ASheep

If you want to do lots of close up work, and have another light to see long distances with, the Zebralight H501w is a great light. Link I've had mine for about a year now, took it on a couple of camping trips, one of which involved a 2am emergency tarp pulldown, because a massive storm hit. We were out for over an hour in the bucketing rain and driving winds, this headlamp worked like a charm. It only weighs 63 grams with a battery installed. Uses a single AA battery, can run for about 2 hours on high, or 21 days on the lowest mode (which is good for midnight toilet runs at the campsite.) The cost is about $60. It has a Neutral white LED, which makes things look more natural, compared to cool white LEDs, which make things look dead. There have been some reports of zebralights breaking in the past, but I've only had good experiences with them, and their customer service is great. Hope this helps, Alex

I've had a pair of the KSO's in black for 5 months now, I haven't worn any other shoes in that time. I'm not kidding guys, once you get used to wearing them (your feet and calves will hurt badly for a bit) normal shoes feel so strange and constrictive. I go bushwalking and trail running with my girlfriend, you feel EVERY rock, stick, gumnut or small insect you run over, but the feeling is great! When bushwalking you can dig your toes in, grip over logs with toes and all kinds of stuff you cant do in boots. When on a bike you can grip the pedals with your toes, same thing on staircases. I ride about 10km every day on my bike in them, and walk a further 5km or so around uni and work, plus trail running on the weekends. They have actually helped my knees, I used to get all kinds of running injuries, now 5-10km trails are a breeze! I'm considering getting a pair of KSO treks, for hunting/camping purposes, as with the thin mesh on top of the normal KSO you are very vulnerable to scratches from sticks/rocks. You do get an awful lot of weird looks though... But I'm used to that! Cheers, Alex

G'day, Have you looked at the HDS IR illuminator? I know its LED, but it is designed for military use with NVG systems, and is durable and reliable as a torch can get. If you really want an incandescent light, and can stretch your budget, go for a Surefire M series. The M4 Devastator or M6 Guardian will get you over 500 lumens with the right bulbs. You can get IR filters for them from Surefire. A cheaper option for incandescent would be to get a Surefire 6P (or similar clone) and use a Lumens Factory IMR-9 in place of the standard bulb. These Lamps are extremely overdriven, and require Lithium Ion IMR 16340 batteries to run. If you are willing to learn about the safety issues associated with these cells, then this option is far cheaper and more compact than the Surefire M6, while giving a similar brightness level. The only problem is the batteries, as if mistreated, overheated or overcharged, they can release Hydroflouric acid, which is a highly toxic gas. Hope this helps, Alex

G'day, Young bloke from western Sydney here, I'm a keen fisherman and bushwalker, just getting into hunting. Been a gun nut since my grandpa used to tell me about his pig hunts when I was a kid. Cheers, Alex