Brunton L5 Headlamp

[L Roebuck]

I found this headlamp review and thought other cavers would also be interested.

---

Review: Brunton L5— So Bright, it's Bat Cave Ready

The L5 is by far the brightest headlamp we tested, thanks to a whopping 5-watt Luxeon LED. The rechargeable 6V NiMH battery pack adds tremendously to the lamp’s already ample weight. The LED is mounted on a pivoting head, but doesn’t crane far down enough for our tastes. The L5 l compensates with sheer power, though—there’s no other lamp we’d rather take spelunking. —Claude McIver

WIRED Can you see me now? There's a white beam of photons emitting 246ft from my forehead! Water resistant. Decreases output by 15 percent when batteries are low.

TIRED Hefty price tag suitable only for wealthy denizens of the dark. (Batman, maybe.) Emits a buzz on low and med output. Neck straining battery pack. Puny one-year warranty.

$195, brunton.com

Gadget Lab Review

[Brian Roebuck]

While it may be bright it has a rather long design for the LED module and doesn't look to be very rugged (plastic case maybe?). This might make your helmet front heavy. I also don't like the battery pack as it appears to be large and not too ruggedly designed (closure clamps aren't too tough looking). At least it looks thin. I wonder if one 5 watt Luxeon puts out more light than two 3 watt Luxeons in a Sten? It is cheaper than the Sten but often you get what you pay for. My Sten easily lit up a 50 foot wide 50 foot tall room out to 100 feet plus in normal gray limestone. I doubt this one can spread the light as efficiently with a single LED/lens combo. Still it might be a good caving light overall. I await real world caver reviews.

Good find Lynn!

[gillip]

I have a Brunton RL6 that has a similar head design. Despite the bulky appearance of the head, it is not heavy. It is made of plastic, which causes me to worry that it will break. It looks like the L5 is also plastic. The swiveling part of the head on the RL6 has some kind of soft rubber gasket that allows the head quite a bit of movement if it is struck. It looks like the head is the same on the L5, and for a light that costs $200, this seems a little weak.
My RL6 is very bright, considering that the LEDS are not even one watt. The RL6 has two batery compartments, each containing two AAs. This makes the back part of the light heavy. The inside of the band has a couple of thin lines of soft rubber bonded to the band, which makes it stay in place well on a helmet. It is a little hard to get situated with the two battery packs, but once you get it in place it stays. I guess that you place the battery for the L5 on a belt, so that would take care of the weight problem.
I guess the only real complaint with the RL6 is the heavy battery packs, and the worry of the plastic head. I rarely use it, but I have lent it out many times and it has preformed well.
I wonder what the actual output of the L5 is. Many companies underdrive a high watt LED and produce less light than is possible with a lower rated LED. THe technical specifications were not available on the brunton site.

[Brian Roebuck]

Thanks gillip for the mini-review of a similar light. That does help us in figuring out if the L5 is worth serious consideration or not. Not all plastics are bad considering the weight factor etc but for a primary light I would not want one that is so exposed. Lights like Princeton techs Apex for example are plastic cased but they mount fairly flush to your helmet and probably can withstand some abuse.