Who's the Biggest Headlamp Lumen Liar? Milwaukee v NiteCore, Coast, Petzl, Matco

Today we tested the most commonly requested rechargeable headlamps from our viewers including the Slonik 1000 lumen from Amazon, Nitecore HC60 , Petzl Actik Core , Matco PCHDLMP , and Coast XPH30R vs our DIY light integration sphere to see if their lumen ratings are accurate as well as the battery size and runtime with plenty of upsets there.

Torque of TTC is working for Astro Tools who also make impact wrenches (air). TTC is not the only testing out there, always consider multiple sources when looking at a tool!
~We earn from qualifying purchases when using the Amazon affiliate links here~

0:00 What We'll be Testing
1:37 Amazon
2:48 Coast
3:57 Nitecore
5:06 Milwaukee
6:32 Petzl
7:48 Matco
8:56 Fit
10:45 Runtime Lumens
13:20 Charging & Data

[OmegaGamingNetwork]

Man I am so glad you guys started testing lights. I cannot tell you how annoyed I am at the sheer number of lights I've bought over the years that didn't come even remotely close to their claims. Now I have something I can take a quick glance at and know exactly what I am going to get before even opening the package.

[mattmanyam]

One of the things I noticed, when I first started using a headlamp, is some of them are built with optics for throw (for cycling, hiking, etc, ) and some have a wider beam spread, which I found much more friendly to "hand-work" use... With the "focused" beam, I was constantly turning my entire head to direct the beam, while wider spread optics allowed a noticably more natural/transparent action, where I wasn't forced to turn/point my head all the time.

This might be a good metric to address, as your audience is most likely in the "hand-work" camp.

I keep a couple Streamlight bandits close by, for unplanned needs, and a big Nitecore for regular needs.

[davisev]

You got an audible laugh from me right at the end with the "tacticool" "wear all the headlamps!" bit. 🤣

[flawmore]

For those of you who are considering a headlight. Get one that fit your needs. Not the brightest one.
I work as an electrician, and I use the Petzl on almost a daily basis. And I use it A LOT since it's basicly my job to work in the dark. It's super light weight so I can carry it with me at all times (not on the head). It's been dropped countless times, and never broke. I guess it's the light weight that is saving it, and the plastic is not the easily cracking kind. It's also small and not in the way when working in cramped spaces. Huge bonus for being 100% plastic as it is isolated and won't shock my head if it, god forbid, would come in contact with anything that it shouldn't. If the battery would run out at a bad time you can always temporarily change it to x3AAA.
This sounds like I'm paid to say, but it's honestly just a recommendation from someone who actually use it.

[kainm]

For the battery charging tests, you need to be aware of one thing: some chargers/lights have a linear regulator (charging current stays constant), others a switching regulator (charging current increases with cell voltage / charge level).
For a linear regulator, you need to take the mAh reading directly (the extra voltage between 5V and the cell voltage is just being burned off), for switching regulators you need to consider the mWh reading and divide by the nominal voltage (they have a buck converter, that keeps the current into the cell constant).
That means that the cheaper linear regulator design will get hotter during use, while also seemingly having more capacity (being less efficient with the charge supplied to it)

[SilentlyContinue]

Missed a collab opportunity with Project Farm. You could have had cousin Eddie wear the headlamps!

[teamvigod]

Big fan of the channel. This is "Project Farm" level testing. Outstanding! You guys could head towards a million subs!

[agentmango]

Great video, thank you. I've got a Fenix HP25R I've used the heck out of, mostly with the warm-temp high-spread light for close in working on projects. I really really like it, only downside is that over time the headband has gotten a little loosey-goosey.

The HP25R has the separate battery case at the back with a micro USB to charge it, and it can run while being charged. Kind of a niche use case, but I have gone on a longer winter hike where I had a 3' usb cord powering/charging it from a powerbank in my pocket.

[eatonboody]

Stumbled onto this by accident, ended up watching the whole flashlight series, then subbed. Supremely useful data and the way it was presented was superb. Great job.

[MateHegyhati]

This was awesome. thank you. The drops in lumens shocked me. I just came here from a Petzl Bindi vs Nitecore NU25 video, and I think I'm not the only one who would watch these before buying something.

[cynic]

The low setting on the Petzl is really nice when you are backpacking at night (intentionally or unintentionally). The battery last forever and it lets your eyes adjust to the surroundings so you can see where your stepping but doesn’t blind you to thing in the distance. I have a much cheaper Dorsey for that sole purpose. I use the Milwaukee at work because I like the color of the light (took some getting used too though now I wouldn’t want to use anything else).

[TorqueTestChannel]

We understand a lot of people wished we would have tested X brand or model, but these are all from our viewers' cumulative comments. We tested 8 different ones (2 didn't test well due to sensors) all on the channel's dime. Let us know if we should continue to do more lights and light types? (They take 2-4X the resources to make each vs other episodes)
Torque of TTC is working for Astro Tools who make lights as well, just like the Matco and others. Always consider multiple sources when considering a tool!.

[marambula]

The selling point for me on the Petzl is the red light, the low lumen setting, lightweight, and can use 3x AAA if needed instead of the rechargeable battery. I’ve been very happy with my petzl but would love a lightweight but brighter and less pricey option. Thanks for these tests and sharing the results. The right tools for the job make a huge difference!

[laukc]

I use the Milwaukee headlamp as an auto tech and I love it. The true view color is a life saver on your eyes and the low mode provides more than enough light for me. Run time is great and having the ability to swap out for another battery means I can working.

[BlisterBang]

When testing lights that use an 18650, please consider using the same 18650 for each test. There is a huge disparity among 18650 mAh ratings (some are blad-faced lies, IMO).

[Sam-thjl]

one thing to keep in mind is that high charging current isn't always desirable, a lower charging current will increase the lifespan of the cell because it stresses the cell less. personally, i prefer to charge slower because i always get a spare battery anyway

[YouTubehndl]

I’m glad I just got the Milwaukee. I’m a painter so the true view color light will be very helpful in differentiation of colors as well as sanding drywall patches.

[SkittleEagle]

I've had the home depot coast headlamp for about a year now. And I love it, it has saved me a lot times. I usually keep it the middle to lowest setting most of the time and it does last me about 8 hours. With some off time so hard to know the actual run time on low. But it does work better than the milwaukee, not going back to them in headlamps.
Thanks.

[jamisonkrusac]

The Petzl headlamps are surprisingly durable. I have never broken one either in the military or using them as a Bat Biologist. Racked up a lot of hours of use and the only reason I've replaced them is to get the newer models. They have brighter headlamps as well as ones with larger batteries. Petzl focuses on more of a tailor made lighting approach.

[markp]

This is the sort of content I don't press skip ad for.
Top quality and informative.