Fenix HP30R v2.0 headlamp

richardg

Active member
What are our thoughts on these, the specifications seem well suited to caving and especially underground photography and videoing?
 

aricooperdavis

Moderator
I personally don't think that IP66 is waterproof enough for caving; they only start being tested with full immersion in water at IPX7. I don't like ports on the outside of lights (USB/charging) because I don't trust that they'll stay closed and watertight during a caving trip. I suspect these ports are why it doesn't pass IPX7 standards.

On a different point, the light steps out of turbo after 10 minutes to prevent overheating. More modern light designs detect overheating rather than relying on a timed stepdown.

It also weighs nearly half a kilo!
 

Fulk

Well-known member
For what it's worth . . . in fifty years of caving I've never had to use a high-pressure hose to blast stubborn mud off my lamp(s).
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
For what it's worth . . . in fifty years of caving I've never had to use a high-pressure hose to blast stubborn mud off my lamp(s).

Ah - but you do much of your caving in the Dales. We're lucky round here as we have so many nice clean caves!
 

royfellows

Well-known member
I personally don't think that IP66 is waterproof enough for caving; they only start being tested with full immersion in water at IPX7. I don't like ports on the outside of lights (USB/charging) because I don't trust that they'll stay closed and watertight during a caving trip. I suspect these ports are why it doesn't pass IPX7 standards.

On a different point, the light steps out of turbo after 10 minutes to prevent overheating. More modern light designs detect overheating rather than relying on a timed stepdown.

It also weighs nearly half a kilo!
I have been pondering on this.

The switching circuit for temperature control power down is very simple. Basically one small integrated circuit chip about1/4 size of the end of pencil, 3 small resistors, and a thermistor. This is a resistor whose resistance will change with temperature. Explained as simply as I can. A simple timer would need almost as many components, a capacitor and some resistors.

The weight sounds a bit OTT as well, my X16 battery and everything isn't much more.
 

pwhole

Well-known member
Ah - but you do much of your caving in the Dales. We're lucky round here as we have so many nice clean caves!

Exactly - I had to do it just this afternoon! But I had been through Titan - FSE - Pilkingtons - (dry) Speedwell and then Colostomy Crawl to Peak. It was bloody disgusting, especially Cow Arse Worms puddle, which is nice and thick at the moment thanks to the drought. At least it wasn't sumped this time. And it was pissing it down when we got out, which was nice, though more like Malaysia rather than Derbyshire.

But back to the light - yes, the USB charging-hole made me rather worried too - it's a very nice feature to have, just not in a cave :(
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Just to clarify (for Fulk) - by "high-pressure hose" I wasn't referring to a pressure washer. It's just that when the water pressure is fairly high (as it is at a certain caving club where my gear often gets washed) a hose pipe with a decent squirter on the end can generate a fairly powerful water blast. That's not great if a lamp has external charging ports.

Incidentally I once witnessed someone use a pressure washer on a fibre pile undersuit. The result wasn't pretty; it blew all the fluff out from large areas of the undersuit, leaving it looking more like a string vest! (Got it fairly clean though.)
 
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