LED DUET HEADLIGHT

LED Duet Headlight (Nuwai HLX-513AA), retail $31.50 (www.amondotech.com...)
Manufactured by Nuwai (www.nuwai.com)
Last updated 11-13-06




The Nuwai HLX-513AA Headlamp is a head-mounted light that uses a 1.2 watt SE (side-emitting) Luxeon Star LED and three 5mm white LEDs to produce its light, has five modes (1 5mm LED, 2 5mm LEDs, 3 5mm LEDs, the Luxeon LED, and blink) accessible from a single pushbutton, and feeds from three AA cells.

It has an elastic (stretchy) 3-point headband system, so it feels comfortable to use.

This headlamp has one thing found in very few flashlights or headlamps: an LED battery status indicator.


SIZE



To use the Nuwai HLX-513AA headlamp (hereinafter, just called a headlamp), feed it first (see directly below), and then you can go paint the town red - or in this case, white.

Place the headlamp - where else - on your head, and adjust the buckles so the unit fits properly.
The illuminator head should be in front and the battery box should be in the back.
The illuminator head is adjustable by swinging it down or up as needed; it is on a detent-equipped hinge with a fairly stiff action, so the headlamp should stay where you put it unless you hit it against something. The forehead plate has a foam rubber pad which rests against the forehead for comfort. The straps themselves are affixed to plastic loops with their centers open; this allows the straps to be removed for cleaning when necessary.

Press and release the rubberised button on the top of the illuminator head once to turn one 5mm LED on. Press and release it again to turn two 5mm LEDs on. Press and release it again to turn three 5mm LEDs on. Press and release it again to turn the Luxeon LED on. Finally, press and release it a fifth time to turn the unit off.

From any mode (including off), pressing and holding in the button for 3 seconds or more activates flash mode. This causes the Luxeon LED to blink at full power at approximately 2Hz (2 blinks per second).
Regardless of which mode you were in when you activated flash mode, pressing and releasing the button in this state turns the unit off.


Photograph of the headlamp on a flashlight tester's head.
So why aren't my eyes showing in this photograph?
Because I had brain surgery in late-2002, and my left eye is now what's known as a "googly eye", and makes photographs look just terrible. So with every headlamp I've evaluated since early-2003, I have to crop the photograph above my eyes because it just looks wierd otherwise.



On the battery box at the back of the straps, face the "LED Duet" labelling toward you. On the right side of the battery box, lift (firmly if necessary) the locking catch until it unsnaps, then swing it and the battery door up.

Tip the battery box into your hand to relieve it of the used AA cells, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.

Install three new AA cells into the battery box, orienting them so the cells at each end go in with the button-end (+) facing outward, and the cell in the center goes in so the flat-end (-) negative faces outward.

Swing the battery door back down, and press in on the latch until it snaps in place.
There, you're all finished.

Notice I did not advise you to stomp on anything or flush anything away.

Due to the way the headlamp is constructed, I am not able to provide you with current usage readings.

Battery life is advertised to be 34 hours for one LED, 16 hours for two LEDs, 10 hours for three LEDs, 3 hours for the Luxeon LED, and 7 hours for flash mode.



The headlamp appears reasonably durable. Due to its plastic construction, I will not administer the smack test on it.

It appears to be water-resistant, and possibly even submersible to shallow depths too. When I administered that dreadful suction test, it held a vaccume (vacumn, vacume, vaccuummnne, vaccuumne, vaccum, vacuum, etc.). So it should easily withstand being used in crappy weather without leaking or becoming flooded, and shallow-water landings shouldn't kill it either. The dog just took a leak on it? No problem. Just take the garden hose to it - good as new.

The light output by this headlamp is a pure white in color, with no pink, yellow, blue, purple, or "rotten porpoise urine" green tint to it. Not in the hotspot, not in the corona either.

One thing present on this headlamp that is uncommon to find on other headlamps or flashlights is a battery status indicator.
Approximately three seconds after turning the unit on, one of the battery status indicator LEDs just in front of the switch will light.
A green LED means you have plenty of power (100% to 50%), a yellow LED means "caution" (the batteries are pooping out; 50% to 20%), and a red LED means you should change the batteries as soon as possible (20% or less power remaining).

Look a lot like another Nuwai headlamp's web page?
No, you're not seeing things.
I used one as a template for this web page.



Beam photo (1 LED) at ~12".
Measures 24,300mcd.



Beam photo (2 LEDs) at ~12".
Measures 35,900mcd.



Beam photo (3 LEDs) at ~12".
Measures 59,400mcd.



Beam photo (Luxeon) at ~12".
Measures 1,155,000mcd.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the 5mm LEDs in this headlamp.



Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the SE Luxeon LED in this headlamp.
Ocean Optics USB2000 Spectrometer on loan from TWO-CUBED.



Beam photo (Luxeon) at ~15'.
That red oval-shaped thing on the wall is from an American DJ Laser Widow

All measurements were taken on a Meterman LM631 light meter.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit of this headlamp and 17 other products were sent by A.L. of Amondotech and were received late in the morning of 07-11-05.

Product was made in China. A product's country of origin really does matter to some people, which is why I published it on this web page.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: Nuwai
    PRODUCT TYPE: Headlamp
    LAMP TYPE: 1.2 watt Luxeon Star side-emitter (SE) LED, 5mm white LEDs
    No. OF LAMPS: 4 (1 Luxeon, 3 5mm)
    BEAM TYPE: (Luxeon) Narrow spot w/rings (5mm) Narrow flood
    SWITCH TYPE: Rubberised pushbutton on/mode change/off on top of illuminator module
    BEZEL: Rubber; LEDs and reflectors protected by plastic windows
    BATTERY: 3xAA cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, to shallow depths at minimum
    ACCESSORIES: 3x Duracell brand AA cells
    WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





LED Duet (Nuwai HLX-513AA) Headlight * www.amondotech.com...






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