High Sierra Topix

rlown wrote: ↑Thu Jun 25, 2020 11:20 am Rechargeable batteries are overrated. Memory problem and all.

Modern rechargeable batteries do not have a memory problem.

yes they do. If they didn't you'd never have to replace them.

Modern lithium rechargeable batteries do not have a memory problem like nickel cadmium batteries had a couple of decades ago. If they are recharged properly, they have hundreds of charge cycles. The cheaper ones might have only 50-100 charge cycles before performance diminishes. The best ones might have several hundreds of cycles.

I have had to replace a lithium battery. Probably about 2% of them get funky early in life. Those are generally the cheaper ones. Test them, sort them out, and then toss them.

Most lithium batteries are made in the same huge factories. That includes the cheaper ones, the expensive ones, and everything in between. In fact, many of them come out of the same production lines, and then they are binned. That means that their performance is tested. The ones with modest performance are sold off cheaply. The ones with great performance are sold off at premium prices. Some lithium battery types (18650) tend to be very robust. Some of the smaller ones, not so much.

I suppose everyone has their own priorities when it comes to purchasing a headlamp. Personally I've never had to night hike longer than 2 or 3 hours. the vast majority of my headlamp use is around camp and/or my needs are simply within a few yards of where I may be standing. The NU25 seems to be the perfect headlamp for this:
wide beam
multiple settings
red and white LED
Ease of use: the two on/off buttons (white/red led) make it simple to cycle through to find the setting you want

I find the low setting of 1 lumen to be perfect for a tent or cooking which constitutes probably 98% of my use,

My last headlamp (which i still like) was a Feenix that used a single AA battery. Never needed to replace the battery during a trip even after trips longer than 2 weeks. However it didn't have a red LED and the beam wasn't wide enough for my liking. The NU25 seems to have solvedthose last two issues.

Caddis, I agree. "Multiple settings" is the key to efficient battery usage. A very low intensity is useful for finding something inside your tent. A medium setting is useful for hiking a trail at night. A high intensity is useful for a difficult night situation, like a difficult stream crossing, or picking your way through a boulder field. A rapid blinking mode is useful if you have a black bear in camp that you are trying to scare off. Don't ask me how I know that.