I would like to call your attention to a new headlamp that is under $ 10 ( add tax ), and is readily available at the local Home Depot Store.
The Defiant 200 Lumen LED headlight. This lamp blows away anything that was sold at retail back in the 90's, or before. It is ready to go caving out of the box, to a respectable cave, as long as you do not get it wet. Meaning, this headlamp is suitable for large desert caves like in northern Mexico, the Guads, and west Texas. The number one feature that I do not like is the rim of the lens has a very sharp edge exactly like those on lights designed as a weapon. A creative caver could glue some kind of ring on it though. What I do like is the headpiece around the light element is aluminum. It has an overhead the helmet strap. The battery pack is on the back and seems well built, meaning the latch is sturdy. ( But no O-ring ) The push-button switch is on the top of the battery pack, which means you have to reach behind you to turn it on. The swivel that pivots the light up and down, seems as sturdy as any other lamp on the retail market. The SKU # on the package is 1000016982 http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-200-Lumens-LED-Headlamp-HD13Q418/204312856#.Uq1gIPRDsRA I just walked around the yard, and the light is bright enough to use in a large borehole passage, but does not have a dimmer setting. Having 3 AA's on your helmet-mounted lamp is going to provide longer light than the cheezy lights that have 3 AAA's, which are more suitable as back-up lights or for caving in smaller caves. Meaning this is a real caver's light. Anyone going on a trip to Grutas de Precipico needs a light at least this good. There is no excuse to go in a big cave with a cheezy headlamp, or what the old-timers used to call, "twink-lights." The package says 9 hours of light. A creative caver could find a way to modify the headlamp to be water-resistant, but not waterproof. I read 4 reviews on the Home Depot sight, and they all agreed. Next, I will not be reviewing the new expensive one, the Caveman 3000. See the specs for yourself. http://www.naturalshine.eu/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=147:caveman_3000&Itemid=117 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q5P2QFWVjk Feel free to comment on that if you know if it is available in the states and how much it can be purchased for, and if it is better than similar high-tech headlamps. I do not see any practicality to it for most of the caves in our region. It is designed for a dive in Phantom Springs or Goodenough Springs, etc, or for an expedition trip where you plan to camp underground for several days, like in Cheve, or J2, or Huatla, or Lech, etc. David Locklear --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
