The rise of the headlamp, particularly trendy iterations with LED bulbs, has been a boon to the outdoorsman. Tenting, mountaineering, looking, and basic adventuring within the backcountry inevitably requires that you just get shit performed lengthy after the solar has receded over the horizon. Although some headlamp producer have tried to determine the way to restrict the quantity of fiddling to pick the beam and depth you want—in the meanwhile you want it—the Ledlenser HF8R Signature headlamp does that for you. They’ve turned to cutting-edge expertise to mitigate that ever-present dilemma with one button and a hands-free beam adjustment. In follow, it adjusts the beam robotically for you. And we predict it is probably the greatest headlamps you should purchase.
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Adam Bible
Why You Ought to Belief Me
I’ve been a gear editor, gear reviewer, and outside author at a number of publications—print and digital—for over 20 years. I am the gear editor at Males’s Journal and I’ve examined and reviewed every little thing from coolers and grills, to e-bikes and flashlights. And that features a whole lot of headlamps, from cheap-o’s from huge field shops to the most recent and best in head-mounted LED lamps. I’ve inadvertently blinded fairly a number of pals at the very least as soon as whereas hanging out round a campfire at evening.
Options: Ledlenser HF8R Signature Headlamp
LED Bulbs: 4 white; 1 pink, 1 blue, 1 greenLight Output: increase: 2,000 lumens; excessive: 900 lumens; medium: 300 lumens; low: 20 lumensBeam: flood, mid-range, spotBeam Distance: excessive: 220 meters; medium: 100 meters; low: 25 metersAverage Run Time: excessive: 3.5 hours; medium: 10 hours.; low: 90 hoursBattery: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion batteryDimensions: 5.7 x 4.7 x 3.4 inchesWeight: 6.8 ouncesWater-Resistance Ranking: IP68; dust-proof and water-resistant to 1 meter for over half-hour
A Fingers-Free Headlamp Packed With Options
The very first thing you discover when unpacking the HF8R is the heft. This isn’t a lightweight headlamp, due to the tech packed into it and the excellent construct high quality. This headlamp feels actually stable, with confidence-inspiring supplies used all through, just like the metallic zoom management dial, thick plastic casing, and sturdy rear rubber strap. However, due to the included high head strap (we suggest utilizing it), once you really put the headlamp on it does not really feel that heavy or cumbersome in any respect. Solely somebody doing a particularly lively outside pursuit can be postpone by the potential of the chunky lamp falling off.
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However the principle cause why the HF8R is a bit on the bloated facet has to do with the nifty expertise Ledlenser crammed into it. The star of the sunshine present is undoubtedly what they name their patented Adaptive Mild Beam Know-how. It measures gentle, temperature, and the way the lamp is at the moment acting at 400 instances a second to make quick modifications to the beam sample, from flood to midrange to identify. That is achieved with a combo of three white LED lights in every vary to make an nearly seamless transition between the beams.
How does it work in actual life? Fairly rattling properly, I discovered after a number of nights of testing in a variety of situations: gathering firewood within the woods on a moonless evening and retaining a campfire stoked, ripping round on off-road e-bikes on twisty trails (with the headlights off—for science, do not strive that at dwelling children), and bombing down rutted mountain bike trails within the useless of the evening, the HF8R carried out impressively properly, with some caveats.
William Sutter
Professionals: No Extra Bumbling With Beam Choice
If you happen to’ve had any interplay with a headlamp over the past decade you realize that throughout manufacturers there are numerous methods to entry modes and beams and colours. It will possibly get fairly maddening to bounce between headlamps made by completely different corporations. Your finest wager was to simply stick to at least one model after you discovered the intricacies of it is specific button-mashing routine.
You will not get away with not utilizing any buttons with the Ledlenser HF8R—fortunately just one to make use of—and also you do nonetheless need to study a bit to function it. But it surely makes the principle annoyance with headlamps, beam choice, a lot simpler. I discovered it to be nearly seamless when performing the aforementioned actions, typically it could not fairly transition between spot and flood when round a fireplace, however a easy hand wave in entrance of the sunshine would normally right it. It was a lot better than the fixed hunt for the precise button or sequence of buttons to regulate your gentle that comes with most headlamps.
Ledlenser’s app is one other bonus tech for the beam choice. For one factor, the app really labored flawlessly. That alone is price one thing. With the app you may management the headlamp by way of Bluetooth to carry out each process you may with the button, from turning on and off the Adaptive Mild Beam to switching between the multi-colored LEDs.
One other neat characteristic are the coloured lights: pink for evening imaginative and prescient, inexperienced for being much less noticeable to recreation when looking, blue for monitoring a blood path when looking. For security there is a particular S.O.S. mode which is able to make the sunshine emit Morse “SOS” code and a strobe impact that may assist deter assailants or animals from attacking. And a blink mode offers off a gradual gentle impulse at an everyday tempo. The metallic zoom management dial is a superb innovation (when the adaptive beam mode is off) that lets you simply get the beam sample you need with, once more, not having to fiddle with buttons. An built-in vibration motor will even warn you when pushing the dial too far and ensure when it is shutting down.
William Sutter
Cons: Off-Placing Bulk and Weight
General, the Ledlenser HF8R Signature headlamp may be very spectacular. It really works properly, although not flawlessly, with its Adaptive Mild Beam tech. The sunshine is robust and shiny and has a pleasant vary between it is lengthy vary spot and extensive angle flood, however I discovered that in quicker-paced actions like flying by woods on two or 4 wheels, the adaptive expertise may develop into a bit annoying because it was consistently attempting to regulate to quickly altering conditions. However you may at all times flip it off.
The principle concern is that its bulk and weight (6.8oz) could postpone the informal person. For people who actually dig the tech and wish that hands-off strategy although, the included head strap considerably lessens the burden.
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And the app works extraordinarily properly, however there aren’t that many conditions the place I’d basically want a distant management for my headlamp.
Apart from these issues, the one different flaw—which is endemic throughout your entire Ledlenser line—is that the model makes use of a proprietary magnetic charging normal. It is nice in execution and usefulness, however in the event you do not at all times bear in mind to pack that particular cable, you may be screwed when you must high off as a result of likelihood is massive that nobody else round you should have one you may borrow.
Adam Bible
Verdict: Fingers-Down Headlamp Champ
If you happen to’re searching for a bomber, feature-filled, very shiny headlamp that cuts by the button-mashing mania that almost all lights offer you, the HF8R Signature headlamp is a winner. Its distinctive Adaptive Mild Beam expertise works properly, the LEDs are shiny and supply a number of colours, and the app integration is seamless. It is also full of different little goodies that make this headlamp really feel forward of the curve and distinctive amongst most different choices.
If you happen to do not want a few of the options, and have a smaller price range, the Ledlenser HF8R Core headlamp can be a standout gentle and is $40 cheaper, however does not embrace the RGB LED bulbs, strobe and blink capabilities, and has a barely decrease output at max of 1,600 lumens. And for light-weight weenies that also dig the adaptive tech however do not thoughts a less-bright and minimalist possibility, there’s the additionally extremely beneficial Ledlenser HF6R Signature headlamp at $90.
