Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 679
Loc: Central Texas
Some folks like to convert smal LED lights so they clip on a cap brim or a headband of elastic. For several years I have attached alligator clips to small LED lights such as Photons - using the screws on some models or a dab of ShoeGoo on others. Then a simple elastic strap with a pinch in it turns the light into a pivoting headlamp.
The trouble with Photons and other coin-battery LEDs is the short life and expense of the batteries. I like to read late. So....
I picked up a Pak-Lite Basic, a regulated, 2-LED, single-intensity light that fits on a 9-volt battery for $15 (battery included). I attached an alligator clip to a band of elastic that fits around the battery - but these batteries last so long it might be as practical to glue the clip on and just trash the clip with the battery. Anyway, instead of 3/5" elastic that will hold a Photon steady, I had to use 1" elastic to support the heavier 9-volt light. The rig weighs under 2 ounces, gives good light for about 30 - 35 hours and drops off gradually for another 30 or 40 - using an alky battery. Not a bad rig for late-nite readers, thruhikers and others who need long battery life and find a headlamp convenient.
Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 679
Loc: Central Texas
Yeah, Earthling, It's even lighter with a lithium battery - and lasts over twice as long. Wish I had thought of this before my last thru-hike -- I wouldn't have needed another battery the whole time. They claim that the turquoise version with a lithium battery gets 200 hours on high and 1200 on low.
Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 679
Loc: Central Texas
Yep, http://www.9voltlight.com/ gets you to Pak-lite. I got inspired and just ordered a yellow one for my sweetie who is a mosquito magnet, and a turquoise one for me - both with lithium batteries because its hard to find 9-volt lithiums.
PakLite has a headlamp strap - sorta - I like my solution better. Glue an aligator clip to the battery and make an elastic strap so the light clamps on it. I've found that the PakLite's weight distribution requires a bit of stiffening on the elastic. I fold a piece of plastic cut from a milk jug into a T, and stitch it onto the elastic.
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