 3.5 to 3.9 volts. For Cree LEDs that produce red or amber light, the forward voltage needed is around 2.5 volts.
The unloaded, fully-charged 18650 battery has a voltage of 4.2 volts. When it is under load, its actual voltage ranges from 3.2 to 3.9 volts, with 3.7 volts being typical.
Flashlight LED modules will often contain a voltage (and amperage)regulator called a driver. Some driver designs are called "buck" drivers. The buck drivers regulate the voltage from the flashlight batteries so that the proper forward voltage (3.5 to 3.9 volts) is delivered to the LED. Therefore, even if you have a flashlight that has multiple batteries in series (for example, two 18650 batteries in series has up to 8.4 volts), the LED driver regulates the voltage supplied to the LED to still be in the range of 3.5 to 3.9 volts. The LED driver is not 100% efficient, so there is some wasted battery energy when the driver is doing its job of regulating voltage.
Some driver designs are called direct drive (and they are more efficient). Basically, the direct driver provides the single 18650 battery voltage directly to the LED forward voltage. The light output varies directly as the battery depletes its charge. Flashlights designed with direct drivers CANNOT handle multiple batteries, or else "poof". So these flashlights design are not advertised to work with voltages up to 9 volts.
The are other designs of drivers. One is called the boost driver. It's job works opposite to the buck driver. The boost driver regulates by increasing the forward voltage (for example, LED flashlights using a single alkaline battery - the LED still requires its proper forward voltage to work).
Then there are the combined drivers (boost and buck).
Getting to your question about lumens. Many of the Chinese manufacturers "fib" about their lumens. Depending on the LED type (for example, XR-E or XP-G or XM-L, etc) only a certain amount of lumens is possible. The hard driven XR-E can produce up to about 270 lumens; the hard driven XP-G can produce up to about 450 lumens; the hard driven XM-L can produce up to about 900 lumens.
The XR-E type is a smaller size LED, so its design is great for light "throw" (even at lower lumens as compared to other LED types).
happyyoter
New member
they may fib but every 10 and 20 dollar light i bought is bright at 200 yards or better...with yellow gel most of the time i only need low...i sat in a ladder stand last night i had many animals in the light not 1 spooked..lol..just no coyote...but 2 fox came right apast me..thinking they were the ones i had seen last week...same spot near the same time...
happyyoter
New member
they may fib but every 10 and 20 dollar light i bought is bright at 200 yards or better...with yellow gel most of the time i only need low...i sat in a ladder stand last night i had many animals in the light not 1 spooked..lol..just no coyote...but 2 fox came right apast me..thinking they were the ones i had seen last week...same spot near the same time...
Maybe those two ox are attracted to your yellow light or maybe the smell. Hey thanks for the light info. I thought about it a litte after I posted and figured it was a boost type driver and increases the output. I was thinking same bulb and everything else in it. You see the same similar lights and there is a big difference in their ratings. Thanks Guys have a great Weekend!
Took out 2 $20 headlamps to west texas and used the yellow gel paper. unfortunately, my g4-mcu that i ordered came in the day after I left so I didn't get to test it.
The headlamps were great spotting torches. were able to get eyes at some good distances. didn't find any yotes with them but came across two packs of hogs. were able to stalk them up to about 50 yards and they had no idea we were coming.
looking forward to trying out that g4...coulda used the help with a shooting light (our normal shooting spotlight wasn't charged...ooppps)
The headlamps were great spotting torches. were able to get eyes at some good distances. didn't find any yotes with them but came across two packs of hogs. were able to stalk them up to about 50 yards and they had no idea we were coming.
looking forward to trying out that g4...coulda used the help with a shooting light (our normal shooting spotlight wasn't charged...ooppps)