Fenix HM62-T Review: Maximum light intensity of 1200 lumens! Outdoor headlamps that combine excellent performance and toughness
written by Yosuke.C
When climbing mountains that take longer in the day, you may sometimes leave before dawn, but headlamps are essential for walking safely in such situations.
When I go to take a starry sky at night, the only thing I can rely on in the pitch black mountains is the lights from the headlamp.
Also, headlamps are not necessary only in tents for walking on dark roads, staying overnight, or hiking, but they are items that you must carry in case of shorter mountain hiking situations.
Until now, I used an entry model with a brightness of around 300 lumens, but to be honest, I wasn't satisfied with my pre-dawn actions, so I wanted to make headlamps a little brighter, but the Fenix HM-62-T .
Speaking of Fenix, it is a comprehensive writing manufacturer founded in Shenzhen, China in the early 2000s. Its sturdy and robust construction and high performance have gradually been recognized by hikers and trail runners, and has now grown to a certain extent with genuine Western enthusiasts. Last year, we also reviewed the HM65R-T , and have just realized how highly it is capable of being made in China.
I actually tried using this latest model in the mountains, and the brightness has changed the world of the author, who has only used 300 lumens. I'd like to write about the performance right away.
table of contents
Features of the Fenix HM62-T
The Fenix HM62-T headlamp is a multipurpose compact headlamp made from magnesium alloy and is extremely durable.
This large switch can be operated even while wearing gloves, and has four brightness levels of white light (Low, Mid, High, Turbo), with a maximum amount of 1,200 lumens and a maximum irradiation distance of 150m. It illuminates well even in the dark. It also comes with red light and red flash functions, making it easy to switch between operations.
The reusable 3400mAh battery allows for long-term lighting. You can also always check the battery status using the remaining power indicator.
The highly breathable, elastic headband and dial-type adjustment mechanism make it easy to fit, and the back of the dial is made of silicone, making it less likely to slip. The headband also has a whistle, which helps you to let you know where you are in an emergency.
The protection grade is IP68 and it has a completely dust-proof and waterproof construction, making it suitable for use in a wide range of outdoor activities.
Favorite points
- Strong brightness that allows you to walk safely even in darkness
- Longest duration at high output
- Dial headband for easy operation to adjust the fit
- Highly dustproof and waterproof, sturdy
- Simple button operation
- Reusable rechargeable battery - A visible battery level
Interesting points
- It's a bit heavy
- Because the light is only one pattern that is closer to the distance, it cannot be illuminated widely at close range.
- If it keeps lit in maximum output mode, it will cause a lot of heat to the body.
- Hard to replace battery
Main Specifications and ratings
| item | Fenix HM62-T |
|---|---|
| Light intensity (lm) (max/min) | 1200/5 |
| Official irradiation distance (m) (max/min) | 150/8 |
| Official irradiation time (h) (min/max) | 4/280 |
| Actual measured weight (g) (main unit + battery) | 125.1 |
| Dedicated battery | Lithium-ion battery (3400mAh) |
| Alternative dry batteries | CR123A 2x lithium batteries |
| Waterproof and dustproof | IP68 |
| Light type | White light source 4 modes (Low, Mid, High, Turbo) Red light source 2 modes (Low, Flash) |
| accessories | Rechargeable battery (ARB-L18-3400U V2.0) *Scheduled to upgrade to V3.0 Spare O-ring USB Type-C charging cable instruction manual |
| Long distance irradiation | ★★★★★ |
| Close-range illumination | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | ★★★★★ |
| Ease of use | ★★★★☆ |
| Weight (actual weight) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Waterproof | ★★★★★ |
| Durability | ★★★★★ |
Detailed review
Strong, long-lasting light that allows you to walk safely even in darkness
The Fenix HM62-T has a maximum brightness of 1,200 lumens, boasting the highest level of brightness for a headlamp. For me, who had been operating with 300 lumen headlamps up until now, it felt surprisingly bright.
When used, it was completely dark without a headlamp, but when the Fenix HM62-T was turned on in strong mode, it illuminated the trail firmly, allowing me to walk with peace of mind.
You can check well ahead when illuminated in strong mode.
The already dark mountain trails are so sensitive that they check the road conditions and the noises of wildlife can make you nervous, so the bright Fenix HM62-T , which has a maximum brightness of 1,200 lumens, is a much more secure experience.
As long as I didn't run or run, I was able to walk without any problems even in medium mode (400 lumens).
You can change the angle when wearing it, so when you have to walk while paying attention to your feet, such as rocks, you can light your feet around the center, and when not, you can light up the distance to walk safely.
The light was also warmer (neutral white), rather than a cool, pure white, which was easy to see even at night when it was slightly gassed (photo below).
In places with gas or mist, warm white light with yellowish rays is more visible than pure white light (on the other hand, the illumination distance is slightly shorter than pure white).
However, the lights are neither wide nor spots, and only have one standard wide pattern, so it's fine to just walk on the trail, but it's not easy to use when illuminating a wide range of short distances, such as wanting to illuminate the inside of a tent, and it's not very dexterous enough to accommodate any situation.
The light irradiation range is neither spot nor wide, but has a light shape with a normal spread that is closer to a long distance.
Long lasting with considerable brightness even when used continuously at maximum illumination
It may not be well known that most headlamps are only illuminated by the amount of light raised on the box for just a few dozen seconds on a fully charged charge. After a few minutes, the light will plummet to about 50-70%. The way things go beyond that will vary depending on the model. Therefore, in order to properly evaluate a light, you must also carefully observe the attenuation of the amount of light due to time.
please refer to the previous
So, when we measured the brightness of Fenix HM62-T
The table below shows the results of measurements measured in the maximum light intensity mode (Turbo mode) of the four stages.
First of all, this lamp will suddenly drop to about 40% in about 10 minutes from the maximum light level, but the drop itself is almost the same as the characteristics of lamps from other manufacturers. Rather, since this lamp has a high basic output, will not be displayed here, but if you are interested, please refer to past product reviews on this site) After that, I kept the same brightness for a certain period of time, then stepped down several times, and the realistic brightness lasted for around 4 hours.
However, there are no cases where the device continues to use at maximum light unless it is running at high speed in the dark, and in reality, it is likely that it will continue to use at the brightness below that (mid or high). In that case, it will keep you bright enough to use when walking at night for more than 10 hours.
If the light continues in "Strong Mode", you will get a lot of heat in the body.
One thing that caught my eye was that if the unit continues to light up in strong mode, the unit gets hot.
It's not so hot that you can't wear it, but it feels gentle and gentle. I was a little concerned about the scene where I was sweating while I was taking action.
I was concerned when I put the headlamp directly on, but when I put it on over the hat, I didn't notice it.
heavy
The actual weight of the Fenix HM62-T
A typical headlamp is around 100g (depending on the item)
It's inevitable that you need to increase the capacity of the battery in order to maintain high light for a long time, but after wearing it for about three hours, I felt fatigue and weight.
Dial-type headband that can be adjusted with simple operations
The Fenix HM62-T features a dial-type adjustable headband, with elastic headbands and double fit.
The dial-type design makes it easy to adjust, and in situations where you can walk quickly or trot, you can fit just by turning the dial, and on the other hand, when walking slowly, the fit doesn't have to be high, so I liked that by simply loosening it up, I was able to reduce the tightness.
The main unit is a little heavy, so if you fit it firmly, the tightness will become too strong, but I was able to adjust it to suit the situation without any stress.
The back of the dial has anti-slip silicone, making it difficult to slip. When I actually used it, it had a loose fit and did not fall off when I was wearing it.
The back of the dial is made of silicone, making it difficult to slip.
Highly dustproof and waterproof, sturdy
The Fenix HM62-T has a dust and waterproof protection rating of IP68, making it the highest protection grade among the standards set by the IEC (InterNational Electrotechnical Commission).
Headlamps are essential for safe walking when walking in dark environments. This item can be called the lifeline.
The "sturdy" of the headlamp is definitely something I want. To prevent it from breaking, the Fenix HM62-T , giving you a sense of security whether it rains or a sandstorm (though I don't think there are many sandstorms).
Simple button operation
There are white light mode and red modes, but there is only one button.
The operation is very easy, and you can press and hold the light from the light off to turn on white mode, and press the button to adjust the light level (hold off to hold)
Press twice from off to turn red mode, and press the button to switch between flashing and blinking (long press to turn off).
Once you learn it, you can operate it without any stress.
Reusable rechargeable battery - A visible battery level
Battery with built-in USB Type-C charging port
The problem with headlights that use dry batteries is that they don't know how much battery life is. It's a bit uncertain about not knowing how much remaining there is, and you definitely want to avoid running out of battery in the mountains.
So I carry a spare battery with it, but the Fenix HM62-T comes with an indicator that shows the remaining battery level at a glance. Moreover, the battery is rechargeable, so you can charge it before heading out to the mountains or trails (ease the trouble of going to buy the battery).
An indicator on the button. This will tell you the remaining battery level at a glance
Remember this as the indicator lights up depending on the percentage of battery remaining. (If it is lit in green, the remaining amount is 100-80%.)
When in use, it continued to light up for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, switching between strong mode (1200 lumens) and medium mode (400 lumens), but the battery level after use was 80-50% (in this case, the indicator flashes green).
The battery is red at the top while charging. When it changes to blue, it's completely recharged
The battery itself also has an indicator, and the top of the battery lights red while charging, and turns blue when charging is complete.
Hard to replace battery
The included battery can be replaced with two CR123A lithium batteries.
The Fenix HM62-T can be turned on using commercially available dry batteries, but the CR123A lithium battery is used, and it is a type of battery that is not widely available in Japan (this is not that you can't buy it).
There are also headlamps that can be used in conjunction with AAA or AA batteries, which are easy to obtain, so I was concerned that the batteries are difficult to obtain compared to those.
Short-term traversing and trail running are sufficient, but long-term traversing and long trails may not be suitable as it is difficult to obtain batteries.
Summary: Headlamps are sure to be useful in a wide range of outdoor scenes!
We introduced the Fenix HM62-T
The maximum light of 1200 lumens was extremely satisfying, allowing you to climb and hike in the same peace of mind as during the day in the dark environment. It is easy to operate, fits well, and is dustproof and waterproof, making it perfect for mountain climbing and hiking. It is recommended for people who want to use it in a wide range of situations, including camping, canoeing, fishing, and disaster prevention purposes, but the only thing that is a pain is that it is a pain, so it doesn't seem to fit that well for people who want to reduce the weight for emergency use or trail running that involves intense vibrations, so that's a bit of consideration.
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Yosuke
People who act with just one backpack with the motto of "as light as possible" so that they don't get inconvenient.
From spring to autumn, I chase after char deep in the mountains and go fishing in the mountain stream. We walked the mountains in search of spectacular views that cannot be seen from the ground. Camping to be healed by the bonfire. Snowboarding is a floating mountain with a mountain of silver.
A freelance writer who enjoys outdoor activities all year round. I share my own experiences and tools that I've been using.
