LED Head Torch mini review

[john999uk]

I needed a head torch and read on here about LED Lensers and others at £30+. Which I was a little reluctant to spend considering the limited use it will get. I did consider the cheap £5-10 ones from Screwfix, DIY shops but thought something a little brighter and rechargeable would be better.
Anyway I decided to do a bit of research and came up with a brand called Cree. The actually make the LEDs not the head torches. They have full technical spec online and make a variety of LEDs.
So I bought a Zoomable 300 LM CREE Q5 LED Headlamp Torch from ebay £16 delivered. Came today with 2 x 3.7v 2400mAh Lithium Ion batteries and a charger (american plug with adapter). It only needs 1 battery so other is a spare. The battery is charged while in the headtorch. They also make them to take 3AAA batteries but judging by the brightness AAA batteries wouldn't last long!

WOW it's amazing. Has 2 brightness settings plus a flashing mode that are sequentially accessed by pressing same button on front! It is amazingly bright and can go from spotlight to floodlight beam. The battery is located at the rear so it seems well balanced on my head.
It is stated at 300lumens brightness and boy is it bright! It can be angled down but only in steps although they seem to be fine for close up or arms length work.
The one really silly thing is that when ever a battery is in it a little red led on the battery box flashes once every 3 seconds!!!! You can only stop it by opening battery box up and sliding battery back and down a little.

If you want to look for one search for 'Cree Q5 headtorch' although there are other Cree Led headtorches that may be brighter.

Anyway for £16 I am very happy. Hence my mini review.

 

[monkeyelectric]

I'd never change from led lenser, i use it every day but recently had a problem with so i emailed led lenser uk and sent it back for inspection, the next day a brand new one arrived in the post! Amazing! That cree one looks very similar to led lenser, you'll have to let us know how it lasts

 

[john999uk]

I will report back with battery life and if it lasts. By the way the led lenser uses Cree led's as well.

 

[Resu]

Most of the new Led head torches I see advertised mention that they use Cree's LEDs. I'm sticking with my Led Lenser too, one of the best tools in my kit.

 

[applemac]

cree is a chip not a led. brighter than led most cree lamps use a lens to magnify.

 

[Resu]

Cree is a company that make LED chips...

 

[john999uk]

cree is a chip not a led. brighter than led most cree lamps use a lens to magnify.

Interesting. I had a good read up on the Cree website and the impression I got was that they make led's and led Modules. The one in the headtorch I just bought is a Cree Q5 which according to their site is an led .
In torches they tend to be led packages i.e. a surface mount led plus a mount and lens. Which as you say makes them brighter than a normal led. You are quite right in that they are not a normal led in their construction or packaging but technically they are led's. The lens can't actually magnify the light output but it can focus it into a beam utilising as much as the light output in the direction required.
The Q5 is part of the Cree XR-E LED range. Details here: http://www.cree.com/led-components-...dules/XLamp/Data and Binning/XLamp7090XRE.pdf
I hope I am not offending anyone that was not my intention. If I have then I am sorry.

 

[The Finch]

I bought a cheap energiser one in morrisons as needed it on a job there cost me £4.50 actually not bad


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[telectrix]

i bought one very similar to yours. £15 off ebay, rechargeable with a spaRE BATTERY AND FLASHING RED LED. HAD IT A WEEK AND DROPPED IT. NEVER WORKED AGAIN.

- - - Updated - - -

oops, fat fingers hit caps lock when i hit 'a'.

 

[AP Electrical]

I bought a cheap energiser one in morrisons as needed it on a job there cost me £4.50 actually not bad


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second that, cant fault my energizer one either....