Discussion: Did somebody say Bentblaste...

Did somebody say Bentblaster ?? Jamie's is tucked away in safe!!

Did it work OK for you? It's always scary to use a different headlamp in a race.

I have enough parts for a Ca-ty-Blaster... It'll need a different mount than the Gallyblaster though- I can't seem to get those any more.

Oh it worked all right!!! Caty blaster bring it on!!

Simpy and I were just talking about running headlamps. What stuff did you focus on for the BB that make it a good running light? Any commercial ones you have seen you recommend?

Oh crap, now you'll get him started. Seriously, you shouldn't ask that question unless you have time for lunch and a few beers! ;)

I have time for lunch, beer and dinner.

Here we go...
I used a medium wide beam with a soft cut-off, which seems best for trails. Also set up with 5 different brightness levels. With the latest generation XPG-2 or XML-2, level 2 of 5 is plenty for the climbs, level 3 for the descents, and the BB lights get incredible burn times at the lower settings, but the power is there if you need it.

Some commercial lights have too few settings, forcing you to use too much power,
then they fade out gradually. I like to have multiple settings that stay at that power level.

The light I used at CCC also had latest generation 3400mAH lithium batteries, which aren't available in commercial lights yet.

Look into the Glowworm X1 light- it has a similar driver to the Bentblaster.
Sorry you asked?

Cool. That is all good info. I like the fact you can program the Glowworm in for different configurations. When you say you need about a 2 for the climbs, 3 for decents, what do those translate to lumens wise?

Hard to say, lumens-wise without some sort of tool to measure.
Also, cool white is not as good for depth perception as warmer white, so less is more there. My best light probably cranks 1100 real lumens (many claims are totally bogus) at full power, but with a nice beam pattern and good colour rendition 200-300 is ample for running and trekking. Lumens don't translate exactly to perceived brightness. Also, a 1000 lumen light burns far longer at 1/4 power than a 250 lumen light at full power on the same battery- they are exponentially more efficient at lower power.

One more thing- having 2 heads that can swivel independently like the Ay-up is a good idea too if you want a beam near your feet and another further ahead. You don't need a custom beam as much that way.

I have a spot beam for biking, a medium beam for trekking and a wider beam for handlebar use along with a helmet spot. The Magichshine type lights only have a tight spot beam, and only a couple of power settings.

Super useful to know that a light burns more efficient at low when outputting the same lumens as another light at high. Currently I do use a Magicshine for biking, and so far it has lasted 3+ years, so I can't complain. But my search now is something ideal for running, and the current collection of Petzls I have aren't ideal. Thanks again for the info.

Bugs, you'd be welcome to borrow something to try out and even race with at OC.

Thanks for the generous offer Bash. I am going to do a little research, and will ping you if I need to take you up on it.

No worries. The BashBlaster I used at UTMB will probably not see much use over the next few weeks.

I have a few more in inventory too. I agree with Bash-best thing is to try them some day. Your Magicshine has a reflector which puts out a narrow beam with sharp cut-off, which is better for biking. You might find the BB is half the weight, as is the battery, which may be more comfortable.

Yours is probably a P7 cool white LED. There have been 2 generations since, and the latest are maybe 30% more efficient and warmer white, but not a huge change.

Ahh, confessions of a light geek...

If you have the $, there are some fantastic Lupine lights too.

"200-300 is ample for running and trekking"... is this over relatively smooth terrain? or would this be ample for technical trails/off trail as well (rocky, twisty, or off trail with plenty of branches/logs/rocks)

[ I had been researching lamps as well, as most do in the fall... do you do orders :-) (or recommended parts lists for skilled assembly :-D ) ]

I think it depends on the speed. I use the full 1100 or so for racing singletrack on bike. On foot you're just not going that fast.

If you're not in a big hurry I think I have enough parts in inventory to run off another nice light. I'm thinking of just using GoPro compatible mounts now, as there are a ton of cheap adapters around now online for handlebar, helmet and headband mounting.

Extra mount options are great, keeps it versatile (and I would expect fairly strong and stable on the head, being intended for a GoPro)

Not in a big hurry, although I am only running with a 70 lumin light for the near future. I can pop you an email.

I was probably around ~200 lumens on my Magicshine for the trek at Wilderness Traverse and it worked well for me - we did a lot of scrambling and bushwhacking in the dark. I used that setting as well at another 24 hr race and just popped up to high when closing in on CPs or trying to determine position by looking across a large dam pond/lake.