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One of my favorite headlamps to date! The packaging of the item is nice it comes with a small nylon carry bag (with a nice drawstring closure) and a belt clip, in addition to the head strap. The instruction sheet is short, but well written and very detailed.
The unit itself is a nice resin plastic material. All the contacts are gold plated so if they get wet, they shouldn't corrode. The head may be removed and put on the end to act as a flashlight. The head swivel adjustment has a nice detente "click" feel to it. Only two of the click positions are useful as a headlamp, unlike some others that have a finer adjustment 7 clicks moves the head 180 degrees so that's around 25 degrees per click. (NOTE: I adjust the position of the straps on my head for optimum lighting, then use the swivel if you are looking at something overhead). The adjustment is smooth and even.
With AA alkaline, it isn't too heavy on your head (heavier than the black diamond moonlight, but lighter than the petzl led duo). The light pattern is a nice even pattern brighter than the black diamond moonlight, about the same as the petzl duo (close enought really). The switch mechanism has a nice positive "click" feel to it (just like a rubber button push button on a normal flashlight). The adjustments for illumination are great you can choose your illumination level at lower levels, all 7 leds are still lit, they are just pulsed very fast, so that even though it is low illumination, it is still very broad and even.
The addition of a red LED that can be used separately from the other 6 white LEDs is really nice to have. The "hyper-bright" or whatever mode it is can be useful if you like using the headlamp at low to mid settings, then have a temporary bright light. I don't find it useful, but some people think it's neat.
This lamp is good at illuminating objects 30-40 feet away. Better than the black diamond moonlight, and about the same as the petzl 5-led duo.
The headband material is a bit cheap meaning it is a very coarse weave, and might irritate those with sensitive scalps (or bald heads, shaved heads, etc). Not as nice a fabric band as the black diamond moonlight. Petzl's is better too.... but I just wear a hat if it becomes bothersome. The straps are nice and wide, and can be adjusted to fit comfortably. The unit is light and the straps are wide, so it stays put on your head.
The battery compartment is a bit annoying to operate the catch looks like it could break if you pried really hard but snapping it on -off-on-off-on-off repeatedly doesn't seem to bother it. I would rather have a beefier catch mechanism, but I got spoiled by the PETZL design.... The door itself appears to have a rubber seal, so it may be very water resistant I don't think this thing is waterPROOF, but I don't know (the packaging does not specify). It's not an underwater light for sure!
Converting it to the flashlight mode is simple there is a large "thumb screw" that you can loosen and move the head to the end of the unit. very quick and very well thought out design. I don't use this, I have my streamlight 4AA instead :) but it's a neat feature. Stand it on end on a table, then tilt the head to the desired angle for reading, working on something, etc. Makes it more useful.
Bottom line: If you don't want a dual headlamp design (halogen and led) want to save a little weight, this is a GREAT headlamp. Very bright and useful. RED single LED mode is cool. Different settings are great. Adjustments are easy. Headband is comfy enough (some people might be bothered by the scratchy material on the headband just wear a hat). Comes with a little carry bag and a belt clip. Great for projects around the house hiking after dark being a geek in general (hey show up to a premier of a star wars or LOTR movie with the strobe a flashin' you're the life of the party!).
Already have a headlamp? Get this kind as a spare. Light, comes with it's own carry pouch, very versatile. A definite 5-star product. Get one today!
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Update: just want to add one thing to this old review. Now that these lights are a lot cheaper and there's lots of competition out there, I tried to find a similar but lighter weight alternative. I still use these old photon fusion headlamps a lot, but mostly for reading with the red light at night so that I don't disturb my wife. I also use the red light a lot for astronomy to not disturb night vision. But these are a little old and clunky, so I tried to find a lightweight replacement and got some hiking headlamps at REI that had red/white light functions. The problem is that I could not find any lights that had both dimmable red and white lights. Lots of headlamps now have dimmable white lights, but they neglect to dim the red light. Well, I find that a dimmable red light is the most useful feature a headlamp can offer. I couldn't find a replacement, so I still use the old photon fusions for reading and astronomy. I now use a ZebraLight headlamp for ultralight backpacking (awesome waterproof lights with only 1 AA cell, but don't have white and red on the same lights), and the Photon Fusions now stay at home but I use them more than ever, nearly 10 years later. For any of you insomniacs out there, you really should try this--if you read a book at night with the red light on the lowest visible setting, your partner in bed will not be disturbed by the light--it reaches the text of your book, but does not appear to light up anything else in the room. Plus, red light supposedly does not disturb your circadian rhythm, so its easier to fall asleep after reading late at night.
I'm addicted to this light. I got it mainly because I wanted an efficient bike light and an occasional headlamp for camping. I bought the bike attachment ($5.00) and ended up using it almost every day in the winter, since I commute to work and school by bike. Definitely bright enough for conservative biking in the pitch dark (and lasts maybe 10 hours on the bright setting), and the strobe is awesome for city riding--you'll never not be seen again (I'm constantly "almost hit" by cars who don't see smaller bike lights)!! After parking the bike, the light clips off and goes in my bag. Because of this, I always have the light with me, which has made it useful in so many situations where I unexpectadly needed a light.
The light was so great, I bought a second for my fiancee when she went to Africa with the Peace Corps. As she often is without power, and decent batteries are hard to come by, she says that this light has been a real lifesaver. I brought mine when I came to visit, and we were using them all the time. I expect the same when she returns and we go camping. The thing is, when you have a light that runs for 150 hours on 3-AA batteries (on the low setting, which is plenty enough for walking around or reading), you leave it on and use it a lot. Contrast to the old days of the C-Cell flashlights that you had to use sparingly during those late nights in the tent--since you knew the batteries would run out quick. We even used the great red LED for reading the starcharts for the southern hemisphere. What a great extra to add to the light.
Other reviewers did a great job on the other points, so I won't bore you here. But one thing I'll mention about customer service: I originally bought the very first version of this light, which had some problems. The latch on the battery box was flimsy. LRI, without question, sent updated boxes to all registered owners. I then had a problem with electrodes contacting correctly. I called and they said I could return for a repair/replacement, but unfortunately, it would take a few weeks, since they were backordered--but they gave me an option of having the owner of the company talk to me and tell me how to fix it myself. 1/2 hour later and it was working, and I didn't have to wait 2 weeks. Everything was fine for 1 year, and then the switch stopped working correctly (Mind you, this is daily use on a bike in rain, snow, hail,etc). I unfortunately had to return the unit. Less than a week later, the brand-new, updated version arrived on my porch, no questions asked. It's been another year of biking and bad weather, and the light (updated version has had none of the problems of the original version, plus it has the red LED) is still working beautifully.
If you want a good, all-purpose, efficient light, then this is definitely the one.
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I purchased this as a gift for my pilot fiance specifically because it had bright white LEDs and red LEDs for use at night to preserve night vision. The lamp does not disappoint! There are several levels of brightness for the white LEDs as well as the reds which I think is a first for headlamps (at least out of the scores I've looked at). This will be a handy tool when he's in the plane at night and needing to look at plates! No more messing with a flashlight, just push a button, get the desired intensity of red, and he's good to go! The white LEDs have an incredible range at max brightness and it will come in handy when biking and working in the dark. There is also a neat SOS feature which will flash "SOS" in morse at the brightest white LED level, definitely good in emergencies! The lamp is detachable from the headband and usable as a flashlight and a table light.
We've only now started using it but this will be a great lamp for biking, nighttime explorations, anytime a flashlight would be used but especially for flying! This appears to be the best on the market that combines white LEDs and red LEDs. The kit also comes with Energizer batteries, not cheap, generic, low-charge batteries. Always a plus! Hopefully this lamp will prove itself in the long term. If anything negative crops up I will attempt to post it here, otherwise I highly recommend this lamp, especially for pilots! I must get one for myself now!
Honest reviews on LRI FW Freedom Fusion 6 White, 2 Red LED Headlamp
This flashlight is great! I am a student pilot and I needed a flashlight during night flights and this flash light has everything a student pilot needs. First, it has red light function that can change in brightness which is very useful at night. Also, the headstrap and the clip that came with the light are very good and handy. I've bought three flashlights before this one and always been disappointed but this flashlight has everything I need with no flaws. Battery life and brightness are very good too.
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I have used this light now for 11 years and it is by far the most reliable light I've ever used. It isn't the brightest of lights out there as LED flashlights have come a long way since I first read about this on in Pop-Sci in 2002. But It's been with me everywhere, hiking, canoeing, and working around the house and easily has over 1000 hours on it, and has never failed. Its waterproof and rugged, plus its non round shape makes it easy to attach to pikes' helmets, pretty much anything securely. Plus now its very affordable. The only slight issue is that when wearing it the balance is off and is fairly heavy, however allot of that weight is from the 3xAA batteries, however that also equals long run times.
