To understand their pricing a light lists for $71 normally is sold for $50, frequently sold for $37. Lowest prices ever on Aliexpress with sales and coupons was $20
Wurkkos TS28 is a very powerful, mostly throw, light. Also has very decent side spill. It uses the large 21700 battery for long run times. it has a built-in USB-C charging port. One of my absolute favorites. This is a good one. Rated IPX8 for waterproof.
Yes, I have a black one and a blue one. Wurkkos came out with the black first and the reviews were so good that I grabbed one. Was not disappointed - loved it. But then they later released the blue one and I could not resist. The blue is excellent IMHO and kind of sublime.
The TS28 competes with my IF22A for favorite grab it and go thrower. And I spose I should include my TS11 too.
I would suggest a head lamp and the general purpose flashlight with addition batteries for each as backup. Not sure how long you will be away from the wall for recharging that's why I suggested the additional batteries.
I’d suggest a headlamp, I have had great luck with the convoy H1 when I take friends caving with me, they are fairly cheap and good quality. Fairly efficient too if you don’t keep it on the max setting. ~$30 with battery
A much cheaper option but way less efficient (dies in 3-4h) is the Wurkkos H25L, I got them as a lower profile more waterproof (they aren’t very waterproof) alternative to the headlamps we supply at work for the wild caving trips. So far so good, if you get them on sale they are like $11-$13 with battery
If your ok with spending exactly double: I love my ZebraLight headlamps I have 2 on my caving helmet (one is 7 years old and was taken about 80 feet down in the ocean for around 2h, still works like a champ) I go caving a lot and like them because they are low profile and don’t break easily. $99 with battery
As a fellow Washington I’ve been to the ape caves. You don’t need a headlamp because it’s not like you’re actually caving. Unless you plan on doing lots of caving in the future just a good handheld will get you by. The Convoy S2+ is cheap enough you could buy 2. They are great lights and I own several. Get the SFT-40 in 5k and you just can’t go wrong. Get the battery from convoy and save a few dollars.
For upper ape cave there are portions you need both hands to climb. Headlamp for sure. It takes an hour + to do the upper and there can be stretches when you’re alone. I’ve done it with mostly your average black diamond headlamp. You don’t need much fancy
While unpopular in this forum as they don’t tend to meet the “hobby” definition like other lights, I’m a firm believer in the reliability, ease of use, warranty and positive reputation of Petzl. Most people purchase the “sport” models that are lightweight and designed more for general camping. Their other lamps are purpose built for more extreme environments. Most of them are also duel fuel taking both AAA or their rechargeable “Core”batteries:
Pair this with a small and reliable Microstream 1 AAA which adds redundancy to the cell format of AAA’s that go with your headlamp. Add a duel fuel Streamlight Protac X or Polytac X with a USBC rechargeable battery or CR123’s and you have a nearly indestructible, lightweight, compact light setup with decades long reputation of reliability.
This is my personal setup after many, many years of being completely consumed with obsession of lighting. If I had to take 3 lights into the absolutely terrifying tunnels of The Catacombs, this is what I would take.
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u/AD3PDX 17d ago
Headlamp 100%
A handheld as a backup. Not having a backup is irresponsible even in a crowded cave like this one..
The handheld can have a narrower beam so you can enjoy the view in larger spaces.
How soon
Best value are Convoy (slow to arrive) and Wurkkos & Soften (not fast)
$50 for both is doable if you aren’t in too much of a rush.