greycaver wrote:Gentlemen and ladies. I'm redoing my lights and helmet. The lights I used for twenty years were MSA minespots. Reliable and bright but heavy and bulky. I really want to modernize But need advice and suppliers names. Which is best? Rechargable or replaceable Batteries. Sustainable light output and brighness are paramount. Price isn't really that important. Have been reading about Brunton and Petzl as sold by Karstsport. I'm aware there are a number of brands and styles but I don't know where to research them.
You've come to the right place! For sustainable light output and brightness, most people are now choosing high-intensity LEDs or a combination of LED and xenon or halogen. For cost and conservation reasons, rechargeable batteries (mostly Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium Ion) are fast becoming the first choice for power. Having the ability to switch to common alkaline batteries (like AA's) is also an advantage - they can usually be found around the world at virtually any little general store.
The Stenlight mentioned above is a very good choice - which will set you back about US$300. How wet are your local caves? Are you frequently in/under the water? If so, check headlamp specs for their waterproof rating. A couple of suggestions to start you off... the Petzl Duo is a tried-and-tested caving lamp, and it's latest 14 LED version for around US$100 seems to do quite well. The Princeton Tec Apex is another extremely popular caving choice, at about US$75 each. That one has a 3 watt high beam, and 1.5 watt, 4-LED flood beam.
If you're looking for the Stenlight, I think you're pretty much limited to getting one from a caving vendor. The more "mainstream" consumer headlamps from Petzl, Princeton Tec, etc can also be got from vendors, but may be found cheaper/on sale from regular outdoor store chains, eBay sellers, and so forth. Just pick some headlamp models, and do an internet price search.
Here's a few of the lighting threads on the forum to keep you busy:
http://forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?t=600
http://forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?t=2754
http://forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?t=63