If you’ve ever gone outside to grab a couple of logs for the fireplace at night, then you know it’s not practical to bring along a flashlight unless you have a third arm. Outside of a superhero-grade nuclear spill, your best chance for gaining spare appendages is to use your head — wear a Maxxeon WorkStar 620 Technician’s Rechargeable Hands-Free Headlamp.
Unlike other headlamps I’ve reviewed in the past, the WorkStar 620 is full of options: options on how to wear it, how to power it, and how to charge it. Unlike the kind we usually see — that take a couple of disposable AA batteries — the WorkStar 620 uses two 2800 mAh Li-ion 18650 rechargeable batteries, which gives it a runtime average of ~8 hours on low brightness, ~4 hours on medium brightness, and ~2 hours on high brightness. Let’s take a look at what’s in the package …
Included in the box are the Maxxeon WorkStar 620, 4 hard hat clips, a 3 foot (1 m) curly extension cord, an adjustable head strap, a microUSB to USB cable, and a wall charger.
The WorkStar 620 features:
• Rugged aluminum alloy casing
• 3 brightness levels: High, Medium, Low
• High: 700 lumens, 2 hour run time
• Medium: 400 lumens, 4 hour run time
• Low: 150 lumens, 8 hour run time
• Adjustable 6X zoom lens for flood or spot lighting or anything in between
• Light head aims forward and pivots down 90 degrees with 4 indent positions
• Comfortable, adjustable head strap
• Evenly distributed weight balance
• Recharges without removing the batteries
• Removable battery pack – quick connector
• Red/green charge indicator on battery pack
• 6 hour charge time
• Includes UL-approved 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz power supply with USB output
Because it includes a USB charging cable, you can even power it up with a standard car charger, which is pretty convenient.
Before you freak out that there is a power box on the back of he adjustable headband, realize that it can be removed and worn on your belt, as well. That’s what the 3′ long extender is for.
The battery box has three clips on it; once you’ve opened it, the extra long rechargeable batteries go inside and then you can charge them with the included wall charger and the USB cable.
If you are going to wear the headlamp on a hard-hat, you can secure it in place with the included plastic clips.
The headlamps aluminum-housed light can be aimed in four different clicking angles including 90º straight down for sure stepping at night.
The headlamp is controlled by the button on the battery pack; you click it once to turn the lamp on low (which is plenty bright), again for medium, and again for high. Clicking it one more time will turn the headlamp off.
There is an LED that will glow red when the battery pack is charging; it will glow green once fully charged.
The light put out by the lamp is brilliant, and the hands-free nature of the headlamp makes it the perfect tool to use for all outdoor activities where you might need both hands.
If you like to camp, hunt, go outside at night, or if yu work in dark spaces routinely, you need a good headlamp. The Maxxeon WorkStar 620 Technician’s Rechargeable Hands-Free Headlamp is a great choice — Kev has already claimed this one! 😉
The Maxxeon WorkStar 620 Technician’s Rechargeable Hands-Free Headlamp retails for $34.98 on Amazon [affiliate link].
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample
What I Like: Handsfree headlamp with three different brightness settings; power pack can be worn on the head or on the belt; Rechargeable batteries; Headlamp can be tilted to four different angles (up to 90º); Included plastic clips for wearing with a hard-hat; Battery charges with a standard microUSB cable
What Needs Improvement: Might seem a bit heavy on your head — if that’s the case, move the battery pack to your belt