Makita has come out with a new 18V LED headlamp, model DML800.
There are two parts to it – the headband with LED lamp assembly, and a belt-clippable power adapter, attached together via power cord.
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The LED head features a 1.6 Watt LED bulb that delivers 100 lumens of light for up to 33 hours per charge (with a 5.0Ah battery). It can pivot up to 90° with 7 positive stops.
It has a non-slip rubber strap, allowing it to stay secured to hard hats. (I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be worn directly on your head, although a rubber strap might not be as comfortable as a cloth strap, but the marketing language only mentions it being worn with a hard hat.)
It can also be clipped directly to the battery adapter, for easier use off your head.
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When connected for off-the-head use, it can be used handheld, flat on a horizontal surface, or it can rest vertically for aiming the light upwards.
- 100 lumens
- 0-90° pivoting head with 7 stops
- IPX4 water resistant
- Non-slip rubber strap
- Battery holder has a belt clip for easy carrying
- 47″ power cord
- Weighs 1.9 lbs with battery
- 33 hours runtime with 5.0Ah battery pack
Price: $49-55
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First Thoughts
It can be worn as a headlamp, placed horizontally on a surface and aimed down, or placed vertically on a surface and aimed up.
Personally, I like handheld flashlights and worklights, or simple headlamps that you just wear on your head and press a button to turn on.
I LOVE Zebralight LED headlamps. And Petzl’s Pixa LED headlamps, at least their flood light version. I continue to like Petzl headlamps, in general, particularly their smaller ones.
But I can see the benefit of a remote-battery pack unit, which allows you to have a higher-powered battery pack without wearing heavy batteries on your head.
It doesn’t look like Makita is offering multiple brightness options on this new DLM800 headlamp, which is unfortunate. From its design, it looks to have a spotlight-style reflector. I prefer flood light reflectors, for wider, uniform, and easier-on-the-eyes close-up illumination.
Right now, I don’t see why this can’t be worn on your head, but it’s only shown being worn on a hard hat.
The product description says:
The non-slip rubber strap keeps the lamp head securely attached to hard hats. It can also be used as a stationary light by attaching the lamp head to the battery holder.
The rubber strap part has me increasingly hesitant to consider it as anything but a hard hat headlamp. Most of my headlamps have cloth head straps that are mildly elastic. I have different safety goggles with mildly elastic neoprene (?) straps.
This one looks like a giant rubber band that will eat my hair and squeeze my head. Am I right?
There’s another version that’s marketed overseas – that one (BML800) looks to have a much more comfortable bare-head-friendly strap. Online, it’s only shown off-head or attached to hard hats too, but it at least looks like a more comfortable strap. Maybe we’ll see it here too.
Update: The international BML800 looks to be an established product, the USA DML800 looks to be new. The BML800 fact sheet mentions 18V 1.3Ah and 3.0Ah battery packs, which would suggest that it came out quite some time ago.
I don’t think I’ve ever worn a headlamp with a hard hat, so hopefully we’ll see both version here. Maybe Makita will offer different straps as available purchases? It looks like the straps are easily removable.
As a side note, I like the specially molded plastic hardware for adjusting the straps. Do you see the little hook for left or right routing of the power cord? That seems like a convenient user-friendly touch.
rmkilc
Something doesn’t math. 100 lumens and only 33 hours of runtime on ten 2,500 mAh 18650 cells (90 watt hours). If you look at Zebralight’s H603, they claim 12 hours at 160 lumens or 33 hours at 70 lumens. This is on one 18650 cell. Not sure what size cell they base the rating off of, but it’s probably 3,400 mAh (12.24 watt hours). And keep in mind the max output is 1,300 lumens. Something just doesn’t math Makita.
Stuart
I agree, but that’s what it says:
The “continuous lamination” is probably a typo/correction error.
The Japanese-site fact sheet says similar – 20 hrs runtime on a 3.0Ah battery, 8.5 hrs on a 1.3Ah battery. It mentions light output in lux, not lumens though – 2000 lx.
rmkilc
I suppose this is to be expected from a general tool maker as opposed to a company that specializes in high quality LED headlamps and flashlights.
Do they say in any of their documentation which LED they are using?
Stuart
Nope, no color temperature, beam angle, illumination range, or CRI either.
Rman
Great idea for crawl spaces or attic
But come on 100 measly lumens
My coast head light is 330 lu almost same run time. The low Lumens for us older guys is just toooo low. I can’t see well with 300 Lumens and now have led flashlights from 500 to 1000 Lumens with three light settings
Eric
They could be using an older/cheaper less efficient LED and driver setup. Since they have a big giant battery pack they probably don’t care nearly as much about efficiency.
Blythe M
I would be worried about that cord snagging on anything an everything. If you’re an inspector or something it might be nice, but the tradesman having to squeeze through small spaces, working on scaffolding or ladders, or even putting tools in your toolbelt-seems to be less than ideal. I suppose the the cord could be routed through your clothes like a headphone cable.
I like the idea though, trying to find aaa batteries or remembering to recharge small batteries is a pain. I would be more inclined to wear a compact battery on the back of my hard hat, or one on each size
Blythe M
*side
Danielle
Definitely not some strange numbers… The lumen output doesn’t appear to be very great and the wattage is high relative to output. Even at 1.6W though, we could reasonably expect around 45-50 hours runtime from a 5.0Ah battery pack. Does Makita even math?
BJN
There are so many better headlamps out there, including ones with high capacity battery packs, why buy one that requires a lithium battery pack designed for power tool systems? Aside from capacity, one prime reason for an external battery is for low temperature use. But that means wearing the battery next to your body or stowing it in a warm pocket. The Makita design is too bulky to do that well.
fred
ANSI Class A hardhats are proof tested to 2.2kV
ANSI Class B hardhats are proof tested to 20kV
Especially for the class B hardhats – bringing a conductor (even if mildly insulated) down from you hat to your waist – will likely void that rating.
OSHA may have something to say on this.
The yeti
Working on a drilling rig this would be a no go . The cord makes it a hazard . Rotating equipment always finds a loose cord
John S
This looks really hoaky and thrown together. Its a neat idea but really 18v? Why didn’t they use their 12 volt or 7.2 volt line of batteries for this surely thats a better fit? Plus that line from your head to your belt buckle is going to be a major pain and liability.
Wayne
I too think the Petzl headlamps are excellent, but I’ve never worn one for hours at a time. The only reason I can see to using something like this Makita would be to get 12 hours or more out of one battery. Or to get a shitload of light on my area.
But that cord is a huge negative, and Fred points out a killer detail to it (literally).
So this makes me wonder why smaller headlamps (like Petzls) don’t have their own quick-change battery magazine/clip apparatus – because that’s a truly fiddly aspect of those kinds of lights, getting the replacement cells in there. Especially compared to the rapid change possible with today’s power tools.
If I’m wearing/using a headlight long enough to change batteries and keep working, I’m likely not going to want to screw around with it. And an extra ounce or so won’t be a deal-breaker. Let’s have a small headlamp with a quick-change mechanism, please?
Eric
No thanks. At $20-$30 I might be interested if I was already invested in to their system. But for $50 I could buy a Skilhunt H03 or Armytek wizzard and get over 1000 lumens if I needed it. And for not much more money I could buy a Zebralight H600 series (really good build quality) or Armytek Wizzard Pro (2000 lumens.) And I’m going to get what will probably be a much higher build quality. Be able to chose what brightness I want. What color temperature I want. What beam pattern I want. And not about to worry about a cable, or carrying a heavy battery around on my hip.
conan
100 lumens? What is wrong with 500/1000 lumen settings? Makita blows the oppertunity to make a good, useful product.
SiSiX
Okay, these seriously suck. 100 lumens on 1.6 watts with a clear lens is somewhere between terrible and “are you SURE these aren’t counterfeits?” for current LED bulbs. (100 lumen/watt isn’t really pushing things, I just checked emitters on Cree’s site) This thing ‘should’ be closer to 150-200 lumen with that power rating.
Second, MATH, seriously. Nominally, an 18 volt, 5AH pack ‘should’ be 90 WH, give or take a couple. If it will only run that lamp for 33 hours, and the emitter is 1.6 watts, that means the driver circuit is pulling somewhere around 1.1w or 70% of the power the emitter is. I’ve seen high school electronics projects with better efficiency than that. (90WH/33H=2.72W) So…was this designed by 8th graders?
On the other hand, it is a cool idea, just sucks for efficiency and brightness is all.
Nathan
Needs to be 200-300 lumens before I’d even consider it.
John
I purchased a generic Chinese head torch with adjustable power knob, 5watt Cree LED and built in batteries. Au$10 and I am guessing it can do everything the Makita can do…..and weigh 20 times less.
Jim Felt
I’ve no idea of the actual utility let alone build quality of these but the USALenser head lamps I’ve used are certainly built more Mercedes-like. Yeah the price point is a bit more but the range of models, outputs and powersource is for more extensive. And Leatherman itself backs them up.
So just a thought.
Nathan
OK so backing up a tick – I love the idea with some minor changes. Or let’s say options because I think it’s easy to be modular.
1 – a battery system I might be using and or have – great. (team yellow and red – make something similar please)
2) adjustable strapping – adjustable angle –
3) remote battery for cold use or just to have more capacity without weight on your skull. also good.
4) easy use in non-headlamp mode – great idea.
now the changes.
1) adjustable beam please – I mean in this day and age why don’t most lights have an adjustable beam.
2) red light LED option – multi head something. I might need my night vision and yes optional sure.
3) shorter power lead such as to allow mounting of battery to hard hat – as mentioned some people don’t want the long power cord – provide short and long.
I think their spec sheet if either off – or something but either way I bet it’s a decent light. I’d be interested and I’m glad it’s an 18v model not the 12v model – because I’m going to be using 18V style tools. If this was team yellow or red – I’d have this paired with the smallest capacity thin battery. Probably a 2 emitter head one wide angle red and another with adjustable beam multi output. IE like all the other headlamp makers have.
Would be nice if one of the others partnered with Coast or Petzl or __________ to make one. I like the use of the power tool battery.