cree headlamp vs led lenser h7 for surgery

The cree headlamp was discussed here.

The led lenser h7 is available in hahn for 2800 pesos versus 1500 pesos for the cree. It is rated at 160 lumens versus 300 for the cree. Maybe the 300 value is exaggerated. But the led lenser H7 is a little weaker than the cree. The focusing system of the H7 is inferior to the cree. Just look at the cree's lens assembly, its so long compared to the H7. Just like a DSLR telephoto lens, if you want zoom , you need a longer barrel.

My bro in law has a cree and I have used it in surgery so I can safely say that its focus system is excellent. The cree has little spill while the led lenser has a lot of spill. Its intensity is probably the minimum needed for surgery. Sorry led lenser, I have to turn you down this once.

Conclusion: the cree headlamp is definitely usable for surgery.

Led lenser k3 and p3

The led lenser k3 costs 799 in hahn. Because it uses button cells, its very small

The p3 costs 899.

The price is very reasonable compared the the US price of $16-$20 for the p3. It uses 1AAA and has a zoomable lens. Only 1 mode though.

My candidates for LED flashlights

After searching ebay and seaching using google shopping + a little google research in the flashlight forums looking for reviews, I made an initial short list of candidates. Some are 1x AA, some are 2x AA. Requirement are branded, high quality, < $40. I had to surf a lot of sites to find stores that shipped to the Philippines. Sometimes you have to register with them to find out that they dont ship here or the cost is too much.

The candidates

The Fenix E20. $38, free shipping. 2AA batteries
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LED Lenser - V2 Triplex 3 LED. pounds 15 ($25.06) + pounds 7.25 ($12.11) shipping . 1 AA
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Coast LED Lenser Flashlight DIGITAC II - 7848. $29.95 + $12 shipping. 1AA
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Quark mini AA. $39. free shipping. 1AA
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NiteCore EZ AA . $52, free shipping. 1AA
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2AA inova radiant. $34.41 total using e-2-door for shipping.
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2AA maglite led, 2nd generation. $24 + $4 shipping
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If I remember correctly, the nitecore, the quark and the maglite have different light levels, while the maglite also has adjustable zoom. Having a low setting because at max light levels, the batteries only last 4 hours or so.

I'll blog later about my final choice.