Rayovac Sportsman Xtreme 1 Watt Headlamp

This is a light weight and small headlamp made by Rayovac using a single AA cell. The light has two 5mm red leds, one 5mm blue led and one 1 watt luxeon led as its principal light source.

The headlamp has 3 modes that can be rotated using the single button switch, the first press turns on the two red leds, a second press turns on the blue led and a third press turns on the white led.

The three modes are quite bright for a single cell lamp, reds are useful to preserve night vision and blue is good for contrasting when you need to find something, it can also be used for blood tracking and other activities where blue light is recommended.

The white beam produces a good hotspot that can be used to take a night walk without any problems. Runtime is 2 hours for the white beam, we haven't tested the red /blue leds but we think runtime might be longer for them.

As a distinctive feature the light has a difusser that can be used over the red/blue leds or the white led, since it rotates from one position to the other. The difusser makes the light produce a floody beam that is very useful for a task light, for reading and other activities where you need smooth beam without a tight hotspot.

Balance is good and the up/down rotation is adjusted with a plastic ratchet. The ratchet is very solid and the assembly does not move when running. This model is probably not intended for outdoor activities but is certainly very good as a tasklight for indoors use or camping.

Using just a single AA cell the light is very light and confortable to use. A very good option for a light tasklight or a backup headlamp.

This model is available for about $20 at WallMart and similar stores, discounts might apply so you may find it at an even lower price. You can read more at Rayovac's website.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I own one of these and it's the best. It has a voltage upconvert so 1W LED dies suddenly but stays bright till battery is depleted.
Works with NiMh, Alcline, but not compatible with NiZn (rare 1.6V batteries).

With 2100mAh NiMh, lasts 1 camping night per battery.

Fall back on blue or red LED when battery is dead.

Pitfall: the tilt mechanism is weak plastic.