[Shop-talk] LED Headlamps

[David Scheidt]

One other thing: most headsets using regular batteries are unregulated. They will continue to put out light way past the point the batteries would be dead in another application. It won’t be much light, but it is still on. Try it with fresh batteries.  I run into this myself from time to time, and I know it happens, because it happens gradually. 

> On Mar 16, 2021, at 11:57, Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>  That is a good point(s). A lot of the descriptions seemed slanted towards running in the dark--I don't do that, unless someone's chasing me--and doing realistic things in a shop is kind of an afterthought.
> I tried using what appears to be a decent-quality headset--brand unknown--but there just wasn't enough illumination when I was in the grease pit looking for a socket and extension I'd dropped into the engine bay. I had to resort to using a small (2AA) LED flashlight, which was the right amount of light but, obviously, wasn't convenient to use when I found the socket and needed two hands to retrieve it. Glare isn't a huge issue looking into an engine bay; at least, on my mostly stock cars without chrome everything.
> 
> 
> On 3/16/2021 9:19 AM, David Scheidt wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> On Mar 15, 2021, at 23:30, Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>>  Listers,
>>> 
>>> After realizing that holding a small flashlight with my teeth was probably a bad idea (and painful), I decided I needed a good headband flashlight. I have a couple cheap ones, but they never seem to put out enough light for working on cars in a dark shop or in the grease pit. I see people using them on the tube, and they seem to work, but the two I have--both powered by a couple AAAs--aren't even as powerful as the cheap flashlights Harbor Freight gives away (which work a couple times then quit).
>>> 
>> 
>> I have a couple cheap ones I bought at Home Depot, from the Father’s Day special stuff at the front oy the store.  They have lasted several years, but of course, have never been available since. 
>> 
>> My opinion about headlamps in the shop and for home improvement stuff is that about 150 lumens is enough, more than that, you blind yourself with reflection and glare.  You also want a pretty floody béam spread, because it makes it easier t w on stuff you can’t quite see straight on. I also o strongly prefer lights that split the battery from the light. They are more comfortable, stay on better, and don’t stick out as far, so you don’t hit them on stuff.  I also prefer regular batteries, because you can carry spares, and don’t need a special charger. (I use NiMh cells, not throwaway ones).   
>> 
>> This is a different use case than what campers or divers or trail runners want, which is something to watch out for.  
> 
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