Short Description:

The HLX-712L is available from AdvancedMart.com.

The HLX-712L is a Luxeon I headlamp powered by two 123A lithium cells. It is sealed for water resistance, has a partially textured reflector for an even beam, is regulated (type of regulation unknown), and has a battery status indicator built in. Runtime is very good for a headlamp this size. A three point fully adjustable headstrap is used which is also easily removable for cleaning and replacement. It is hinged to be adjustable for inclination. The click switch on top and internal circuitry allows for 3 levels of brightness and an emergency blink mode.

Detailed Information:

4½ Stars? For this??? You bet! Why? Features, features, features. For a little self-contained headlamp, this has got it all (almost!)

The body is made of translucent blue plastic. The back of the unit is attached via a hinge to the black plastic forehead plate so it is adjustable for inclination. This plate has a rubber pad which rests against the forehead for comfort and three notched attachment points for the 3-point adjustable elastic headband. The notches allow the headbands to be easily removed for cleaning or replacement. The inclination adjustment ratchets so as to hold the unit in place pretty much where you set it. Hard vertical movement will cause it to move out of adjustment.

The bezel has a rubber shroud and contains a clear plastic lens, a partially textured reflector and a side emitting Luxeon I LED. The Luxeon is centered very nicely in the reflector and since it is an LED, it is virtually immune to impacts. The beam is not intended to be adjustable and produces a very nice, very white, spot as-is.

Output is in the form of a fairly broad spot with a brighter center, wide spillbeam, and a few swirly artifacts in the beam. Color temperature is very sunlight-white with no noticeable tinting. The electronic circuitry inside allows for 3 levels of brightness, one with each click of the switch. First you get full blast - around twice the light you would expect from a standard 2-D light*. Next is 50% which is about the same as a standard 2-D light*. Last is 25% which produces about the same amount of light overall as a Mini Mag with new batteries*. Dimming is accomplished via current regulation, not PWM. As a result, output is smooth on all settings with no flicker.

*All statements based upon my Lightbox Apparatus readings. More information available here.

As you can see in the chart, above, runtime isn't shabby at all. Now, these figures are from the manufacturer, so should probably be taken with a grain of salt. Even if you "only" get 3-4 hours on high, I would consider that pretty good considering the power source. In addition to the settings above, holding the switch for about 3 seconds (while on or off) will turn on the unit's "blink" mode for emergency signaling.

Runtime Plot: This light has some very serious regulation going on. On "high" the lamp will run for about 5 hours, 4 hours of that is at or above about 90% of its starting brightness. It then shuts off as the regulator cannot pull enough energy from the depleted cells any more. The good news is that you can immediately reach up and cycle the light through to its low level and the LED will fire up, providing reserve light for a while as you look for your spare batteries.

Runtime completed with BatteryStation batteries. More information on runtime plots is available HERE.

Seals? You bet! The bezel is sealed with an o-ring and the rear compartment is sealed with a rubber gasket that runs the entire circumference of the door plate. Water resistance is not a problem. Wear it in the rain without worry. It survived a 30 second dunk in the sink with absolutely no sign of water entry.

Ergonomics: Comfortable to wear, a little front heavy. Since the batteries are in the same compartment as the rest of the electronics, it puts a little weight on the front of your head relative to the back. If you find this setup bothersome and absolutely need the most comfortably balanced headlamp, try one with the batteries in the back. However with the batteries in the front with the light there are no wires running around your head that can get snagged on branches.

For batteries the unit takes two 123A lithium cells. This is unusual for a headlamp and this is the first one I have seen with this battery arrangement. However, one big advantage is that lithium batteries tend to retain more of their output characteristics in the cold compared to alkalines. Cold-resistant battery powered devices can be very handy when camping or working in cool/cold climates! Changing the batteries is simple - flip the two hinged clamps on the side outward and the entire front of the unit - batteries, electronics, LED and everything, pop off the rear plate. So what? Well, this means that if you want to you can remove the entire unit and change the batteries while leaving the head harness in place on your head! Pop out the two batteries and replace when needed. The indicator lights on the front tell you when the batteries are at 100-50% (green), 50-25% (amber), and 20% or below (red).

Now this next part is pretty neat. I put in batteries that were very dead. On high - shut off right away. On medium, shut off right away. On low - stayed on with the red indicator light! Output read at 300, so the regulator was straining to keep the LED going at near regular brightness levels.

Next I put in batteries that were not so dead. On high - red LED on , but 1990 on the Overall Output scale (remember full output on new batteries was 2200). On medium - AMBER LED on, not red! 1000 on the Overall Output scale. On low - GREEN LED on, 520 on the Overall Output scale.

So it appears that the indicator lights actually adjust to the output level you select! Plus, even when high is not possible, you can switch to medium or low and still get fully regulated light from this thing with batteries that won't run it at full power! Add to that the fact that the light levels were almost the same with nearly dead batteries as with new batteries and you have good evidence of a very good regulator circuit in place.

Included with the light are two 123A batteries. The head straps are attached to the unit.

What I Liked: Watertight, Impact resistant, Regulated/Long battery life, Bright, Very easy battery change (can change batteries with straps still on head), Battery power indicator

What I Didn't Like: Slightly off balance on the head, as is every headlamp with the entire unit up front.

Other Things I Noticed: Nothing significant.

Conclusions: A great little headlamp! Regulated, LED, bright, 3 output levels, regulated, power left indicator, watertight. Let's face it, there is very little not to like here! A solid 4½ Star headlamp - right up there with the "big boys". Get them while they're hot! Highly recommended.

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