UKing Headlamp

Low price, bright light but bulky.

Review of the U`King Headlamps Headlamp Straps LED 9000ML Lumens 4 Mode Cree XM-L T6 18650 Adjustable Focus Rechargeable Compact Size High Power Product # 05164190

I was contacted recently by an outdoor brand from China and asked if I would be willing to review some of their products. I told them I would, but it would be an honest review. I did not pay for the product.

They sent me a list of products to choose from and I replied with my choices as to what I would like to review.

A couple of weeks later I received a package in the mail. When I opened it up I found they had sent me a headlamp to review. The headlamp box was packed inside another cardboard box and was over wrapped in bubble wrap and even though it was shipped in a soft plastic bag, it arrive with no damage.

Inside the box was the headlamp, a wall charger, a 12v car charger and instructions along with two batteries (stored inside in the battery case ).

The instructions have what I believe to be Chinese instructions on one side and English on the other side. I am sorry to say that the English instructions are for the most part useless as they are so poorly written.

The instructions do not mention that the batteries are shrink wrapped and this shrink wrapping must be removed. You have to look very closely at the batteries to tell that they are shrink wrapped. One has to look at the product information on the web site to find this information.

Specs:

• Light Bulb ...Type LED
• Type.... Headlamps, Headlamp Straps
• Battery..... Type 18650
• Total..... Batteries 2
• Emitter.....Cree XM-LT6
• Total Emitters.....3
• Mode.....4
• Switch..... Mode1 (ON/OFF)
• Maximum Brightness (lumens).....9000 ML
• Zoomable.....Yes
• Distance (m)......800m
• Application.... Outdoor, Climbing, Multifunction, Fishing, Hunting, Camping/Hiking/Caving
• Body Color..... Black, Purple
• Body Material ......Aluminum alloy
• What's in the box......1 User Manual, 2 Batteries, 1 Car Charger, 1 AC Charger, 1 Headlamp
• Tips ......Batteries included
• Run time (Hr.) ....3H
• Batteries Included? .....Yes
• Plug Type .....AU Plug, UK Plug, EU Plug, US Plug
• Listing Date......03/30/2017
• Net Weight(kg) .....0.181kg
• Features ....Rechargeable, High Power, Compact Size, Adjustable Focus
• Waterproof Level ....IPX-4

Specs per my scale

• Light with batteries .............. 9.8 oz 278 grams
• Light without batteries .........6.6 oz 188 grams
• Batteries – each – need 2 ......1.6 oz 45 grams
• Wall charger ... 1.1 oz 33 grams
• 12v car charger .... 0.6 oz 19 grams

The only weight listing of the headlamp on the web site lists it as being 0.181 Kg which converts to 6.4 oz which is very close to what I got for the light without the batteries.

First impression....this thing is huge. It has three lamps; one large main lamp with a smaller lamp on each side. The battery pack is mounted on the back in its own case with a wire connecting it to the lamps. The headband is a bright colored pattern and goes over the top of the head as well as around it.

The color of the lamp is a bright purple and black which actually looks good.

There is one button switch on the top of the center lamp. I found it easy to cycle thru the settings. The lamp starts off with the center lamp on only, the outer lamps on only, all three lamps on, then super strobe. The strobe on this lamp is unreal on how bright it is and how fast it flashes. The company says the strobe can be used for self defense and while I do not know it is true or not, I do find that looking at the strobe light to be very uncomfortable.

The lamp is attached to an adjustable plastic mount that felt fairly comfortable against my head. I found that it takes two hands to adjust the aiming point of the lamp. I found it easier to adjust the aim of the lamp by taking it off my head.

The batteries are easy to access as they are located in a hard plastic open case with a soft rubber lid. The rubber lid is held onto the plastic case with a small split ring. This rubber lid rest against the back of the head when the light is being worn. A potential weak point with the rubber cover is its attachment point could tear over time with use. Something I will be keeping an eye on.

The instructions state that the batteries must be charged for 6 hours before use the first time. After that it the batteries should charge 3 to 5 hours. While I did use the charger long enough to make sure it works; I used a Nitecore battery charger to ensure the batteries were fully charged before each test as the model I use has some built in diagnostic features.

Waterproof or water resistant..... I asked the company about this and they say the headlamp is not waterproof. As to how water resistant it is, only time will tell.

Run time....The only information on the run time is found on the Lightinthebox.com web site and it say three hours.

Modes... The website says the lamp has 4 modes but the instructions only list three... Bright Lighting, Weak light Illumination and Strobe Mode. The lights are fixed and can not be focused into a narrow or wider beam even though the web site specs say they are “Zoomable”. If they are Zoomable I was not able to figure out out how to do it.

Testing of the run times:

Before each test, I charged the batteries on my Nitecore battery charger. Once the batteries were fully charged I placed them back into the battery case and turned on the light and left it on to find out how long it would operate at each setting. After each test I recharged the batteries.

I would turn on the headlamp and leave it on and check on about every 30 minutes to an hour. When I could notice a definite decrease in light output, I would end that test.

• Center Lamp only ...8 hrs *
• Outer two lamps only... 12 hrs *
• All three lamps ...3.5 hrs *
• Strobe ....5 hrs *

* I ended the test as the light(s) was still on but it had gotten dimmer to the point it was noticeable.

The specs from the website only list run time as “3H” which I assume is 3 hours but it does not say in in which mode. As the light lasted far longer that 3 hours, it surpassed the seller's claim which is good. Even though I did not test each mode of the headlamp to the point of the light being dead (not giving off light), I think my tests were valid.

I do not have any way to test the actual brightness or Lumens output of the light so I have to take the seller's word on that.

Outdoor Test:

I took the lamp out at night and placed it on a table and aimed the light at a tree close by. The camera I used was placed on the table for each shot to ensure a steady platform. I took a picture earlier that day of the direction I would be shooting at night for a comparison. I then took a picture of the the lamp in each mode.

After I got some pictures I aimed the lamp across the field next to my backyard to get an idea of how far the light reached. While the light was not focused, I could see across the field and make out the boat yard on the other side of the field. Pictures of the night test are located at the bottom of the page. Overall I would have to say this lamp has more a spread out light than a focused light.


In Conclusion:

Pros:

• Low price
• Bright light with a decent range
• Includes batteries and chargers
• Very bright strobe
• Would make a great light for car camping and or when weight and size/bulk are not an issue
• Easy to switch through the different modes

Cons:

• Too heavy and bulky for backpacking
• English instructions are terrible
• Adjusting the aim required that I take the lamp off my head.
• Not waterproof
• Replacement batteries are not readily found at stores
• Have to have access to car or home 110 power source to recharge batteries

Picture of lamp:



Reference shot of tree taken during daytime:
Lamp on center light:
Outer two Llamps:
All three lamps: