LED Lenser H14
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LED Lenser H14 $199
It’s a bit of a misnomer to call the H14 a headlamp. With a removable lamp that can be attached to your belt or waist and a bracket that can be attached to the handlebars of a mountain bike, it’s more a mobile spotlight, which is why LED Lenser describes it as a ‘4 in 1’ torch.
However, I used it primarily as a headlamp and found it to throw out an exceptionally bright light – easily lighting up the trail ahead. You’d expect that of any headlamp, but it's worth noting that the H14 is one of the brightest models available, producing 210 lumens (most other head torches are in the 50-100 lumen range).
As is standard with headlamps there are a multitude of lighting functions you can toggle between. The H14 seems to go a step further than most, though, and offers a somewhat overwhelming choice of lighting and energy modes. You start by choosing one of three lighting modes before switching the torch on. Once on, there is a choice of bright or dim, or you can continuously press the on/off button to gradually dim the light to the brightness you desire. It sounds complicated, but with use I discovered my optimal setting and tended to just stick with it.
The battery pack sits at the rear of the torch headband and because it holds four AA batteries had a tendency to drag the headband down onto my ears (total torch weight is 354g). I just couldn’t get it to sit perfectly, so it’s fortunate LED Lenser has a solution: a one-metre extension cord. With the extension cord I could unclip the battery pack form the headband and clip it to my pocket or pack waist belt. Doing this made it an infinitely more comfortable torch to wear.
Battery life on this torch is average – getting around 13 hours of use from fresh batteries. There is a rechargeable option though (H14R) which could save you money in the long run. But I wasn’t too fussed about this. I always take spare batteries with me and I don’t do much tramping in the dark. I mostly use the torch at camp and when I want to read.
One gripe is the price. The New Zealand distributor recommends between $199-$220, but I found it available from online New Zealand retailers for as cheap as $160. Even so, that’s a fairly hefty price tag for a torch.
But it’s all the options you have with the H14 that make it a winner – attach it to your bike, wear it on your waist, make it into a palm-sized spotlight, or simply wear it on your head. It’s not just the brightest torch I’ve seen, it’s also the most versatile.
- Alistair Hall
It’s a bit of a misnomer to call the H14 a headlamp. With a removable lamp that can be attached to your belt or waist and a bracket that can be attached to the handlebars of a mountain bike, it’s more a mobile spotlight, which is why LED Lenser describes it as a ‘4 in 1’ torch.
However, I used it primarily as a headlamp and found it to throw out an exceptionally bright light – easily lighting up the trail ahead. You’d expect that of any headlamp, but it's worth noting that the H14 is one of the brightest models available, producing 210 lumens (most other head torches are in the 50-100 lumen range).
As is standard with headlamps there are a multitude of lighting functions you can toggle between. The H14 seems to go a step further than most, though, and offers a somewhat overwhelming choice of lighting and energy modes. You start by choosing one of three lighting modes before switching the torch on. Once on, there is a choice of bright or dim, or you can continuously press the on/off button to gradually dim the light to the brightness you desire. It sounds complicated, but with use I discovered my optimal setting and tended to just stick with it.
The battery pack sits at the rear of the torch headband and because it holds four AA batteries had a tendency to drag the headband down onto my ears (total torch weight is 354g). I just couldn’t get it to sit perfectly, so it’s fortunate LED Lenser has a solution: a one-metre extension cord. With the extension cord I could unclip the battery pack form the headband and clip it to my pocket or pack waist belt. Doing this made it an infinitely more comfortable torch to wear.
Battery life on this torch is average – getting around 13 hours of use from fresh batteries. There is a rechargeable option though (H14R) which could save you money in the long run. But I wasn’t too fussed about this. I always take spare batteries with me and I don’t do much tramping in the dark. I mostly use the torch at camp and when I want to read.
One gripe is the price. The New Zealand distributor recommends between $199-$220, but I found it available from online New Zealand retailers for as cheap as $160. Even so, that’s a fairly hefty price tag for a torch.
But it’s all the options you have with the H14 that make it a winner – attach it to your bike, wear it on your waist, make it into a palm-sized spotlight, or simply wear it on your head. It’s not just the brightest torch I’ve seen, it’s also the most versatile.
- Alistair Hall
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