Ledlenser Headlamps, Lanterns and Flashlights

What Ledlenser makes for hunters and campers

Ledlenser started with a flashlight. Its own history page says the first prototype was the V8 torch, and its site now sells head torches, lanterns and work lights alongside them. This site lists three of those types: headlamps, lanterns and handheld flashlights, though the flashlights are only two models in the grid so far.

The grid above sorts into six groups:

• H series: rechargeable lamps built around a focusing beam, from the H5R up to the H19R and H21R
• HF series: the HF4R, HF7R and HF8R, lighter for their output, many with red and green
• MH series: outdoor lamps, from the MH3 to the MH11
• KidLED: two lamps sized and strapped for children
• ML lanterns: the small ML4 Warm and the larger ML6
• Flashlights: the small T² and the rechargeable P9R Core LEP

The grid filters by type and changes as listings come and go. Most of its values come from Amazon listings, and some listings leave fields blank. Weights and battery details below come from Ledlenser's own product pages, which the maker publishes on its UK site.

Lineup notes: the Ledlenser headlamp families

H series: the focusing beam

The H series is the Ledlenser most people picture: a round lamp head with a bezel you twist or slide to change the beam. Ledlenser calls it the Advanced Focus System. Its H7R Core page describes a beam you can set to flood for close work, spot for distance, or any width in between, without stepping through modes.

Per the H7R Core page, the lamp runs on one 21700 lithium-ion cell, charges by magnetic contact, has a transport lock, carries IP67 and weighs 259 g. That's a lamp with a battery pack, not a clip-on.

The grid's H lamps step up in output and reach from the H5R and H7R through the H8R and H15R to the H19R and H21R. The bigger ones are pitched at work and hard hats in their listings. The H3.2 is the odd one out: three AAA cells, 120 lumens and 133 g, per the maker, with the same flood-to-spot focus.

A focus ring is a nice thing on a deer drag. Flood for your feet, spot for the next blaze on a tree. (Walt says a focusing headlamp is a flashlight that's afraid of commitment. He has not tried one. He has an opinion anyway.)

HF series: lighter, with colors

Ledlenser's site marks the HF series as new, and the HF4R is the lightest adult lamp quoted on this page. The HF4R Signature page lists 72 g, IP68, a 2 m drop test and a head that tilts 45 degrees. Instead of a focus ring, "a click of the power button" switches between a focused spot and a wide flood, per the maker.

The HF4R Signature also has red, green and blue light. Ledlenser says these colors "preserve night vision and minimise wildlife disturbance and insect attraction," and gives fishing lines and maps as examples. The listings for the HF7R RGB, HF8R Core RGB and HF4R RGB Camo in the grid name colored light too. The HF7R listings also describe automatic dimming and spot, mid and flood beams, and the HF8R Core RGB listing names auto-dim and focus.

MH series: the outdoor lamps

The MH lamps are the ones Ledlenser's listings aim at camping and hiking. The range runs from the small MH3 through the MH5 and MH8 to the MH10 and MH11, with the MH8 and MH11 listings naming red and green light.

The MH10 page is a good example of the line. Ledlenser lists a user-replaceable 18650 lithium-ion cell, the Advanced Focus System with Rapid Focus for one-handed adjustment, a rear red safety light, IP54 and 158 g. A rear red light matters if you walk a road shoulder to the gate at 5 a.m.

KidLED: for the kids at camp

Two children's lamps are in the grid, the KIDLED2 and the Kidled4R. Ledlenser's KidLED4R page lists 25 g, a 40-lumen maximum, IP44, white, red and blue modes, and an optional auto switch-off after 20 minutes.

The strap is the point. The maker describes a "pressure-sensitive safety headband" that releases under load. The page says the lamp suits children from 36 months, used under direct adult supervision. Ledlenser's warranty page also lists kids' lights among the products excluded from its extended warranty.

Ledlenser lanterns: ML4 and ML6

ML4 Warm: the clip-on

The ML4 is small. Ledlenser lists 71 g, a 300-lumen maximum, IP66, a 2 m drop test and a carabiner snap hook for a tent loop, pack or belt. It ships with a 14500 lithium-ion cell and, per the maker, a standard AA alkaline works "as a direct alternative; no modification required." The Warm version uses a warmer white than the standard one.

ML6: the camp-table lantern

The ML6 is the bigger lantern. Ledlenser's page lists a 750-lumen maximum, an 18650 lithium-ion cell, a red mode, and a USB output for "charging smartphones, cameras and other devices." It hangs from a rubber hook, sticks to steel with a magnet, or stands on a removable stand. The page lists 280 g and IP54 for the Cool White version, IP66 for the Warm White.

The maker also says Micro Prism optics give "glare-free area illumination" for tents and campsites. More on the type is on the camping lantern page and the rechargeable lantern page.

Ledlenser flashlights: T² and P9R Core LEP

The flashlight side of the grid is short, and the two lights sit at opposite ends of it.

The T² is the pocket one: a short light on AAA cells, a few hundred lumens at most, per its listing. AAA is the same cell the H3.2 headlamp takes, so one battery box can feed both.

The P9R Core LEP is the long-reach one. Its listing gives it a rechargeable battery, a red light and a beam distance far beyond anything else Ledlenser has in the grid, headlamps included. A beam that long is for picking out a far tree line or a reflector on a trail, not for camp chores. The red mode is the one to use on the walk in, for the night-vision reasons below.

Both listings carry the "tactical" label, which on this site only describes how the model is named. The tactical flashlight page and the rechargeable flashlight page compare them with flashlights from other brands.

How to choose within the Ledlenser lineup

Weight against reach first

My one opinion on this page: for a lamp you'll wear on the walk in, pick by weight before beam distance. Here's the checkable part. On the maker's pages, the HF4R Signature is 72 g and the H7R Core is 259 g. That's more than three HF4Rs on your forehead, for a lamp built to throw light much farther than you need to find a trail marker. If you'll mostly walk, sit and come back, start with the HF and MH lamps. If you'll track, drag or work on a hard hat, the bigger H lamps earn their weight.

Then battery and charging

Most of the grid is rechargeable. What differs is how. The H7R Core charges by magnetic contact with the cell inside. The MH10 takes a replaceable 18650 cell, so a charged spare can ride in your pocket. The H3.2 takes three AAA cells, and the ML4 lantern takes a standard AA in a pinch. The rechargeable headlamp page and the headlamps page cover the trade across brands.

Then focus: ring or button

H and MH lamps with the Advanced Focus System let you set any beam width between flood and spot. The HF4R switches between two beams with a click. If you wear gloves all season, try both kinds of control at home with the gloves on. Big rings are easier than small buttons for some hands, and the other way around for others.

Then colors

The National Park Service explains why colored light earns its place: a few seconds of bright white light breaks down the chemical your eyes use for night vision, which takes 20 to 40 minutes to rebuild, and dim red light doesn't break it down. For red and green, look at the HF4R Signature, HF7R RGB, HF8R Core RGB, MH8 and MH11. The red light headlamp page has the across-brand view.

Then tilt and fit

A headlamp that points at the horizon when you need your boots is a headlamp you'll wear crooked. Ledlenser's pages list how far each head moves: up to 130 degrees of rotation on the H7R Core, a 65-degree stepped tilt on the MH10, and 45 degrees on the HF4R Signature. The H3.2 head pivots too.

The heavy H lamps carry the battery at the back of the head, which balances the lamp head in front. The H21R listing describes a balanced feel and a washable reflective headband, and the newer H7R listing names washable dual straps. Try the strap over the hat you actually wear in November, not over bare hair in the living room. (I once fitted one in the kitchen and wore it over a toque. The lamp spent the walk looking at the stars.)

Then water and dust

The maker's ratings in this lineup run from IP44 on the KidLED4R and IP54 on the MH10 to IP67 on the H7R Core and IP68 on the HF4R Signature. For a lamp that might take a creek dunk, look for the 7 or the 8.

Battery care and charging

Habits built on what Ledlenser's pages list:

• Use the transport lock on lamps that have it, like the H7R Core and HF4R Signature
• Carry a charged spare cell for the lamps with a replaceable 18650
• Store the ML4 with an AA in the kit for a backup

Ledlenser's warranty page excludes problems caused by leaking batteries and the gradual drop in rechargeable battery capacity. So pull AAA or AA cells out of a lamp or lantern before it sits in the gear tote until spring.

The U.S. Fire Administration says not to charge lithium-ion batteries below 32°F or above 105°F, and to stop using any battery that smells, swells, leaks or gets hot. Charge inside the cabin, not in a cold truck.

Ledlenser facts

From Ledlenser's own pages:

• Founded: 1994, by twin brothers Rainer and Harald Opolka, in their garage in Germany
• First product: a prototype of the V8 flashlight
• Headquarters: Solingen, Germany, where the company runs operations, research and marketing
• Where made: designed and developed in Germany, produced in China, with three manufacturing bases
• Warranty: on the UK site, two years standard plus five more with online registration, with kids' lights and accessories excluded from the extension

The best headlamp list compares across brands, and the brand catalog lists the other headlamp makers.

Lock it before it goes in the bag, and in camp point the flood at your boots, not at Walt's face. He keeps score.