OT - HF 45807 stretched out

[clare]

Welding goggles would be the first thing that comes to mind - - - - -

-.

[Stormin Mormon]

You're right aout the gooder quality elastic. The HF head lamp has a slider "buckle", not sure what is the name for it. But, the strap is adjustable. Problem is, the elastic is stretched out, and no longer stretchy.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Just make sure the elastic isn't Chinese like the crap that came with the light - or get a velcro strap that will always fit and won't need sewing.

[Mr. Grumpypants]

Is this why our top-posting friend needs a headlamp with long battery life?

[Stormin Mormon]

Is it true? Some men wear a ball hat, even to bed? Maybe Ron Howard?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

First, you gotta remember to take off the hat. That's hard enough to remember! :-)

[Stormin Mormon]

That could explain it. Mine travel in vehicles, and get exposed to UV.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

heat, like leaving it in the car in the summertime, or UV, will also cause elastic to not be stretchy.

[Robert Green]

>>

They're properly doused, thank you. This is a simple matter of physics. Brighter lights usually require more power. The hat is much, MUCH dimmer than any of the other headband LEDs that I have - and that's quite a few. (-: I collect flashlights. They're in every tool box, in the cars, and there's one hanging on a hook in the bedroom closet. When the power fails, having good light and both hands free is a great advantage. I've got at least five different models. There are some that run on very thick AG-series button cells but I decided that it's much better to purchase models that run on batteries I can recharge. That's the most economical option.

The hats produce adequate light for many task, but I've read Stormie needs a lot of light for his locksmithing work. I cut off my garden hose lock at night (in the rain) and I wore the hat, my buddy wore the headband. That made it obvious how much difference there was in both brightness and wideness of the illumination field. The hat was useful to keep my hair dry. Brightness issues and high cost of operation seems to make the hat a bad choice for the OP. However, the hat is a very GOOD choice some applications. I use them in the cars because outside the home I don't to want to look like some Star Trek Borg on a rampage. A hat's a hell of a lot less conspicious than a head-band unit.

So I agree with you that for many projects like use off the premises, they're stylish, warm, easy to use, not too geek-ish and good for making sure you're not going to step in an open well. From this and past threads, I believe the OP has expressed a strong preference for bright light but only he can tell us what his preferences/needs are precisely. I'm guessing that he wants a bright light that doesn't require frequent or expensive battery changes that also stays on his head. That's just logical. Most of these units come with AAA cells. I use rechargeables so I can always "top them off" in the monthly rolling inspections and the battery caps seem robust enough to endure frequent reloading.

I've often wished that the units used AA's because they deliver the best cost per lumen numbers which also means fewer battery changes. But it could be the weight of 3 AA cells would make the unit uncomfortable for more than a few minutes. If I cared, I would wire a mini-jack to the lamp and the batteries and use a charger for NiMH cells that had a mini plug ending. I have a number of LED flashlights that have that feature and it's very useful.

I doubt you use yours as much as I use mine. Just for fun, I tried using the hat today working on the van's dashboard and I had to take it off and hold it close to the console to read the small letters.

I have the caps on every time I go out and use them to light up my walking to and from parking spaces, etc. You'd be surprised how dark it's getting as streetlighting is cut back all around this area. I also buy cheap packs of CR2032's from Ebay and let's just say there's a substantial premature failure rate. That's why I've created a bandolier in the lining of the cap.

Since mine are used away from home, I don't want to be hunting around four CR2032 button cells late at night. One of the kids that used to work for me said he paid $12 for one at a drugstore at 11PM in NYC when his car transponder's battery failed at a valet parking garage. What the world needs now is safe, user-rechargeable AA and AA lithium cells.

FWIW, I had the center LED on one cap fail. I got out the lifetime warranty, decided at $5 plus the cost of return postage that I would retire the hat until at least another one failed. I was folding it into a storage bag when I decided to remove the button cells. I tried the sucker one last time and discovered it's a wire problem, not a bad LED. The center LED fired up just fine. Fingering around the brim I could induce it to fail. It's being held in "injured reserve."

The hats, while having some nice features, may not be bright enough or economical enough for the OP. With industrial use, I am sure those batteries would require frequent changing - at least more than once yearly. The wiring harness on the hat makes it pretty easy to solder in some AA battery holders and maybe even a charging jack but that would void the warranty.

What I'd really like is a flashing red LED at the back of the hat to make me visible walking down a dark road. It's probably illegal in at least some jurisdiction to have a flashing red light on your head. Ever see Kentucky Fried Movie and the Master Bong Soo Han segment?

-- Bobby G.

[chaniarts]

On 1/13/2012 3:41 PM, Robert Green wrote: ...big snip...

maybe not. there's lots of bicycles around with a flashing light on the back.