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D25 series headlamp overview, review and mods
that guy named seb wrote: The light housing needs to be made out of metal as it forms part of the circuit. Just like how the car chassis is the ground. Also the aluminium housing acts as a heat sink. The D25S heats up decently on the higher modes. If you want to save 10-15g then the H05A WHITE is the way to go. It is even lighter and floodier. The weight savings is probably because they figured out how to mill it using less aluminium. But the chinese thriftyness has the unintended side effect of giving us the lightest factory made 18650 headlamp that I know of, 110g all in. Housing is probably not as durable as a Fenix. But then, having a headlamp that can survive being run over by a truck is probably overkill for climbing. |
Javinder Bains wrote: I tried finding the H05A on Aliexpress and nothing showed up...do you have a link so I can order the right one? |
Stever wrote: I ordered two on Tues and they're due here tomorrow. Free shipping, a 15% discount your first time on the site, and you get to shaft Bezos. The H05 is on there. |
Stever wrote: From the Aliexpress Sofirn store: https://a.aliexpress.com/_mt1ni04 Choose the "all white light" and make sure you collect and use their coupon. Be warned that the rabbit hole of D10/D25 variants and successors is deep. You will be buying them for friends and family members. I give them to long term partners. Guarantees that I will always have a belay! The H05A I am testing is going to a partner this month. |
that guy named seb wrote: Might as well just get a Zebralight H600? 39 grams for the H600 body versus 75 grams for the D25 ... according to random online specs. (EDIT -- this 75 grams probably includes the strap. So how much does just the body weigh? Doesn't seem like you could shave much off 39 grams) Any reason besides cost to prefer these lights over the Zebralights? The Zebralights have a proven track record and I have a hunch they'll work out to be cheaper over time. Sure you need a nice battery charger but that's nice to have, especially if you still use any three-battery lights. |
Ben Kraft wrote: Zebralights are good lights but they can have issues too. There are various posts about it. https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/qgxwe7/zebralight_never_again/ Buying a Zebralight outside of the USA can get quite expensive for those not so blessed. And servicing them outside the USA, like many brands, means shipping to china. The zebralight also lacks USB charging which every modern 18650 headlamp now has. They haven't updated their line in 3 years. Last year they had issues with their suppliers and chinese factory. It got to the point where they were putting low 70 CRI emitters on lights sold as 90+ CRI without telling anyone. https://budgetlightforum.com/node/78115 The D25S weights 120-125g all in including headstrap and battery. The H05A 110-115g. The all in Zebralight H600fw headlamp weight is listed around 125g on their site. Remember this is with the D25S and H05A including USB charging. The beam pattern in the D25S is ideal for climbing. Is it better than a zebralight? Only people with both can say. But it has an extremely wide pattern and some throw without any frosted lenses. The H05A is exceptionally floody and wide angled. Don't get me wrong the Zebralight is a better built headlamp with a boost driver for regulated output. It has potted electronics which means its should be very shock proof. But this isnt the early 2010s when the difference between the Zebralights and everything else was extreme. Even cheap chinese headlamps are approaching the performance of the Zebralight at the same weight now. And maybe with a better beam pattern for climbing. With the Zebralight you are looking at around $100 all in costs, with the D25S and H05A $20-25. The D10/D25 series has been out for 4 years now. Any issues with them are well known. They are not the best nor brightest headlamps. But they might be the best value. Not everyone wants or can afford to spend $100 for a headlamp. I use mine daily for the last 3+ years, so far so good. |
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My d25s weights 121g with battery and 74g without a battery and 51g without the strap or battery. Not sure if it's possible to get much lighter than this. As Javier said about zebra light (and every 18650 headtorch) they don't really exist outside of the US market for a reasonable price, the bd icon is technically an 18650 powered head torch and that's the best you're going to find for reasonable money in Europe. Paying £12 for a head torch and £6 for 2 batteries is much more the money I would want to spend. Not having to buy an external charger and be able to just charge off USB is incredibly useful for extended trips where I rely on solar panels. its a shame its not usb-c but neither is my current power bank so not much of an issue there. |
that guy named seb wrote:  You can get the USB C to micro adapters (and vice versa) on AliExpress for about a dollar each. Get the ones with a chain or cord for clipping to the usb cord so you never lose it. I just buy a 10 pack for $5 so that I can use my old micro USB cables. |
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Just a reminder for those new to lithium ion batteries. DO NOT recharge them below freezing. Warm the up first. This includes cell phones and powerbanks. The batteries are damaged when recharged below freezing. The good news is that with headlamps with a built in USB charger its easy to keep em warm while charging. In cold temps, I sometimes recharge them in my jacket or under my sleeping bag off a power bank. Obviously this presents certain risks, but so do other things you do in those conditions such as cooking in a tent. If you do damage them, replaceable unprotected 18650 batteries are cheap enough. I almost never buy lights that don't have cheap replaceable batteries, which are usually the first thing to fail. Also here is the difference in beam pattern and tint between the D25S and H05A for anyone trying to decide:  D25S  H05A As you can see the H05A has a bit of a wider beam pattern with no hotspot. The D25S is fairly wide and floody already, but the H05A even more so! With most headlamps if you want to see something you often need to turn your head to shine your light on it. With the H05A you really dont need to do that especially close in. The tradeoff of course is some throw at longer distances. |
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Just got to try my out my new 25RL on a backcountry night descent and have to echo what others have said: for the price, this thing is impressive! The light is plenty bright even at Med1 level. The red light gets ridiculously bright, even painfully so. I'm a little skeptical of the durability of the plastic clip but will just try to baby the whole lamp amap. It's also perceptively quite heavy compared to the Spots and others I've had. Will be working on the mods soon. Thanks Javinder! |
Andy Bennett wrote: The plastic holding bracket can break, but mostly it will the result of taking the light on and off of it over and over again. If you zip tie it and never take it off it is unlikely to break. If it does break you can find cheap replacement rubber holders on Aliexpress. But the tilting wont be as good and it will be heavier with the top strap.  As to the weight, an 18650 battery alone weights ~45g. There is no way around a 18650 headlamp being 30g+ heavier than a AAA×3 light. But in exchange you get several times the energy. 1.2v x 900 mAh x 3 AAA NiMh = 3.24 Wh 3.7v x 1250 mAh x 1 Petzl Core = 4.63 Wh 3.7v x 2200 mAh x 1 18650 Aliexpress included battery = 8.14 Wh 3.7v x 3000 mAh x 1 18650 Amazon included battery = 11.1 Wh 3.7v x 3500 mAh x 1 18650 best available battery = 12.95 Wh The H05A is a bit lighter, 30g vs 40g of the D25S over the weight of a AAA headlamp. The famous stock Zebralight is the same weight as the D25 series. Most 18650 headlamps weight 140-160g vs the 110-125g of these ones. |
Ben Kraft wrote: I have both. When I take the battery out of the Zebralight 600 and the holder for the strap off the Sofirn D25s, I'd be hard pressed to tell you there is anything but a slight edge to the 600 and not much at that. (don't have a gram scale) I bought my Zebralight 600 (actual model ZLSC600w3HI SC600w Mk III HI 18650 Flashlight with Neutral White High Intensity XHP35) in 2016 for $95. Still have it, great torch. Without looking up the current price, I can assure you that $95 is still more money than $20 (Sofirn D25S). I suspect that if you told me I could only have one and you were paying, I'd still choose the 25S. That micro USB charging the D25 has is awesome if you are out camping and want to recharge off of a car battery or a power bank. Sofirn wins on the "price performance" comparison all day long, but they might in fact win no matter what the price was. Javinder Bains has this dialed and his advice is super solid. To reiterate one point of importance that he made: LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT 18650 lithium batterys as they can, and do on occasion, blow up. Literally blow up. They are better now than ever and it isn't an everyday occurance, but don't abuse them and expect it to end well. Just one example: if you are male and toss an uncovered battery in your pocket with a bunch other other metal such as change, paperclips, car keys etc and it shorts out....well, kiss your "boyz" goodbye. These aren't your grandmothers wimpy AA ni-cads or alkalines, these fuckers have POWER! SHITLOADS OF IT! It's very, very serious and there are a lot of ways it can go bad. Learn about it before, not afterwards. I also put the charger i9nto a "Battery Charging Bag" (mine is made by Efest but there are many good ones) if I ever will not be present while charging. I've been getting more casual - especailly with the built in USB chargers. Not sure that's a good idea though. These wonderful lithium batteries also produce craploads of highly toxic fumes when they do burn. DO NOT BREATH THE FUMES. Buy quality batteries, quality chargers and re-read the good advice upthread, when it works, it's awesome. This 18650 cautionary tale titled "Vape explosion blows out man’s teeth"- (9 teeth in fact in this instance although there are lots of "....blows out 2 or 3 teeth" stories:-) : https://kfor.com/news/vape-explosion-blows-out-mans-teeth-precautions-all-vapers-should-take/   "The explosion tore a hole in the bathroom countertop and charred parts of the wall" as well. Closer to home, I just had a fellow climber nearly lose his life a couple of months back when his battery charger (which was a nicely discounted Cheap Chinese made no-name brand) with a 18650 battery in it caught his house on fire. This wonderful dude literally came inches from death and likely would have died except his hand, as he slept, was near where the fire started and when he woke up/rocked up, his entire bedroom was lit up by fire and smoke filled. It's serious stuff, don't toss these "heads up" off lightly. A great place to learn the minutia is BLF, Budget Light Forum, link: https://budgetlightforum.com/. Reddit and Candlepower are 2 other places for solid info. This technology is changing rapidly and for the better, it is likely that this thread is outdated when you get to it. The next big thing is incorporating lasers into flashlights. They can easily shine over a mile and need less power to do it. Good time to be alive. |
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As Billcoe said, and as mentioned in my previous posts, lithium ion batteries need to be treated with respect. Dangerous failures can happen with even Zebralights: Within 3 seconds the entire lamp was flaming hot. I unscrewed the cap as fast as I could to get the battery out, and the spring inside the cap was red hot, and actually burned the heck out of my thumb when I was unscrewing it.I tried the other battery carefully and it heated up again instantly (wore gloves this time)... https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/e7ok1v/zebralight_h600fc_mk_iv_fried_best_replacement/ That said, if you use decent cells and chargers, and take the proper precautions, the risk is quite low. Lithium ion cells are used in almost everything these days. There is no way around it. I personally feel that a light with a decent USB built in charger is safer. Alot of accidents come from handling of bare batteries. If in doubt as to wether a battery or charger is acceptable, or a particular handling practice. Just ask us here or on the various light and vape forums. Better to ask and look stupid on an internet forum, than actually be stupid and call the fire department! |
Javinder Bains wrote: Thanks Bill and Javinder for the warnings. But other than storing/carrying loose batteries properly and using a good charger, what other precautions are warranted? Is the cheap ass little micro USB cord that came with my D25S last seek safe? And if so, what wall charger is ok to pair it with? |
Andy Bennett wrote: The cable is fine, like all cheap USB cables it might break after awhile. But the cables aren't usually the issue. If you want good cheap ones, get some at IKEA. Any good name brand 5v 1 Ah+ USB wall charger should be fine. Ones that come with cell phones are usually decent. If in doubt just pick up an IKEA KOPPLA, they are cheap and tested. If you still have AAA headlamps you want to use pick up some LADDA rechargeables and their STENKOL AA/AAA charger (or get a Liitokala or Xtar charger which can charge 18650 too off Aliexpress). https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/koppla-3-port-usb-charger-white-60415030/ IKEA is one of the secrets of the flashlight world. There's tons of test and reviews done on their chargers and batteries. They are cheap. And the performance is good. Their LADDA rechargeable are supposedly made in the same Japanese factory as the Eneloops (best NiMh batteries) and test almost as well. For safe handling of Lithium Ion:
Most of the above is applicable to any lithium ion device. For example, I would not leave a laptop or cell phone charging if I am not in the house. Nor charge them in the bath. Alot of it is common sense. Just treat it with caution like you do butane canisters or zippo fluid. Like I said loose batteries is the most common cause of accidents. There is a reason why the FAA bans the carrying of loose batteries on flights, but lithium ion batteries in devices are still allowed! |
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To add to Javinders post, there are people who will NOT buy a battery or a charger that has not been successfully tested (or rather given the "Happy Face" to) by the Danish Engineer who posts as HKJ. Henrich has great stuff, he's a private person who just wanted to get the facts on this stuff and was driven to rack up a lot of tests. His charts are spectacular. Clicking on any header will sort by that column. Here is his battery and battery charger pages: https://lygte-info.dk/info/indexBatteriesAndChargers%20UK.html I like clicking on the chart, there are 2 on the page, 1 for batteries, one for battery chargers, then on the header (usually the Rating) and if it looks like a red face with a harsh frown, click it again to resort and see yellow happy faces, 3 smiling faces being excellent. Full tests are available as well by clicking on any product. Good stuff, and dudes a good person for sharing. You can navigate around and see other things which interest him, he also posts on Budget Light Forum and Eevblog. Homepage here---> https://lygte-info.dk/ |
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It is another winter weekend and I am bored again. So I took some parasitic drain measurements, i.e. the current draw off the light when off but not mechanically locked out. Boruit D25 yellow - 0.001 mAh Sofirn D25S, 2 different lights - 0.001 mAh H05A WHITE - 0.038 mAh These were measure on an old Fluke 45 and confirmed with a MA-line pocket meter. Basically parasitic is pretty minimal on the D25 and D25S. On the H05A it is about the same as most other decent lights. However you should always lockout your light when storing as you could have a faulty one which drains the batteries significantly. It has happened to even Zebralights! So I've had my SC600w IV Plus for a few months with occasional usage and edc but I wouldn't call it heavy usage especially on H1 or H2 and noticed my batteries weren't lasting long in it. I decided to check the parasitic drain on it and found 8.14mA. I though zebralights were supposed to be super efficient and have low drain but in my opinion this is way too high. Has anyone else had this problem or any insight to what I should do? https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/jme1b4/is_it_time_to_call_zebralight/ This is not bashing Zebralights. But rather to show that issues can pop up even with the most highly recommended lights. Which is why everyone should have a cheap D25 series or H05A. So that if you ship your expensive light in for repair and it takes a few weeks or months, you will still have a light! Or you lose your expensive light! Like I said before, even if you don't use a D25/H05 outside, I guarantee you will use it around the house. |
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You all are amazing. Thank you for your incredibly thorough reviews and support. This is one of the best outdoorsian dirtbag gear review/support threads I've seen. Kudos! (So, how much is Sofrin paying you?? Jk) |
Andy Bennett wrote: Yeah sofirn does not want me to advertising for them. They do some potentially unsafe stuff such as selling unprotected batteries with lights that lack LVP, which is why I test it myself. One of their latest lights the SC21 has LVP stated in the manual but lacked it when tested. It takes independent testers to expose them. They also tend to sell lights they claim to have in stock but haven't manufactured yet. Happens every 11.11 Aliexpress day and Christmas like clockwork! The good news is that the D25 and H05 series are not manufactured by sofirn. They and others just take a generic design, modify it a bit and subcontract it out to the actual manufacturer. If you look on Amazon and in stores you will see many variations of the design. I suspect all of them can be traced back to one or two factories in China. I would not be recommending the D25 series if I didn't own them for years, seen independent tests on them and tested them myself!   |
Javinder Bains wrote: Thanks for the thorough comparison! It sounds like the D25s are great lights. I originally posted because my Zebralight ~H600 has been one of my most durable and reliable pieces of climbing gear - for example, my totems of the same vintage are worn out. I've come to trust it enough to bring it on a big trip without backup. This is worth a lot in a world of amazon junk and crappy premium electronics (looking at you Light & Motion - a diving company that can't even waterproof their bike lights). |
