Spelunking Special
NightSearchers HT191 Head Torch
Price: £10. including shipping. RRP £45
Manufacturer: NightSearcher
Model: HT191
Power: Cree XR-E 191 lumens / 5mm R/G/B
Run By: Rechargeable battery pack Ni-Mh cell
Burn Time: 4 hours (high) 30+ hours R/G/B
Water Resistance: IPX6
Charge Time: 6 hours
Focus Type: Fixed
Modes: 7 High, low, Red, Green, Blue, Red blinker, Rear red blinker
Vendor: Private seller via ebay
Shipped From: UK
Description: NightSearcher HT191 Ni-MH 191lm 6-mode Rechargeable LED Headtorch
What's in the box?: HT191, Straps, chargers, instructions
Quite a substantial piece of kit
First Impressions
NightSearcher stuff is not usually known for being cheap gear so when I saw a couple these on ebay the other week going for a low price I thought I might have to get one. Unlike the usual headlamp configuration with a single LED beam up front, this item features a separate R/G/B night vision module too.
The item came from a very nice gentleman in Scotland. He took a great deal of care in packing the item and also left a hand written thank you note inside the box which is a rare nice touch.
The headlamp comes in a large retail box, much larger than many other head lamps of this size. Inside was the lamp, a changing wall plug, a 12V car charger, an intermediate charging adapter, instructions and the head band to hold everything against your head. As the head band was in three separate pieces it took a few minutes to work out how it went together and how to actually get it to stay on the lamp. Nothing too dramatic though.
The headlamp is constructed from good quality plastics front and back with a metal heatsink behind the head unit.
From the front the head unit is split between the white Cree XP-E on one side and the Tri colour LED's on the other. In between the two lens is a rather nifty diffuser which can be switched over between the two sections quickly and easily.
Both the left and right light modules have a separate function switch situated on the top of the head. So switching on the white LED gives you two options, high and low power. Switching the Colour button gives you Red/Green/Blue LED'S and Red flashing then cycles round again.
The rear mounted battery pack features the direct charging port and a power switch which activates a flashing red "follow me" light for using in poor visibility.
Protection-wise this lamp has a rugged build and should be reasonably shockproof.
Waterproofing is rated at IPX6 which should make it splashproof but not submersible.
Features
•Cree XP-E High, Low white light
• Red, Green and Blue night vision LED's + Red flashing
•Rear charging port
•Rear "Follow Me" light on battery pack.
Diffused Red LED
Diffused Green LED
Diffused Blue/U.V LED
Testing
On a freshly charged battery pack performance is really good. On the highest setting the spot beam is clear and concentrated. Flip over the diffuser and this lamp transforms into a flood light of sorts. Spreading the light to form a wideish circle. Clicking the power button twice and low mode kicks in - Roughly a 50% reduction in lumens which is ideal for lower light requirements.
High Power
High Power with diffuser
Low power
Red LED
Red Diffused
Green LED
Blue LED
Flicking the colour switch once and the lamp enters a low light night vision mode. Not true night vision of course. Not Infrared but tactical low light night vision preserving colours. The first click of the button fires up the red LED. This is perhaps the most effective colour to work under at night. Red seems harder to detect from distance so this option could be useful for covert stuff.
Hit the switch a second time and a subtle green led comes on. This mode is best suited for map reading and the like. A third press of the button activates the blue led. It's somewhere between blue and Ultra violet on the light spectrum. This is claimed to be useful for differentiating liquids. Hardly. it does pick up some things in UV though. The final mode in the colour module is the red led flashing. Could be useful for alerting someone's attention.
I'm impressed with the flexibility of this lamp. Seems like there is something for every scenario.
Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
Although not the brightest head lamp on the market it certainly wipes the floor with the competition when it comes to features. The flip-over diffuser is a neat idea - unique? It's not something I've seen before. In terms of how much it cost and value for money this item is outstanding.