Gear Talk

Headlamp review: Fenix HL 18R-T - Comfort is King

I never enter the mountains without a headlamp. Heck, I practically never leave home without one. While the flashlight on your phone can be good for emergencies, wasting precious phone battery can lead to a predicament, and holding it in your hand while walking on an uneven trail in the dark can be a liability. Putting your best emergency communication tool at risk when navigating a trail in the dark is not the best idea. Flashlights can be bulky, and impractical when you need to use your hands for balance or to hold poles. A headlamp or body lights are one of the most useful pieces of equipment, especially when navigating uneven terrain close to between dusk and dawn, and as an insurance measure to extend your effective hours in the mountains even if you plan to exit before dark.

As I am not quite a morning person, and as my job often has me working past dark (it gets dark early in Japan), I usually do my runs at night. My favourite paths are not very well lit, if lit at all, and some cross roads with car traffic, so I prefer to wear a light when I run. When Fenix first sent me this light, I was a bit thrown off by its bulky size and strange BOA contraption, but very soon grew to largely appreciate what I thought was a gimmicky feature.

Initial thoughts

Disclaimer: I received this light free from Fenix in exchange for writing this review.

The light I was using before this one was the Zebralight h602w, a very powerful 18650-powered floodlight-headlamp. Zebralight makes amazing products out of beautifully machined metal, and while they feel like they'll survive for decades (mine has been in use since 2018), they are a bit heavy for running and ultralight backpacking. Also, the h602w doesn't come with an integrated charging port, so I had to remove the batter to charge every time - not a disaster if you have the hardware, but it is another piece of equipment to buy.

The Fenix HL 18R-T solved all my gripes with the Zebralight. It's lighter, has an integrated micro-USB charging port, and is almost as bright (which is more than enough for trail running). My only slight disappointment is that it uses a micro-USB rather than a USB-C, the latter of which seems to be getting more popular in today's age.

Light Quality and Settings

I won't give any fancy statistics or numbers, but will say that the medium and high settings are enough for night trail running. I don't run super fast, but if you do (or plan to go mountain biking), you might want a brighter light. It's more than enough for running.

The light comes with several settings: Low/Medium/High on the right button, and Floodlight/SOS on the left. The right button settings are useful for regular use, and the left button floodlight is good for low-light things like cooking while camping. I've never used a blinky setting on a headlamp in my life, but I'm sure someone will find a use for it.

The light is a spot/flood combination that fills quite a wide area, useful for seeing the ground right in front of you while also giving you the ability to see several meters in front of you to scan for obstacles. I think the best way to light up both is to have two lights, one light bar on your waist/in your hand to light your feet while having a spot to scan the ground ahead, but I would only recommend that if you are serious about running technical trails at night. I won't get into technical numbers/details about the light, but I will mention that it does have a bit of a yellowish tinge compared to some other super-white LED lights. I find this slightly incandescent look to be a bit easier on the eyes when using the light for long periods of time, and I find that it also lights trails better (for me, contrast is easier to see with the yellower light than a whiter light). However, for those who prefer the washed-out, sterile whiteness of typical CREE LEDs, this light may not be for you.

Fit/Comfort

One thing that Fenix got right with this light is the fit. The BOA-style dial is incredibly easy to use, and makes it extremely easy and comfortable to adjust the light. As runners of bumpy roads (and people who don't like dropping their lights), we usually have to cinch our lights down a bit tight, especially when going fast. Having anything cinched tightly around your head for long periods of time can result in headaches, so the on-the-fly adjustment dial allows you to tighten the light when you really need it (like for high-speed descents) but also loosen it up when you don't, all with one hand! Even when cinched tightly, though, the light didn't cause me any issues. The wide headband was comfy, and definitely worth the weight for my around-town runs.

To give a comparison, I also have an NU-25 UL with an elastic shock cord-style headband. The NU25 UL caused a bit of irritation on my forehead where the foam pressed against my head. I experienced no such problems with the Fenix, even when used for longer periods of time. I do have somewhat sensitive skin, so if you also have sensitive skin, the wider headband on the HL 18R-T is totally worth it.

The angle-adjustment is very useful. I adjusted the angle of the light several times on my run through the woods, angling it toward my feet for climbs and descents over rocky, technical terrain, and angling it back straight when I was running flats and roads.

One thing to note is that the headband is a bit too small to be used with some larger helmets. It worked fine with a bit of stretch on my Petzl Sirocco M size, but if you plan on wearing this light on larger helmets, you might have to wear it underneath the helmet on your forehead. I tried this, and it doesn't seem to be an issue, but if you must mount the light on a helmet, keep this in mind.

Battery

Everyone is going to get a different battery life with their lights. If you look on the website, you can get more info, but it gets 3 hours of runtime on High with the included Lithium-Polymer battery. The cool thing about this light, however, is the fact that you can also use alkaline AAA batteries with it! Yes, in a pinch, the included battery pack can be swapped for 3 AAA batteries, which is super useful in case of emergencies where you might not have access to wall chargers, or if you just forgot to charge your light and need to get replacement batteries. I almost always carry extra AAA batteries with me for my avalanche beacon, and knowing that they can also work in my headlamp is pretty cool.

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Decent battery life

• Can also use AAAs

• Very comfortable/doesn't cause skin irritation

• Stable/does not shift around when running

• More natural-colored light

• Simple user interface

Cons

• A bit heavy compared to other ultralight options

• Headband and light casing are a bit bulky when packed

• Not 100% waterproof (IP66 only, which is more than enough for most)

• Micro-USB rather than USB-C (Could be a pro for some?)

• Headband too small to mount on larger-shell climbing helmets

Final Thoughts

I really like this light. For long-distance daytime runs in which space and weight are at a premium, I would prefer a smaller light like the Nitecore NU-25 UL, a slightly weaker but much more compact light. However, this light will be replacing my Zebralight as my daily driver for nighttime runs - it's lighter than the Zebralight, recharges much more simply, and is way more comfortable, especially with my ponytail. I like the fact that it has a battery indicator, so I can make sure the light won't quit on me halfway through a run. When I go for my weekly miles, I'm not looking for the lightest, brightest, light with all the bells and whistles. I'm just looking for something I can strap to my head and forget it's even there. For the daily grind, comfort is king, and the Fenix HL18-RT is the king of comfort.