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Fenix has recently released the RENEGADE: a lightweight and compact headlamp featuring a pretty impressive array of lighting settings. I’m currently producing a full long term review of the RENEGADE, but from my initial impressions, I really like what I’m seeing:
Features of the Fenix HM55R RENEGADE
- Lighting Settings (so many!)
- Spotlight: turbo/high/medium/low
- Floodlight: high/medium/low
- Red Light: high/medium/low
- LED Battery Indicator
- Green: 100-85%
- Blinking Green: 85-50%
- Red: 50-25%
- Blinking Red: 25-1%
- Weight
- Total: 106 grams/3.7 ounces
- Headlamp: 58 grams/2.0 ounces
- Headband: 21 grams/0.7 ounces
- 18350 Battery: 26 grams/0.9 ounces
- Battery
- 1600mAh/5.76Wh 18350 battery
- Removable/replaceable with any other 18650 battery
- Single-use non-rechargable CR123A batteries can be used, but are not recommended
- USB-C charging port
- IP68 Water Resistance Rating: dust proof, protecting against immersion in 1 meter deep water for 30 minutes
- Unique Features
- Intelligent Brightness Downshift Function: reduced brightness when light is close to objects to reduce potential damage
What attracted me to the RENEGADE is its lightweight: 106 grams! This cuts ~18 grams from Fenix’s own HM62-T, but the RENEGADE packs both a spot and floodlight, as well as a much brighter red light setting. Everything about this light screams durability and quality: weight reduction wasn’t accomplished by using flimsy materials. The use of a aluminum body speaks to me as someone who is very hard on their gear. If you are looking to cut weight, swapping out the 21 gram headband with a simple DIY mini-bungee solution is probably your move.
In my long-term review, I’ll test some of the run times of the lighting settings. But just from my night-time runs, I’ve found that the RENEGADE is pretty bright enough for trailrunning on the flats and uphills at the Medium/70 Lumen floodlight setting, which Fenix claims should last for ~19hours, 30minutes on one charge of its rechargeable/replaceable/swap-able 18350 battery. Excellent.
This smaller battery, both in size and capacity is something that really makes this headlamp stand out from almost every other headlamp from Fenix that I’ve tried, like the aforementioned HM62-T and my HM65R. Having less weight resting on your forehead is a plus for comfort.
One of the questions I am planning to answer is if the reduced weight and additional comfort is worth the reduction in battery capacity. Having to now invest in yet another battery type is something else I’m wondering about. But if the run times are good to great, this means any additional batteries I carry on multi-day trips are also going to weigh less in total too, compounding the advantages of using this headlamp, versus others that I have to choose from.
