Fenix HL18R-T Rechargeable Trail Running Headlamp

Bought this when I saw it on sale. Had the wife in mind for it as she had taken one of mine to Yellowstone, and figured she might like this. Played around with it myself tho.I like the easy swapability of the rechargeable battery pack or AAA's. Have lots of AA and AAA rechargeable batteries onhand, and by the specs using AAA's should last longer.Headband design just barely works for me at full extension. Me with a hat?,,, no way. Fine for the wife tho.I wonder how well the thin threads on the adjustment mechanism will hold up. For light usage should be OK. Not obvious that to me that those adjustment threads are easily replaced if they break tho.Could wish that the spotlight and floodlight could be operated at the same time. I have another brand that does ... MoreBought this when I saw it on sale. Had the wife in mind for it as she had taken one of mine to Yellowstone, and figured she might like this. Played around with it myself tho.I like the easy swapability of the rechargeable battery pack or AAA's. Have lots of AA and AAA rechargeable batteries onhand, and by the specs using AAA's should last longer.Headband design just barely works for me at full extension. Me with a hat?,,, no way. Fine for the wife tho.I wonder how well the thin threads on the adjustment mechanism will hold up. For light usage should be OK. Not obvious that to me that those adjustment threads are easily replaced if they break tho.Could wish that the spotlight and floodlight could be operated at the same time. I have another brand that does that, and it has worked out very nicely for some jobs. Enough so that it is my go-to setting most of the time.I think this light will be fine for the wife's light hiking usage. Seems like enough light capacity to do that just fine. The limited headband size would exclude my own usage most of the time, tho.

Well thought out product and so far sturdy and stable during trail runs. Happy with all lighting output settings by allowing the freedom to have a flood and spot in the same lamp. Headband is extremely comfortable, but time will tell to determine the durability of the size adjustment mechanism.

Unfortunately while I love this kind of adjustment mechanism, it's is a miss for me. I frequently stow my headlamp by pulling it down from my head and wearing it like a necklace. Unfortunately this design does not allow the band to stretch that much.Second, the I need to be able to turn this onto a dim setting so I don't blind people around me. I miss having a red light.

The headlamp is nice and bright for trail running in the woods. I gave it four stars for two reasons: the light seems to be more of a "spotlight". Would be nice to see further ahead at any given time. Also, although you can adjust it via a knob, it was still a bit big for me so it starts to slide down the head. But I was able to attach two hardhat liner/headbands on either side and that seemed to do the trick. We shall see how it is in the winter when I need to wear a hat. Not sure if it will shift the headlamp or not.

Back-up headlamp or short run

This is by back-up light for running at night or main headlamp for short training. Light and powerfull and the band is extremely confortable. Like the fact you could use 3 AAA batteries. My only beef with the headlamp, I would prefer USB-C instead of micro usb for charging.

Disappointment in Runtime and Brightness

I did not have a chance to review the runtime graph before purchasing and trusted the stats above. This lamp can only provide 500 lumens for roughly 20 minutes before dropping to less than 300. It can only provide 200 lumens for the same amount of time before dropping to closer to 120 lumens. I am extremely disappointed in the advertising versus actual runtime shown in the owner's manual. This may be consumer ignorance but I feel cheated.

Excellent for running!

I purchased the headlamp for my evening runs and after 2 runs I can say that I love the light. I don’t feel it on my head and the tilt feature, which allows me to adjust the angle of the light, is great to get the right area ahead of me. It is easy to adjust the light brightness features as well without having to takethe light off. Overall this was a purchase which I am extremely happy with.

Great.

Loving the ease of on / off and the light modes and its ability to be super bright and dim in a quick touch. Not the hugest fan of the way the strap operates, ie the use of cord with the strap. But as adjustment is not needed often it didnt affect rating.

Why Did I Wait So Long?

I’ve had a couple of cheap headlamps and they never provided the kind of light that I needed. I only use it around the house and on my car so I can be hands free. I don’t need a super bright lamp, but this one is nice and bright. When Fenix put it on sale, I couldn’t resist. It was a good value and I am very happy!

Wide Strap, Unique tension system, ultra powerful beam!

As an avid ultrarunner, I was pleased to be invited to test out the HL18RT headlamp from Fenix. From running to camping and life in between, this headlamp has done the job and has exceeded my expectations. The most impressive feature, besides the massive light output, is the headband. It is much wider than all the others I've owned and I have owned a lot of headlamps. I'm kind of a savant when it comes to illumination on my cranium. Ever since I worked in a camping store and was able to buy them with an employee discount, I've always had a collection that could outfit a small army. Petzl, Black Diamond, Princeton Tec - I've had them all. Heck, when I ran cost-to-coast on a self-supported solo run across America in the 90’s, the only option available to me was the ... MoreAs an avid ultrarunner, I was pleased to be invited to test out the HL18RT headlamp from Fenix. From running to camping and life in between, this headlamp has done the job and has exceeded my expectations. The most impressive feature, besides the massive light output, is the headband. It is much wider than all the others I've owned and I have owned a lot of headlamps. I'm kind of a savant when it comes to illumination on my cranium. Ever since I worked in a camping store and was able to buy them with an employee discount, I've always had a collection that could outfit a small army. Petzl, Black Diamond, Princeton Tec - I've had them all. Heck, when I ran cost-to-coast on a self-supported solo run across America in the 90’s, the only option available to me was the iconic Maglite Mini-Mag pen light with 2 AAA batteries and a tiny incandescent bulb. I wore this strapped to the side of my head with an aftermarket elastic strap. That penlight produced a meager 13 lumens of light for about 45 minutes and then greatly diminished until a few times I was actually holding it up to street signs with my nose pressed against the sign trying to use what little power was left. Clearly, any newer product from this Millennium is going to be superior compared to those dark ages. But I can also compare my Fenix HL18RT to the other current models in my well-stocked running closet. Gone are the hot little filaments and here to stay are LEDs. But why does anyone need another headlamp? The answer is simple; better features, better design, better comfort. On all three, the Fenix HL18RT passes with shining bright-white color. One of its best features is the wide secure headband. It is much wider than anything else I’ve tried on the market. It is snug and grips the head well, offering stability and security in the most action-packed adventure. The rear of the headband sports the most unique feature of this model: a locking click-wheel to adjust the tension of the band. The click wheel pops out to loosen and clicks to tighten. There are two very thin strings wound in this tensioner that allow for a customizable fit, regardless whether you’re wearing a hat, winter cap, or different hair styles. There hasn’t been any issue yet with this tensioner and string system but if it does happen to fail, it would be nice if the headlamp included a backup system for tightening the strap. One big perk of the tensioner system is that you can operate it with just one hand. Let’s look the most important part of the headlamp: the light. The HL18RT offers ample illumination using two different sources, a center spotlight and a pair of more general use diodes. There is a button for each, side by side. The spotlight has three levels of brightness, thus saving battery life, and two levels plus an SOS mode in the low beams. At max power, this headlamp can put out 500 lumens, or 38 incandescent Mini-Mag flashlights with fresh batteries. Not bad for a piece of nylon that rides comfortably on your head at just 3.4 ounces including batteries. The headlamp allows you to recharge the included rechargeable battery using a standard USB to USB-micro connector (included) and has a listed runtime of 3 hours at maximum output or up to 20 hours at low beam. A multi-day adventure can continue late into the night by replacing the battery with three disposable AAAs. Mounted below the main diodes, there are a series of four blue lights along the bottom front of the headlamp. At first I thought this was for map reading, but later learned it’s the battery indicator. As the batteries reduce in strength, the indicator lights display the current level, letting you know if you should swap out the batteries in your next aid station bag or not. For all around general use, I would like to see a map reading light added but if ultra lightweight and powerful beam are your goals, you’d be hard pressed to find a lamp that can shine as bright as well as the Fenix HL18R.